During this phase of your pup’s life, they should be learning the basics such as their name, good manners at home, introducing some commands, and some early socialization. This is around the age that many new puppy owners bring home their new puppy. Go at your pup's speed, and don't rush them if they're just not ready yet to move onto the next! It's important to keep in mind that each pup learns at a different speed, so some may need longer at certain stages, and some will be able to move on to more advanced training quicker. If your puppy is older and hasn’t learned everything outlined here yet, go back to fill in some of those missing areas if need be. Below we outlined a basic puppy training schedule that starts from two months of age (8 weeks) that you can use as your puppy grows. Now that we covered those three key topics, it's time to develop your puppy’s training schedule. A great time to do this is at your puppy's mealtime, as you can have them work to earn their breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Keep these training sessions short, fun, and motivating for your pup so they can't wait to do them again and again! And, once your puppy has completed the appropriate vaccination routine, start practicing their training routines in different locations! This will help solidify their commands, and encourage the same correct behaviors wherever you bring your puppy! With young puppies, you may only be able to hold their attention for 5-10 minutes at a time, and about 10-15 minutes with older puppies. That saying “practice makes perfect” is totally true when it comes to puppy training! You’ll want to schedule a few short training sessions each day to teach and practice their commands. Consider creating a daily puppy schedule that includes potty breaks, feeding and playtimes, puppy training sessions, and nap times! This will help your puppy learn to understand the daily household routine, feel confident and secure, provide structure, and promote good behavior. To get them on track faster, maintain a consistent schedule for your puppy.

It takes time to establish communication between yourself and your puppy, so don’t expect them to get it on the first try! Puppies are young and still figuring out the world, so they will make mistakes. It’s easy to become frustrated with the puppy training process. If you are ready to start your puppy’s training, check out the Online Puppy School! (Don’t worry, you can and will wean off as they get older!) Having access to your pup’s food comes in so handy for redirecting them away from something they’re doing that you don’t want them to do, getting them to come to you, having them focus on you to build that guidance-based relationship, and reward them for their good behaviors to encourage them to do that again! In both programs, you’ll often hear us recommending our pup parents keep a treat pouch on or near them at all times in the beginning weeks with their new pup at home. It’s also part of the foundation for our Online Training School. Your puppy’s food is a phenomenal resource and one of the best tools you can use to train your puppy! In those early puppyhood months, having your puppy work for their food is a super-easy way to get and hold their attention on you, rewards them for doing so, and creates a positive association with looking to you for direction!Īt The Puppy Academy, we have our students bring their lunch to school with them, and we use that meal for their training sessions. So how do you know what you should begin training your pup first on? No matter what age you bring home your new pup, you can use our puppy training schedule as a guideline to help your puppy grow, develop, and learn the good manners they need at home and in the world to help shape them into becoming that perfect pup you envisioned! Once they’ve been home for a couple of weeks, your puppy should know the basics of a daily routine and be working on some obedience training and learning basic commands. Your puppy is growing and developing quickly. In the beginning, that perfect pup will come with some growing pains: nipping, chewing, potty accidents, barking, and more. But there are some steps to do to make sure your pup is on the right track with their training in order to get there! A puppy that’s leisurely strolling beside you, or sitting calmly at your feet at an outdoor cafe. It's the vision that we as puppy owners all dreamt about.

Dog daily schedule chart