fbpx

How to train your puppy

How to train your puppy

Training is an important part of your puppy’s development and should become part of your daily routine with your dog. You will be taught the basics at puppy school to continue to work on at home and on walks. Here’s how to train your puppy.

Puppy training schedule

Some skills can be learnt at any age but some are time-sensitive and need to be taught during your puppy’s socialisation period (between 4-16 weeks). Early priorities should be handling, getting them to respond to their name and enjoying the company of other people and dogs. Use food and toys to teach your puppy essential life skills and reward the behaviour that you want to encourage. This is a great way to form a great relationship with your dog, create trust and build positive associations.

Puppy training at home

You can start puppy training from the first day you come home. This includes house training your puppy, and maybe crate training them to sleep at night. You can also introduce some basic dog training techniques – such as teaching a puppy to sit – from when your puppy is about 8 weeks old. The key is lots of praise and reward, and never punishment.  

Start teaching your puppy to walk on a lead in the house and the garden. This will help them to get used to the lead before you venture out into the big wide world with lots of distracting sounds, smells and sights.

Take time to get your puppy used to wearing a collar or harness. Reward with treats each time you put it on off your puppy so that they learn to enjoy the experience.

There are lots of free puppy training videos to watch online – take a look at Blue Cross and Dogs Trust Dog School for some great puppy training tips.

  • Puppy Parenting Club members only: How are you getting on with your Puppy Goals? Don’t forget to tick them off as you reach each milestone to earn your Puppy Parenting Club certificate. Not a member? Join today.
  • Read this story from dog owner Kirsty about her experience with training her puppy Jessie: Training my dog the positive way

Clicker training your dog

Clicker training is a type of reward-based training that helps dogs to learn positive behaviours by using the click to tell them when they have behaved in a way you like. First, you pair the noise of the click with food so that your puppy associates the click with something pleasurable. You can then use the clicker to ‘mark’ behaviours you like, and follow it up with a treat. Clicker training helps your dog to learn exactly what it is that they did right, and they are then more likely to repeat that behaviour to gain further rewards.

You don’t need to be a dog trainer to clicker train your puppy. There are many resources available online to help you learn about clicker training. It’s also a great way to bond with your puppy. We recommend the book, Clicker Training for Dogs* by clicker training expert, Karen Pryor. 

Clicker Training for Dogs* by Karen Pryor

#ad

Karen Pryor i Click Training Clickers

#ad

How to get started with clicker training

  • Buy a dog clicker, and either make or buy your puppy some of their favourite treats.
  • Before you start training, you will first need to teach your puppy to associate the sound of the click with getting a reward. Start by spending short amounts of time every day for a few days with your puppy, clicking the clicker and then giving them a reward. It’s really important that your puppy gets a treat every time you click, even if you – or another family member – use the clicker by accident. 
  • Once the association between the click and reward has been made, you can start to use it for basic dog training, such as teaching your puppy to sit. 
  • First, you will need to use the clicker to shape the desired behaviour. If you want to teach your puppy to sit, you can use the lure technique. This involves using a treat to guide your dog to perform the desired behaviour. Begin by holding a treat in front of your puppy’s nose and letting them sniff it. Then move your hand from their nose, over your puppy’s head and towards their tail. As your puppy lifts their head to follow the treat with their nose this action should lead to them putting their bottom on the ground. As soon as they do, click and reward. Repeat this a few times so that your puppy learns the association between sitting, hearing a click and getting a reward. 
  • The next stage is to introduce a cue word, e.g. ‘sit’. Continue to use the lure technique with the command word. Follow up straight away with a click and reward when your puppy sits down. 
  • After a few successful attempts, try using the command word without the lure technique. Click and reward as soon as your puppy sits down. 
  • Eventually, once your puppy has successfully learned the behaviour you can start to reduce the use of the clicker – and the treats – and just use your cue word. You should continue to praise your puppy with your voice and and give them a treat occasionally when they perform the desired behaviour.

Recommended reading

Life Skills for Puppies*,
written by Helen Zulch and Daniel Mills,
is must-read book for new puppy owners.
It will help you to incorporate
teaching into the every day interactions
you enjoy with your puppy.

Puppy training classes

It’s a good idea for you and your puppy to attend puppy training classes. It’s much easier to train puppies and establish positive behaviours when they are little, than undo negative behaviours. This includes pulling on the lead when out walking and not coming back when called.

Read this story: My dog eats everything, literally!

A quick search on Google will return plenty of options for local puppy training classes. But when is the right time the start puppy training classes and how do you do you choose the best puppy trainer? Here’s what you need to know about puppy school:

What age can puppies go to training classes?

After your puppy has had their second vaccinations, they will be ready to go to puppy classes. These are run by dog trainers or behaviourists as a short course. They cover basic dog training such as sit and stay, come when called and walking on a lead. A good puppy class will help you to build your puppy’s confidence and develop their social skills. They will also teach you how to train your puppy’s training at home to prevent problem behaviours from occurring.

Choosing a good puppy training class

You’ll want your puppy to be in the best hands when it comes to training. Finding an Animal Behaviour & Training Council (ABTC) accredited dog trainer is key. Many ABTC accredited dog training networks run local puppy training classes. These include:

How much do puppy training classes cost?

Puppy training prices tend to be in the range of £50 – £100 for a 5 – 10 week course. 

Get help and friendly support

Did you know we have a community forum for new puppy parents to share their experiences and support each other? Join our Puppy Parenting Club for expert advice and community support to help you care for your growing puppy.

What to read next