Puppy Training Schedule: Week-by-Week Plan From 8 Weeks to 6 Months

With so many different pieces of puppy training information available, there is a lot to consider when trying to determine what to start teaching your puppy now versus what to delay for later. If you attempt to try everything all at once in order to avoid having to focus on one area at a time you will end up with a puppy that knows about fifty percent of twenty items. On the other hand if you wait until later to begin your puppy training you may have missed an opportunity to provide your puppy with the socialization they need prior to the window closing (typically between 12-14 weeks old), and it does not reopen.

Our Puppy Training Schedule Generator allows you to create a weekly schedule based upon your puppy’s current age. Check off each item as you complete them.

Puppy Training by Age at a Glance

The Socialisation Window: Why Weeks 8-14 Matter Most

From approximately three to fourteen weeks of age puppies are generally predisposed to be open-minded regarding new items. Typically, a puppy who is provided with positive, non-threatening, and enjoyable interactions with humans, other animals, various noises, textures, and being handled within this timeframe will typically develop into a mature dog that is less likely to exhibit anxiety. In contrast, failure to take advantage of this period may result in these same stimuli causing fear later on. Fear-based behavior is among the most common reasons dogs are re-homed for behavioral problems.

Here’s the catch: the window closes before vaccinations are finished. That’s why vets and behaviourists now agree that careful early socialisation is worth more than strict isolation. Carry your puppy places, invite people over, and pick puppy classes that check vaccine records. Our puppy vaccination chart explains which outings are safe when.

Puppy socialisation checklist

• People: men, women, children, people in hats, sunglasses and uniforms, people using sticks or wheelchairs
• Dogs: calm, vaccinated adult dogs and well-run puppy classes
• Sounds: traffic, vacuum, thunder recordings at low volume, doorbell, crying babies
• Surfaces: grass, gravel, tiles, wooden floors, stairs, wobbly cushions, puddles
• Places: car, vet clinic, pet shop (carried), outside a school, a busy street
• Handling: paws, ears, mouth, nails, brushing, a towel rub, being lifted

Quality matters more than quantity with socialization. Your puppy needs to stay relaxed and curious. If your puppy freezes, tucks his/her tail or tries to escape, add distance between your puppy and whatever scared him/her and try again another day.

How Long Should Puppy Training Sessions Be?

Sessions are short. Young puppies need only three to five minutes per session with multiple repetitions throughout the day. Stop early so you leave your puppy with a positive experience (i.e., on an “easy” success). At about six months old, you can lengthen your sessions up to ten to fifteen minutes.

Use your puppy’s own food as rewards. Training can make up part of each of your puppy’s meals; this way, treats don’t add unnecessary calories to your puppy’s diet.

First Commands to Teach a Puppy

Name

Call your puppy by their name and reward them immediately after they look at you. Practice this exercise dozens of times every day. When your puppy learns quickly to respond to their name, you are well on the road to teaching your puppy anything.

Sit

Hold a treat near your puppy’s nose and slowly move it backward toward the top of your puppy’s head. As their bottom drops to the floor, say “yes” and give your puppy the treat. After they have performed this action consistently, add the command “sit.”

Come

Start training your puppy indoors, two steps away. Say “come” in a happy voice as you move backward slightly, and then celebrate when your puppy reaches you. Never call your puppy to you for something it dislikes (such as a bath or nail trimming), which will ruin your puppy’s ability to have a great recall.

Leave it

The way you teach your puppy to leave something alone (for example, if he finds something dangerous on a walk) is by holding a treat in a closed fist. The puppy will lick and paw at your fist. As soon as the puppy stops trying to retrieve the treat, immediately reward him/her from your other hand. This is an excellent trick to possibly help save your dog’s life during a walk.

Puppy Biting: What’s Normal and What to Do

It is natural for puppies to mouth objects while learning about the world through their mouths and learning appropriate amount of biting pressure from their littermates. Your responsibility as the owner is to continue to instruct this lesson:

• When teeth touch skin, say “ouch” calmly and stop playing for a few seconds
• Redirect onto a toy before they reach your hands
• Use long tug toys so your hands stay further away
• Watch for overtiredness. Biting often peaks when puppies need a nap. Our puppy sleep schedule helps here.

Biting usually eases a lot after teething finishes at around 6-7 months.

The Teenage Phase (6-12 Months)

At approximately six to nine months old most puppy owners begin to think that their puppy has forgotten all that was previously learned. They haven’t; adolescent dogs are simply testing limits, being distracted by everything and experiencing hormonal changes. Return to previous lessons that were easier and make sure each session is very short and fun, and remain consistent. It does pass.

Frequently Asked Questions

Vet note: Written and reviewed by Dr. Muhammad Usman, DVM. For aggression, severe fear or separation distress, talk to your vet and a qualified behaviourist early. These are much easier to help in young dogs.

More tools: Puppy Schedule · Potty Training Chart · Puppy Sleep Schedule