Below are the lessons to focus on every day during your puppy's first week at home.
1. Focus On House-Training
This is the most important skill your pup will learn in the early months. Focus on house-training every day and follow these steps:
1) Confine. Confine your pup 24/7 unless you are directly engaging with and supervising them
2) Respond. Respond immediately to your pup’s indications that he needs to go out Always use the leash and treats when taking your pup out
3) Leash and Treats. Always use a leash and treats when taking your pup out Return your pup to confinement if they do not potty
4) Reward. If your pup potties within 10-15 minutes, reward her with a treat, praise, and a little free time with you, outside or inside
5) Back to the room. If your pup does not potty within 10-15 minutes, return her to confinement in her crate
2. Do "Food Bowl" and "Opportunity" Cues
Call your puppy to you at every meal and any time you see your pup choosing to come to you on his own during the first week. Reinforce the behavior by saying “Puppy’s name, come!” and then “yes” + a treat when your pup gets to you.
3. Manage Your Pup With Your Other Pets
Make a plan to introduce your pup to your other pets, if you have them. Since your pup is confined to an exercise pen or crate when you are not directly supervising, you can control the access your pup has to other pets and vice versa. Take your time introducing them, especially with cats.
More useful training opportunities to start with your new pup this week:
See Your Veterinarian
Take your pup in to see the vet this week, ideally within 72 hours of bringing your pup home. Take a stool sample, your Vet Visit Checklist, and whatever health records came with your pup. Your vet should:
- Confirm your pup is healthy
- Check a stool sample for intestinal parasites, which are common in even healthy puppies
- Check and record your pup’s microchip number (or microchip your pup, if it wasn’t done beforehand)
- Discuss options for the prevention of fleas, ticks, and heartworms
- Discuss vaccinations or blood tests if your breeder or rescue did not make a recommendation
Begin Crate Training
Teach your pup to be comfortable in his crate first with the door open, and build up to several calm, quiet moments with the door closed. For more tips, check out Crate Training Lessons 1 and 2
Begin Handling Your Pup
Gently hold your pup close to you and if he is calm, release him after 10-15 seconds. If he struggles, hold him until he stops struggling and then calmly release
Do At Least One Adventure Walk
An “adventure walk” is a chance to explore safely with your pup. Take him to a safe, relatively dog-free area and walk around for 15-30 minutes, ideally off-leash. Let him sniff and look around. Be quiet most of the time, and look for opportunities to hide from your pup if he gets distracted by you. Watch the Adventure Walk videos for more in-depth guidance.
Five More Short Training Sessions To Do With Your Pup
- Teach “yes/treat.” Say “yes” and give your pup a treat. Remember, your pup does not need to sit or look at you to get this treat. Repeat this 15 times in 3 sessions over a day or two. Now you can use the “yes/treat” cue in other training sessions
- Teach your pup “okay.” Say “okay” and move away from the puppy to encourage him to follow you. When he does, give him a small treat. Do this 10 times in 3 to 4 sessions over a day or two
- Teach your pup his name. Say “Puppy’s name!” and give your pup a treat. Repeat 15 times in 3 short sessions.
- Teach your pup to follow a lure. With a treat right in front of your pup’s nose, move the treat slowly to the left. When your pup moves his head to follow the treat, say “yes/treat.” Have your pup follow the lure to the right, left, up, and down
- Teach your pup to “silent sit.” Once you’ve taught “yes” and “okay,” then lure your pup into a “sit” without using a word or verbal cue. Then say “yes,” give your pup a treat, and release with “okay.” Do this even if your pup already knows the “sit” cue. This will become a hand signal eventually. Learn more foundation cues here.
