New puppy training tips: Your complete starter guide

Is that the pitter-patter of tiny canine paws?

Whether you’re eagerly awaiting your new fur-bestie’s arrival or have recently welcomed them into the home, you’ll know that having a new canine companion is a fun and exciting time but can also bring with it a lot of pet-parent responsibilities.

To help you and your pup form the paw-fect bond, check out our new puppy training tips, covering topics like house training, socialisation, obedience and behaviour management.

Pup, pup, and away we go!

Understanding puppy development stages

While puppies are always learning about the world around them, between the age of 3 weeks to 3 months old they undergo a critical socialisation period. This is when a pup’s brain forms a lot of new pathways and connections, meaning that anything they experience during this time will particularly influence their future behaviour.

Many pups will become more fearful of new things around 8-11 weeks old and then again at around 6-14 months old. These are normal stages of puppy development known as fear periods. During these times, puppies can appear to regress behaviourally, becoming more sensitive to new people or experiences. This is completely normal and nothing to worry about!

Good behavioural support throughout your pups’ juvenile stage will help them to grow into a more calm, obedient and confident adult dog, and will reduce their chances of developing significant behavioural issues down the track.

House training essentials

House training is one of the first behavioural milestones that owners want their pup to reach, and for good reason – nobody wants to be cleaning up wee or poo accidents around the house in the long term!

To achieve toilet training success, the first step is to develop a consistent schedule. This means taking your pup to the correct toileting location every 1-2 hours, particularly after sleeping, eating or playing, or if you notice them sniffing the ground indoors (a common precursor to toileting).

Until they are reliably house-trained, your new pup shouldn’t be allowed to wander around the house unsupervised, as this gives them opportunities to toilet in the wrong place. When you can’t monitor your pup, it’s best to confine them to a restricted area, such as a small pen with puppy training pads laid down to absorb accidents (or a crate if you choose to crate-train your puppy).

Ensure you always carry treats in your pocket to immediately reward your pup for toileting in the right place, and heap on the happy verbal praise too! If you do catch your pup in the act of toileting in the wrong area, it’s best to gently interrupt them and then carry them to the desired toileting location.

Don’t rub your pup’s nose in any toileting accidents or otherwise punish them if you find messes around the house – this won’t help your pet’s training, and it will just make them fearful and confused. Any messes should be cleaned with a specialised cleaning product designed to break down the smells of pet faeces and urine, so that your pup isn’t encouraged to soil that spot again.

Socialisation techniques

Socialisation involves exposing your pup to new people, pets, environments, experiences, and handling in a positive manner, so they learn to feel calm and confident in these situations as an adult dog. It is particularly important to provide your pup with positive socialisation experiences during this critical period, but these efforts should be continued throughout their development to adulthood.

It’s helpful to make a socialisation plan for your pup, where you can gradually check off novel experiences, such as:

• Meeting people of different ages and appearances, including visitors to the household and strangers ‘out and about’
• Meeting other dogs of varying sizes and breeds
• Travelling in the car
• Walking in a variety of public areas
• Visiting the veterinary clinic
• General handling, bathing and grooming experiences
• Being left alone for gradually increasing periods

Just a quick note – it’s important not to ‘throw your pup in the deep end’ when it comes to new experiences, as this could overwhelm them and provoke their anxiety. Instead, slowly introduce your pup to the new person, pet or experience, without forcing them if they’re nervous. Proceed gently and slowly at a rate they appear comfortable with, and ensure you offer them treats and praise for being brave!

Before your pup wraps up their first round of vaccinations, chat with your vet about safe ways to start making furry friends – like a spot in a well-run puppy preschool or a supervised playdate with a healthy, friendly doggo you know.

Teaching basic obedience commands

Even if your pup isn’t destined to be an agility star, it’s a good idea to teach them some basic manners in the form of simple obedience commands such as “Sit,” “Stay,” “Come,” and “Leave it.”

Reward-based positive reinforcement training involves rewarding a dog for performing the desired behaviour and is the most effective and humane way of training your pet. Rewards may be given in the form of treats, pleasant verbal praise, a game with a favourite toy, or gentle petting. It’s important to reward your pet within a few seconds of them performing the correct behaviour for them to associate the two things. For this reason, pet-parents might find it useful to use a clicker.

When starting out with obedience training, give your pup a treat each time they perform the desired behaviour. You’ll only need to use very small pieces (e.g. approximately 1cm squared or less) of a high value treat that doesn’t upset your four-legged friends’ tummy, such as dried chicken breast pieces, cooked chicken, or low-fat cheese. In the long run, their reliance on treats can gradually be reduced, a process known as treat fading. Keep this one in mind!

Crate training 101

Many pet parents choose to crate train their puppy, because if correctly done, a crate can become your pet’s ‘safe space’ and will aid in house training. It’s important that your pup is gradually acclimated to the crate, so they can feel comfortable in it, almost like it’s their very own bedroom!

Your pet’s crate should be big enough for them to stand up, lie down, and turn around in, and should contain some cosy, supportive bedding.

It’s important not to leave young pups in a crate for more than two hours at a time during the day or more than 6-8 hours at night, as they’ll have trouble holding their bladder for any longer. Also, never use your pet’s crate as a punishment, as they can quickly develop negative associations with it and become reluctant or anxious to go inside.

Managing common behavioural challenges

Puppies are adorable but they can definitely bring a few challenges! Common puppy ‘teething’ issues include:

• Nipping or mouthing
• Problematic chewing
• Separation anxiety

Puppies most commonly bite or mouth in play and will chew on objects to explore their environment, keep busy, or as a self-soothing technique. While these are normal behaviours, it’s important that your pup’s toothy attentions are directed onto appropriate objects, such as safe chew toys. This saves your hands (and shoes!) and prevents your pet from developing bad habits in the long-term. Ensure you puppy-proof your house so that your pet can’t chew on anything potentially dangerous or toxic.

Separation anxiety is when your pet becomes distressed when left alone or when their favourite caregiver leaves. While dogs are social animals, in modern life they need to adapt to being left home alone so that they can cope when their owners leave the house to work, do chores, or socialise. Here’s how to help your puppy get comfortable with being left alone for gradually increasing periods, using a process of gentle desensitisation.

Environmental enrichment

Puppies are just like children in that, if not kept happily busy, they’re more likely to get up to some sort of mischief! As well as regular exercise and play sessions, you can keep your pup busy with a program of environmental enrichment, which involves offering them a variety of challenges or novel scenarios to help keep their little brain active! This can involve activities such as:

• Hiding treats around the garden or a room for your pup to sniff out
• Filling a food puzzle toy or a snuffle mat with treats
• Smearing tinned food onto a lick-mat
• Offering safe dental chews
• A short session of reward-based obedience training

With consistent and positive support, you can set your furry mate up on the path to success. Before you know it, they will have grown into their best adult self, and more than likely, your extremely lovable best friend!