A Complete Puppy Training Timeline to Teach Good Behaviour
Puppies tend to learn from socializing with people, other animals, and their environment. These all help to create a foundation for their adulthood. This is why it is essential to provide them with appropriate socialization and basic puppy training to ensure they grow into confident adult dogs. Learn about an effective training timeline for puppies to help teach them good behaviour.
Timeline Followed by Dog Trainers
Before Beginning the Puppy Training
Before training your pup, take time to understand their emotional health. Make sure they have a safe environment where you can build your relationship and create a trusting bond.
Growth Stage: Between 8 to 16 Weeks
Exposure to the Environment
At this age, puppies are curious about their surroundings, which is why it is the right time to make sure they are comfortable with:
- Activities – such as visiting the vet
- Environment – including sounds, different appearances such as people wearing hats, car rides, strangers, and other dogs
Impulse Control
It is beneficial to teach your pup how to control their impulses at this age. You can start with simple commands such as ‘stay’ and ‘no,’ and use positive reinforcement to ensure they behave as instructed.
Puppy Stage: By 6 Months
By this age, you should teach your pup the following:
Polite Play
It is best to use force-free puppy training methods to teach your pup when to stop and follow instructions such as ‘drop it’ immediately. Doing so will help them understand what is off-limits and control their desire to bite and chew things during the teething stage.
Housetraining
Although it may take a while, your puppy should be making progress in potty training at this age.
Being Alone
It helps to use crate training techniques or practice leaving your pup alone in a safe, enclosed space. This ensures they learn to behave well without supervision. You can begin by leaving them alone for a few hours and increasing the time as needed.
Recall
Now is the right time to teach your pup to come back to you when you call out to them. You can train them to respond to the command ‘come’ as soon as they hear it.
Better Impulse Control
Your pup should know how to ask for things politely by this age. You can train them to sit patiently before mealtimes instead of barking or jumping with excitement.
Growth Stage: By One Year
By the time your puppy is a year old, they should be making progress in learning polite behaviours.
Progress in Learning Basic Behaviours
Although the fundamentals of dog training may vary slightly depending on the environment and your puppy, they should understand the following by one year:
- Sit and stay despite any distractions around them
- Come when you call your pup, particularly when off-leash
- Loose leash walking
- Drop anything in the mouth and leave it
Is It Ever Too Late to Teach a Dog?
Some pups take time to learn the fundamentals because:
- They are scared of humans and new environments.
- They may have suffered a trauma previously.
- They do not trust anyone with their food, toys, and other belongings.
Although the first 3-4 months are crucial, you can teach your dog to behave well beyond puppyhood. Positive reinforcement can help dogs of any age learn to behave as you want them to. You need to be patient with them, observe and analyze their behaviour, understand them, and develop a suitable plan. This way, you can earn their trust, make progress, and teach them effectively.
It is wise to work with qualified and experienced dog trainers. They offer complete puppy training services and can help you establish a loving relationship with your dog.
We Can Help You with Puppy Training
At Alpha Paws, we specialize in solving behavioural issues and basic obedience training. Our focus is on teaching proper conduct and respect. We have the experience, resources, and expertise to train pups of all ages to behave well. In addition to the basic puppy training, we also offer advanced instructions and work to establish a trusting bond between you and your pup.
Our training sessions include:
- Evaluating and assessing your pup’s conduct
- Building a suitable training program
- Helping them learn the essentials of good behaviour
If you are looking for ways to train your puppy, give us a call at 905-830-9500 or toll-free at 1-877-868-7297 to learn about our puppy training services. You can also read about our online dog training sessions to see if they meet your needs, or fill out our online contact form if you have any questions. We’ll be happy to help you train your pup and transform your relationship with them!
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