Puppy training tips & hints from trusted sitters

When it comes to puppy training, there is no starting too soon – at least not after the little cuties turn eight weeks of age. From teaching your fur baby where to relieve itself to encouraging them to lie down in their bed and crate, there is a lot to learn for the little one.

To help you plan out your pooch’s training and let you know when the sweetie should reach which milestones, we’ve put together this handy article with lots of great puppy training tips and more!

What is puppy obedience training

Let’s start by taking a look at what puppy obedience training actually is. As the name suggests, puppy obedience training aims at teaching your little dog friend to listen to your commands, but also at making them understand what they should and shouldn’t do. This includes learning where it is okay to pee and poop, when it’s time to play and when to lie down and be calm, or that riding a car is nothing to be afraid of.

Puppy training usually starts with getting rid of any unwanted behaviours and teaching the pooch such skills that keep your little friend and you safe and happy. The first lessons therefore usually include things like toilet training, teaching your puppy not to chew on furniture and other things, or not to bark or howl whenever you leave their sight. They will also learn how to be okay with wearing a collar, being on a leash, or being in their crate.

Later, your puppy will begin to learn the first simple commands, like sit, stay, down and come. Once you’ve trained them to do all that, the further possibilities are endless. Depending on your dog’s personality and on how much they love to learn, you could take them to dog agility classes, train them to run parkours, or even subscribe to special courses that will train your pooch to become a service or therapy dog.

What bad behaviours to keep an eye on

Some behaviours puppies show aren’t so much bad behaviours as they are natural behaviours that have simply not been put through training so as to fit human needs. One good example for this is your puppy peeing inside or chewing on your shoes.

Other behaviours, like biting or destroying your furniture, could be caused by stress or boredom, in which case you should try and make your puppy feel safe and keep them engaged. All dogs, but especially young ones, need attention and a lot of playtime to be happy!

If you spend lots of time with your new four-legged friend, feed them enough good food and treat them with love and kindness, but the little guy or gal still shows signs of anxiety, it’s time to consult with your vet and maybe also employ the help of special trainers. You can learn more about anxiety in dogs, how to recognise it and what to do against it in our article here.

The best way to train a puppy

The easiest and most common way to train your puppy is to go to puppy school. These schools are led by or employ specialised trainers who know all the best techniques to train your new fur baby and will gladly share them with you, alongside valuable tips and tricks.

If you’d rather not go to puppy school (yet) and are wondering how to crate train a puppy or how to train your puppy to sit yourself, however, here are some great puppy house training tips from our own TrustedHousesitters experts that will help you with that!

Puppy potty training tips

The first tip, and one that is important for any skill you’d like to teach your puppy, is never to punish your puppy by hurting or scaring it, but rather to reward it for things it does well.

Potty training your puppy is especially important and should be one of your first concerns. When doing so, try to remember that dogs are creatures of habit and usually stick to any learned behaviours – including peeing and defecating at home (or in your garden), which they will most likely have done so far.

To teach them that home, especially indoors, is no longer the place to relieve themselves, will take patience and a little trickery (although if they do have any little accidents, here's how to get rid of dog pee smell). Try to get a feeling for when your puppy usually pees and then take them out for a walk during that time, before they’ve done their business. Walk around for as long as it takes for them to relieve themselves and then praise them and give them a treat so the pooch knows it’s done something good.

It is also important to not let your puppy wait too long between walks. While older dogs can keep it in for hours, puppies will need to go to the toilet much more often, so be sure to take them for short walks at least every two hours and also shortly after they’ve had their meals.

To teach your puppy when you’d like it to pee or poop, you can also use special words while they’re at it, like ‘pee’, ‘poop’ or ‘business’. This helps your dog to associate those words with the act. If you use the same words while on a walk later, they will recognise them and know what you’d like them to do.

Potty training is a work in progress and can take several months for your puppy to master, so don’t worry if you’ve been at it for a while and accidents still happen.

Crate training a puppy

Crate training is equally important as potty training as you’ll be taking your puppy to places quite frequently once they’re old enough to leave the house. So, here are some specific puppy crate training tips!

Crates can look like scary places to puppies – especially if you lock them up in them to take them to potentially scary places like the vets. The most important thing, therefore, is to let your puppy form positive associations with its crate.

First, choose a crate your dog can use comfortably. It should be big enough for your dog to comfortably stand, sit and lie in. Put a soft blanket in the crate, and maybe even a couple toys to make it look inviting. Some puppies will be curious and try to lie in it on their own, others might be very reluctant to do so. If the latter is the case, try and lure them into the crate with some yummy treats.

For the first few times, don’t close or lock the crate, just let your puppy lie in it for a bit and praise and reward it for doing so. After it goes in on its own, try closing the door for increasingly longer periods, working your way up to putting it in the back of your car and letting your dog ride in it.

Crates come in different materials, too. The most sturdy one is metal, but there are also plastic and other ones. Some dogs prefer or dislike certain materials, so if you’re having trouble getting your dog to relax in its crate, you could also try buying one that’s made from a different material to see if that makes things easier for the little pooch.

How to train a puppy to sit

Teaching your puppy simple commands can be a lot of fun for you and your fur baby! Some things to keep in mind:

• Always use the same word to make them sit. Most people use ‘sit’, but it doesn’t have to be that. If ‘sit’ sounds very similar to a family member’s or friend’s name, for example, you could also use ‘bottom’ or even a completely made-up word – just be sure you’re consistent.
• Try to use hand signals, too. If you teach your puppy to listen to words and hand signals, your puppy will be able to follow your commands as long as it can either hear or see you. This does not only come in handy in loud environments, but also should your dog develop hearing or seeing issues later in life.
• Always choose a quiet place with no distractions to train, like a quiet room with no one else around.

To train your puppy to sit, first try to get their attention by calling their name or holding up a toy or treat. Sit across from them, then try to get them to sit down by themself. You can do that by stroking their head or even gently tapping or pushing down on their behind, while constantly, calmly saying ‘sit’ and holding up your free hand in the gesture that also means ‘sit’ (often that’s your index pointing up with the rest of the hand in a fist).

As soon as the dog is in a sitting position, praise them and give them the treat. Over time, your puppy will learn to associate the word and signal with the gesture. Once your puppy has that down, you can continue by using release words to let them know when they can get up again, and make them sit for increasingly longer periods.

Puppy training milestones by age

If you’re adopting a puppy and cannot start puppy training right when they turn eight weeks, don’t worry! Your dog can still learn all the important tricks and commands a little later, too. If you do want to start right away, though, these are the milestones you can aim for:

Eight to twelve weeks

The first stage of training should be getting your puppy used to its surroundings and to begin potty training. Lessons they should learn in this time:

• Using their bed and staying in their crate
• Being okay with a collar and leash
• Getting use to your and the vet’s touch, even in sensitive areas
• Letting you take things out of their mouth when necessary
• Getting used to traffic noises, car rides and other common situations
• Start with potty training – this is ongoing, though, and can take your puppy several months to master

Three to six months

The second training stage should include impulse control, which includes your puppy learning its first actual commands, like ‘sit’, ‘down’ or ‘stay’.

While you’ll first focus on making them learn the commands themselves, you will then teach them to remain as they are for increasingly longer periods, up to a point where they won’t get up, lie down or move away unless you give them the proper release command, too – even if there’s something interesting going on it would really love to have a look.

After the first six months

The third training stage starts at approximately six months and includes reinforcing all previously learned skills, mastering potty training and learning further, increasingly complicated commands.

This is also the stage where your puppy will learn to be alone for longer periods, how to be gentle during play with you and other dogs and how to be ‘polite’ – meaning they will learn that barking or nipping at you won’t get it anywhere. Instead, they should sit to show you they are a good boy or girl, and calmly communicate their needs, for example by standing in front of the door if they need to be let out, bringing you a toy if they are bored or sitting in front of their bowl if they are hungry.

This is also the earliest you should start with special courses such as agility or parkours training.

Now that you’ve heard some of our best training tips, you could also have a look here to see where to find puppy training classes in your area. Or maybe you’d like to learn more about your new four-legged friend to prepare for any situation that might come up? In this case, we recommend also checking out these helpful articles:

• What to do if a dog has a temperature
• What to do in a pet emergency
• How to calm a dog down

Need a sitter for your puppy?

If you’re out and about and need someone to take care of your puppy for a little while – or a little while longer –, best head over to our TrustedHousesitters How it works page to see how our pet-loving members connect and how you can find the perfect, puppy-loving, verified, and reviewed dog sitter for your cute fur baby. Or you could head right here and find a puppy sitter to take care of your pooch in-house right away: