Essential Puppy Skills & Training Guide

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Essential Puppy Skills & Training Guide

The first things to teach your puppy the moment they come home

Bringing home a new puppy is one of the best feelings in the world, and also one of the most overwhelming. Everyone around you has an opinion on what to teach first, and the internet has about six hundred conflicting answers. This guide is exactly what I'd do if I brought home a puppy of my own tomorrow — it's also what I do with most of the foster puppies who come through our house. It comes down to one thing more than anything else: slowing down before you speed up.

Before anything else: decompression

Whether your puppy has come from a breeder, a rescue, or foster care, give them time to just exist in your home before you start any structured training. A brand-new environment is a lot to process — new smells, sounds, people and routine, often a completely different diet and sleep schedule to whatever they knew before.

As a general guide, three days of low-key decompression is a good starting point before touch desensitisation or outings — dogs with a harder or unknown background, like many rescues, often need longer. A puppy that's overstimulated or overtired simply isn't in a state to learn well, so pushing training in too early can slow you down rather than speed you up. You don't need a strict rule here, like watching for some exact sign that they're "settled" — just keep things low-key and use your judgement.

What decompression looks like in practice

  • Keep the first few days low-key — minimal visitors, a simple routine, nothing big or overwhelming.
  • Let them explore the house and yard at their own pace, rather than showing them everything at once.
  • Focus on calm, low-pressure bonding rather than structured lessons.
  • Once they're eating, sleeping and toileting normally, and seem curious rather than shut down or frantic, you're ready to start on the foundations below.
Set the tone early: What you allow early on is often what gets reinforced. If your puppy likes to mouth hands or nip at feet, it's easiest to redirect that from the day you bring them home. It's tempting to let it slide while they're tiny and it barely hurts, but that reinforcement builds up — and it isn't fair to suddenly crack down once they're bigger and it's no longer cute. If it's not a habit you want long-term, don't let it start.

None of this is complicated — it just takes a bit of brain power and consistency on your end. Things like socialisation and handling desensitisation in particular ask a little more of your puppy, and it's normal for that to feel slightly effortful for them at first, even when it's done kindly and at their pace. From there, these eight foundations are what I teach every puppy that comes through my hands, and they're the ones that make everything else — loose leash walking, calm greetings, confidence around the world — so much easier down the track.

1. Markers

Why it matters: Markers are your communication system with your puppy. A young puppy has no idea which specific thing they just did earned them a treat, so a marker bridges that gap by pinpointing the exact moment — it's the difference between your puppy guessing and your puppy actually learning.

I teach three markers early on, each with a different job. You don't need all three on day one, but they're all worth building within the first couple of weeks:

"Yes" — take the food from my hand

  • Present some food in your open hand, say "yes," then let them take it.
  • For a lower-drive or nervous puppy, add a little movement with your hand as you present it — a bit of a wobble or wiggle helps build drive and interest toward your hand.

"Chip" — a treat is coming to you

  • Say the word, then toss a piece of food out in front of them.
  • Start with bigger, easy-to-see pieces of food. A lot of young puppies aren't great at tracking fast movement yet, so a treat that visibly rolls and stops is far easier for them to find and chase than a small piece flicked quickly.

"Good" — keep doing exactly what you're doing

  • With your puppy standing calmly in front of you, say "good" and deliver a treat while they hold that position, then repeat.
  • It doesn't matter exactly what they're doing, as long as it's calm and it's not a behavior you want to discourage. If you've got a jumpy puppy, set your criteria as four paws on the floor and reward heavily every time they offer it.

Run each marker as its own tiny game, 30 to 60 seconds at a time. You can teach them one at a time across a few days, or mix a couple into the same short session — puppies pick this up fast because there's no pressure involved, you're simply pairing a sound with something good, over and over.

Why consistency matters

Use the same word and the same tone every single time. Puppies learn the sound as a whole package, so if "yes" is sometimes upbeat and sometimes flat, or you swap between "yes" and "good job" interchangeably, it takes them longer to lock it in. Pick your words early, keep them short and predictable, and save your excited praise voice for general affection rather than for the marker itself.

In practice — if your puppy jumps up: Don't mark or reward the jump. Simply turn away or take a step back so it doesn't pay off, then the instant all four paws land back on the floor, mark with "good" and reward generously. You're not punishing the jump — you're just being very clear about which version of the behavior earns something.
Common mistake: Marking and then pausing before you deliver the reward. The power of a marker comes from how tightly it's paired with the reward, so treat immediately after the sound — don't make them wait, and don't talk in between.
Looking ahead: Once your markers are solid, they become the backbone of every other skill in this guide — you'll use "yes" and "good" constantly in luring, recall, handling, and settling work.
Want to go further? This guide covers the basics, but our Back to Basics: Dog Training Planner goes a lot deeper into marker systems — including toy markers, and the difference between marking, neutral markers and no-reward markers — plus plenty of the other basic training concepts that build on what's here.

2. Luring

Why it matters: Luring lets you guide your puppy's body into a position before they understand any verbal cue at all. It skips the confusion of trying to explain a word they don't know yet, and instead lets them physically discover the behavior — which makes teaching sits, downs, spins and more feel almost effortless, especially once it's paired with your markers.

Luring is genuinely a skill in itself, and not every dog knows how to follow a lure well straight away — so don't be discouraged if your puppy loses the treat, backs away, or gets distracted the first few tries.

How to start

  • Hold your treat flat against your palm, like a paddle, and place it right on your puppy's nose so there's no question where the food is.
  • Slowly drag the treat forward, or wherever you want their body to move. The instant they follow it, mark with "yes" and release the food to them.
  • Repeat this a handful of times, and try leading them through a couple of spins. Most puppies figure out the concept of "follow the hand" within just a few short sessions.

Progressing to positions

  • Once your puppy is confidently tracking the lure, start shaping lured downs and sits.
  • I personally like to teach a fold-back down before I teach sit — it's better for muscle engagement and tends to produce a straighter, more stable down long-term.
  • Resist the urge to add a verbal cue at this stage. You're only building the physical behavior right now — save naming it with a word until the movement is happening smoothly and reliably on the lure alone.
Common mistake: Lifting the treat too high or too fast, which makes puppies jump up rather than follow smoothly. Keep the lure slow and close to their nose, especially in the first few sessions.
Fading the lure: Once a behavior is reliable, start using an empty hand with the same motion before rewarding from your other hand or a pouch. This is how a physical lure eventually becomes a hand signal, instead of something your puppy will always need food in hand to follow.

3. Recall & Name Recognition

Why it matters: A brand-new puppy almost certainly doesn't reliably know their own name yet, so this is where you build both name recognition and the very first layer of a recall that will (hopefully) get more and more reliable for the rest of their life.

Building name recognition

  • In a small, open, low-distraction space, say your puppy's name once in a warm, consistent tone.
  • The moment they turn to look at you, mark with "yes" and reward.
  • Move backwards a step or two as you reward — this encourages movement and drive toward you, rather than your puppy just glancing over and staying put.

Layering in the beginnings of recall

  • As name recognition gets stronger, start rewarding bigger movement toward you, not just a glance — a step, then a few steps, then a full run over.
  • Food doesn't have to be the only currency here. Pay attention to what your individual puppy finds motivating: if they love coming back inside with you, use that; if they're wild for a particular toy or a scratch behind the ears, use that instead.

Keep every single recall in these early weeks ridiculously easy and ridiculously rewarding — short distance, low distraction, and a genuinely great outcome every time they arrive. This is the account you're building up before real-world distance and distraction start making withdrawals from it.

Common mistake: Calling your puppy's name to end something fun (playtime, off-leash time) or before something they dislike (nail trims, a bath). Both quietly teach them that coming to you can mean the good stuff stops — go get them instead, and save their name and recall word for moments that end well.

4. Socialisation

Why it matters: Puppies go through a critical and sensitive developmental period roughly between 3 and 14 weeks of age, where their brain is unusually open to learning what is normal and safe versus what is scary. Positive, calm exposure during this window has a genuinely outsized effect on how confident and adaptable your dog will be for the rest of their life — far more than the same exposure would have even a few months later.

What to expose them to

  • Everyday household things they'll encounter constantly — umbrellas opening, the vacuum running, the washing machine, loud kitchen appliances, knocks and doorbells.
  • A variety of surfaces and textures underfoot — tile, grass, gravel, metal grates, wobbly or unstable surfaces.
  • Safe, calm, positive introductions to new people of different ages and appearances, and to other vaccinated, appropriate dogs.

How to do it well

  • Prioritise quality over quantity. A handful of calm, positive experiences a week will do far more good than a single overwhelming day out.
  • Let your puppy choose to approach new things rather than forcing them closer. If they hang back, pair the scary thing with treats from a distance and let them close the gap themselves.
  • Watch their body language. A puppy that's sniffing, loose, and curious is coping well. A puppy that's frozen, tucking their tail, or trying to leave needs more distance and a slower pace, not more exposure.
Safety note: Balance early socialisation against your vet's vaccination advice — plenty of safe socialisation can still happen before a puppy is fully vaccinated, through carrying them, car rides, and controlled introductions, without needing to set foot on high-traffic ground.
Common mistake: Flooding — overwhelming a puppy with too much, too fast, in the name of socialising them. More exposure isn't always better exposure; a puppy who's shut down or panicking isn't learning that the world is safe, they're learning the opposite.

5. Handling

Why it matters: Getting your puppy genuinely comfortable being touched everywhere now means grooming, vet visits, nail trims and everyday care are a non-event later, rather than something you or a professional has to wrestle them through for the rest of their life.

How to build it

  • Practice touching your puppy in different spots — legs, paws (including between the toes), ears, tail, and the lips and teeth area — while giving treats to build a positive association with each one.
  • Start with the areas your puppy is already fairly relaxed about, and only build toward the more sensitive spots (paws and mouth, usually) once the easier ones are going smoothly.
  • Keep every session short and finish before your puppy gets wriggly or uncomfortable — you want them asking for more, not tolerating it until it's over.

Turning it into real-world prep

  • Practice the actual motions of nail trims, ear checks, and brushing, not just general touch, so the real version isn't a surprise.
  • Get them comfortable being gently restrained for a few seconds at a time, the way a vet might need to hold them for an exam.
Reading your puppy: A relaxed puppy during handling has soft eyes, a loose body, and might even lean in. Lip licking, yawning, stiffening, or trying to pull away are all early signs to ease off and go slower next time, rather than push through.

6. Crate Training

Why it matters: Crate training doesn't need to be stressful, and it shouldn't be something you fight your puppy on. Done the way I've outlined below, it's one of the best low-pressure things you can set up in that very first week, and it pays off for years — a dog that's genuinely happy in a crate has an easier time at the vet, when travelling, and during any future recovery from injury or surgery.

Setting it up

  • Set up a playpen or a small, contained area for your puppy to hang out in, with a crate placed inside it and the door left open.
  • For the first few days, this is purely about good things happening near and inside the crate — nothing is being asked of your puppy yet.

Building the association

  • Deliver high-value things — meals, chews, licks — inside the crate, with the door staying open the entire time. Let your puppy come and go freely.
  • Once they're wandering in and out on their own without any hesitation, start closing the door for short periods while they're actively eating a meal or working on a chew, then opening it again once they've finished.
  • Gradually build up how long the door stays closed, always erring on the side of ending a session before your puppy shows signs of frustration, not after.

What to watch for

  • Settling, sighing, chewing calmly, or falling asleep are all signs your puppy is genuinely comfortable — that's the pace to continue at.
  • Whining that escalates, scratching at the door, or panicked barking means you've built up duration faster than they're ready for — go back a step to a shorter time or door open again, and rebuild more slowly.
Common mistake: Using the crate as a punishment, or only ever crating a puppy when you're leaving the house. Both quietly turn the crate into a signal that something bad is about to happen — keep plenty of crate time happening while you're home too, so it never only predicts being left alone.

7. Threshold & Boundary Training

Why it matters: Teaching your puppy to wait calmly at doors, gates and other thresholds builds impulse control early, and stops door-dashing — genuinely one of the more dangerous habits a dog can develop — from ever becoming the default.

How to build it

  • Approach a doorway with your puppy on lead and simply wait. Don't reach for the handle until they offer a calm sit, or at minimum, four paws still on the ground.
  • Mark and reward that calm moment, then treat walking through the threshold itself as part of the reward — open the door, and only release them through it on your cue.
  • Practice this at every doorway, gate, and car door you use regularly. Thresholds show up constantly in daily life, so the more contexts you practice in, the faster this generalises.
  • Build duration slowly — a one-second pause before release is a perfectly good start. Only ask for longer waits once the shorter ones are easy and automatic.
Common mistake: Only practicing at the front door. A puppy that waits perfectly there but bolts out the back gate or car door hasn't actually generalised the skill yet — rotate through every exit point you use.

Draft section — written from general best-practice; ask April for her specific method here before this is treated as final.

8. Place Training

Why it matters: A solid "place" cue gives your puppy a designated spot to settle on cue, which becomes genuinely invaluable for calm behavior during meals, when guests arrive, or any time you need them relaxed and out from underfoot rather than underfoot and overstimulated.

How to build it

  • Choose a mat, bed, or raised platform as their designated "place," and keep it consistent so the location itself starts to carry meaning.
  • Lure your puppy onto it and mark and reward the instant all four paws land on the mat.
  • Gradually build duration before you release them, and make sure you're specifically rewarding calm settling on the mat, not just standing on it waiting to leave.
  • Practice in low-distraction environments first — a quiet room, no visitors — before building up to using it during dinner, when guests arrive, or other busier moments at home.

Making it useful long-term

  • Give your puppy something to do on the mat, like a chew or a stuffed toy, especially in the early stages — this makes staying there naturally rewarding rather than something they have to be told to do.
  • Add a release word so your puppy learns place isn't forever, just until you say otherwise — this makes the skill far less stressful to hold for longer periods.
Common mistake: Only ever using place to remove your puppy from something exciting (guests, dinner). Build plenty of low-key, pleasant place time in first, so the cue itself stays a calm, positive one rather than becoming a timeout.

Draft section — written from general best-practice; ask April for her specific method here before this is treated as final.

Decompress first, then build these eight foundations at a pace your individual puppy can actually keep up with. Done consistently, they set the tone for basically everything that comes after. — APAWLO Pets