Puppy Training: What to Teach in the First 30 Days

Start with a predictable routine

Puppies learn faster from rhythm than from repetition alone. Feed, potty, play, and nap at roughly the same times each day and most house training problems solve themselves within a few weeks.

A useful rule of thumb: a puppy can hold their bladder about one hour per month of age, plus one. A three-month-old puppy needs a toilet break at least every four hours — and always right after waking, eating, or a burst of play.

Week one: name, potty spot, and the crate

Keep the first week deliberately small. Say your puppy's name once, and pay with a treat the instant they look at you. That single habit becomes the foundation of every cue you teach later.

Feed meals inside the crate with the door open so the crate predicts good things. Never use it as punishment.

• Carry treats in your pocket all day for spontaneous rewards
• Take the puppy to the same outdoor spot every time
• Reward outdoors immediately, not once you are back inside

Weeks two and three: sit, come, and settle

Three short sessions of two minutes beat one long session. Lure a sit by raising a treat above the nose, reward the moment the rear touches the floor, and add the word only once the movement is reliable.

Practise recall indoors first, in a hallway with no distractions, and always make coming back more rewarding than whatever they left behind.

Week four: gentle socialisation

Socialisation is about quality, not quantity. One calm meeting with a vaccinated, tolerant adult dog is worth more than a chaotic hour at a busy park.

Expose your puppy to surfaces, sounds, and handling — nail trims, ear checks, a towel rub — while they are still relaxed enough to enjoy it.