Written by Adelaide Stewart-Jones, accredited dog trainer (IMDT, UK Dog Behaviour and Training Charter) and IAABC member. Founder of The Confident K9 in Kidderminster.
One of the most common questions new puppy owners ask is not what to teach their puppy, but when. Knowing that you should work on recall, crate training, and socialisation is one thing. Knowing which week to focus on which skill, and in what order, is what turns good intentions into a genuinely well-trained dog.
This week-by-week puppy training schedule maps out exactly what to work on from the day your puppy arrives home at around 8 weeks, all the way through to 6 months. It is not a rigid rulebook. Every puppy learns at their own pace, and some will race ahead while others need more time on the basics. Use this as a roadmap, not a test.
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Before your puppy comes home
Training does not start when your puppy walks through the door. It starts before they arrive.
In the week before collection, get the following in place:
- The crate: set it up in its permanent spot with comfortable bedding and leave the door open. Put a worn item of your clothing inside so it already smells familiar on arrival.
- A toileting spot: decide which area of the garden will be your puppy’s toilet area. You will take them to this spot every single time.
- Puppy-proof the space: remove anything chewable from floor level. Puppies learn by putting things in their mouths, and anything accessible will be investigated.
- High-value treats: have a supply ready. Cooked chicken, cheese, hot dog sausage, or liver cake are all excellent. Training treats should be small (pea-sized), soft, and easy to eat quickly.
- A plan for the first night: decide in advance where the crate will be overnight. Most trainers recommend the bedroom for the first few weeks so your puppy can hear and smell you. This is not a permanent arrangement.
Week 1 (8 to 9 weeks): Arrival and foundations
This week is about one thing above all else: your puppy feeling safe. Resist the urge to do too much, invite too many visitors, or start formal training sessions. Let your puppy settle first.
Toilet training Start immediately. Take your puppy outside every 30 to 45 minutes during the day, and always after waking, eating, and playing. Use the same spot each time. The moment they go, mark it with a calm “yes” and reward. Do not punish accidents indoors — they are a management failure, not a training failure.
Crate introduction Keep the door open. Drop treats inside throughout the day. Feed meals just inside the entrance, then gradually further back over the course of the week. The goal by the end of week one is a puppy who walks in and out of the crate voluntarily with no stress.
Name recognition Say your puppy’s name in a bright, happy tone. The moment they look at you, reward. Do this throughout the day in short bursts. By the end of the week, your puppy should be reliably turning to look at you when you say their name.
Handling Get your puppy used to being touched. Gently hold their paws, look in their ears, lift their lips, and touch around their collar area. Keep sessions brief and pair everything with high-value treats. This builds tolerance for grooming and veterinary examinations later.
Socialisation Begin carefully. Carry your puppy in public places. They cannot go on the ground in most public areas until after their second vaccination, but they can and should be carried so they begin absorbing the sights, sounds, and smells of the world from the safety of your arms.
Week 2 (9 to 10 weeks): Building a routine
By now your puppy should be settling into a pattern: sleep, toilet, play, eat, toilet, sleep. Predictable routines make puppy training significantly easier because you can anticipate when your puppy needs to go outside and when they are ready to learn.
Sit Begin teaching sit using a lure. Hold a high-value treat close to your puppy’s nose, then slowly move your hand up and slightly back over their head. As their nose goes up, their bottom goes down. The moment their bottom touches the floor, mark with “yes” and reward. Practise five to ten times per session, two to three sessions per day.
Crate duration Begin gently closing the crate door for short periods while you are present. Start with thirty seconds, then one minute, then a few minutes. Open the door before your puppy shows any sign of distress. Build duration slowly over the week.
Come (recall) Begin practising recall in the house and garden. Crouch down, say your puppy’s name followed by “come” in a happy voice, and reward generously when they arrive. Keep it fun and never call your puppy to you for something unpleasant.
Lead introduction Begin letting your puppy wear a lightweight collar or harness for short periods each day. Follow this with brief lead walking sessions in the garden, rewarding your puppy for staying near you. The focus at this stage is simply building comfort with the equipment, not precision heelwork.
Week 3 (10 to 11 weeks): Adding new skills
Your puppy is now beginning to understand that attention and engagement with you leads to good things. Build on this.
Down From a sit, hold a treat in your closed fist and lower it slowly to the floor between your puppy’s front paws. Some puppies follow easily; others take more repetitions. The moment their elbows touch the floor, mark and reward. Do not push their bottom down — let them work it out.
Leave it Place a treat in your closed fist. Let your puppy sniff, lick, and paw at your hand. The moment they pull back or look away, mark with “yes” and reward from your other hand. This is the foundation of impulse control.
Loose lead walking indoors Practise loose lead walking in the house and garden before introducing the outdoors. Reward your puppy generously for walking beside you. Stop walking the instant the lead becomes taut and wait for your puppy to return to your side before continuing.
Short car journeys Begin getting your puppy used to the car with short, positive trips that do not always end at the vet. Drive to a pleasant location, have a brief carry around, and drive home.
Week 4 (11 to 12 weeks): First outdoor walks
If your puppy has had their first vaccination and your vet is comfortable with it, many owners begin gentle, brief outdoor walks on the ground from around 11 to 12 weeks. Always check with your vet first. Keep walks short (five to ten minutes), low-distraction, and very positive.
Sit and down: increasing reliability Begin practising sit and down in different locations and with mild distractions. Ask for a sit before meals, before going out, and before any activity your puppy enjoys. These become automatic over time.
Stay: introduction Ask your puppy to sit. Say “stay” and hold your palm toward them. Take one step back, pause for two seconds, then return and reward. Build to three steps back over the course of the week. Release with a consistent word such as “free” or “OK.”
Jumping up: managing it now This is the week to be consistent about jumping up. Turn away the moment four paws leave the floor. No eye contact, no touch, no words. When all four paws are back on the ground, calmly reward. Communicate this rule to every person who interacts with your puppy. Inconsistency will undo your work.
Socialisation on the ground Once cleared by your vet, begin controlled on-the-ground socialisation. Calm, healthy, fully vaccinated dogs belonging to people you know are ideal. Avoid dog parks and high-traffic areas until after the second vaccination.
Weeks 5 to 8 (12 to 16 weeks): Consolidation and the vaccination window
Your puppy’s second vaccination usually falls somewhere around 10 to 12 weeks, with a two-week wait before full outdoor access. Use the weeks before that window opens to consolidate everything already introduced.
All seven commands By 16 weeks, your puppy should have a reliable foundation in sit, down, stay, come, leave it, loose lead walking, and off. None of these needs to be perfect, but all of them should be recognisable and progressing. The IMDT (Institute of Modern Dog Trainers) recommends positive, reward-based foundations as the most effective approach for building reliable responses at this age.
Recall with a long line Begin practising recall outdoors on a long line (a lightweight 5 to 10 metre training lead). Call your puppy, reel in the line if needed, and reward enormously when they arrive. Never use the long line to yank or jerk. It is a safety net, not a correction tool.
Generalisation Practise every skill in as many different locations and contexts as possible. A puppy who can sit perfectly in the kitchen but nowhere else has not really learned to sit, they have learned to sit in the kitchen. Take training on the road.
Socialisation — the window closes The socialisation window closes at around 16 weeks. Make the most of the time remaining. Every positive new experience now is an investment in a confident adult dog. For further reading on the science behind the socialisation window, the RSPCA guidance on puppy socialisation is a useful starting point.
Weeks 9 to 12 (4 to 5 months): Increasing distraction and duration
Your puppy is growing fast and energy levels are rising. Training sessions can begin to extend slightly (up to five minutes for a focused skill session) but should still remain short relative to what you will expect of an adult dog.
Distance, duration, distraction For every skill your puppy knows, begin systematically increasing one variable at a time. Ask for a longer stay. Practise recall from further away. Work on loose lead walking on a busy pavement. Do not increase all three variables at once. That is how training breaks down.
Off-lead recall In a securely fenced area, begin practising recall without the long line. Use extremely high-value rewards and keep the success rate high. If your puppy fails to come, do not repeat the cue. Go back to the long line and build more value before trying again.
Impulse control games Begin introducing games that build self-control: waiting at a door before being released, sitting before a ball is thrown, pausing before the food bowl goes down. These games teach your puppy that good things come to those who wait.
Weeks 13 to 26 (5 to 6 months): Adolescence is coming
At around 5 to 6 months, many puppies begin to show the first signs of adolescence. This can look like selective hearing, increased distractibility, more interest in the environment than in you, and temporary regression in previously reliable behaviours.
This is entirely normal and does not mean your training has failed. It means your puppy’s brain is going through significant hormonal and neurological changes. Research published by the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) confirms that adolescent dogs show reduced responsiveness to familiar cues — the same pattern seen in human teenagers. Adolescence typically peaks between 6 and 12 months.
What helps during this period:
- Keep training short and rewarding. This is not the time to increase demands. Keep success rates high.
- Manage the environment. If your dog is blowing off recall in the park, stop practising recall in the park for now. Use the long line. Management is not giving up; it is preventing rehearsal of the wrong behaviour.
- Be patient. Adolescence is temporary. The training you did in the first four months is still in there, it will come back as your dog matures.
- Consider a 1:1 session. If a specific behaviour is causing real problems, a single session with an accredited trainer can reset your approach and give you a clear plan.
A note on training sessions
Whatever age your puppy is, keep training sessions short. Two to three minutes for a young puppy, five minutes for a puppy over four months. Multiple short sessions throughout the day are far more effective than one long one. End every session on a success, even if that means finishing on something easy.
Training is most effective when it is woven into everyday life rather than treated as a separate activity. Ask for a sit before every meal. Practise a quick recall in the garden. Reward your puppy for choosing to walk beside you on the lead without being asked. The accumulation of these small moments is what builds a genuinely well-trained dog.
Want support working through this schedule?
A week-by-week schedule is most effective when you have someone to guide you through it in real time, troubleshoot what is not working, and adjust the plan to your specific puppy and circumstances.
Our 1:1 puppy training packages in Kidderminster and Worcestershire are built around exactly this kind of bespoke, progressive support. Packages from £244, including telephone and email support between sessions.
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