Nothing is more exciting than bringing a new puppy home! Whether you’re a first-time owner or a seasoned pet parent, there’s always something new to learn (and plenty of little surprises along the way).
For you, it’s about figuring out routines, building good habits, and learning how to guide your puppy in a way that feels calm, consistent, and manageable.
For your pup, everything is brand new! They’re already starting to figure out what life in your home looks like, what’s expected of them, and how their new world works. Every sound, smell, and interaction is part of their learning experience.
What many people don’t realise is just how important this stage really is. Puppies form their strongest habits and deepest associations with people, places, and experiences in the first three months of life.
So, how do you make the most of it?
Puppies are genuinely wired to learn. They don’t need complicated systems or expensive training gadgets. What they respond to best is short, focused training sessions, the right rewards, and consistent rules across the household. Even if you’ve enrolled them in puppy classes, the real progress happens at home.
With the right approach during these early weeks, you’re not just teaching basic commands, but rather laying the foundation for a calm, confident, and well-adjusted dog. These top tips will help you and your new fur baby get on the right track from day one.
When Should You Start Puppy Training?
The short answer is: start on day one.
Most puppies come home around 8 weeks old, and by this stage they’re already learning, whether you’re actively teaching them or not. What’s important to understand is that puppies don’t learn like adult dogs. Between roughly 3 weeks and 3 months of age, a puppy’s brain is developing at an incredible rate. This is a powerful learning window, where every experience leaves a strong impression.
In fact, everything that happens in those early days starts shaping their understanding of what’s “normal.” If barking gets attention, jumping earns cuddles, or biting turns into a game, those patterns can stick quickly.
💡Vet Tip
Many puppies go through a fear period, typically around 8 to 11 weeks, and again later between 6 to 14 months. During these stages, your puppy may suddenly seem more cautious or sensitive to things they were previously okay with. The key during these times is to keep things calm, gentle, and low-pressure, allowing your puppy to explore at their own pace without forcing interactions.
So, don’t wait until your puppy has completed all their vaccinations before beginning socialisation. With guidance from your vet, there are safe ways to start early exposure, such as controlled puppy preschool classes or carefully managed interactions with healthy, vaccinated dogs in safe environments.
Positive, calm exposure to things like people, other dogs, car rides, vet visits, and everyday household life helps build a dog who is confident, adaptable, and easygoing as an adult.
House Training: Getting the Basics Right
Potty training is usually the first big focus for new puppy owners. It’s one of the quickest ways to build structure at home, but also one of the easiest areas to get frustrated if you’re expecting results too soon.
While basic house training isn’t complicated, it does rely heavily on consistency (more than most people realise in the beginning). Puppies don’t know that going indoors is “wrong” They simply learn patterns. Your job is to create enough successful patterns.
1. Set A Toilet Schedule
A young puppy doesn’t have full bladder control yet, which means timing is everything. An 8-week-old puppy can usually only hold their bladder for around 30–45 minutes during the day, sometimes even less after eating, playing, or waking up from a nap.
As they grow, this slowly stretches out, but in the early weeks, your job is to stay ahead of the schedule, not react to it.
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8 weeks: every 30–45 minutes
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First thing in the morning & after naps |
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10 weeks: every 45–60 minutes
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After every meal |
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12 weeks: around every 1–1.5 hours
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After play sessions |
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16 weeks: every 2–3 hours
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And right before bed |
Set reminders if you need to. In the beginning, it’s less about intuition and more about repetition.
And, when your puppy gets it right, reward them immediately. A treat, praise, or a quick burst of play works best. The reward needs to come within seconds so they clearly connect the behaviour with the outcome.
How to Handle Accidents (Because They Will Happen!)
Accidents are part of the process, every puppy has them. What matters most is how you respond.
Punishment doesn’t speed things up. More often than not it slows training down by teaching puppies to hide when they go, rather than helping them understand where they should go.
If you catch them in the moment, interrupt calmly, take them outside straight away, and reward them if they finish there. If you find an accident after the fact, simply clean it thoroughly and move on.
💡 Cleaning Tip
Use an enzymatic cleaner. Standard household cleaners don’t fully break down the compounds in urine, which means your puppy may still smell a “toilet spot” and reuse it.
Should You Crate Train?
A crate can be one of the most helpful tools in house training, but it must be introduced the right way. Dogs naturally avoid toileting where they sleep, so a properly sized crate (just big enough to stand, turn around, and lie down) can help your puppy learn bladder control.
The key is to make it a positive space from day one. Leave the door open, let your puppy explore it freely, and build positive associations with food, treats, and calm rest inside it. Once they’re comfortable, you can start closing the door for short periods while you’re nearby, gradually increasing the time.
If your puppy cries in the crate, it’s usually one of three things: they need the toilet, they’re under-stimulated, or the crate was introduced too quickly. The goal is to build comfort slowly and positive associations slowly.
The Importance Of Socialisation
Socialisation is one of the most important parts of puppy training. The experiences your puppy has now help shape how they respond to the world for the rest of their life.
How To Socialise Your Pup
True socialisation means intentionally and repeatedly introducing your puppy to the full range of people, animals, environments, sounds, and everyday experiences they’ll encounter in adult life in a controlled, positive way.
Think of it as building a mental checklist of experiences your puppy will need to feel comfortable with later in life. This includes:
- Meeting a variety of people (children, adults, older people, people in hats or uniforms)
- Exposure to everyday noises like traffic, bins being collected, thunderstorms, and household appliances
- Car rides and travel experiences
- Different walking surfaces like grass, gravel, tiles, and sand
- Controlled introductions to other vaccinated, friendly dogs
- Gentle exposure to vet environments and handling
Remember, you don’t want to overwhelm your pup with too much at once. If they show signs of stress (like freezing, trembling, trying to escape, or tucking their tail), that’s your cue to slow things down.
Vet Perspective: Why This Stage Matters So Much
One of the most valuable experiences you can give your puppy is a positive introduction to the vet clinic before they ever need medical treatment. Instead of waiting for a stressful visit, try short, low-pressure stops where nothing “happens”:
- Sit in the waiting room and reward calm behaviour with treats
- Let staff gently interact with your puppy
- Spend a few minutes in a consult room just exploring and relaxing
At home, you can also begin gentle handling practice:
- Touch their paws and nails
- Look inside their ears
- Check their teeth and gums
- Gently hold and examine their body in a calm, reassuring way
A puppy who is comfortable being handled becomes an adult dog who can be vaccinated, examined, groomed, and cared for without fear or resistance, making life easier for everyone, especially them!
Socialisation & Vaccinations
One of the most common concerns for new owners is timing. Puppies typically aren’t fully vaccinated until around 16 weeks, which can make people hesitant to start socialisation early.
The key is safe, controlled exposure.
This can include:
- Puppy preschool classes held in vet-approved environments
- Visiting homes of trusted friends with healthy, vaccinated dogs
- Carrying your puppy through busier areas so they can observe the world without direct contact
- Short, calm experiences in new environments without putting them on high-risk ground
Your vet is your best guide here. They can help you balance health safety with behavioural development so your puppy doesn’t miss this critical learning stage.
Teaching Basic Obedience Commands
Teaching your puppy basic commands is essential to building bonds and communication with your pup. You’re teaching your puppy how to understand you, and just as importantly, how to succeed.
Start with “sit.” It’s usually the first command puppies pick up because it’s simple, natural, and easy to reward. It sets the tone for all future training: you ask for a behaviour, they offer it, and something good happens. Once “sit” is reliable, you can build on the same foundation to teach “stay,” “come,” and “down.”
- Get your puppy’s attention: Hold a small, high-value treat close to your puppy’s nose. Something like a tiny piece of cooked chicken works really well.
- Guide the movement: Slowly move your hand up and slightly back over their head. Keep the treat close enough that they stay focused on it.
- Let the natural movement happen: As your puppy’s nose follows the treat upward, their bottom will naturally lower toward the ground. Don’t push or force them, just guide and wait.
- Mark the behaviour: The moment their bottom touches the floor, calmly say “sit.”
- Reward immediately: Give the treat straight away. The timing matters most here, your puppy needs to connect the reward with what they just did.
- Keep it short and positive: Train for about 5 minutes at a time, a few times throughout the day. Puppies learn best in short bursts rather than long sessions.
- End on a win: Always finish while your puppy is still engaged and successful. Ending on a positive note keeps them confident and excited for the next session.
💡 Quick Tip
Punishment-based training might stop a behaviour in the moment, but it doesn’t teach your puppy what to do instead. It can also create fear or confusion, which slows learning and damages trust. Positive reinforcement, on the other hand, builds clarity and confidence while strengthening your bond.
Building Consistency Across The Household
One of the biggest (and most overlooked) parts of puppy training is consistency between people.
If one person says “sit,” another says “sit down,” and someone else ignores jumping altogether, your puppy isn’t being stubborn, they’re just confused. Dogs learn patterns and don’t generalise language the way humans do.
Being clear and consistent in the language you use helps your puppy understand exactly what’s expected of them, no matter who is asking. This means agreeing on a set list of commands early on and sticking to them every time. It also means making sure everyone in the household responds to behaviours in the same way, whether that’s rewarding calm sitting, or not reinforcing jumping up for attention.
The more predictable you are, the faster your puppy learns.
Managing Biting, Barking, and the Other Hard Parts
Remember, puppies are babies! The biting, the barking, the chewing… it can feel intense. But it’s normal puppy behaviour as they learn and grow.
Biting and mouthing
Puppies use their mouths to explore the world. They play with their littermates using teeth, and they simply don’t yet understand that human skin is more sensitive than dog skin. The goal here is to teach bite inhibition, which is learning how to control how hard they bite.
When your puppy bites too hard during play:
- Make a quick, high-pitched sound (like a yelp)
- Immediately stop all interaction
- Stand up and turn away or briefly leave the space
- Wait around 20–30 seconds before re-engaging
- Then resume play calmly. This tells them that hard bites make the fun stop.
Do this consistently, and most puppies start adjusting within a few weeks.
What doesn’t work is physical punishment. It often creates fear around hands or, in some cases, makes biting worse because the puppy becomes more defensive or excited.
Chewing
Puppies are teething, curious, and learning about their environment through their mouths. Your furniture just happens to be part of that environment!
A simple approach is redirection:
- Calmly interrupt and remove your puppy from the item
- Offer an appropriate chew toy straight away
- Praise them when they take it
- Repeat every single time
At the same time, manage their environment. Close doors, use baby gates, move valuables out of reach, and set your puppy up for success while they’re still learning what is and isn’t allowed.
Excessive barking
Before you can fix barking, you need to understand why it’s happening. Not all barking is the same.
- Boredom barking usually means your puppy needs more physical exercise and mental stimulation
- Alert barking is them reacting to something new or exciting and can often be redirected with training
- Anxiety barking (especially around separation) is more serious and may need support from your vet or a behaviour professional
The best solution is to not stop the barking, but to understand it, respond to it appropriately. Once you’ve identified the cause, you can begin shaping a better behaviour rather than simply trying to suppress the noise.
When To Be Concerned
Most biting, barking, and chewing is completely normal and temporary. However, there are times when it’s worth getting extra support.
Speak to your vet if you notice:
- Persistent aggression that goes beyond normal puppy play
- Extreme fear responses that don’t improve with gentle exposure
- Separation distress that makes it impossible to safely leave your puppy alone
Sometimes what looks like a training issue can have an underlying anxiety or medical component, and getting early guidance makes a big difference.
Tips to Make the Most of Your Puppy Training Efforts
Training a puppy doesn’t need to feel complicated, but it does need to feel consistent, intentional, and a little bit flexible. The small things you do every day make a much bigger difference than any single “perfect” training session.
- Consistency is everything: Puppies learn through repetition and patterns. The more consistent you are with your commands, routines, and responses, the faster things start to click. That means using the same words every time, rewarding the behaviours you want every time you see them, and making sure everyone in the household is on the same page. Consistency removes confusion and helps your puppy feel secure in what’s expected of them.
- Make training part of everyday life: Training doesn’t only happen in structured 5-minute sessions. Asking for a “sit” before meals, a “wait” before going outside, or a calm behaviour before getting attention all reinforce learning in a natural way. The more you weave training into everyday routines, the quicker your puppy understands how to behave in real situations.
- Get your puppy used to wearing gear early: Collars, harnesses, and leads can feel strange at first. Introduce them early and in short, positive bursts. Let your puppy wear their collar or harness around the house, reward calm behaviour, and slowly build up to the leash.
- Make car rides a positive experience: Early car experiences shape how your puppy feels about travel for life. Start with short, calm trips paired with rewards and reassurance. Even just sitting in the parked car, getting treats, and then going back inside can be a great first step. Gradually build up to short drives to fun destinations, not just vet visits. This helps your puppy associate the car with positive outcomes.
- Be patient with the process: Progress is rarely linear. Some days your puppy will seem like they’ve mastered something, and the next day it feels like they’ve forgotten everything. That’s normal. Learning takes time, repetition, and a lot of patience.
- Keep it fun: Training should feel like connection. Use a happy tone, keep sessions light, and celebrate small wins. Puppies learn best when they’re engaged and enjoying themselves. If a session feels frustrating, pause and reset. You want a confident, willing learner. When training stays fun, your puppy will naturally want to keep participating, which is where real progress happens.
Building a Lifelong Foundation with Your Puppy
Training a new puppy can feel like a lot in the beginning, but it doesn’t have to be perfect to be effective. The early weeks are less about getting everything “right” and more about building understanding, structure, and trust.
If you stay consistent, keep training simple, and approach each stage with patience, your puppy will naturally start to settle into the routines and expectations of your home. Mistakes will happen along the way, but they’re part of the process.
Need a little extra support? We’re here to help.
At The House Call Vet, we’re here to support you at every stage of your new pups life. From vaccinations and parasite protection to nutrition, health checks, and all those training and behaviour questions that inevitably come up in the early months, we make puppy care simple and supportive. Book an in-clinic or mobile appointment today!
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start training my new puppy?
Start on the day they arrive home, usually around 8 weeks of age. Every interaction in the first weeks is teaching your puppy something, whether you intend it to or not. The earlier you establish consistent rules and routines, the less unlearning they have to do later.
What is the best first command to teach a puppy?
‘Sit’ is the most practical starting point because the behaviour is easy to capture with a treat, it is one the puppy can learn in a single session, and it gives you a foundation to build ‘stay’ and ‘down’ from. Teach the name first if they do not reliably respond to it yet.
How long should puppy training sessions be?
Five to ten minutes per session is the practical limit for most puppies under 4 months. Short sessions repeated throughout the day are far more effective than one long session that leaves the puppy bored or overwhelmed. Always stop while they are still succeeding and engaged.
How do I stop my puppy from biting and nipping?
The goal is to teach bite inhibition, not to eliminate mouthing entirely. When your puppy bites hard, give a sharp yelp or sound and immediately withdraw all attention for 30 seconds. Repeat consistently. Most puppies learn that hard biting ends play within a few weeks. Avoid physical punishment: it either creates fear or escalates the behaviour.
How long does potty training a puppy take?
Most puppies have reliable house training in place by 4 to 6 months, though some take longer. The timeline is mostly determined by consistency, not by the puppy’s intelligence. A schedule that takes them out every 1 to 2 hours, after meals, after naps, and after play will get there much faster than waiting for accidents and reacting.
Can I socialise my puppy before their vaccinations are finished?
Yes, carefully. Puppy preschool classes held in vet-approved, clean environments are generally safe after the first vaccination. Visiting households with vaccinated, healthy dogs is low risk. Carrying your puppy through busy areas to observe without walking on high-traffic ground is a practical option. Avoid dog parks and uncontrolled contact with unknown dogs until the vaccination course is complete.
Does The House Call Vet offer puppy health checks?
Yes. Puppy health checks are available at our Kenmore and Sunnybank clinics and through our mobile vet service, which can come to you. We cover vaccinations, parasite prevention, early behavioural guidance, and nutrition at the puppy consult. You can book online at thcv.com.au/book-an-appointment/.