It’s always exciting to welcome a new puppy home, and one of the first questions you will ask yourself is, “What is the ideal age to start dog obedience training?” After all, you want to get the best value from training and also correcting any problem behaviors as early as possible.
At Beyond the Dog Houston, we provide dog obedience training programs that utilize science-based training methods and our extensive experience. In this blog, we will discuss the best age to start training your puppy and a general socialization guide to promote behavioral wellness.
When can I start training my puppy?
We recommend that you enroll your puppy in training before they even come home. This will ensure you have a plan in place to address common puppy behaviors, including chewing, biting, potty training, jumping, crate training, and teaching socialization skills. If you have any questions, you can always contact Beyond the Dog, Houston’s pet behavior team, for a free consultation.
Your puppy will likely come home at eight weeks old, and you can already start socialization training, crate training, and potty training. You can also start addressing jumping, chewing, and biting behaviors when they are eight to nine months old. However, these behaviors are not often problematic until they are ten to fourteen weeks old.
An eight to nine week old puppy will struggle to pay attention for more than thirty minutes, as they can lack the energy to sit through a full training session. You can start teaching basic obedience commands, including sit and leash walking, but be mindful of how long your puppy can train before they need a break.
At twelve to fourteen weeks old, you can start teaching your puppy more advanced obedience commands, including stay and down. This is a good time to start a formal training program, as your puppy is now ready to pay attention for an hour-long training session. We will encourage your puppy through positive reinforcement, treats, and praise. Remember to make training fun, as this is a perfect time for your puppy to develop a lifelong love of learning.
We recommend starting socialization training early
Puppies are already developing socialization skills with their littermates and mother, and being exposed to a variety of people while staying indoors. Important skills your puppy will learn during this time include bite inhibition and appropriate play with other dogs. This socialization window plays an important role in a puppy’s development, and is one of the reasons why people shouldn’t take puppies from their litter before they turn eight weeks old.
You should start socialization training with your puppy as soon as they come home. The best socialization window is between three and twelve weeks old, though it can extend into late puppyhood (five to eight months), adolescence (eight to twelve months), and as they grow into adulthood (one to two years).
Once your puppy is home, you should expose your puppy to a wide variety of people of different appearances, ages, and genders. This is very important as you want your puppy to be comfortable around others, particularly children and other dogs. You should aim on meeting twenty to fifty dogs each week.
For more information on puppy socialization, you can check out our blog on “How to properly socialize your puppy”.
What if my puppy isn’t vaccinated?
You should take precautionary steps during training sessions and socialization training if your puppy isn’t vaccinated. This includes keeping the risk of exposure to other dogs at a minimum while ensuring that familiar dogs are fully vaccinated before they can play with your puppy.
When out in public, it’s important that you keep your puppy’s feet off the grass in public areas and instead keep your puppy on concrete surfaces. Puppies have a habit of chewing and picking up items in the grass. You should also wipe down your puppy’s paws after each outing.
When visiting Houston’s dog-friendly stores, you should make sure your puppy isn’t touching the ground. You can take your puppy for a ride in a shopping cart instead. If you are taking your puppy out for an outing at a restaurant, you can bring a towel for them to lie on. You can also set up playdates in private areas instead of having your puppy visit a public park.
We are here to help
Do you have any questions on training or behavioral issues? You can schedule a free consultation with our Pet Behavior Team. We offer personalized programs through private training sessions both at your home and in your local Houston neighborhood. We also offer Board and Train Retreat programs and virtual consultation programs with our co-founder and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Kristyn Echterling-Savage.
