Puppy Training Schedule and Timeline

There's no single age to 'start' training a puppy — your puppy is learning from the day they arrive, so the schedule below simply matches what you teach to what your puppy is ready for. The headline: focus on socialisation and gentle foundations from 8 to 16 weeks, build core skills through the next few months, and stay patient through adolescence. Everything is reward-based, in short and frequent sessions.

Use this as a flexible roadmap, not a rigid exam timetable — every puppy develops at their own pace.

8 to 10 weeks: settling in and foundations

The first fortnight is about your puppy feeling safe and learning that good things come from you.

• Begin house training straight away with frequent trips outside and instant rewards
• Introduce a name and reward eye contact
• Start gentle handling so vet visits and grooming feel normal
• Reward calm settling and start short crate naps

Keep treats ready in a clip-on pouch — our dog treat pouches make rewarding these tiny moments easy. Sessions should last barely a minute at this age.

8 to 16 weeks: the socialisation window

This is the most important developmental window of your puppy's life. Calm, positive exposure now shapes a confident adult.

• Introduce new sights, sounds, surfaces, and gentle people at your puppy's pace, always paired with treats and praise
• Let them experience traffic, hoovers, umbrellas, and other dogs from a comfortable distance
• Never force a frightened puppy forward — let them retreat and try again later
• Continue toilet training; keep puppy pads handy for nights and flats

Because your puppy may not be fully vaccinated, carry them or use safe, clean spaces so they still experience the world while you wait for the all-clear from your vet.

10 to 16 weeks: core skills begin

Now you can layer in the everyday cues:

• Sit, down, and a happy recall in the garden
• Loose-lead walking practice in the house and garden first
• 'Leave it' and gentle impulse control games
• Continued handling and grooming

Keep it playful and short. Our training tools range covers the long lines and basics that make early recall practice safe.

4 to 6 months: building reliability

Your puppy can now handle slightly longer sessions and more distraction.

• Proof sit, down, and recall in new places
• Build up lead walking on real walks
• Reinforce house training — most puppies are reliably clean around this age
• Keep up socialisation; it doesn't stop at 16 weeks

6 to 18 months: adolescence

Brace yourself — this is when many puppies seem to 'forget' everything. It's normal teenage testing, not defiance.

• Go back to basics and reward heavily; don't assume cues are bagged for life
• Stay calm and consistent; never resort to harsh corrections, which damage trust just when your dog needs guidance
• Keep recall fun with high-value rewards so it survives the teenage wobble

This is the stage most owners find hardest — patience and consistency carry you through.

How long until it all comes together?

Most dogs have solid everyday manners by around a year, with fine-tuning continuing well beyond. For a realistic sense of timescales, see how long it takes to train a dog, and follow the detailed week-by-week puppy plan alongside this timeline.

A note on getting support

Force-free puppy classes are brilliant for socialisation and learning the ropes. If your puppy shows persistent fear, marked anxiety, or any aggression that worries you, loop in an accredited force-free behaviourist early — problems are far easier to resolve while a puppy is young.

Explore the full Dog Training & Behaviour hub for step-by-step guides on every skill in this timeline.