Puppy training: the first three months

Updated October 26, 2026 · 8 min read

Most puppies come home at eight to ten weeks old. The next three months matter more than any other period: a puppy soaks up new experiences like a sponge, and what it learns now stays for life. You don't need a perfectly obedient dog right away. You just need to lay the foundations: potty training, a calm introduction to the world, gentle use of teeth and a few first commands. Here is what to focus on and in what order.

Before you start: short sessions, lots of praise

A puppy can only concentrate for a few minutes. Plan several short sessions a day, three to five minutes each, and always stop before it gets bored. Reward the right behavior immediately with a treat, your voice or a game. Punishment, yelling and scruffing don't work: the puppy just becomes scared and stops trusting you.

Month 1 at home (8 to 12 weeks): security and potty training

The first weeks are mainly about getting used to the new home, to you and to a daily rhythm. A fixed routine for meals, sleep and potty breaks makes a puppy feel safe. Expect it to sleep 18 to 20 hours a day, and let it. An overtired puppy bites, whines and learns poorly. More on the first days in our article on the first day with a puppy.

Potty training: take the puppy outside right after waking up, after meals, after play and otherwise roughly every one to two hours. A common rule of thumb: a puppy can hold it for about as many hours as it is months old, plus one. When it goes outside, praise it straight away. Clean up accidents indoors without a word, ideally with an enzyme cleaner that removes the smell too. Rubbing its nose in it doesn't help.

Name: say the name, and when the puppy turns to you, reward it. A few repetitions a day and its name will mean "look at me, something good is coming".

Socialization: a window that closes

Until roughly 14 to 16 weeks of age, a puppy is most open to new things. Whatever it meets calmly during this time, it will later treat as normal. So show it as much as you can: different people (kids, people in hats or with canes), calm vaccinated dogs, the car, buses, the vacuum cleaner, stairs, different surfaces and a vet visit just for a cuddle. Quality beats quantity. If the puppy is scared, back off to a distance where it is relaxed and never force it. Until it is fully vaccinated, choose safe places and ask your vet when it can start puppy classes. A course costs roughly $120 to $250 and is well worth it for first-time owners.

Biting: learning a soft mouth

Puppies bite everything, hands included. That's normal and it's a chance to teach them that human skin is sensitive. When the puppy bites harder, pause the game, pull your hands away and offer a toy instead. If it is wound up and can't stop, it is usually tired: put it somewhere quiet to sleep. Chew toys help, and so does a rubber toy stuffed with treats that it has to work out. Teething starts around four to six months and the urge to chew gets even stronger.

Month 2 at home (12 to 16 weeks): first commands

Now it's time for the basics: "come", "sit", "down" and "drop it". Recall is the most important one. Practice it at home and in the yard, where there are few distractions, and reward every single return generously. Never call your puppy to you for something unpleasant. Step-by-step instructions are in our guide on how to teach a dog basic commands.

At the same time, get it used to a collar or harness and a leash. First at home for a few minutes, then on short walks. See our guide on how to stop a dog pulling on the leash.

Month 3 at home (16 to 20 weeks): alone time and patience

Your puppy can handle more now, but it will also start testing limits. Reinforce what it knows and add self-control: waiting at the bowl until you say it can eat, or waiting at the door before you go out. Gradually teach it to stay alone for short periods, seconds at first, then minutes. Our step-by-step guide on how to leave a dog home alone explains how.

Don't overdo exercise. A puppy's bones and joints are still growing, so save long runs, jumping and running next to a bike for later. A commonly quoted guideline is about five minutes of structured walking per month of age, twice a day. Free play and sniffing around don't count.

The most common mistakes

• Too much freedom too soon: a puppy allowed to roam the house unsupervised learns to pee behind the sofa and chew shoes.
• Not enough sleep: a wild, bitey puppy usually needs a nap, not more entertainment.
• Forced socialization: taking a fearful puppy into a crowd or letting a strange dog pester it does more harm than good.
• Inconsistent family rules: if one person lets the puppy on the sofa and another doesn't, it has no chance of figuring it out.

Every breed learns a little differently

A Labrador Retriever will do anything for a treat, but it stays bouncy and chewy until about two. A Border Collie learns lightning fast, and if you don't give it a job for its brain, it will invent one. A Beagle follows its nose, so recall takes more patience and a longer leash. Compare how demanding each breed is in our dog breed guide.