Week 3: Puppy training guide: How to get started (and why earlier is better)

This post is part of our Bringing Home Your New Puppy: What to Expect series.

Jump to any chapter:

Week 1: First-Time Pet Parent Guide
Week 2: Health & Wellness Essentials: Puppy Vaccinations
Week 3: Preparing for Training (you are here)
Week 4: Puppy Sleep Troubles
Week 5: Nutrition & Growth
Week 6: Behavioural Challenges
Week 7: Socialisation Checklist

Here’s something that surprises a lot of new puppy owners: training doesn’t start when your puppy is ‘old enough’. Training starts from the moment they arrive home.

Every interaction you have with your puppy is teaching them something, whether you intend it to or not. The way you respond when they jump up, whine, chew something they shouldn’t, or go to the toilet in the wrong place is all shaping their behaviour.

The good news is that puppies are incredibly receptive learners in those early weeks. This guide will walk you through the foundations of puppy training, what to focus on first, how to make it work, and how to set both of you up for success.

On this page:

• The golden rule: Positive reinforcement
• Start with the basics: The big four
• Housebreaking: The key to a happy home
• Crate training: Not a punishment, a safe space
• Puppy classes: Worth every penny
• Training tips that actually work
• What’s next?

The golden rule: Positive reinforcement

Before we get into the specifics, one principle underlies everything in this guide: reward the behaviour you want to see more of.

Positive reinforcement — using treats, praise, and play to reward good behaviour — is the most effective and kindest way to train a puppy. It builds trust, makes training enjoyable, and creates a dog who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Punishment, shouting, or physical correction might seem to work in the moment, but they damage the bond between you and your dog and can cause anxiety and fear-based behaviour down the track. Keep it positive.

Start with the basics: The big four

1. Their name

Sounds obvious, but this is step one. Say your puppy’s name in a happy, upbeat tone. When they look at you, immediately reward them with a treat and praise. Repeat this many times throughout the day in short sessions. Within a few days, your puppy should reliably look up when you call them.

2. Sit

‘Sit’ is usually the easiest command to teach and a great confidence-builder for both puppy and owner.

• Hold a treat close to your puppy’s nose
• Slowly move your hand up — their bottom will naturally lower as their nose follows the treat
• Once they’re in a sitting position, say ‘sit’, give the treat, and offer plenty of praise
• Repeat several times a day in short two to three minute sessions

3. Stay

Once ‘sit’ is solid, you can introduce ‘stay’. Ask your puppy to sit, then open your palm towards them and say ‘stay’. Take one step back, then return and reward. Gradually increase the distance and duration over time. Never punish your puppy for breaking a stay — just reset and try again.

4. Come

A reliable recall (coming when called) is one of the most important and potentially life-saving commands you can teach. Start in a small space with minimal distractions. Call your puppy’s name followed by ‘come’ in a happy, excited voice. When they reach you, make it a celebration — treats, fuss, the works. Never call your puppy to you for something unpleasant (like a bath they hate) or the command will lose its positive association.

Housebreaking: The key to a happy home

Toilet training a puppy takes patience — a lot of it. Accidents will happen. The trick is to make it as easy as possible for your puppy to get it right.

The basics of toilet training:

• Take your puppy outside first thing in the morning, after every meal, after every nap, after play, and before bed
• Always use the same spot in the garden — the familiar smell will help trigger the right behaviour
• Wait quietly with them. If they go, immediately praise and reward them
• If nothing happens after a few minutes, go back inside and try again in 10–15 minutes
• When accidents happen indoors (and they will), clean them up calmly without fuss. Avoid telling your puppy off — they won’t connect the punishment to what they did a few minutes ago.

Tip: Most puppies can hold their bladder for roughly one hour per month of age — so a two-month-old puppy needs a break every two hours at most. At night, expect at least one or two toilet trips in the early weeks.

Crate training: Not a punishment, a safe space

A crate might look like a cage, but when introduced properly, most puppies come to love it as their own personal den — somewhere quiet and safe they can retreat to.

Crate training also makes toilet training much easier. Puppies instinctively avoid soiling their sleeping area, so a correctly sized crate (big enough to stand up and turn around in, but not much bigger) encourages them to hold on until you take them outside.

How to introduce the crate:

• Place it in a warm, quiet spot with a comfortable blanket inside
• Leave the door open initially and let your puppy explore in their own time
• Toss treats inside to encourage them to go in willingly
• Once they’re comfortable going in and out, start closing the door for short periods while you’re in the room
• Gradually increase the time, always making sure they’ve been to the toilet first

Never use the crate as punishment. It should always be a positive, safe space.

Puppy classes: Worth every penny

If you can, enrol your puppy in a puppy preschool or obedience class. These are usually run for puppies aged 8–16 weeks and offer two big benefits:

• Professional guidance from a qualified trainer to set you both up with good habits from the start
• Controlled socialisation with other vaccinated puppies in a safe environment — crucial during the period before their full vaccination course is complete

Ask your vet or local council for recommendations. Look for trainers who use positive reinforcement methods and are accredited by a recognised Australian body such as the Delta Institute or the Pet Professional Guild Australia.

Training tips that actually work

• Keep sessions short — 3 to 5 minutes, several times a day. Puppies have very short attention spans and get tired quickly.
• Always end on a win. If your puppy is struggling with something, go back to a command they know well so you can finish with a success and a reward.
• Be consistent — everyone in the household should use the same commands and the same rules. If one person lets the puppy on the sofa and another doesn’t, you’ll confuse your pup.
• Train before meals when your puppy is motivated by food, not after when they’re full and sleepy.
• If you’re getting frustrated, stop. Dogs pick up on our emotions, and a tense training session does more harm than good.

What’s next?

Training is all about building good habits early — and so is getting enough sleep. If your puppy is struggling to settle at night, Week 4 of our series is exactly what you need. We’ve got practical tips to help your whole household get a bit more rest.

This post is part of our Bringing Home Your New Puppy: What to Expect series.

Jump to any chapter:

Week 1: First-Time Pet Parent Guide
Week 2: Health & Wellness Essentials: Puppy Vaccinations
Week 3: Preparing for Training (you are here)
Week 4: Puppy Sleep Troubles
Week 5: Nutrition & Growth
Week 6: Behavioural Challenges
Week 7: Socialisation Checklist