Training is not about dominance or making the dog «obey». It is a shared language: the animal understands what you want, you understand what the animal is asking for. Start at 8–10 weeks, train in short sessions and make it a game — and within a couple of months the puppy will hold the basics.
Rules that work
- 3–5 minutes per session. A young puppy loses concentration quickly; it is better to do four short sessions than one long one.
- One command — one action. Do not repeat «Sit, sit, sit». Say it once, wait up to 5 seconds, help with a treat over the head, then repeat.
- Right after success — praise and treat. The interval must be seconds, otherwise the dog links the reward to the wrong action.
- Never punish a late reaction. If the dog did not have time, it does not understand the command yet — simplify the task.
- Finish on a success. The last exercise of the session should be easy — the puppy stays with the feeling «I did it».
The first five commands
Sit
Hold a treat above the puppy’s nose and slowly move it back over the head. The head goes up, the bottom goes down — the moment it touches the floor, say «Sit», give the treat and praise. Ten repetitions a day for a couple of days and the command is there.
Come (name + «Come»)
Start at home in a small room. Call the puppy by name plus the command, back away a step, and when it runs up — a treat and big joy. Never call the animal to you for a scolding: if «come» is associated with something unpleasant, the dog will stop coming.
Stay
Ask for a «Sit», open your palm in front of the muzzle and say «Stay». Wait one second, step aside, return, treat. Gradually increase the distance and time. If the puppy got up — reduce the task, do not scold.
Leave it
Cover the treat with your palm, wait until the puppy looks away or at you — that is «leaving it» — and give a different treat from the other hand. Essential for walks: bones on the street, garbage, poison baits.
Off the furniture (if you allow it)
Decide in advance where the dog is allowed. If it climbed onto the sofa and the answer is no — calmly lead it down, ask to sit, invite it yourself when you want company. Inconsistency here is the main source of «disobedience».
House-training
A puppy asks to go outside 15–20 minutes after eating, after sleeping and after active play. Take it out on a regular schedule: after waking up, after breakfast, after lunch, after dinner, before bed — 6–8 times a day. Choose one spot, use a phrase every time («go to the toilet»), and when it happens — quiet praise right there.
If it made a mess indoors: no yelling and no nose-rubbing. The puppy simply did not have time. Clean the spot with an enzymatic cleaner (regular household products do not remove the smell for the dog, and it will return to the same place). Up to 4 months «accidents» are the norm; if after 5–6 months there is no progress, see a vet — sometimes it is a health issue.
Walking rules
- Walk after eating — not before: a full stomach plus running is a risk of twisting.
- The rule of five minutes per month of age up to twice a day, plus free play — growing joints do not need long runs and stairs.
- The leash should be loose. If the puppy pulls, stop or change direction — moving forward is a reward for pulling.
- Let’s socialise: new people, different surfaces, quiet cars, the sound of the city — in small doses and always with a treat.
A sample day for a puppy of 3–4 months
| Time | What to do |
|---|---|
| 7:30 | Wake up, immediately outside, breakfast, 15 min of play, then a quiet rest |
| 10:00 | Training session (3–5 min) + walk |
| 13:00 | Lunch, toilet, nap |
| 16:00 | Walk with socialisation, training in a new place |
| 19:00 | Dinner, calm games, chew toy |
| 22:00 | Toilet, last walk, sleeping in its place |
Where the puppy sleeps and how to leave it alone
Give the dog a place of its own — a mat or a crate with the door open (a crate is a den, not a cage). Teach it to go to its place with a treat; feed it there too. Alone-time is trained gradually: first you leave for a minute, then for five, and only later for an hour. Never «test» a puppy by disappearing for a whole day — this is how separation anxiety develops, and it is treated for months.
What to do if nothing works
Change the environment: more distractions means the puppy does not «ignore» you, it simply cannot concentrate yet. Shorten the session, raise the value of the treat, praise more. If there is no progress after two weeks of daily sessions, come to a dog trainer — an hour with a specialist is worth months of guesswork.
Bottom line
Train daily, but always in a good mood and always briefly. A dog raised on this grows into an animal that can be taken anywhere — and that, in the end, is exactly what «well-mannered» means.