Dog training and cognition guides
26 guides covering everything from a puppy's first week to a senior dog's cognitive health — each one built on research from Dr. Brian Hare's team at the Duke Canine Cognition Center rather than training folklore.
Training how-tos
Step-by-step guides for the skills every dog needs, written around how dogs actually learn rather than dominance folklore.
How to Train a Dog
The complete foundation: timing, reinforcement, session length, and the order to teach cues in.
Read the guideHow to Train a Puppy
The first sixteen weeks matter more than the next sixteen months. What to prioritize, and when.
Read the guideHow to Potty Train a Dog
A schedule-first method that works for puppies, rescues, and adult dogs starting over indoors.
Read the guideHow to Crate Train a Dog
Turning the crate into a place your dog chooses, not a place your dog tolerates.
Read the guideHow to Leash Train a Dog
Why pulling is a reinforcement problem, and the drills that fix it without corrections.
Read the guideHow to Train a Dog to Stop Barking
Diagnose what the barking is for first — alert, demand, boredom, or anxiety — then treat that cause.
Read the guide
Resource hubs
Bigger collections that branch into dozens of individual guides, filtered by topic and skill level.
Dog Training Tips Hub
Every training guide we publish, filterable by topic and skill level, across seven categories.
Read the guideThe Science of Dog Intelligence Testing
How cognitive assessments are actually built, validated, and interpreted — and what a score does not mean.
Read the guidePet Influencer Guide
Growing a dog's audience without stressing the dog: content, agencies, and what the numbers really pay.
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Browse training by category
Jump straight to the stage or problem you're working on right now.
Puppy basics
Socialization windows, first cues, and bite inhibition.
Read the guidePotty training
Schedules, accidents, and regression in older dogs.
Read the guideAdult & rescue dogs
Decompression, trust building, and retraining history.
Read the guideBehavior problems
Barking, jumping, reactivity, counter surfing.
Read the guideCognition
Memory, inference, empathy, and self-control work.
Read the guideEnrichment
Games and puzzles that tire a dog out mentally.
Read the guideSenior dogs
Training around stiff joints, fading senses, and decline.
Read the guide
In-depth guides from the blog
These long-form guides were published in the blog and stay there, but they belong in your reading list alongside everything above.
How to Test Your Dog's Intelligence: 7 Cognitive Games
Seven Duke-derived games you can run at home with a treat and a couple of cups, plus how to read the results.
Read the guideHow Smart Is Your Dog?
Why a single intelligence number is the wrong question, and what cognitive profiles measure instead.
Read the guideSenior Dog Cognitive Health Guide
Spotting early signs of canine cognitive dysfunction, and the daily habits that slow decline.
Read the guideHow to Choose a Vet: 10 Questions to Ask
A practical interview script for a first vet visit, including behavior and cognition questions most owners skip.
Read the guidePuppy Kindergarten at Home
The Duke Puppy Kindergarten curriculum, adapted for a living room and fifteen minutes a day.
Read the guideTop 10 Science-Backed Dog Training Tips
The ten findings with the strongest evidence behind them, and how to apply each one this week.
Read the guideIs My Dog Smart? A 5-Minute At-Home Test
The fastest cognitive check you can run today — three tasks, one treat, five minutes.
Read the guideWhat Is Puppy Kindergarten?
What the class actually teaches, what it costs, and how to tell a good program from a bad one.
Read the guideBrain Food for Senior Dogs
The ingredients with real cognitive evidence behind them — omega-3s, antioxidants, and MCTs.
Read the guideThe Most Popular Puppy Training Resources of 2026
Books, classes, apps, and programs owners actually stuck with this year.
Read the guide
Can't find what you're looking for?
Our team can point you to the right guide, answer questions about the assessment, or help with account and partnership requests.
Contact Dognition supportStart with your dog's cognitive profile
Guides work better when you know how your dog thinks. The Dognition assessment maps empathy, memory, reasoning, and cunning in about an hour of games.