Puppy basics

Puppy basics: common questions

When should puppy training actually start?

The day your puppy comes home. The socialization window runs to roughly 16 weeks, and gentle exposure to sounds, surfaces, people, and handling during that period shapes confidence for life. You are not drilling obedience at eight weeks — you are building good associations and teaching your puppy that people are worth paying attention to.

How do I socialize a puppy before vaccinations are finished?

Carry your puppy through new environments, invite healthy vaccinated dogs to your home, and use car rides, driveways, and friends' living rooms instead of dog parks. Your vet can advise on local risk. The goal is quantity and variety of positive exposures without high-traffic ground where disease spreads.

What cues should a puppy learn first?

Name response, a marker word, sit, and coming to you when called. These four cover most day-to-day handling and give you a way to interrupt trouble before it starts. Everything else, including down, stay, and loose-leash walking, builds naturally once those first four are reliable.

How do I stop puppy biting?

Redirect onto a toy the instant teeth touch skin, and end the interaction calmly if the biting continues. Puppies bite to explore and to play, so punishment tends to escalate arousal. Frequent chew outlets, plus enough sleep — puppies need 16 to 18 hours a day — cut mouthing dramatically.