Dognition
Puppy Training

Puppy Training Schedule by Age

Here is a simple puppy training schedule from 8 to 24 weeks: what to teach each week, a sample daily routine, and how long each session should be. Print it, stick it on the fridge, and adjust it to your puppy.

It is built on the science in Puppy Kindergarten by Vanessa Woods and Dr. Brian Hare, who followed puppies at the Duke Canine Cognition Center to see how their minds develop. Their finding: puppies are tuned in to people from the start, so the best early training feels like play with you.

8-minute read · Updated 2026

Four rules behind every good puppy schedule

These come straight from how young puppies learn.

  • Short beats long

    Puppies learn in bursts. Several 3–5 minute sessions a day work better than one long lesson.

  • Sleep is part of training

    Puppies sleep a lot, and tired puppies nip and forget. Plan training between naps, not instead of them.

  • Social games come first

    Puppies can follow your point and your gaze early on. Games that use that social skill build attention before formal cues.

  • Self-control comes later

    Impulse control develops over months. Wait, stay and leave it fit better at 4–6 months than at 8 weeks.

How to use this puppy training schedule

Follow the steps, then use the week-by-week table and daily routine below.

  1. 1

    Keep sessions short and frequent

    Young puppies learn best in several 3–5 minute sessions spread through the day, not one long lesson. Stop while your puppy still wants more.

  2. 2

    Build the day around sleep and potty breaks

    Puppies need a lot of sleep. Plan training right after a potty break and before a nap, when your puppy is alert but not overtired.

  3. 3

    Start with games that use your puppy's social mind

    Puppy Kindergarten research shows puppies can follow a human point from a very young age. Pointing and name games build attention to you before you teach formal cues.

  4. 4

    Socialize gently during the early weeks

    Introduce new people, sounds and surfaces calmly and at a distance your puppy enjoys. Ask your veterinarian which outings are safe for your puppy's vaccine schedule.

  5. 5

    Add self-control once the basics stick

    Cues like wait, leave it and stay ask for impulse control, which matures over months. Introduce them after sit, down and come are reliable at home.

  6. 6

    Track progress and adjust to your puppy

    Every puppy develops at their own pace. If something isn't working, go back a week in the schedule, make it easier, and build up again.

What the Puppy Kindergarten research shows

In Puppy Kindergarten, Vanessa Woods and Brian Hare describe testing young puppies at Duke on games like finding a treat by following a human point. Many puppies could follow a point at around 8 weeks old, before any training, a result also published in a 2021 Current Biology study led by Emily Bray with Hare's team.

The same research found that puppies differ, and that their thinking skills, such as memory and self-control, keep developing through puppyhood. That is why this schedule starts with social games and leaves harder self-control cues for later.

Puppies also have different cognitive styles. The Dognition Assessment shows how your dog uses empathy, communication, memory, cunning and reasoning, so you can adapt any training schedule to the way your puppy thinks.

Find your dog's cognitive profileOpen the training problem finder

Week-by-week puppy training schedule (8–24 weeks)

AgeFocusWhat to practice
8–9 weeksSettling in, name, potty routineSay their name, reward eye contact. Take them out after waking, eating, play and naps. Introduce the crate as a cozy den with meals inside.
10–11 weeksPointing games, sit, gentle handlingHide a treat under one of two cups and point to it. Lure a sit. Touch paws, ears and mouth for a treat to prepare for vet visits.
12–13 weeksSocialization, bite inhibition, comeNew sounds, surfaces and calm people every day, at a distance your puppy enjoys. End play when teeth hit skin. Short recalls indoors.
14–16 weeksLeash, down, short alone timeLeash on indoors, reward walking beside you. Lure a down. Practice a few minutes of calm alone time with a chew.
17–20 weeksSelf-control: wait, leave it, stayWait at doors and food bowls, leave it with a covered treat, a few seconds of stay. Expect some backsliding while teething.
21–24 weeksReal-world practice and polishTake known cues to new places with more distraction. Keep sessions short and celebrate the easy wins.

Sample daily puppy schedule

A typical day for a 8–12 week old puppy. Shift the times to fit your household.

  • Wake-upStraight outside to potty, then breakfast
  • After breakfastPotty break, 3–5 minutes of training, play
  • Mid-morningNap in the crate or pen
  • MiddayPotty, lunch, a short socialization outing
  • AfternoonNap, potty, a pointing or name game
  • EveningDinner, potty, calm play and handling practice
  • BedtimeLast potty break, then quiet crate time

Sources: Woods, V. & Hare, B., Puppy Kindergarten (Random House, 2024); Bray, E. et al., "Early-emerging and highly heritable sensitivity to human communication in dogs," Current Biology (2021). Your veterinarian sets your puppy's vaccine schedule.

Take this schedule offline

Download the free printable puppy training schedule — the same week-by-week plan and daily routine as a fillable PDF, with a Done checkbox for each week.

Want a plan for a specific problem?

Our free dog training plan generator builds a four-week schedule for your breed and goal. Track bathroom breaks with the Puppy Potty Training Log and see the puppy milestones by week.

Next steps

Keep going with these guides

Common puppy schedule problems

  • “My puppy bites during every training session.”

    They're probably overtired. Move training to right after a nap and potty break, and keep it to three minutes.

  • “We're behind the schedule.”

    That's fine. The ages are a guide, not a deadline. Stay on a week until your puppy finds it easy.

  • “My puppy has accidents right after going outside.”

    Wait longer outside and reward the moment they finish. Our Puppy Potty Training Log helps you spot their real pattern.

  • “My puppy won't settle in the crate at bedtime.”

    Add calm play and a potty break before bed, and make the crate a place for meals and chews during the day.

FAQ

Puppy training schedule questions

What should a puppy training schedule look like?
A good puppy training schedule is built around potty breaks, meals and naps, with several 3–5 minute training sessions a day. Early weeks focus on the name, potty routine and crate; later weeks add leash skills, recall and self-control cues like wait and stay.
What age should I start training my puppy?
You can start the day your puppy comes home, usually around 8 weeks. Keep it playful: name games, pointing games and a potty routine. In Puppy Kindergarten, Vanessa Woods and Brian Hare describe how much puppies are already learning about people in these first weeks.
How long should puppy training sessions be?
About 3 to 5 minutes for young puppies, a few times a day. Older puppies can handle 10 minutes. Short, successful sessions beat long, frustrating ones.
What should I teach my puppy first?
Start with their name, the potty routine and enjoying the crate. Then teach sit, come and gentle handling. Leave harder self-control cues like stay and leave it for a few weeks later.
When can my puppy go outside to socialize?
Socialization matters early, but safe outings depend on your puppy's vaccines and local disease risk. Your veterinarian sets the vaccine schedule and can tell you which places are safe. Carrying your puppy or inviting healthy, vaccinated dogs over are common options to discuss.
Why does my puppy seem to forget training at 5 or 6 months?
Backsliding is normal as puppies grow, teethe and become more independent. Go back to easier versions of each cue and rebuild. Puppy Kindergarten describes how puppies' thinking skills develop at different speeds, so progress isn't always a straight line.
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