Puppy Training Schedule by Week: 8 Weeks to 6 Months
A week-by-week puppy training schedule from 8 weeks to 6 months — what to teach, when, and how to avoid the most common mistakes.
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Category: Training
Reading time: 12 min read
The first six months of a puppy's life are the single most important window for shaping their adult behaviour. Skills learned now stick for life; bad habits formed now are far harder to undo later. This week-by-week puppy training schedule walks you through everything to teach from 8 weeks to 6 months — without overwhelming your puppy or yourself.
Why a Schedule Matters
Puppies have tiny attention spans (2–5 minutes per training session at 8 weeks, building to 10–15 minutes by 6 months). Trying to teach everything at once leads to confusion, frustration, and stalled progress. A structured schedule introduces one or two new skills per week, builds on what came before, and keeps every session short, fun, and successful.
Before You Start
Stock up on:
High-value training treats (small, soft, smelly)
A clicker (optional but accelerates learning)
A 6-foot lead and a flat collar or harness
A crate or playpen
A long line (10–30 feet) for recall practice
A treat pouch
Always train when your puppy is calm but not exhausted, and end every session on a success.
Week 1 (8 weeks): Foundation
Goals: bonding, name recognition, basic handling.
Name game: Say your puppy's name; the moment they look at you, mark with a click or "yes!" and treat. Repeat 20 times a day in different rooms.
Hand feeding: Feed half their meals from your hand to build trust and bite inhibition.
Gentle handling: Touch ears, paws, mouth and tail daily, pairing each touch with a treat.
Crate introduction: Throw treats inside, leave the door open, never force them in.
Avoid: long training sessions, scolding for accidents, overwhelming visitors.
Week 2 (9 weeks): Sit & Potty Routine
Sit: Hold a treat above their nose, move it back over their head; as they sit, mark and treat. Add the cue "sit" only once they offer the behaviour reliably.
Potty schedule: Take them outside every 30 minutes, after eating, after waking, after playing. Reward heavily for going outside.
Crate progression: Feed meals inside the crate with the door open.
Week 3 (10 weeks): Recall Begins
Recall (come): Have someone hold the puppy. Crouch down, open arms, say "puppy, come!" in an excited voice. Reward generously when they arrive. Never call them for something unpleasant (bath, nail clip).
Handler focus: Reward eye contact randomly throughout the day.
Socialisation: Expose them to 3–5 new sights, sounds, surfaces or people daily. Carry them in busy environments before vaccines are complete.
Week 4 (11 weeks): Down & Loose Lead
Down: From sit, lure a treat slowly to the floor between their paws. As they lie down, mark and treat.
Loose-lead introduction: Let them wear a flat collar/harness and lead around the house. No walking yet — just acceptance.
Settle on a mat: Reward calm behaviour on a designated bed or mat.
Week 5 (12 weeks): First Walks & Stay
After their second vaccinations, short walks can begin (5 minutes per month of age, twice daily — so 10 minutes for a 12-week-old).
Stay: Ask for a sit, hold up a flat hand, say "stay", count one second, mark and reward. Build duration in 1-second increments.
Loose-lead walking: Stop the moment the lead tightens. Wait for slack. Reward when they come back to your side.
Place training: Send them to a mat from across the room for a treat.
Week 6 (13 weeks): Leave It & Drop
Leave it: Place a treat in a closed fist. Wait. The moment they stop sniffing/pawing, mark and reward with a different treat.
Drop it: Trade a held toy for a high-value treat. Never chase or wrestle items from their mouth.
Bite inhibition: Yelp and disengage for 30 seconds whenever teeth touch skin too hard.
Week 7 (14 weeks): Socialisation Sprint
The sensitive socialisation period closes around 14–16 weeks. Pack as much positive exposure into this week as possible:
5 new people per day (children, men with beards, people in hats, wheelchairs, hi-vis)
3 new dogs (vaccinated, friendly adults — avoid dog parks)
New environments: pubs, garden centres, train stations, vet clinic for "happy visits"
New surfaces: metal grates, gravel, sand, shiny floors
Begin basic recall training with a long line in safe outdoor areas
Introduce "wait" at doorways
Work on calm greetings (4 paws on floor = pets and treats)
Start brief alone-time practice: leave the room for 30 seconds, build up gradually to prevent separation anxiety
Continue socialisation — it does not stop at 16 weeks
Weeks 13–16 (4–5 months): Adolescence Prep
Your puppy is approaching teenage rebellion. Reinforce everything:
Daily 5-minute recall sessions
Loose-lead walking in busier environments
Practice obedience in 5+ different locations to generalise commands
Begin impulse control games (it's your choice, doggy zen)
Introduce car travel with positive associations
Weeks 17–24 (5–6 months): Adolescence Begins
Selective hearing is normal. Stay calm and consistent.
Increase reward value for recall in stimulating environments
Maintain socialisation — this is when fear periods can resurface
Begin formal obedience class if you haven't already
Continue crate training; do not abandon it because they "seem fine"
Common Puppy Training Mistakes
Punishing accidents: Damages trust and slows house training
Skipping socialisation: The single biggest cause of adult behaviour problems
Too much freedom too soon: Use crates, baby gates and supervision until 6+ months
Inconsistent cues: Pick one word per command and stick to it
Training when frustrated: Stop, walk away, try again later
Repeating cues: Say "sit" once. If they don't respond, help them, don't repeat.
The Bottom Line
Six months of consistent, kind, structured training produces a confident, well-mannered adult dog. Skip these foundations and you'll spend the next two years undoing problems that needn't have existed. Five minutes, three times a day, beats one 30-minute session every time. Stay patient, keep it fun, and remember — every puppy progresses at their own pace.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start training my puppy?
Start training the day your puppy comes home, usually at 8 weeks. Puppies are capable of learning basic cues like name recognition, sit and crate manners from this age. Waiting until they are older means missing the critical socialisation window that closes at 14–16 weeks.
How long should puppy training sessions be?
Keep sessions to 2–5 minutes for puppies under 12 weeks, building to 10–15 minutes by 6 months. Short, frequent sessions (3–5 times a day) produce far better results than one long daily session, which leads to fatigue and frustration.
What should I teach my puppy first?
Start with name recognition, gentle handling and crate familiarisation in week one. Add sit and potty training in week two, then recall in week three. Build complexity gradually rather than introducing everything at once.
Is it too late to train a 6-month-old puppy?
No, but adolescence (4–18 months) is harder than puppyhood. A 6-month-old can absolutely learn all foundation skills, but expect more selective hearing and testing of boundaries. Consistent, patient training and a good class will get you there.
How long does it take to fully train a puppy?
Basic obedience (sit, down, stay, recall, lead manners) takes 3–6 months of consistent practice. Reliable adult-level behaviour usually arrives between 18 months and 2 years, after the dog has matured through adolescence.
Should I use treats or praise to train my puppy?
Use both. High-value food treats are the fastest way to teach new behaviours because they're motivating and let you reward instantly. Once a behaviour is reliable, fade treats and use praise, play and life rewards (going outside, getting fed) to maintain it.