Did you just give a dog a new home and are now asking yourself when is the best time to start dog training? At Pupy, we want to help you prepare your little friend in the best possible way for his new life by your side, so you can experience all the wonderful moments untroubled as a human-dog team.

One of the first questions new dog owners ask is: When do I start dog training?

You must realize that training and raising your dog are two different things.

Raising your dog

Raising your dog is about getting him used to the world by your side, teaching him the most important rules for living together, discovering his environment, and learning how to interact with other members of his species. In the phase of raising your dog, the most important thing is to build a quality relationship and bond with your dog and lay the foundation for your human-dog team.

Training your dog

Dog training is about teaching your dog certain behaviors through commands and other signals. Training together strengthens your bond and provides physical and mental activity for you and your dog. There are many different methods and approaches. You must find the training approach for you and your dog that you both enjoy.

When is the best time to start raising my dog and when to start training?

This depends a bit on whether you have just adopted a puppy or a little older dog, e.g. from a shelter.

Puppies and young dogs

With your puppy you can already begin on the first day playfully with the first small education lessons e.g. in which you discover together the house and the garden, play together and your small friend may learn thereby, with which intensity he may play with you. Also the housetraining starts from day 1, when you go out with your little one in regular intervals (every 1,5 – 2 hours) to the garden. After 2-3 days of this acclimation period, you can begin contact with other dogs in a puppy group or with friendly neighbor dogs. Again, your dog must learn how to behave towards other dogs. If the play gets too wild, break it up and take your puppy to you. If, on the other hand, your puppy is looking for protection, you offer it to him, thus paying into your relationship account right away. Over time, you can begin to incorporate small training lessons for everyday life. This includes sit and down but also small tricks that are fun for both of you and train your dog’s motor skills e.g. the trick twist.

Animal shelter dog

With a dog from the shelter or animal protection, you start a little differently. Here you should first clarify what history your dog brings with it. If you don’t know, it helps to watch him closely for the first few days. If you then notice that he is insecure in certain situations, you start exactly there with the training. During the first few days, build trust with your new dog by playing together, exploring the neighborhood, and establishing daily routines. Then guide your dog as a safe anchor in distress through situations in which he shows insecurity. You can learn exactly how to do this in our app under the category „Puppy Training.“

Tip

Every training and educational activity gives your dog structure and security. Growing together as a team starts from the first time you meet. Download the Pupy App now and lay the foundation for your strong human-dog team!