Week one — settle and structure
Do almost nothing. Establish the crate, the toilet routine, the feeding schedule and quiet time. A puppy that learns to sleep in a crate in week one will settle for the rest of its life.
Weeks two to four — engagement and markers
Charge a marker word with food, feed most meals by hand through short interactive sessions, and reward voluntary attention. Start name response, hand targeting and simple movement games. Sessions of ninety seconds, several times a day, beat anything longer.
- Charge the marker: 'yes' then food, 30 repetitions
- Feed 80% of meals through training
- Reward every voluntary check-in outdoors
- Introduce a tug with clear rules and clean outs
Weeks four to eight — exposure and foundations
Add graded environmental work: quiet car parks, then busier streets, stairs, grates, traffic at distance. Layer in the beginnings of sit, down, place and a restrained recall. Keep every session short and end while the puppy still wants more.
Months three to six — proofing and drive
Increase distraction gradually. Build hunt drive through search games in long grass, and prey drive with correct tug mechanics. Begin duration on the place command and introduce lead pressure understanding.
Months six to twelve — adolescence
Expect regression. Recall degrades, criteria slip and testing behaviour appears. Reduce freedom, return to reinforcement-rich work, stay calm and consistent. Handlers who over-correct here damage relationships that took months to build.
Common mistakes
Too much free running with other dogs, too much repetitive ball throwing, too little crate rest, and treating the puppy as an adult at seven months. Sleep is a training tool: working puppies need eighteen hours a day.