Puppy raising
Puppy training milestones by age
Owners rarely ask whether a puppy is trainable. They ask whether it is behind. In our experience the answer is usually no, because puppies learn in ranges and the ranges are wide. This guide lays out what we practise at each stage and what we leave for later, so a normal stretch of chaos is easier to tell from a problem worth a call.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
Age by age
Attention span grows slower than the puppy does.
In the first weeks home, a puppy's attention lasts seconds, so we keep each session to about a minute and repeat it through the day. Name response, a crate the puppy settles in and a sit are the practice goals. Gentle handling starts the day the puppy arrives: paws, ears, collar, each paid with food. Where the puppy may go for outings is the vet's call, so we practise the leash indoors and in the yard until that guidance comes.
Around four to six months sessions can stretch, and we start asking for a loose leash and stays with a step of distance. House-training we track by observed progress, longer dry stretches and fewer surprises, not by a date. Somewhere in the second half of the first year many puppies hit adolescence and start weighing their options; we keep the structure steady. Past a year the goal is proofing in busier places, judged by what the dog shows us, not its birthday.
- Sessions grow with attention span
- House-training judged by progress
- Adolescence tests every skill
- Ranges, never exact dates
Where programs fit
The teething stretch and the teenage regression.
Two stretches are worth planning for. The first, often around the teething months, brings a growing body, a puppy that ignores the name it knew last week and an owner who has been up at night for weeks. Puppy Fundamentals is built for puppies in that key learning window: three weeks of board and train at $2,775 plus GST, working on crate comfort including nights, leash manners and name response inside a daily routine, then a handover lesson and one free follow-up within 60 days.
The second is the adolescent regression, when recall goes optional and the leash tightens. On-Leash Foundations, a two-week board and train at $1,865 plus GST, is built for dogs who drag or lunge and works on loose-leash walking, heel and stay around everyday distractions. Functional Off-Leash, three weeks at $3,030 plus GST, is built for dogs with decent manners and works on recall around distractions, Educator remote collar included. The consultation is where we recommend one, and a smaller program when it is enough.
| Age (approximate) | What is realistic | What is not yet |
|---|---|---|
| 8 to 12 weeks | Name, crate comfort, potty rhythm, sit | Reliable potty, recall outdoors |
| 3 to 4 months | Short leash walks, place, handling | Long stays, ignoring dogs |
| 4 to 6 months | House-training mostly reliable, recall in the yard | Off-leash recall around dogs |
| 6 to 12 months | Loose leash, longer stays, proofing | Adolescent consistency without structure |
| 12 months and on | Adult expectations, proofed skills | Nothing untrained fixes itself |
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
What should my puppy know at 4 months?
Around four months we are usually practising name response, settling in a crate, sit and down on cue, and short leash walks where the vet has allowed outings. We judge house-training by observed progress, so the odd accident is expected. Ignoring other dogs on a walk is not yet a fair ask.
What age should a puppy be trained by?
There is no finish line, and we do not attach reliability to a birthday. We start the day the puppy comes home, keep practising through adolescence, and treat proofed manners in public as a goal to keep working toward, judged by what the dog shows us.
What are the main puppy development milestones for training?
For training purposes we watch attention span, house-training progress, leash comfort, recall and adolescence, in roughly that order. Each arrives in a range rather than on a date, and in our experience a puppy a few weeks behind one of them is usually not behind at all.
Is there a puppy training timeline by age I can follow?
Yes, as long as it is read as a set of ranges. The table on this page shows what we practise at each stage from eight weeks onward and what we leave for later. We use it to check expectations, not to grade the puppy.
Keep reading
Behind, or right on schedule?
Book a consultation and we will say which stage the puppy is in and whether a program fits yet.
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