The first weeks with a new puppy set the trajectory for everything that follows. Get this foundation right and you have a confident, socialized dog who understands the household rules. Rush it or skip it and you're addressing problems at 18 months that could have been shaped at 8 weeks.
The First 48 Hours
Bring the puppy home to a calm environment. Their world just changed completely and they need time to decompress. Introduce one or two family members at a time — not a full household greeting party. Show them the crate, the outdoor bathroom spot, and their feeding area. Limit access to the whole house initially.
- Calm arrival: limit stimulation in the first 24 hours
- One or two people at first, not a crowd
- Introduce crate, bathroom spot, feeding area first
- Limit house access until rules are understood
- Vet visit within the first week
What to Teach First
Start with: name recognition, sit, leash introduction (indoors), and the outdoor potty routine. Bite inhibition is also critical to teach actively now — teaching puppies that hard bites stop play is far easier at 8 weeks than at 16.
Puppies bite everyone and everything — this is normal. But teaching them that hard pressure stops all fun is a lesson that must happen during the critical window. Yelp, stop play, turn away. The lesson is simple but the window to teach it easily closes fast.
- Name recognition: the first thing to teach
- Sit: foundation of all impulse control
- Leash introduction: indoors, no pressure at first
- Potty routine: consistency from day one
- Bite inhibition: address it now, much easier early
Setting Up for Success
Management prevents mistakes. You can't train a puppy you can't supervise — use a crate or exercise pen when you can't watch them. Use a leash indoors to keep the puppy close when you're home so you can interrupt developing problems immediately.
- Supervise constantly or confine in a safe space
- Leash indoors: keeps puppy close for guidance
- Puppy-proof: assume everything is a target
- Remove temptation: don't set them up to fail
- Age-appropriate expectations: 9 weeks is not 9 months
Puppy Training Resources
Puppy training courses include video demonstrations that are particularly valuable for timing-sensitive skills like bite inhibition and recall.
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