The first thing you should teach your puppy! (Hint it’s not sit)

When I first met Ruby, a tiny adorable Cavapoo pup she was about 12 weeks old. Her owner greeted me at the door with that mix of excitement and terror that only first-time puppy parents have. She said: ‘I just want to get it right. I just want my dog to be happy.’

Ruby was the kind of puppy who looks like a teddy bear, which meant I knew what was coming next. Kids cuddling her. Adults scooping her up without warning. Visitors squealing and grabbing. Cute now, but I have seen dogs like that hit adolescence and start growling when they are picked up. Not because they are aggressive, but because they never had a choice. 

So what did we train first?

Not sit.

Not paw.

Not down.

We trained engagement.

The most important skill any puppy can learn is to look to their owner first.  For reassurance, for information, for connection. Everything starts there.

 In that first session, I taught Ruby two simple but powerful things:

1. A marker word: YES.
   A word that becomes meaningful because it is rewarded with a positive outcome.
2. An indirect marker: GET IT.
   This teaches the puppy to get a treat of a toy that you throw away from you.  All the value comes through you.

We also worked on the three-second rule to give her body autonomy.  I showed the owner how to stroke Ruby for three seconds and then stop to see if she is enjoying the interaction. The children learnt about dog body language and how to cue her before lifting her up.  And to respect her if she didn’t want to be picked up.

This prevents future guarding, growling and stress. And giving dogs autonomy over their body means that they feel more confident haging an element of choice in their lives. 

When I went back the next week, Ruby was a different dog. She was engaged. She was reflexing to YES instantly. She checked in with her owner every few seconds. And the owner told me something every trainer wants to hear:

I love this. The training is fun. And the dog is so happy.

Which is the whole point.

Ruby went on to smash puppy class. She is now in foundation class and flying. Her sits and downs are brilliant, but the magic is that she chooses to check in with her owner everywhere. That is what makes training easy later.

It is why I say:

The first thing you teach your puppy is not sit.  It is that YOU matter.

• Marker words give you recall.
• Engagement gives you loose lead
• Checking in gives you reactivity prevention.
• Hand feeding helps prevent resource guarding.

Everything good in dog training grows from connection.

If you only do one thing in that first week, let it be this:

Have fun with your puppy.  Build that bond. Teach them that listening to you pays off. Hand feed them their food

Everything else is fixable later.  But if the relationship cracks, that is the hard bit to rebuild.

If you want support with your new pup, I offer one-to-ones and puppy classes across Wandsworth, Clapham, Balham and Battersea.  And if you don’t live in London, I offer an online puppy class with weekly coaching.

Small groups, real life training and no aversive methods.

Message me or visit www.thecitydog.co.uk to book.