A young puppy in a pink harness sitting on a sunny country lane

Free course · Do it yourself at home

The DIY Puppy Course

Everything you need to raise a calm, confident puppy — socialisation, toilet training, sleep, life skills and more. Four structured weeks, written by our trainers, free to every puppy parent.

Start the course Talk to a trainer — free
  • 100% free — no sign-up, no catch
  • Pain-free & science-backed
  • Four structured weeks
  • Written by our qualified trainers

What you'll cover

The aims of the course

Puppies learn fastest in their first few months — and the habits you build now last a lifetime. Over four weeks, this course walks you through:

  • Socialisation (at-home exercises)
  • Toilet training
  • Alone/separation training
  • Sleep training
  • Enrichment
  • Playing, chewing, tugging and sniffing
  • Walks and socialisation field trips
  • Life skills and obedience training

Work through it at your puppy's pace — and if you get stuck, ask us anything. It's what we're here for.

A golden retriever puppy sitting attentively
Start them young — but there's never a wrong time

The line we won’t cross

Pain-free dog training — and exactly what that rules out

We are pain-free dog trainers. Nothing we put on your dog, and nothing we do with your dog, is designed to work by hurting them — no choke chain, no prong collar, no electric collar, not on the toughest case, not on the worst day.

  • We never use: Choke chains

    A sliding metal loop that tightens around your dog’s neck whenever the lead goes tight, and only loosens when the pressure comes off. Repeated use can damage the windpipe, and a sudden jerk can strain the neck or spine.

  • We never use: Prong collars

    Metal links with inward-facing points that press into the skin around your dog’s neck every time the lead tightens. Repeated use can bruise, break the skin and damage the nerves underneath.

  • We never use: Electric collars (e-collars, shock collars)

    Contact points on your dog’s neck that deliver an electric shock by remote control. Even on “low”, it works by being unpleasant enough to stop the dog — who may link that to whatever they were looking at, often the other dog.

What we use instead

Positive reinforcement dog training, applied properly — and it works on the hard cases too, not only the easy ones.

Read what choke chains, prong collars and e-collars actually do to a dog →

  • Positive reinforcement. We pay for the behaviour we want with food your dog will actually work for, plus toys and play — so they learn what to do, not only what to avoid.
  • Work kept below your dog’s threshold. We set the distance and duration your dog can cope with, then close the gap as they steady, rather than correcting them for not coping.
  • Counter-conditioning. We change how your dog feels about the thing they react to, rather than suppressing the reaction and leaving the feeling underneath. On our training programmes that work happens where the problem does: the high street, cafés, traffic, the seafront.
  • Ordinary, well-fitted kit. A well-fitted harness, a non-retractable lead, a collar with an ID tag — ordinary kit, nothing corrective. Your programme’s own kit list is the one to pack from.

Why we say pain-free, not force-free: a lead, a collar, a harness, a muzzle where safety requires one, a nail trim, grooming restraints, a bathing noose, holding a dog steady in a busy street — every one of those applies a degree of force, and not one of them is there to cause pain. Force-free isn’t a promise any trainer can honestly keep. Pain-free is.

Our methods

How we'll train — kindly

Positive reinforcement training, in conjunction with management methods, is the simplest and most current training method. It is the one we will use to guide you — allow us to explain why we have confidence in it.

More excellent dogs, more happy humans! The reward-based technique of positive reinforcement training has been scientifically demonstrated to effectively encourage the behaviours you want your puppy to exhibit, and to instil confidence in them when entering a new environment. To put it plainly: greater incentives result in more positive behaviour.

When we say "good behaviour", we may mean anything — having our puppies sit, lie down, settle, or return when we call their name.

Rewards can take several forms

  • Treats
  • Toys
  • Praise
  • …or anything else your dog enjoys

However, let's not make it about money — that has not worked out well for humans.

Management methods in training

Management is about regulating the setting and surroundings around your puppy to keep them from making errors or getting themselves into trouble. You may believe management makes you look like the fun police — the reality is quite the reverse. It helps them become acquainted with the rights and wrongs by setting them up for success, rather than learning by trial and error. A few ways to practise it:

A crate

Getting a crate for your puppy to keep them secure.

A baby gate

Using a baby gate to keep your puppy from entering an area or room where we don't want them.

A lead

A leash and lead to keep their muddy paws from leaping up on humans.

Straight talk — the use of punishment

Punishment may get you quick results for a behaviour, but it will also create generalised anxiety, fears, phobias, and a lack of confidence to cope with the wider world. It can lead to an anxious or reactive dog. That's why nothing in this course — and nothing in our school — ever relies on it.

A puppy's day

The daily rhythm, sunrise to wind-down

Aim for six little training touchpoints a day, woven around food, naps and toilet breaks:

  1. 1 First thing in the morning
  2. 2 Following their post-breakfast wee
  3. 3 Following their mid-morning sleep
  4. 4 Before lunch (about 1pm)
  5. 5 Following their midday nap
  6. 6 Before dinner (about 7pm)

Food is training fuel: use part of breakfast, lunch and dinner as a food treat — utilise some of their feeding time to train, and use some of their food to reward them.

  1. 5:00 – 8:30am

    Early morning

    • 5–7am Wake up and toilet time! We've put these in the same box because they'll happen almost at the same time. As soon as your eyes open, go straight to your puppy's toilet area — take your puppy with you, of course (we know the struggles of a sleepy head on these early mornings).
    • 5–7am Back to sleep? See if your puppy will go back to sleep after their early toilet break. If not — well, get the coffee on to start your day as well.
    • 7:00am Breakfast In an activity feeder or Kong to keep them busy and unbloated.
    • 7:15am Toilet break
    • 7:30am Play and training
    • 8:15am Toilet break
    • 8:30am Naptime

  2. 10:30am – 12:30pm

    Mid-morning to lunch

    • 10:30am Toilet break
    • 10:45am Training
    • 11:00am Brunch
    • 11:15am Toilet break
    • 11:30am Play and training
    • 11:45am Toilet break
    • 12:00pm Play and training
    • 12:30pm Naptime

  3. 2:30 – 4:00pm

    Afternoon

    • 2:30pm Toilet break
    • 2:45pm Play and training
    • 3:00pm Dinner time
    • 3:15pm Toilet break
    • 3:30pm Play and training
    • 3:45pm Toilet break
    • 4:00pm Naptime

  4. 6:00 – 8:00pm

    Evening and wind-down

    • 6:00pm Toilet break
    • 6:15pm Training
    • 7:00pm Supper time
    • 7:15pm Toilet break
    • 7:30pm Play and training
    • 7:45pm Toilet break
    • 8:00pm Relaxation and wind-down

Toilet training

Little bladders, big wins

If you have them outside of their crate or confinement area, we recommend starting with a toilet break every 15 minutes. Don't worry — you won't be doing this for very long. Toilet breaks become less frequent as they grow older and smarter. But for the time being, let's keep them as consistent as possible to avoid stinky mishaps.

A young terrier puppy sitting on the grass
Out on the grass — right where the wins happen

How long can they hold it?

Pick your puppy's age:

In the day

2 hours

Maximum they can hold it for

Overnight

5 hours

They might hold it for

Out of the crate, still start with a break every 15 minutes — these numbers are the most a little bladder can manage, not a target.

The full toilet schedule table
Age of the puppy Maximum they can hold it for At night they might hold it for
8 weeks 2 hours 5 hours
12 weeks 3 hours 7 hours
16 weeks 4 hours 8 hours

The course itself

Four weeks, week by week

Each week builds on the last across three strands: socialisation, life skills, and husbandry (the handling, grooming and vet-prep work most people forget). Take it at your puppy's pace — a "week" can happily take ten days.

  1. Week 1

    Fundamental skills and initial exposure

    Socialisation exercises

    • Daily Let the puppy explore the garden, encouraging them to interact with different natural stimuli.
    • Every other day Watch the world from a safe spot outside the house; gradually increase the duration as the puppy becomes more comfortable.
    • Twice this week Introduce the puppy to friends visiting your home, ensuring each meeting is controlled and positive.
    • Weekend First car trip — short and sweet, to a nearby quiet location.

    Life skills training

    • Daily Name-recognition exercises during routine activities; begin with a basic “sit” and introduce “recall” in a secure indoor environment.
    • Twice daily Crate-training sessions, starting with short intervals and increasing the duration.
    • Every feeding time Toilet training coinciding with natural schedules to establish a routine.

    Husbandry tasks

    • Daily Gentle brushing, making it a positive experience.
    • Every other day Begin familiarisation with handling, focusing on ears, paws and tail.

  2. Week 2

    Building confidence and expanding skills

    Socialisation exercises

    • Daily Sessions of “watching the world”, introducing more varied environments like parks or outside shops.
    • Twice this week Introduce the vacuum cleaner and play recordings of fireworks to desensitise sounds.
    • Weekend Visit a pet-friendly store to expose the puppy to different people and animals.

    Life skills training

    • Daily Reinforce “recall” and “sit” with added cue words; introduce the “down” command.
    • Ongoing Continue crate and toilet training with the aim of reducing accidents.
    • This week Introduce lead basics in the garden or another safe area.

    Husbandry tasks

    • Daily Continue brushing and handling; start basic grooming like paw handling.
    • Twice this week Practise pretend nail clips to desensitise the sensation.

  3. Week 3

    Socialisation and command consolidation

    Socialisation exercises

    • This week Attend a puppy class to interact with other puppies.
    • Outings Visit different public settings like a café or a quieter pub to observe more complex human interactions.
    • Regularly Regular car trips to new destinations for varied environmental exposure.

    Life skills training

    • Daily Practise commands in different settings to generalise the behaviour.
    • Ongoing Introduce more complex lead-walking techniques and continue improving recall with distractions.
    • Play Engage in interactive play like tug and fetch to enhance learning and the bond.

    Husbandry tasks

    • Daily Continue daily grooming routines.
    • This week Start introducing elements like harness fitting and pretend ear/eye drops to prepare for real scenarios.

  4. Week 4

    Advanced training and behavioural fine-tuning

    Socialisation exercises

    • Often Frequent visits to populated areas to familiarise with varied stimuli, including joggers, cyclists and other dynamic elements.
    • Play dates Engage in structured play dates with well-behaved adult dogs to teach appropriate social behaviour.

    Life skills training

    • Daily Solidify all learned commands by practising in highly distracting environments and with different family members.
    • Focus Focus on precision and responsiveness, introducing nose work to start scent-discrimination tasks.
    • Off lead Implement off-lead training in secure areas to test recall and control.

    Husbandry tasks

    • Daily Nail trimming as real grooming needs arise, ensuring the puppy remains calm and cooperative.
    • Regularly Regular practice of vet-like examinations on a table, to acclimatise to real-life vet visits.
The homework, out in the real world

Beyond the exercises

Empowering dog owners through education

At the core of successful dog ownership lies understanding — learning how to effectively train your dog and create a happy, healthy relationship. It's not just about teaching your dog commands; it's about educating yourself and your family on how to communicate with your dog, set boundaries, and ensure everyone in the household is involved in the training process.

Not sure how much exercise your puppy should be getting? Too much, too soon can harm growing joints, so it pays to get it right — our free dog exercise calculator works out a safe daily amount from your puppy's breed and age.

Training the whole family

As a dog parent, your role goes beyond just training your dog — you’re also teaching the rest of your family how to help. Everyone in the household needs to be on the same page when it comes to setting rules and encouraging positive behaviour. It’s especially important to create an environment where teasing, bullying or inconsistent training are avoided. The key is motivating every family member to stick to the plan and help train the dog consistently.

Using data to train effectively

The principles of dog training, such as reinforcement and positive reinforcement schedules, are backed by solid data and research. For owners, this means applying proven methods that foster trust and cooperation with your dog. Knowing how to reward good behaviour at the right time helps build a strong, positive bond between you and your pet.

Creating positive change through knowledge

Educating yourself on dog training not only improves your relationship with your dog but also helps you better navigate the world of dog ownership. By staying informed and open to learning, you’re better equipped to handle challenges, avoid common mistakes, and ensure your dog’s well-being. The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel as a dog parent.

The importance of puppy classes

Puppy classes are more than just an opportunity for your puppy to learn basic commands — they’re an essential tool for socialisation. These classes should be fun, off-leash experiences where your puppy is exposed to different environments, people and other dogs. The goal is to prepare your puppy for all the unexpected situations life might throw their way, making sure they grow into a well-rounded and confident adult dog.

Why dog training is different today

Today’s dog training is much more diverse than the traditional methods used for working or competition dogs. Pet dogs come in all shapes, sizes and temperaments, and the training methods you use should reflect that. Modern training isn’t about rigid commands — it’s about teaching your dog to behave well in real-life situations, covering all aspects of your dog’s behaviour.

Building a strong relationship with your dog

At the heart of dog training is the goal of building a lasting, positive relationship with your dog. By taking the time to educate yourself, your family and your dog, you’re setting the foundation for a life filled with mutual respect and understanding. Training isn’t just about your dog following commands — it’s about communication, trust, and making sure your dog is a well-adjusted, happy part of your family.

The science bit

Conditioned Emotional Response — what it is

What exactly is CER, and what effect does it have on your dog?

You may not have heard of the phrase "Conditioned Emotional Response", abbreviated as CER, but if you own a dog, you have most definitely observed this phenomenon. If your dog pricks his ears and comes racing joyfully in anticipation of a walk every time you grasp the leash, he has formed a CER — but let's take a deeper look at this and how it unfolds from a scientific standpoint.

Animals, like humans, are born with a biological system that allows them to experience pleasure and pain, eliciting emotional reactions. In humans, the sound of a drill may create goose bumps if you had a bad dental experience, or the sound of the phone ringing may make your heart race if you link it with the voice of a loved one. These emotional responses occur swiftly and automatically, with little rational thought involved.

Similar reactions occur in dogs. Your dog's eyes may light up when he hears the click of a clicker because he has learnt to link its sound with rewards — or he may come to fear the beeping noise that warns him that if he moves ahead, he will be shocked for breaching the border of an electronic fence.

Pleasure-related reactions (appetitive) stimulate approach and contact, but fear-related responses (aversive) urge retreat and avoidance, according to James O'Heare. From an evolutionary standpoint, this all makes sense: in order to survive, we should seek life-sustaining reinforcers and avoid life-threatening events.

The construction of a Conditioned Emotional Response

Conditioned emotional reactions are based on associative learning (classical conditioning). In the instance of Pavlov's dogs, a dog learns that a leash = a walk, a clicker equals a treat, and a white coat equals food, through connections. A dog also learns via connections that a skunk may discharge a nasty odour that hurts the eyes. The brain, neurological system and endocrine system are all implicated in a conditioned emotional response.

Neuronal activity: several electrical and chemical communications occur in the brain via neurons, and these transmissions influence how the dog learns, memorises, feels emotions, and ultimately acts. Dogs may recall prior events and behave (without cognitive engagement) in a reflex-like manner that has proven advantageous in the past, because neurons make such connections.

Amygdala activity: the amygdala is involved in the processing of memories and emotional reactions. Often known as the "smoke detector of the brain", it is in charge of signalling the adrenal cortex to release hormones (cortisol, adrenaline) that prepare for the fight-or-flight response, which is critical for life.

The dog's brain is thought to operate in a "hardwired", reflex-like manner in reaction to each individual event, based on earlier learning via association. This explains why standard training approaches aren't very effective in changing behaviour — we are functioning on an emotional rather than a cognitive level.

Instead, behaviour modification works because we change emotions through counterconditioning: one conditioned response to the same conditioned stimulus is replaced by another. The good emotional response eventually clashes with terror. During counterconditioning, neurons are rejoined in such a way that the nervous system's adaptability improves. We are essentially changing past connections between neurons — transforming a frightened response into a pleasant, pleasurable one.

Want us alongside you?

Get a head start

The course is free, and it always will be. If you'd like our trainers hands-on too, here's how a guided start works:

  1. 1

    Before getting your puppy

    Contact us by phone, email or via the contact form. Tell us your needs by describing your puppy’s struggles, and tell us your aim.

  2. 2

    On puppy arrival

    We’ll prepare a plan for you to review and approve.

  3. 3

    The DIY home course

    Once we’ve agreed on all the details, we’ll get started!

  4. 4

    Training — maintain it

    Training ends on time, and when you’re satisfied, you take over.

Three ways we can take the load

Puppy Training Classes

£175 per course

Four evening sessions with our trainers — the guided version of everything in this course, plus three Day School intro sessions.

Explore the classes

Boarding School for Puppies

£1,200 for 4 weeks

The trainer-led month: we do this whole curriculum for you, full days with overnight stays, then hand it over with coaching.

Explore Puppy School

Dog Day School

£19.99 a day on a weekly booking

Daily socialisation, enrichment and light training around your work week — with the school bus and daily reports home.

Explore Day School

Not sure what fits? Book a free phone consultation — no charge, no strings.

Stuck on something?

Ask us about your puppy

The course is free — and so is asking. Tell us where you've got stuck, or what's going better than expected, and we'll point you the right way.

What would you like help with? (tick any)

Prefer to talk? Book a free phone consultation or WhatsApp us on 01424 300668

This page was last reviewed and updated .