Bringing home a new puppy is exciting, adorable and occasionally a little chaotic. Between accidents on the floor, pulling on the lead, jumping on visitors and barking at everything new, there's a lot for your puppy to learn.
The good news? You don't need to teach everything overnight.
Successful puppy training is built on consistency, patience and positive reinforcement. By rewarding the behaviours you want to see, you can help your puppy understand what's expected while building a positive relationship at the same time.
These practical puppy training tips cover five of the behaviours new dog parents commonly need help with: potty training, recall, jumping, pulling on walks and barking.
When Should You Start Training a Puppy?
You can start teaching your puppy simple behaviours as soon as they come home.
Early training doesn't need to involve long, formal sessions. In fact, puppies generally learn better through short, positive interactions incorporated into everyday life.
Start with simple foundations such as:
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Responding to their name
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Going to the toilet in the appropriate place
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Coming when called
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Sitting calmly for attention
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Walking with a loose lead
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Settling and being calm
Keep training sessions short, make the behaviour easy to understand and reward your puppy immediately when they get it right.
Use Positive Reinforcement for Puppy Training
Positive reinforcement means rewarding behaviours you want your puppy to repeat.
If your puppy sits instead of jumping, reward them.
If they come when called, reward them.
If they walk beside you without pulling, reward them.
Food is particularly useful because you can deliver it quickly, helping your puppy make the connection between their behaviour and the reward.
Choose Small, High-Value Puppy Training Treats
Because you'll often give multiple rewards during a training session, look for treats that are small, appealing and easy to eat.
Bowlsome BOBs Freeze-Dried Meatballs are a handy option for training because they're bite-sized, single-protein and hypoallergenic.
You can also break the meatballs into even smaller pieces, giving you multiple rewards from a single BOB. This is especially useful when teaching a new behaviour that requires frequent reinforcement.
Keep training rewards small and account for them as part of your puppy's overall daily food intake.
1. How to Potty Train a Puppy
Potty training a puppy is one of the first challenges most new dog parents face.
The biggest secret is prevention.
Young puppies have limited bladder control, so don't expect them to automatically know when or where they should go.
Create a Consistent Potty Routine
Take your puppy to their designated toilet area regularly, particularly:
After waking up: Take them outside as soon as they wake.
After eating or drinking: Puppies often need to toilet shortly afterwards.
After playing: Excitement and activity can trigger the need to go.
Before bed: Give them one final opportunity before settling for the night.
Watch for signs such as sniffing the floor, circling, wandering away or suddenly becoming restless.
When your puppy toilets in the correct place, reward them immediately.
What If Your Puppy Has an Accident?
Don't punish them.
If you discover an accident afterwards, your puppy won't understand why they're being told off.
Clean the area thoroughly and focus on creating more opportunities for success next time. If accidents happen frequently, you may need to increase how often you take your puppy outside.
Consistency is one of the most important parts of successful puppy potty training.
2. How to Teach a Puppy Recall
A reliable recall is one of the most valuable skills your puppy can learn.
Your goal is simple:
Coming back to you should be worth it.
Start recall training somewhere quiet and secure with very few distractions.
Say your puppy's name followed by your chosen recall cue, such as "come".
When your puppy moves towards you, encourage them enthusiastically. When they reach you, immediately reward them with praise and a high-value treat.
Build Recall Gradually
Once your puppy reliably comes to you indoors, gradually increase the challenge.
Progress from:
Inside the house → Backyard → Quiet outdoor area → Longer distance → More distractions
Don't rush to practise in a highly distracting environment before your puppy understands what the cue means.
And importantly, never punish your puppy when they eventually come back to you, even if they took longer than you'd like.
You want your puppy to learn:
Coming to my human = good things happen.
3. How to Stop a Puppy from Jumping
Puppies often jump because they're excited and want attention.
If jumping results in attention every time, even if that attention is you saying "get down!", your puppy may learn that jumping works.
Instead, teach them what you'd like them to do.
Reward Four Paws on the Floor
When your puppy approaches without jumping, immediately reward them with attention, praise or a treat.
If they jump, avoid rewarding the behaviour with enthusiastic attention.
Wait for their paws to return to the floor and reward the calmer behaviour.
You can also teach your puppy to sit when greeting people.
Practise with family members first before introducing the behaviour around visitors.
Consistency matters here. If one person allows enthusiastic jumping while another discourages it, learning becomes much harder for your puppy.
4. How to Stop a Puppy Pulling on the Lead
Walks can quickly become frustrating when your puppy believes the fastest way forward is to pull.
The lesson you want to teach is:
Loose lead = we keep moving.
Start somewhere quiet rather than attempting the first lesson on a busy street filled with dogs, people and exciting smells.
When your puppy walks beside you and the lead remains loose, reward them.
You can use a small piece of Bowlsome BOBs Freeze-Dried Meatballs beside your leg to reinforce the position you'd like them to walk in.
What Should You Do When Your Puppy Pulls?
If your puppy pulls ahead, avoid letting pulling consistently achieve what they want.
Stop moving or change direction, then reward your puppy when they reconnect with you and the lead becomes loose again.
At first, you might only get a few good steps.
That's okay.
Reward those few steps and gradually build from there.
Remember that puppies also need opportunities to sniff and explore. A good walk doesn't mean your puppy needs to march perfectly beside you every second.
5. How to Stop a Puppy Barking
Barking is normal dog behaviour, so the goal shouldn't necessarily be to stop your puppy from ever barking.
Instead, understand why they're barking and teach them more appropriate ways to respond.
Puppies may bark because they're:
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Excited
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Frustrated
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Seeking attention
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Bored
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Frightened
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Alerting you to something
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Overstimulated
The right training approach depends on what's causing the barking.
Attention Barking
If your puppy has learned that barking gets immediate attention, avoid accidentally reinforcing it.
Instead, reward moments of quiet, calm behaviour.
Barking at People or Dogs
If your puppy barks because they're worried or overwhelmed, simply telling them off doesn't address the underlying emotion.
Create more distance from the trigger and reward calm engagement with you.
Gradually exposing your puppy to manageable situations can help them build confidence without becoming overwhelmed.
Barking from Boredom
Make sure your puppy has appropriate opportunities for:
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Exercise
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Sniffing
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Play
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Training
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Enrichment
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Rest
Mental stimulation can be just as valuable as physical exercise for a growing puppy.
If barking is excessive, sudden, associated with distress or difficult to manage, speak with your veterinarian or a qualified reward-based trainer.
Keep Puppy Training Sessions Short
More training isn't always better.
Puppies have short attention spans, so aim for several small training opportunities rather than one exhausting session.
Even a few minutes at a time can be productive.
You can incorporate training throughout the day:
Ask for a sit before putting down dinner.
Practise recall from another room.
Reward loose-lead walking on the way to the park.
Reward calm behaviour when someone comes through the door.
Training becomes much easier when it's simply part of everyday life.
Don't Make Training Too Difficult Too Quickly
A puppy who can sit perfectly in your kitchen might suddenly appear to have forgotten everything at the park.
They haven't necessarily forgotten.
The environment has simply become much harder.
Dogs need to learn behaviours in different situations and around gradually increasing distractions.
When your puppy struggles, make the exercise easier rather than assuming they're being stubborn.
Move somewhere quieter, reduce the distance, simplify the task and reward success.
Then gradually build the difficulty again.
Common Puppy Training Mistakes to Avoid
Repeating Commands
"Come. Come! COME!"
If your puppy doesn't understand the first cue, saying it repeatedly usually doesn't make the meaning clearer.
Instead, make the exercise easier and help them succeed.
Rewarding Too Late
Timing is critical.
Reward your puppy immediately after the desired behaviour so they can understand exactly what earned the reward.
Expecting Too Much Too Soon
Your puppy is learning an enormous amount about their new home and the world around them.
Progress isn't always linear.
Using Punishment
Punishment can create fear or confusion without teaching your puppy what you'd prefer them to do instead.
Focus on reinforcing desirable behaviours and setting your puppy up for success.
Inconsistent Household Rules
Make sure everyone in your household agrees on basic rules and commands.
If jumping is encouraged by one family member and discouraged by another, your puppy receives conflicting information.
Remember: Training Treats Are Still Food
High-value treats can make puppy training much easier, but they still contribute calories and nutrients to your puppy's daily intake.
Keep individual rewards tiny and avoid replacing too much of your puppy's complete and balanced food with treats.
This is another reason Bowlsome BOBs Freeze-Dried Meatballs work well during training: their bite-sized format can be broken down further into small rewards, while the single-protein, hypoallergenic recipes provide a simple option for pups.
When Should You Get Professional Help?
Some puppy behaviours are best addressed with professional guidance.
Consider speaking with a qualified reward-based dog trainer or veterinary behaviour professional if you're dealing with persistent:
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Fear
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Anxiety
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Reactivity
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Aggression
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Resource guarding
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Separation-related distress
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Excessive barking
Early support can prevent unwanted behaviours from becoming more established.
Final Thoughts: Puppy Training Takes Patience
The most important puppy training tip is simple: don't expect perfection.
Your puppy is learning how to live in a human world.
Potty training, reliable recall, calm greetings, loose-lead walking and appropriate barking all take time, repetition and consistency.
Focus on rewarding the behaviours you want to see, keep sessions short and gradually increase the difficulty as your puppy becomes more confident.
Having a high-value reward ready can make the process much easier. Bowlsome BOBs Freeze-Dried Meatballs are bite-sized, single-protein and hypoallergenic, making them an easy addition to your puppy training kit.
Celebrate the small wins. Every successful recall, calm greeting and loose-lead step is another piece of the relationship you're building together.
