Perfect Puppy in 7 Days: How to Start Your Puppy Off Right

by Sophia Yin

This is what the first couple of days in the house were like with Lucy. 7 a.m. wake up (15 minutes) Potty then play session 1: Open up Lucy’s crate and rush outside before she has a chance to stop and potty in the hallway. She immediately pees when outside, but I stand around not playing with her for 10 minutes until she poops too. 7:15-7:45 a.m. (30 minutes) Playtime: During this time she works for her kibble playing the “chase after me and suddenly sit for a treat” game. Then we work on toy tugging, sit to have toy tossed, and food trades to get the to back. I also pick her up and practice handling her while giving her treats so she learns to enjoy it. She potties again. Then I take her inside. She also has access to water outside. 8-10 a.m. Rest in her crate: where she can’t have a potty accident. She has toys to keep her occupied and is playing with them. Note that for short periods I can let her play outside on her own unsupervised if I have a puppy safe and potty appropriate yard. 10-10:15 a.m. (15 minutes) Potty then play session 2: Take her out to potty. This time she goes right away, so I play with her for 10 minutes. Same as the first play session. I let her explore the yard, too. 10:15-noon She follows me around the house, attached to me with a hands-free leash: Whenever I stop and am standing around, if she sits I give her sequential rewards. She’s already starting to sit a lot. She lies in her bed by my desk when I work at my computer. Noon Potty then play ses...