(“Welcome to the World” Phase)

Welcome to life with a puppy.
Everything is new. Everything is confusing.
Your puppy has just been:

• removed from their mother
• removed from siblings
• transported to a strange new place
• handed to you, a very tall, very loud creature

So before we worry about obedience, manners, or being “a good dog” —
we focus on safety, trust, and predictability.

Think of these first two weeks as your puppy learning:

“I am safe here. These humans make sense. Life follows patterns.”

🎯 Primary Goals (What Actually Matters Right Now)

In Weeks 1–2, we are not trying to:

• train tricks
• demand obedience
• show off to friends

We are trying to:

✔ Build Trust

Your puppy learns that:

• humans are kind
• hands bring good things
• mistakes don’t mean danger

✔ Create Predictability

Dogs thrive on patterns.
Predictable routines = calmer puppies.

✔ Prevent Overwhelm

A calm puppy learns faster.
An overwhelmed puppy… screams internally.

If you get this stage right, everything later becomes easier.

🧠 Focus Skills (Your Puppy’s First Life Lessons)

These are the only “skills” we care about right now — and they’re more important than they sound.

✔ Name Recognition

Your puppy learning their name is not about control.
It’s about connection.

Name = “Something good is about to happen.”

✔ Marker Word (“Yes!” or Click)

This is how you tell your puppy:

“THAT. That right there. You nailed it.”

The marker bridges the gap between behaviour and reward.
It’s your puppy’s instruction manual, translated.

✔ Toilet Routine

Puppies are not being “naughty.”
They are tiny, confused, and biologically unprepared.

Your job: make success easy.

✔ Handling & Touch Comfort

This is future-proofing.

If your puppy learns early that:

• paws are safe to touch
• ears aren’t scary
• mouths don’t mean panic

You’ll have:

• easier grooming
• easier vet visits
• fewer wrestling matches later

✔ Calmness Foundations

Calm behaviour doesn’t appear by accident.
It is taught — quietly.

🗓️ Daily Work (Simple, Boring, Extremely Effective)

Short, gentle, and repeatable wins the day.

🐶 Name Game (Multiple Times Daily)

Say your puppy’s name once.

When they look at you:
✔ Mark (“Yes!” or click)
✔ Reward

That’s it.

No repeating.
No yelling.
No dramatic speeches.

🚽 Toilet Routine (The Big One)

Take your puppy out:

• after waking
• after eating
• after playing
• when they look suspiciously thoughtful

Reward immediately after success.

Not later.
Not inside.
Not after celebration dancing.

Timing matters.

✋ Gentle Handling (Seconds, Not Minutes)

Once or twice per day:

• touch paws → reward
• touch ears → reward
• briefly touch mouth → reward

Stop before your puppy wants you to stop.

We are building comfort — not tolerance.

🧘 Reward Calm Behaviour (Yes, Really)

If your puppy:

• lies down on their own
• sits quietly
• watches the world without chaos

Reward it.

Calm behaviour is usually ignored.
That’s why it disappears.

🏆 What Success Looks Like (Realistic Expectations)

By the end of Weeks 1–2, success does not look like:

• perfect obedience
• no accidents
• a perfectly behaved angel

Success looks like:

✔ Puppy responds to their name indoors
✔ Toilet accidents are decreasing
✔ Puppy can relax near you — even briefly

That’s a huge win.

🐾 Important Reminder (Read This Twice)

Your puppy is not:

• trying to test you
• being stubborn
• plotting against your carpet

They are learning how to exist in a human world.

Your calm, consistent responses now create the dog you’ll live with later.

Up Next:

In the next module, we’ll introduce calmness, structure, and boundaries —
so your puppy starts to understand how to behave, not just what to do.

And yes — it gets easier.