10/06/2026
I don’t like scary movies. 😬 But they don’t begin to compare to what I see as a puppy trainer…
1. “We’ll start training once he’s older.”
👉🏼 Your puppy is learning from the day they come home whether you’re teaching them or not. Every jump that gets attention and every nip that turns into a game is a lesson. Waiting doesn’t give you a blank slate... it gives you habits to undo.
2. A 12 week old puppy at the dog park.
👉🏼 Most puppies aren’t done with their vaccines until around 16 weeks. And even after that, a park full of strange dogs is a lot for a baby. One bad experience can stick with them for years. Calm exposure beats chaos every time.
3. Rubbing a puppy’s nose in an accident.
👉🏼 It doesn’t teach them where to go. It teaches them that peeing in front of you is dangerous. So they start sneaking off behind the couch. Accidents are a schedule problem, not a puppy problem.
4. “He knows sit, he’s just being stubborn.”
👉🏼 He knows sit in your kitchen. With a treat in your hand. When nothing else is going on. That’s not the same as knowing it at the vet or on a walk. If they’re not doing it, they don’t understand it there yet.
5. The silence coming from the other room.
👉🏼 A quiet puppy you can’t see is never a good sign. They’re chewing something. You just don’t know what yet. Supervise, crate, or pen. Those are your safe options.
6. The week one “did I make a mistake getting a puppy” spiral.
👉🏼 “Why won’t they stop biting. Why are they crying every night. Why did I think I could do this.” I hear it from almost every new puppy mom. You didn’t make a mistake. You’re just in the hardest week. It gets better, and it gets better faster with a plan.
So… a lot of the time the scariest part of raising a puppy isn’t the hard moments. It’s waiting until they become habits.
SAVE this for the days your puppy is testing you. And FOLLOW because next month we’re walking you through puppy raising one stage at a time. 🎃
