7-8 WEEK: UNDERSTANDING YOUR PUPPY’S DEVELOPMENT

Preparing for your puppy before they come home is one of the most important stages of successful puppy training. During this stage of puppy development, your puppy is still with their breeder or rescue, learning vital social skills that cannot be replicated later. While your puppy is developing, this is the perfect opportunity to prepare your home, your family and your routine for every aspect of puppy ownership. This lesson explains how careful planning can make puppy toilet training, toilet training, recall training, socialisation, puppy biting, chewing, crate training, loose lead walking and everyday puppy training significantly easier once your puppy arrives. You'll discover how to choose the right equipment, puppy-proof your home, prepare children and existing pets, establish household rules and create a structured plan before your puppy takes their first steps through your front door. Following a science-based puppy coursefrom the very beginning helps prevent many of the common problems new puppy owners face, including toilet accidents, excessive puppy biting, destructive chewing, poor socialisation and confusion caused by inconsistent routines. Rather than reacting to problems after they appear, this lesson helps you build the foundations for successful puppy training, reliable toilet training, confident recall, positive socialisation and lifelong good behaviour. As part of the How Not To F*ck Your Puppy Up puppy course from the Institute of Applied Canine Science, you'll gain a clear, evidence-based roadmap that removes uncertainty and prepares both you and your puppy for a confident, successful start together.

What should I do before bringing my puppy home?
Learn exactly how to prepare your home, family and routine with the science-based How Not To F*ck Your Puppy Uppuppy course from the Institute of Applied Canine Science.

How do I prepare for puppy toilet training and socialisation?
Discover how early preparation supports successful puppy toilet training, socialisation, crate training and puppy training before your puppy even arrives.

What equipment do I need before getting a puppy?
Find out exactly what you need, what you don't need, and how to prepare for successful puppy training, toilet training, recall training and every stage of puppy development with the complete Institute of Applied Canine Science puppy course.