What is the most important thing I should teach my new puppy first?

Goldendoodle puppy learning to pay attention and focus calmly, making obedience training much easier and more effective.

The most important thing to teach your puppy first isn’t a command or a trick—it’s how to engage with you.

Before obedience comes attention, trust, and structure.

A puppy that learns to check in with their owner, respond to their name, and follow simple guidance is far easier to train long-term than a puppy who knows commands but lacks focus or boundaries.

Start with Engagement

Engagement means your puppy learns:

• You are relevant and worth paying attention to

• Good things come from listening to you

• Calm behavior is rewarded just as much as excited behavior

This can be as simple as rewarding your puppy for choosing to look at you, following you around the house, or responding to their name. These moments build the foundation for all future training.

Teach Structure Early

Puppies thrive on clarity. Early lessons should include:

• Learning to settle (not constant stimulation)

• Understanding routines (meals, potty, rest, play)

• Gentle boundaries, like waiting before exiting doors or being handled calmly

Structure doesn’t limit a puppy—it actually helps them feel safe and confident.

Focus Before Formal Commands

While cues like sit and come are useful, they work best when your puppy already understands how to:

• Listen

• Handle mild frustration

• Recover and re-focus

Without that foundation, obedience often falls apart in real-life situations.

The Takeaway

If you focus first on engagement, calmness, and consistency, obedience becomes much easier—and your puppy grows into a dog who wants to work with you, not just one who knows commands.

Training isn’t about how fast your puppy learns skills—it’s about how well they learn to navigate the world with you.

Explore our Puppy Training options to get your relationship with your puppy started on the right paw!

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