Goldendoodle puppy training schedule: week by week

Week by week schedule

The foundation commands in detail

Name recognition

Before any other command can work, the dog needs to know that their name means "look at me." Say the name once, the moment the puppy looks at you, mark with "yes" and reward immediately. Never repeat the name multiple times in a row. One say, one look, one reward. This conditions the dog to respond to the first instance, which is critical for recall safety later.

Sit

The lure method is fastest for puppies: hold a treat at the nose, move it slowly backward over the puppy's head. The nose goes up, the rear goes down. The moment the rear touches the floor, mark and reward. After five to ten repetitions with the lure, begin fading the lure and adding the verbal cue "sit" the moment the behavior starts. Most Goldendoodle puppies have a reliable sit within 2 to 3 days.

Come (recall)

Recall is the most important safety command and the one that requires the most consistent maintenance. Make coming to you the best thing that happens to the dog. Call the name, call "come," and when they arrive, reward with the highest value treat available and genuine enthusiasm. Never call your dog to come for something unpleasant (bath, nail trim, leaving the dog park). The recall must always predict good things. If you need to do something the dog does not like, go get them.

Down

From a sit, lure the treat from the nose straight down to the ground between the front paws. The elbows fold forward and the dog lies down. Mark and reward the moment the elbows hit the floor. Down is a more submissive and vulnerable position for most dogs than sit, so some puppies resist it. Go slower, use higher value treats, and never push the dog physically into position.

Stay

Begin with sit-stay. Ask for sit, count one second, mark and reward. Do not add the verbal cue "stay" yet. Build to three seconds, then five, before adding the word. The most common mistake is adding distance before duration: stay means "hold this position" before it means "hold this position while I walk away." Build duration first, then add small distances, then return before releasing.

Leave it

Place a low value treat on the floor. The moment the dog moves toward it, close your fist over it or cover it with your foot. Wait. The moment they look away from the treat and at you, mark and reward with a different, higher value treat from your hand. This teaches that ignoring something produces a better outcome than going for it. Critical for puppies that eat everything off the ground.

The 8 to 14 week window

The socialization and learning window from 8 to 14 weeks is the highest return period in the dog's development. The puppy's brain is primed for learning new associations at low cost. Positive exposures during this period have lifelong effects on confidence and resilience. Missed experiences during this period require significantly more work to introduce later.

Use this window for both training commands and socialization exposures: different people (hats, beards, uniforms, glasses, children), different surfaces (tile, grating, sand, grass, rubber), different sounds (traffic, crowds, skateboards, appliances), and different environments (pet stores, parking lots, outdoor cafes). This work is as important as command training and takes 10 minutes of deliberate effort per day.

Common mistakes that slow progress

Repeating cues multiple times before the dog complies. "Sit sit sit sit" teaches the dog that sit means nothing until it has been said four times. One cue, wait, then help them succeed. Repeat after success, not after ignoring.

Training sessions that are too long. A checked out puppy is not learning. End before engagement drops. It is better to leave the dog wanting more than to train past the point where they care.

Free feeding. A dog that has unlimited access to food loses training leverage. Train before meals. A dog that has not eaten is significantly more motivated to work for treats than one that grazed all morning.

Inconsistency in rules. If jumping on people is allowed sometimes, the dog learns that the rule is inconsistent, which means it will be tested constantly. Rules need to be the same from everyone in the household every time.

Frequently asked questions

When should you start training a Goldendoodle puppy?

Day one. Eight weeks is not too young. Start name recognition, sit, and crate conditioning immediately.

How long should training sessions be?

Two to five minutes for puppies under 12 weeks. Five to ten minutes for 12 to 20 weeks. Multiple short sessions daily beat one long session.

What commands matter most first?

Name recognition, sit, come (recall), down, stay, and leave it. In roughly that order. Loose leash walking starts on the first walk.

Do Goldendoodles respond to positive reinforcement?

Exceptionally well. They are food motivated, people oriented, and sensitive to handler feedback. Punishment based methods are counterproductive.

What is the hardest thing to teach?

Stay and loose leash walking. Both require impulse control that develops over months. Both are worth the consistent investment.