25 dog training goals, from a first puppy class to the Canine Good Citizen test

Puppy training goals by age

AVSAB, the American veterinary society for animal behaviour, calls the first three months of life the most important time for a puppy to meet the world. It says puppy classes can start as early as 7 to 8 weeks, after a first set of vaccines. Ask your vet when your puppy is ready.

• Before 3 months of age, give your puppy 30 calm meetings with new people.
• Before 3 months, let your puppy walk on 10 different surfaces: grass, gravel, tiles, wood, a metal grate.
• Handle your puppy's paws, ears and mouth for 1 minute a day, with treats, for 30 days.
• Reward every pee outside with a treat, right away, for 14 days.
• Go to every session of one puppy class, once your vet says your puppy is ready.

Basic obedience goals: sit, down and stay

Obedience goals are cues with a number on them: how long, how far, and how many times out of 10. AVSAB's position is that rewards should be used to teach every one of them.

• Train for 5 minutes, twice a day, for 30 days.
• Get 9 sits out of 10 on the first ask, in 3 different places.
• Hold a sit-stay for 30 seconds with you 3 steps away.
• Hold a down-stay for 1 minute while you walk a circle around your dog.
• Ask for a "wait" at the front door every time you go out, for 2 weeks.

Leash walking goals

Leash goals count steps on a loose leash, then blocks, then whole walks. Once the leash stays loose, a trail is the reward, and hiking goals give the two of you somewhere to go.

• Walk 10 steps on a loose leash, then 20, then 50, with a treat at your side each time.
• Walk one block with no pulling on 5 days out of 7.
• Do 3 loose-leash walks of 15 minutes a week for 6 weeks.
• Pass 10 other dogs on your walks with the leash still loose.
• Hike a 5 km (3 mile) trail with your dog on a loose leash.

Dog recall training goals

Recall is the most common reason owners turn to shock collars, AVSAB notes, and a study it cites found the collar worked no better than rewards. So start close, add distance one step at a time, and pay well every time your dog comes.

• Call your dog from 10 feet indoors, 10 times a day, with a treat each time, for 2 weeks.
• Get your dog to come on the first call 9 times out of 10 in the yard.
• Get a recall from the end of a 30 foot long line in a park, 8 times out of 10.
• Play a recall game between 2 people, 10 calls each, 3 times a week for 4 weeks.
• Teach one emergency recall word, paid with the best treat, 5 times a day for 30 days.

Dog tricks, sports and test goals

A test gives training a finish line. The American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen test has 10 items, from accepting a friendly stranger to 3 minutes apart from you.

• Pass all 10 items of the Canine Good Citizen test.
• Step out of your dog's sight for 3 minutes while a friend holds the leash, as in the test.
• Teach 10 tricks, one a week.
• Run a 10 obstacle agility course at a club, after a vet check.
• Play a nose work game 3 times a week for 8 weeks: hide a treat and let your dog find it.

What is a good dog training goal?

A good dog training goal counts what you and your dog do together, not what the dog "is". A review of 35 years of goal research found that specific, hard goals lead to higher performance than being told to do your best. "A good dog" is not a goal. "9 sits out of 10 in 3 places" is.

Train with rewards. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior says the evidence supports reward-based methods for all dog training, and that methods that rely on force, pain or fear should not be used. One study it cites found obedience was highest in dogs trained only with rewards.

Reward-based trainers mark the exact moment with a clicker or a word like "yes", then pay with a treat, a toy or play. Riders learn the same timing on horseback, and horse riding goals count it the same way.

Some problems are not training goals. For fear, anxiety or aggression, AVSAB says a dog needs a treatment plan, so start with your vet.

How to track dog training goals

Log the session as soon as it ends: a tick for the day, or the score out of 10. A review of 138 studies found that people who monitored their progress reached their goals more often, and that recording it beat keeping it in your head.

Sessions and practice days are day counts: 5 minutes twice a day for 30 days is 60 sessions, a classic shape among 30 day challenge ideas. Scores out of 10, steps on a loose leash and tricks learned are amounts that grow.

Two short sessions a day become a habit for you before they become a skill for your dog. How long it takes to form a habit is worth reading before you choose the length of your challenge.

A picture that fills one cell for every day you trained shows the month at a glance, even on the days your dog seems to forget everything.

Frequently asked questions

What are good puppy training goals?

Calm meetings with new people before 3 months of age, a minute of handling paws and ears each day, and a reward for every pee outside. AVSAB says puppy classes can start as early as 7 to 8 weeks, after a first set of vaccines. Ask your vet when your puppy is ready.

What is on the Canine Good Citizen test?

10 items: accepting a friendly stranger, sitting politely for petting, appearance and grooming, a walk on a loose leash, walking through a crowd, sit and down on cue and staying in place, coming when called, reaction to another dog, reaction to distraction, and supervised separation. In the last one, the owner goes out of sight for 3 minutes.

Should I train my dog with rewards or corrections?

Rewards. AVSAB says the evidence supports reward-based methods for all dog training, and that methods based on force, pain or fear should not be used. One study it cites found obedience was highest in dogs trained only with rewards.