How to Train a Dog: A Free Starter Path for New Owners

Zazie Todd defines reward-based training precisely and sets out the welfare risks of fear-and-pain methods, citing AVSAB's position that only reward-based methods should be used. Read it first to filter out dominance advice for good.

Maps the first three days, three weeks and three months with a newly adopted dog: routine and space first, basic sit-and-come training in the weeks after. Read it before you bring a rescue home.

Certified trainer Kate Naito breaks puppy training into stages from 8–16 weeks through six months and one year, putting trust and exposure to the world ahead of obedience. Use it as your roadmap for which skills to teach when.

Teaches you to read the whole dog rather than just the tail: ears, eyes, posture and context, sorted into five signal groups. Learn it early so you know when a session should stop.

Explains why a reward must land within seconds of the behavior, and how to lure a sit and down before adding a short verbal cue. Read it before your first session.

Emily Larlham's channel shows the skills in motion, from puppy training and basic obedience to tricks and behavior modification. Keep it open alongside the written guides whenever a step is hard to picture.

Rests housetraining on two principles: reward every correct elimination and prevent mistakes. Gives a rough hour-per-month-of-age guide for how long a puppy can hold it, plus a schedule built around one consistent potty spot.

Introduces the crate in four treat-based steps, with firm limits: never as punishment, and no more than three or four hours at a stretch for puppies under six months. Offers a bedroom tether as an alternative for nights.

Frames recall as making coming back worth it, taught through games and without force, and cites a study where positive reinforcement beat shock collars. Sections on distractions and off-leash readiness take you from indoors to the park.

Starts loose-leash walking as a clicker game before any actual walking: reward the moment tension drops, with treats placed by your left foot. Includes a fix for adolescent dogs who already pull, where stopping like a tree fails.

Zazie Todd lays out the questions to ask a prospective trainer and why 'force-free' on a website proves nothing, naming alpha rolls and prong collars as red flags. The page carries affiliate links.

Lists books and YouTube channels, including All Dogs Go to Kevin, Kikopup and Simpawtico, chosen against current behavioral research. Use it as your reading and watching list once the guides above are done.