How to Build a Solid Foundation for Your Puppy’s Future Success

Trainers love to talk about how building a strong foundation makes future training easier. While I completely agree with the premise, I also think that the term “foundation” is ambiguous, and that’s a problem. How can we build a foundation if we don’t know what the foundation is supposed to look like?

A dictionary’s definition of a foundation is something like, “the basis or groundwork of anything.” When we’re talking about a foundation for a puppy, we’re referring to the starting point from which future training will build.

If it’s a poor foundation, it’s likely there will be frustration and a lack of success as the dog matures. If the foundation is solid, it’s likely the owner and the dog will find more enjoyment in training and have more success later on. So, how do we build a foundation that’s most likely to set our puppy up for future success? Here are some concepts to help get you started on the right foot.

For a puppy that will one day have a job (whether that be bird hunting or some other task), enthusiasm for work is crucial. A dog that knows everything but wants to do nothing is an incredibly hard dog to train. If we can develop a puppy that is an eager worker, that’s a trait that is highly likely to result in a great adult dog. That work ethic will give them resiliency to work through complex tasks while staying engaged and hungry for more.

Developing a work ethic can be a tricky endeavor. The tendency for new owners can be to push a puppy in order to get it to work harder. Unfortunately, for a puppy, getting pushed too much too early can result in a lifelong aversion to work.

Instead, it’s much better to give a puppy short exposure to “work,” and then to quit the session while they still want more. And while we’re on the topic of work, realize that the term “work” is a bit of a misnomer. Sessions with puppies (and adult dogs for that matter) should feel a lot more like a game than work. This shift in perspective will help them to enjoy the work and go hard during each session.

Building a foundation of confidence in a puppy is crucial for long-term success. We want dogs that are fearless and able to take on new environments without hesitation. Building confidence can start right away, but it doesn’t mean we should be exposing our puppy to everything we can possibly think of. We will end up with a confident adult dog if we make sure our puppy is only exposed to things that won’t evoke a reaction of fear.

For example, we may choose not to take our puppy into a crowded environment with lots of unpredictable noises and objects—at least not right away. Or, we may avoid a scenario where a strange dog is barking/growling at them (or worse). Instead, we look for more predictable environments that will evoke confidence and curiosity, but not fear.

A hunting dog is going to frequently encounter new challenges: wily roosters, long retrieves on ducks, etc. Being able to sort through those challenges without losing confidence is crucial, and I believe that as owners we can help develop this skill in our dogs by starting when they are young puppies.

Try giving your puppy scenarios that require him to think, but that aren’t so difficult that he fails. Also, resist the urge to directly help your puppy if he gets stumped. Let him sort it out on his own.

An example of this would be giving a puppy a short retrieve where the ball (or bumper) falls out of sight of the puppy. I’ll often do this by throwing it over a bush or some other small obstruction in my yard. Most puppies won’t go directly to the ball in this scenario. Instead, they go where they last saw the ball. When I start this drill, I’ll make sure the retrieve is into the wind. Ideally, when the puppy realizes the ball isn’t where it last saw it (somewhere over the obstacle), it will smell the ball and use the wind to solve the retrieve.

However, if the puppy is struggling to complete the retrieve, I’ll often walk out toward the ball. Although I remain silent during this process, typically the puppy will follow me past the obstacle and then discover the ball. In the puppy’s mind, it figured the retrieve out on its own, and that’s exactly what I wanted it to think. As the puppy becomes more proficient, the retrieves will get longer and the obstacles bigger; but since I always try to make sure that the puppy will be successful, difficulty is only slowly increased.

There are many other ways to improve problem solving—obstacle courses, hidden meals, etc. Use some creativity, and I’m sure you’ll be able to come up with some great ideas to make your puppy into more of a thinker. Just make sure to start small and build slowly. We want to make sure our puppies always have hope of success; because without hope, their persistence and resiliency will be severely diminished.

Remember, a foundation is NOT the final product—it simply sets the stage for what is to come. Many new owners immediately start training their new pup for the skills they want it to have as an adult. However, constant drills and pressure are not the recipe for a strong foundation, but are instead more likely to create an adult dog that is apathetic toward work and reluctant to learn new skills.

Focus on making your puppy confident, eager to work, and a great problem solver. With this foundation, when the time comes to start teaching more complex behaviors, I think you’ll find that you’ve set your puppy up for success, and the final product will be one that you can be proud of. Good luck and enjoy the process!