Train Any Puppy Right: 3-Step Foundation Checklist
Master leash pressure, engagement, and thresholds in your very first week with a new puppy.
Based on: The VERY First Thing You MUST Do With Any Puppy- Puppy Training by Tom Davis Dog Training
Master leash pressure, engagement, and thresholds in your very first week with a new puppy.
Based on: The VERY First Thing You MUST Do With Any Puppy- Puppy Training by Tom Davis Dog Training
Ever wonder why some dogs walk calmly beside their owners while yours is dragging you down the street like a sled? The difference almost always comes down to what happened in the very first weeks of training — or what didn't happen at all.
Here's the hard truth: most dog owners skip the foundation entirely. They clip on a leash, step outside, and just hope for the best. Then months later, they're frustrated, embarrassed, and Googling "why does my dog ignore me." Sound familiar? The pulling, the ignoring, the chaos at the front door — none of it is your dog being stubborn. It's your dog never being taught the basics that make everything else possible.
Now imagine stepping outside with your puppy and having them actually look at you. Check in with you. Walk with you instead of against you. Picture opening your front door and your dog pausing, waiting for your signal before stepping through. That's not a fantasy — that's what happens when you build the right foundation from day one. And it can happen faster than you think.
Tom Davis, one of the most recognized dog trainers in the world and host of the number one dog training podcast, has worked with some of the most reactive, hardest-pulling, and most difficult dogs imaginable — from Australia to Portugal to the Netherlands. And what does he find at the root of almost every problem? These three foundational skills were never taught when the dog was young. In this video, Tom demonstrates all three steps in real time with Kenai, a 12-week-old puppy he had literally just met 30 minutes before filming. The results speak for themselves.
This checklist distills Tom's exact three-step puppy foundation — leash pressure, engagement, and thresholds — into a clear, step-by-step action guide you can start using today. Every item is grounded in what Tom actually does and teaches, including the specific equipment he recommends, the common mistakes that derail new owners, and the exact techniques he uses to get even brand-new puppies responding within a single session.
Use this checklist on your very first day home with a new puppy, or pull it out tonight if you already have a dog and want to reset the foundation. Either way, you'll have a clear roadmap that takes all the guesswork out of those critical early weeks.
Every checklist item comes with actionable notes to guide you — things like "Don't forget to do this before you start," "Avoid this common mistake," or "Set a reminder for 30 days out." Nothing vague, just clear next steps.
+ 20 more action items inside...
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