Raise a well-mannered puppy from week one
Six essential skills — name recognition, Sit, Down, Leave It, recall, bite inhibition, and loose-leash walking — taught step by step with gentle, science-backed methods any first-time owner can actually use.
To be successful, practice all lessons a minimum of 1-2 sessions of 15 minutes, each day until you and your pet are successful. Once successful, keep building on that communication by doing it as often as possible. Daily is best.
Remember, you are building communication between you and your dog that will enhance your relationship. Your dog wants to do good but they must be taught what that is or they will teach you what THEY think it is which may not be acceptable. We give you the tools to build the bridge to the relationship you both want.
We encourage you to proceed to the next Class- Devoted Canine Basic Obedience Academy
NOTE TO YOU - All training classes virtual or in person, train and educate YOU, the OWNER to train your pet.
We give the tools but it is up to you to use them.
To be successful, an owner must learn, put in the time and consistency to train your pet. Without this time and consistency until the pet learns, understands and does the lesson successfully, the pet will not be successful in their lessons.
These lessons do not teach your pet. YOU, the owner teaches your pet. Because of this, We can not guarantee your pet will learn.
Once purchased, all lessons are non-refundable.
Disclaimer - Courses are AI enhanced to give the student an experience tailored to each person. AI always has the possibility of giving wrong information. Courses are created by the author but AI may state something not by the author. If something seems questionable, ask the course to give more information or to clarify.
"Training a puppy isn't about control — it's about building a friendship with someone who doesn't speak your language yet, and meeting them exactly where they are."
— Dorinne Whynott
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Teach your puppy to reliably recognize and respond to their name in any room of the house
- Cue a solid Sit and Down on the first ask, without repeated commands or food luring forever
- Use 'Leave It' to redirect your pup away from dangerous or forbidden objects instantly
- Call your puppy back to you every time with a recall that holds up even with distractions
- Curb mouthing and nipping through bite-inhibition techniques that protect skin and set clear boundaries
- Walk your puppy on a loose leash without pulling, lunging, or zigzagging within the first two weeks
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
6 modules · 23 lessons
Your Puppy's First Day of School
Gives new owners the foundational mindset, tools, and reward-timing skills needed before any formal cue training begins.
- 1.1How Puppies Learn: Rewards, Timing, and RepetitionIncluded
- 1.2Setting Up Your Training KitIncluded
- 1.3Creating a Learning-Friendly EnvironmentIncluded
- 1.4Short Sessions, Big Results: Building a Daily Training HabitIncluded
Name Recognition: The Foundation of Every Cue
Trains your puppy to snap their attention to you the moment they hear their name, in any room of the house.
- 2.1Teaching the Name GameIncluded
- 2.2Proofing the Name in Every RoomIncluded
- 2.3Name Recognition with Mild DistractionsIncluded
Sit and Down: Your Puppy's First Cues
Builds reliable, first-ask Sit and Down behaviors by fading food lures and moving toward a verbal cue alone.
- 3.1Luring a Sit and Making It ClickIncluded
- 3.2Fading the Lure and Adding the Verbal CueIncluded
- 3.3Luring and Shaping the DownIncluded
- 3.4Fading the Down Lure and Raising the BarIncluded
Leave It and Recall: Safety Cues That Could Save a Life
Installs a drop-everything 'Leave It' and a speedy recall so your puppy turns away from danger and sprints back to you on cue.
- 4.1Introducing Leave It: The Closed-Fist MethodIncluded
- 4.2Leave It on the Floor and Real-World ObjectsIncluded
- 4.3Building a Rocket RecallIncluded
- 4.4Recall with Distance and Mild DistractionsIncluded
Bite Inhibition: Teaching Your Puppy to Be Gentle
Uses science-backed techniques to reduce mouthing pressure and frequency so nipping stops hurting people and clear boundaries are set.
- 5.1Why Puppies Mouth and What Bite Inhibition Really MeansIncluded
- 5.2The Yelp-and-Pause TechniqueIncluded
- 5.3Redirecting to Appropriate Chew ToysIncluded
- 5.4Managing Overstimulation and Preventing Bitey TriggersIncluded
Leash Basics: Walking Without Pulling
Introduces the collar, harness, and leash, then builds loose-leash walking skills so your puppy stops pulling within the first two weeks of practice.
- 6.1Getting Comfortable with Collar, Harness, and LeashIncluded
- 6.2Teaching a Loose Leash IndoorsIncluded
- 6.3Your First Outdoor WalkIncluded
- 6.4Handling Pulling, Zigzagging, and LungingIncluded
Who it's for
Is this you?
First-time puppy parents
Never owned a dog before and wants a clear, step-by-step roadmap that removes the guesswork from day one.
Young families with kids
Needs a safe, gentle household quickly — especially bite inhibition and Leave It — so the puppy and the children can coexist happily.
Busy professionals
Has limited time each day and needs short, effective sessions that actually fit into a packed schedule without sacrificing results.
Retirees with a new companion
Wants a calm, well-mannered dog to grow old with and appreciates the warm, jargon-free approach that never makes them feel behind.
Apartment dwellers
Needs a puppy who walks nicely on leash and responds reliably in close quarters where distractions and neighbors are everywhere.
Rescue adopters of young pups
Welcomed a young rescue with an unknown background and wants science-backed foundations that build trust gently and at the puppy's pace.
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Dorinne Whynott
Hey there, and welcome — I'm so glad you found this place.
If you're reading this, you've probably got a fluffy tornado at home who alternates between being the cutest thing you've ever seen and a tiny land shark who just discovered your chair legs. You love them completely, and you also have absolutely no idea what you're doing. That's not a criticism — that's just the honest truth of bringing home a new puppy, and it's exactly why I built Puppy First Steps.
Here's what I want you to know right away: you don't need to be a professional dog trainer to raise a well-mannered, confident dog. What you need is a clear roadmap, a little consistency, and someone to explain the why behind the techniques so they actually make sense to you. When you understand why you're pausing after a yelp, or why you're fading the treat lure, or why the name game has to come before everything else — it stops feeling like you're following arbitrary rules and starts feeling like you're having a real conversation with your puppy. That shift changes everything.
Everything in this school is built on how puppies genuinely learn. Not dominance theory, not force, not anything that requires you to be intimidating. Just science — rewards, timing, and repetition — taught in plain language and broken into sessions short enough to do before your morning coffee goes cold. We start at the very beginning (how to set up your training kit and build a daily habit) and move through six essential skill areas in the order that sets your puppy up for the most success: name recognition first, then Sit and Down, then the safety cues that could one day save their life, then bite inhibition, and finally loose-leash walking so your daily walks become something you both look forward to.
I built this school because I believe the early weeks with a puppy shouldn't feel like damage control. They should feel exciting — like you're laying the groundwork for a relationship that'll last ten, twelve, fifteen years. That's what this is really about. Not a perfectly obedient robot dog, but a dog who trusts you, looks to you, and genuinely enjoys working with you. That bond starts right now, in these tiny training sessions, with this puppy who is watching your every move.
Come on in. Let's give them the best start possible — together.
— Dorinne Whynott
Start your journey today
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- 6 modules, 23 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed