My puppy is over 6 months, what's next?
They have entered adolescence! See our training courses to support the teenage phase.

Bringing home a new puppy is exciting, heartwarming, and… a little chaotic! One minute they’re snoozing like an angel, and the next, they’ve turned your favourite shoes into their new chew toy. Sound familiar? We’ve been there! That’s why we have created Your Puppy Toolkit, a set of expert-led courses designed to help you navigate puppyhood with confidence.
Our two self-led online puppy courses are designed with you and your dog in mind. From bringing puppy home, settling them in, their first nights, establishing toileting routines, and much more, we are here to guide you ever step of the way with our Puppy Skills Course.
When your puppy has finally settled in it is time to start training your day-to-day skills like sit, settle, loose lead etc. By doing our New Puppy Training course you will learn all the basics to starting off on the right paw.
We offer two full puppy courses:
This course supports you as you welcome your puppy home and tackle the typical challenges that come with early puppyhood:
Once your puppy has settled in, it’s time to start training! This course helps you teach practical, everyday skills that make life together easier:
Each course has its own purpose. When you combine multiple they become a "Training Toolkit" giving you support and guidance in all aspects of your dog's training journey.
Our two online courses are designed to help you build a great relationship with your puppy while teaching them important skills and setting the stage for a lifetime of positive training.
Mobile friendly - Access our courses anytime, anywhere on your smartphone
Expert support – Developed by Dogs Trust experts with real life experience.
Bite-sized learning – Easy to digest content with practical lessons that fit into your daily routine.
Learn at your own pace – flexible learning, with reminders to help you stay on track.
Step-by-Step Content - Daily lessons, videos, and training exercises you can access on your phone or tablet.
Self-Paced Learning – Unlock new content each day as you progress. You can take up to two days’ break without losing your progress streak, perfect for working around real life! Some people move quickly, while others take a little more time - either way, we’re here to support you.
Quizzes & Interactive Exercises - Reinforce your learning and track your dog’s progress.
5–10 Minutes Per Day - Easy to fit into your day-to-day.
They have entered adolescence! See our training courses to support the teenage phase.
Puppyhood is exciting but can feel overwhelming for young dogs discovering the world for the first time. As owners, our job is to guide them, build confidence, and create strong habits, routines, and boundaries early on. This foundation makes later stages, especially adolescence, much easier.
In these early weeks, puppies learn what the world is, where they can go, and basic skills like sit, settle, and loose-lead walking. Our courses are designed to help you build these essentials and support your puppy’s growth.
Benefits of training a puppy:
Common challenges:
From 6 months onward, dogs enter their teenage phase; a normal but challenging period filled with big physical and emotional changes. You may see new fears, reactivity, or moments where your dog seems to stop listening.
Routine, good habits, and stepping in when your dog feels overwhelmed are key to getting through this stage.
Our Teenage Dog Training Course gives you the tools to understand these changes, manage behaviours, and keep your bond strong throughout adolescence.
Benefits of training an adolescent dog:
Common challenges:
Things begin to slow down in the adult dogs life stage. Hormones start to settle, behaviours start to reduce in severity, and the training that has previously been done has helped them grow into a well rounded dog. Dogs are creatures of habit, and although things may feel easier now this is where training tends to fall to the wayside and can lead to bad habits and routines forming.
While adult dog's don't need as much support or guidance as a puppy or adolescent dog does, an adult dog still needs to stay consistent with their training to avoid it being forgotten or completely lost.
Benefits of training an adult dog
Common challenges:
At Dogs Trust we train dogs using reward based methods, and do not advocate the use of any training equipment which changes behaviour by causing pain or fear in dogs.
Dogs which are trained with rewards enjoy learning. They are a partner in the training sessions and often 'offer' new behaviours to see if they get a reward.
Reward based training works to change behaviour and enhances the bond between dog and owner.
Get in touch for more information about our online training courses at Training@dogstrust.ie.