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Training Video: How to teach a puppy its name

Updated 20 February 2025

Read time: 1 mins

Pooch and Mutt's expert trainer, Jon, is here to show you how to teach your new puppy their name!

In our training video, Jon takes you through, step by step, what training will help your new puppy to learn their name. This will not only help you bond with your pup, but help with other basic puppy training!

Teaching your puppy their name: Top tips

Use your puppy’s name immediately prior to any interaction your puppy enjoys or gets excited about, like putting their food bowl down or giving them a treat.
Use it when you greet them in the morning or after they have had some downtime on their bed or crate.
Call their name when you get a toy to play with them.
Mealtimes are a good opportunity to positively associate their name with something good. We can increase the repetitions by hand feeding their food combined with a bit of luring.

Engage your puppy with a handful of food. Move a short distance away from the puppy and then use its name. This is obviously easier with kibble but unless you are squeamish can still be done with wet food.
Playtime is a useful opportunity to teach the puppy its name if it is more toy orientated than food.
You can passively teach your puppy its name, simply through patience and opportunity. Look straight back and say their name. Crouch down and give them some fuss and love to strengthen the association.