When you first bring home a new puppy you probably immediately focus on obedience training (like teaching your puppy to “sit”, “come”, and “down”)
While obedience training is important and starting as early as possible will set your puppy up for success, it is NOT the most important part of raising a puppy.
Contrary to the old saying “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” There is NO time limit for obedience training. We can teach a dog to sit at 8 weeks old or 8 years old.
While your training will go easier if your puppy is learning right from the beginning. You can also train older dogs to the same level with just a little more work and patience.
So rather than over doing your obedience training. Your first priority should be socialization.
A puppies critical socialization window closes between 8-16 weeks of age. Sometimes up to 18 weeks. (But don’t wait that long.)
Under socialized puppies WILL have behavioral problems. The severity will depend on the individual dog.
Here’s a great video: