What should I write in a dog training log?

Four things per session: the date, the skill you worked on, the minutes you spent, and a result note. The result note is the useful part: how many reps went well, whether a lure was still needed, and a P, R, or X marker from the legend.

What treats should I use for training?

Small soft pieces about the size of a pea, so a session is many rewards without filling the puppy up. Count the pieces as part of the day's food. For food choices, portion sizes, and any diet change, ask your vet.

Dog Training Log (Free Printable)

Q: How do I know when a skill is reliable?

Mark a skill R when the puppy does it on the first cue, without a lure, several days in a row. Before that, it is P (practice): the puppy still needs a treat shown first or a second try. X means skip for today and come back with an easier version.

A one-page training log for a puppy or young dog: ten session rows for date, skill, minutes, and a result note, plus a P/R/X progress legend so you can see at a glance which skills are still practice and which are reliable. Below the sheet: common skills by age, how treats and rewards work, and 4 habits that keep training consistent. No email, no sign-up, print it and start tonight.

How to use the log: one row per session, filled in right after the session ends. Two or three minutes counts as a session. The result note matters more than the rest: it tells you tomorrow whether the treat lure was still needed, whether the puppy got better or got tired, and which marker to circle. A log filled in badly on the day beats a neat one filled in never.

Before you start: this is generic training-habit advice, not veterinary or behavioral advice. For food choices, treat amounts within the daily ration, and anything that looks like fear, pain, or shutdown, ask your vet.

The Training Log Sheet

Ten sessions on one page. Circle a P, R, or X in the result note and keep the sheet on the fridge.

Date	Skill	Minutes	Result note
Sep 7	Sit	3	5 reps, 4 treats, no lure on the last two. Circle R if it repeats tomorrow.

P practice: still needs a lure, a second try, or an easy setting R reliable: first cue, no lure, several days in a row X skip: not ready today, go back one step

The example row is what a useful note looks like: rep counts, whether the lure came out, and a decision for tomorrow. "Went ok" tells you nothing in a week.

Skills by age (common milestones)

Where most puppies start, by age. These are common milestones, not a race: some dogs take longer at every stage, and a late start on one skill says nothing about the dog.

8-12 weeks: answering to their name, sit
3-6 months: loose-leash walking, drop it
6 months and up: stay, settle on a mat

The 8-week puppy training schedule assigns one focus skill per week if you want the whole sequence planned out instead of a list.

Treats and Rewards, Explained

Food works for training because it buys you many repetitions fast: a puppy will work for a treat five times in two minutes, where a game of fetch costs more time than it returns. Three things make the treats effective:

Size. Soft pieces about the size of a pea. The goal is a puppy still hungry for rep number ten, not one full after number two.
Timing. The treat lands within a second of the behavior you want. A late reward pays for whatever the puppy did next, which is often the opposite of what you asked.
Fading. Once a skill is marked R for several days, stop paying every rep. Praise and the occasional treat keep it alive; permanent treats make the skill negotiable.

If the puppy loses interest in food, that is data for the log: full, tired, or stressed are the usual causes, and all three mean stop and try again later. Count training pieces as part of the day's food, and for food choices and portion sizes, ask your vet. Pair the log with the puppy weekly routine chart so sessions land in the same blocks every day.

4 Habits That Keep Training Consistent

Two or three minutes, several times a day. A 20-minute Sunday marathon teaches the puppy to be tired of you, not to sit. Short sessions end while the puppy still wants more, and that wanting is what brings it back tomorrow.
Same cue words from the whole house. "Sit," "sit down," and "butt on the floor" are three different words to a puppy. Pick one per skill, write it at the top of the log sheet, and hold everyone to it.
Fill the log the same day, even badly. A scribbled note at 7pm ("4 of 5 reps, no lure on last one") beats the tidy update you never get to. The sheet on the fridge makes this the easy default.
End on a win. Finish every session by asking for the easiest skill and paying it big. The last rep is the one the puppy remembers, and a string of good endings makes the crate-to-training transition fight-free.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a dog training session be?

Two or three minutes, several times a day. A puppy's focus runs out fast, and short frequent sessions beat one long one. If the puppy checks out at 90 seconds, stop there and come back later; that is a 2-minute session, not a failure.

What should I write in a training log?

Date, skill, minutes, and a result note. The note carries the value: rep counts, whether a lure was still needed, which marker (P, R, or X) applies, and one decision for tomorrow's session.

How do I know when a skill is reliable?

First cue, no lure, several days in a row: that is an R. Until then it is P, practice. X means the session was one step too hard; go back to an easier version next time instead of repeating the hard one.

What treats should I use?

Small soft pieces about the size of a pea, counted as part of the day's food so training does not add weight. For food choices, amounts, and diet changes, ask your vet.

Want each week already planned? Full 32-page Puppy Starter Planner →

one-time · 32 pages · 8 weekly session grids + 28-day potty log + vet, feeding, and checklists · A4 + US Letter PDF