Have a New Dog? Try Our Free Training Program from the Experts at Gentle Beast

You only need 30 minutes a day.

August 11, 2025

The hardest thing about bringing home a new pup is not figuring out how many cuddles to give them or how many treats they deserve (the limit does not exist!). It’s not even deciding who is going to handle dog walks and when. No, the hardest part about a new dog is deciding when and how you are going to start training them.

When it comes to timing, any trainer or behaviorist will tell you the answer: As soon as possible. You should start working on potty training and basic cues as soon as your puppy becomes a member of your family.

Figuring out how to do that is a little harder. Finding the right trainer who fits your lifestyle, budget, and general needs may take some time. But getting started on the basic skills your pup needs to master at home should be easy — and accessible. This is why Kinship has partnered with Gentle Beast On-Demand Dog Training to create a free dog training program.

This eight-workshop program features five-to-ten-minute courses, as well as skill-building videos, that takes you and your pup through the following training milestones: Getting Started; House-Training; Foundational Skills: Sit; Foundational Skills: Place; Crate-Training; Bite Inhibition; Socialization; and Leash Walking.

How much do you spend on your pet per year?

Through the free Basic Obedience Program, you will learn all the Puppy 101 things you need to know from Alex Sessa, certified trainer and behaviorist, who breaks it all down — from how to create a potty training schedule to moving away from those pee pads. You’ll also pick up on the best ways to work on crate training and teach your dog to sit and go to their “place” — something you’ll be thankful for when your doorbell rings.

Sessa’s go-to pro tip? “When we look at dogs through the lens of behavior, there’s no such thing as a bad dog.” Here at Kinship, we can really get behind that.

Get your training treats and clicker ready; these positive reinforcement techniques will only take you up to 30 minutes a day — and what you will achieve will last for the rest of you and your dog’s life together.

Hilary Weaver

Hilary Weaver is the senior editor at Kinship. She has previously been an editor at The Spruce Pets, ELLE, and New York Magazine. She was a staff writer at Vanity Fair from 2016 to 2019, and her work has been featured in Esquire, Refinery 29, BuzzFeed, Parade, and more. She lives in New York City and New England with her family, which includes two herding pups, Georgie and Charlie.