A new puppy does not automatically understand where to settle, how to follow a human on a leash, or what a crate is supposed to mean. These lessons must be introduced patiently and in a way that gives each activity a clear purpose.
Cesar Millan identifies three foundational exercises for a puppy arriving home: establishing a point of reference, introducing the leash through movement, and teaching the puppy to rest calmly in a crate. He connects each activity to a different experience:
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A point of reference represents trust, respect, and love.
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Walking represents following, playing, and exploring.
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The crate represents safety, peace, and love.
The goal is not simply to make the puppy obey. It is to help the puppy understand boundaries, follow calm direction, experience the environment, and learn how to enter a resting state.
These lessons require repetition, good timing, and patience. A puppy may have no idea what the human is asking at first. The human’s responsibility is to remain calm and confident, allow the puppy time to figure out the exercise, and reward the right state rather than rushing the process.
The Three Experiences a New Puppy Needs to Learn
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A clear point of reference helps the puppy understand where to stay and how to respect a boundary.
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The leash should provide access and direction without relying on constant pulling.
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Puppies naturally follow movement more easily than leash tension.
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Exercise and mental stimulation should come before crate time.
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The crate should be associated with relaxation, safety, peace, and love.
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Calm behavior should be rewarded at the right moment, even when that means waiting.
These exercises work together. The point of reference introduces boundaries. The walk creates movement and connection. The crate extends the puppy’s resting state after physical and mental activity.
Begin With a Point of Reference
A point of reference is a specific place where a puppy learns to remain until the human invites the puppy to leave. Cesar demonstrates this exercise with a raised box because the edge creates a visible and physical boundary.
For a puppy, that small difference between the box and the floor makes the exercise easier to understand. The edge acts almost like a small cliff. It gives the puppy a clear limitation and makes staying in one place easier than practicing the same exercise on an open floor.
The practical behavior being taught is similar to “stay,” but Cesar gives the activity a deeper meaning. The puppy is practicing trust, respect, and love.
The human trusts that the puppy can figure out the exercise. The puppy learns to respect the boundary and the human’s direction. Love is expressed through the energy used during the exercise, the enjoyment of the activity, and the reward that follows.
A Leash Can Help Without Becoming a Correction
Cesar encourages pet parents not to be afraid of using a leash with a puppy during this exercise. The leash gives the human access to the puppy and prevents the puppy from wandering too far.
The purpose is not to create constant pressure. It is to help the puppy remain connected to the exercise while learning to trust and respect the boundary.
The puppy is rewarded after settling into what Cesar calls Calm, Surrender. Food and affection can mark the moment when the puppy relaxes and accepts the activity.
With practice, the puppy can begin returning to the point of reference without being placed there every time. The location becomes familiar because trust, respect, love, boundaries, and rewards have consistently been practiced there.
The point of reference can then support future obedience exercises because the puppy already understands that it is a place to pause, remain, and follow direction.
Patience Is Part of Puppy Training
Waiting is not a delay between the important parts of the exercise. Waiting is one of the important parts.
A new puppy may need time to sit down, relax, and understand what the human wants. Cesar emphasizes that pet parents should expect many repetitions and a great deal of waiting.
Losing patience does not make the lesson clearer. The puppy is experiencing the activity for the first time and may not yet understand the request.
The human must trust that the puppy can figure it out while continuing to provide confident guidance. When the puppy finally settles into the activity, the human can reward that moment with food, affection, or both.
This sequence gives the puppy an opportunity to participate in the learning process rather than being forced through every step.
Distractions Can Become Part of the Lesson
Pet parents may assume that a puppy needs complete silence to learn. Cesar points out that puppies naturally learn while surrounded by activity.
Their brothers and sisters may be nearby. Their mother and the rest of the environment are still present. Puppies are not always hidden from distractions while learning.
For that reason, distractions can become part of the exercise. The puppy learns to remain at the point of reference even when other things are happening nearby.
This does not mean rushing the puppy or expecting immediate perfection. It means patiently repeating a natural, simple, and meaningful activity until the puppy begins to understand it.
Other puppies can also learn by observing. When one outgoing puppy practices the exercise, the others may watch, approach the point of reference, and begin investigating it themselves.
Introduce the Leash Through a Familiar Exercise
The point of reference can also make the puppy’s first introduction to a leash easier.
Instead of suddenly placing unfamiliar equipment on the puppy, Cesar connects the leash to something the puppy has already practiced. Food can be used to guide the puppy’s nose through the loop while the puppy remains at the point of reference.
The puppy is allowed to feel the leash and associate it with familiar activities such as sitting, waiting, relaxing, and receiving a reward.
Repeating this several times gives both the human and the puppy practice. The human learns how to place and adjust the leash smoothly. The puppy becomes familiar with the sensation.
Cesar warns that being overly careful can communicate nervous energy. The human may have good intentions, but hesitating excessively can make the experience feel uncertain.
His approach is to handle the leash calmly, as though the puppy has already done the activity many times. That calm, confident energy helps make the introduction feel normal rather than alarming.
Puppies Follow Motion, Not Pulling
Once the puppy is ready to move, the human should begin with motion instead of immediately pulling on the leash.
Cesar’s central instruction is simple: puppies follow movement more naturally than they follow leash pressure.
The human moves forward and allows the puppy to respond. The leash is available if the puppy stops or needs help remaining in one direction, but it should not become the main method of movement.
Pulling too soon may cause the puppy to resist the leash. Walking in front gives the puppy something clear to follow.
During this early walk, the human begins introducing several ideas:
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Moving forward
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Slowing down
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Stopping
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Remaining in one direction
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Exploring without zigzagging everywhere
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Looking toward and following the human
The human controls the opportunity to explore without preventing the puppy from experiencing the world.
In the transcript, the puppy sees a horse during the first walk. Rather than forcing the puppy closer, Cesar allows the puppy to experience it from a distance. This gives the puppy space to observe while continuing the walk.
When the puppy looks toward the human and follows, Cesar rewards that moment. The reward reinforces connection and the behavior of checking in with the person providing direction.
The walk is therefore more than transportation. It becomes an activity through which the puppy practices following, playing, and exploring as part of the human’s pack.
Use Calm, Confident Timing
Timing matters throughout each of these exercises.
The human waits for a small moment of relaxation, awareness, or cooperation and marks that specific moment. The reward is connected to the behavior or state the human wants the puppy to repeat.
That may mean waiting before giving food on the point of reference. It may mean rewarding the puppy for looking toward the human during the walk. It may mean pausing before opening the crate.
The goal is not to create tension on the leash or pressure the puppy into a position. A calm, confident approach gives the puppy guidance without adding unnecessary nervousness.
This principle becomes especially important during the crate exercise.
Exercise and Mental Stimulation Come Before the Crate
Cesar describes the crate as a valuable place for rest, but he does not begin with confinement.
A dog needs opportunities to stretch, walk, run, rest, and eventually sleep. The crate can help extend the amount of time the dog remains in a resting state.
Cesar compares that state to the quiet people seek during meditation, yoga, or a retreat. The crate should represent a place where activity decreases and the mind and body settle.
For that reason, a puppy should not be placed in the crate before exercise and mental stimulation have been provided.
The point-of-reference exercise gives the puppy mental work. The walk provides movement, connection, and exploration. After those experiences, the puppy is more prepared to practice resting in the crate.
The crate should represent safety, peace, and love—not frustration, excited confinement, or the feeling of being trapped.
Connect the Crate to Something the Puppy Already Knows
When introducing the crate, Cesar again uses the point of reference.
The puppy has never been inside the crate, but the puppy already understands the familiar platform. By placing that point of reference inside or near the crate experience, the human connects something new to something the puppy has already practiced.
This reduces the number of completely unfamiliar elements the puppy must process at once.
The puppy can enter with a happy, playful attitude. Once inside, however, the human waits for Calm, Surrender before inviting the puppy to come out.
The puppy should not rush out simply because the door is open. The exit becomes another opportunity to practice patience and relaxation.
Cesar advises the human not to stare at the puppy during the waiting period. The person simply waits for the puppy’s alert state to soften into a resting state.
When that moment appears, even briefly, the human rewards it and invites the puppy out.
Close the Crate Only After the Puppy Settles
The gate should not be closed while the puppy is still highly excited.
Closing the door during that state may cause the puppy to feel trapped. Instead, Cesar waits until the puppy becomes calm before closing it.
At first, the calm moment may last only one, two, or three seconds. That brief success is enough to reward.
The exercise can then be repeated. The puppy goes in, settles, experiences the door closing for a short period, and comes out after returning to a calm state.
The duration increases gradually. Nothing needs to be hard or forceful. Cesar begins with a few seconds and later extends the exercise to approximately ten seconds.
The lesson is built through successful repetitions rather than by immediately expecting the puppy to remain confined for a long period.
Help the Puppy Recover From Uncertainty
During the crate exercise, the puppy in Cesar’s demonstration becomes distracted and startled. Cesar does not immediately carry the puppy or pull the puppy with the leash.
He recognizes that the puppy is unsure and gives the puppy a chance to understand that nothing harmful is happening.
A touch may be used not as affection or cuddling, but to interrupt the puppy’s fixed state. Cesar then redirects the puppy toward the nose with something that has a stronger smell.
The purpose is to help the puppy move away from the startled state and return to engagement. Once the puppy reconnects with the activity, the lesson can continue.
This moment reinforces the need to observe the puppy’s state instead of simply completing the exercise mechanically.
Crate Practice Can Also Introduce Healthy Separation
Cesar also connects crate training with an early lesson in separation.
A common mistake is never leaving a puppy alone. Constant togetherness may feel loving, but it does not reflect the puppy’s long-term reality.
As the dog grows, the human will eventually need to leave for work, school, family visits, or places where dogs are not permitted. Cesar believes a puppy should begin learning from the start that separation is a normal part of life.
Crate practice creates an opportunity to introduce that separation in small, manageable periods.
The human steps away, closes the door after the puppy becomes calm, and begins with only a few seconds. The duration can gradually increase.
The exercise is not meant to feel hard or severe. It gives the puppy an early experience of being apart from the human while remaining in a place associated with safety, peace, rest, and love.
The Better Dog Perspective
At Better Dog Supplements, the human-dog relationship remains the foundation. Wellness support cannot replace patient teaching, calm direction, exercise, boundaries, trust, respect, and love.
Build Understanding Before Expecting Results
The first lessons a puppy receives at home can establish how everyday activities will feel.
A point of reference can mean trust, respect, love, and boundaries. A walk can mean following, playing, exploring, and connecting. A crate can mean safety, peace, love, and rest.
None of these meanings appear automatically. The human creates them through repetition, timing, patience, and calm, confident guidance.
A new puppy may need many opportunities to understand. The puppy may become distracted, resist the leash, remain alert in the crate, or need time before settling. Those moments are not reasons to lose patience. They are the moments in which the learning is taking place.
The human provides the direction, but the puppy must also be given time to process the activity and figure it out. When the puppy reaches the desired state, the human rewards that moment and builds from there.
That is how three simple exercises become a foundation for trust, movement, rest, and a clearer relationship between the puppy and the person guiding them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the first three exercises Cesar Millan recommends for a puppy?
Cesar focuses on establishing a point of reference, introducing the puppy to walking on a leash, and teaching the puppy to rest calmly in a crate. Each exercise gives the puppy a different experience involving boundaries, movement, connection, or rest.
Why use a raised box as a point of reference?
The edge of the box creates a clear physical boundary. It can be easier for a puppy to understand than an undefined place on the floor and helps the puppy practice remaining in one location.
Should a leash be used with a very young puppy?
Cesar uses a leash to maintain access to the puppy and prevent the puppy from moving too far away. He does not use it as a reason to pull constantly. The leash supports guidance while the puppy learns boundaries and direction.
Why does a puppy resist the leash?
In Cesar’s demonstration, he explains that puppies often resist when people begin by pulling. His approach is to move forward and give the puppy something to follow because puppies respond more naturally to motion than pulling.
Should a puppy be exercised before going into the crate?
Yes. Cesar teaches that exercise and mental stimulation should happen before crate practice. The puppy is then better prepared to enter a resting state.
When should the crate door be closed?
The door should be closed after the puppy becomes calm rather than while the puppy is still highly excited. Cesar begins with only a few seconds in that calm state and increases the duration gradually.