A puppy is just like a new born baby. It has no idea that it can have a name and that it has to respond to a name. Like the many other commands that puppies and dogs eventually learn (e.g. sit, come, stay), a puppy has to be trained to recognize its name. This is the most basic and fundamental training any puppy or dog has to go through as this establishes the association of someone calling their name, which then requires them to pay attention. So when a puppy is able to recognize its name and focus its attention on you, you can build upon it and have the puppy learn other commands and tricks. Getting a puppy to recognize its own name is actually a very fun game which you can do it yourself with the following Free Puppy Training tips:
Tip 1
Find a quiet place with as little distraction as possible to conduct your training session. This could be any rooms in the house or a small fenced up section in your yard. Grab some of your puppy's favorite treats and put it in your pocket.
Tip 2
Have the puppy wander around you and make some noise (e.g. whistling, saying "Hey!) to attract the attention of your puppy. Once the puppy looks in your direction, say "Yes!" in a upbeat, happy voice and give him a little treat. Let the puppy wander off. Do this 2-3 times so that your puppy learns that by giving you his attention, he gets a treat.
Tip 3
Now, the puppy needs to learn how to make eye contact with you. Again, make some noise to get the puppy's attention. Hold the treat at the side/near your eye. This encourages the puppy to look at your eyes. When the puppy makes eye contact with you, even for a small fraction of a second, say "Yes!" in the same upbeat voice and reward him with the treat. Again, let the puppy wander off. Repeat this exercise 2-3 times and make sure that your puppy maintains a slightly longer period of eye contact (e.g. 1-2 seconds the second time, 2-3 seconds the third time) before the treat is given. The purpose of doing this is so that the puppy learns to give you a cue that it is giving you full attention by maintaining eye contact.
Tip 4
Now step it up to the next level by adding the puppy's name. Call the puppy's name in a happy voice and wait for your puppy to look at you. As with tip 3, the treat is held at the level of your eye. When the puppy engages in eye contact, say "Yes!" and give your puppy the treat. Do this exercise 2-3 times. If you call out your puppy's name at least twice and there's no response from the puppy, backtrack to Tip 3 and start from there. It is important that you do NOT call out your puppy's name repeatedly if there is no response. Otherwise, the puppy will learn that the "name" is just something that can be ignored.
Tip 5
Change to another spot in the room/section and repeat Tip 4 a few times. You can then end the training session by praising the puppy or giving it some affectionate pets to let your puppy know that it has done a good job.
Remember that puppies have very short attention span. The above Free Puppy Training tip should take you about 15 minutes at the max so that both of you can end on a good note. Repeat this training at different locations and spread the training sessions throughout the day. Be consistent with your puppy's name and do not use name variation as your puppy will get confused and you will have to start all over again. If somehow your puppy does not "get it" immediately, it's OK. Just proceed slowly as patience and consistency are the keys to successful training. Never ever call out your puppy's name in a growling or angry tone or punish your puppy after you called its name.
After a few days of name recognition training, slowly replace the treats with a good scratch, petting and words of praise so that an overall positive association is built rather than just having treats. This helps your puppy builds a strong link between its name, giving you attention and good things happening, as well as a solid foundation towards more puppy obedience training with less reliance on treats.
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