Hi. I have a nearly 11 week old black lab puppy that I got at 8 weeks old. Seems very responsive, smart & quick to learn. Working through Pippa's 'Labrador Handbook' I started with 'food manners' and 'hand touch', then went on to successfully working through the first 3 stages of recall (haven't done proofing yet). Now I find while re-reading Pippa's 'Total Recall' that most pups are ready for this between 4 - 5 months and I have gone on to basic recall with my puppy already at 11 weeks (to which she has responded quite well). One thing I HAVE noticed is that she will now often sit and wait to be called instead of freely chasing me when I run or walk away. What is the best thing to do now? Go back to step 2 and leave basic recall till 4 months old? Continue, since she responded? Is there harm in keeping it up? The other question I have is this: In teaching our puppy to leave her food alone until I tell her, I have established the command 'OK!' to 'release her' from waiting to eat her food. Can I use the same command ('OK!') to release her from a sit/wait? Or is that '2 different things' and merit a second command like 'Free!'??
Hi there, you can use the same release cue for all kinds of different behaviors. You can also release a dog from a behavior with another cue. So for food, I use the cue 'take it'. But the release cue 'OK' is also fine . I'm not sure if you are saying that the act of running away is triggering the puppy to sit. Or that you are running away from her after telling her to sit. But either way, with modern training it is always fine to go back and rehearse an earlier stage. Rather than worrying too much about age, if your puppy has thoroughly mastered one exercise or game, then its ok to move on to the next level. If you find the puppy is making mistakes, then just go back and spend a bit longer on the easier exercises. Ages are useful guidelines, but every puppy is different. You'l find there are times when you make quick progress, and times when everything slows down. Quite often if you find you are racing ahead, you'll hit a point where you get stuck for a little while. It all evens out in the end. Good luck with your puppy!
Thank you so much - VERY helpful! Another quandary I've run into: I live at an intentional community, with many other families, and in many instances their dogs. It is much like a small village, we all share the same grounds, lawns etc. I do not have a fenced in private back yard, but plenty of good places to take & train my puppy. To get there however I do need to pass other dogs/families, situations where i don't feel happy yet to have my puppy off the lead or running freely. From what I understand it would be best not to put my 3 month old puppy on a lead (as she hasn't been trained to 'heel' yet), but how then do I take her with me when I am wanting to take her, let's say to our small lake and adjoining field?
Hi there! Just a gentle reminder that your pup needs to have had all their vaccines before they can go down on the ground in public. How big is your pup? Is it feasible to carry her in a sling, for example? It sounds like loose leash training is probably a good skill to start practicing soon! You can start by just doing five or ten paces in each direction, in front of your house, while streaming treats to her at your left heel Sammie
Thanks for the feedback. She has had her full vaccines, but only just. I've only taken her places where friends & family go that have fully vaccinated dogs, and nobody else - had been under the impression that that would be fine, but maybe not? I've been doing loose leash training for a couple weeks & she responds well; it's just that we have acres of 'safe' land and places our family walks to that I'd like to take our puppy along to and preferably have her walk (vs being carried) so wondering if putting her on a leash when she isn't 'leash trained' yet can be detrimental...
It sounds like you're off to a great start with the loose leash training. The trick is just to only increase distances at the rate she's ready for. So if she can do 2 minutes with no trouble, try 2.5 minutes, rather than being tempted to leap straight to a 5 or 10 minute walk. If she's pulling, you've asked more than she's ready for - go back to shorter leash walks with lots of treat streaming to her when she's in the heel position And just a gentle reminder that we recommend no more than 5 minutes of formal exercise, per day, per year of your pup's age. So 15 minutes total leash walking per day is our recommendation at this age.
Thank you, very helpful. Another question, should somebody be able to help: Apparently it is a good thing to let your puppy mouth you gently instead of insisting on 'no bite whatsoever' from the start. "Eventually" one is to insist the dog stops mouthing though. Our puppy is over 4 months old. At what age/point can we/should we teach her to stop mouthing us?
You're very welcome Now is a great time to start working on redirecting that mouthing habit to toys, instead of people
Thanks, very good to know (seems about right!). Our puppy is now 4 months old and weighs 12kg/36 lbs. Many sites, as well as the chart on the bag of puppy food we use, recommend between 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 cups of kibble at this age and weight. Pippa only seems to recommend this amount at 6 months. I'm aware that Pippa also points out that each puppy is different and qtys may vary, even from her chart, but the difference in recommendation seems to be quite stark. Is there a reason for this?
This will be down to quite a few different factors! America's standard 'cup' size is slightly smaller than a British cup.... and indeed in the UK we often treat the word 'cup' as meaning 'mugful' which is bigger still. So it wouldn't be surprising to see a regional difference between cups recommended. Secondly, the mass in a cup is affected by the size of the pieces of kibble. Third, the mass needed is very much affected by the composition of the food .... making it important to pay attention to the packet of your own food as a starting point. Plus all dogs are different, as you say! And lastly.... it's perhaps a little in the manufacturer's interest to err a little on the high side, when recommending quantities .....whereas Pippa's suggestions favour a diet that keeps your dog a healthy slim size. So lots to weigh up there - as always, if in doubt, the best person to consult is your own dog's vet.
Thank you - makes sense & very helpful. On another topic: is a retractable lead counterproductive to loose lead training at this point? I'm asking because I'm trying to figuire out how to get my dog to the park where she can play. It's a 5-minute walk, but too long at this point for her to stay at heel, but I also can't just let her off the lead until we're in the park. I'd rather not carry (getting too heavy!) or drive her. I'm wondering about starting her out on the lead at heel for as long as she lasts, and then switching to a retractable lead to get her there the rest of the way. Is that a good way to go? Any input would be appreciated.
Hi. A retractable lead feels like a good compromise, doesn't it. But unfortunately we don't recommend ever using a retractable leash. They're associated with some very unpleasant injuries to owners' hands and eyes, and they can fail, leaving your pup completely loose. And sadly they also teach puppies a pulling habit. Good leash work is all about building a habit of staying next to your foot whenever the leash is on - with a retractable lead your pup will learn that having a lead on means.... do as you please. Which is a very different message! The other problem with walking to a destination is that puppies quickly learn where they are going, and pull forward in anticipation. At which point our recommendation is to turn around and start walking away for a bit. (This 'ditch the destination' principle is covered in Pippa's training tips emails - sign up link at the bottom of this page: https://www.thelabradorsite.com ) So while she's this small, and limited to 20-25 mins a day of formal exercise, driving to the park might be your best option for now. Sorry!
Our dog is now 5 months old, retrieves and recalls very well when not too distracted, so I'm putting time into proofing. One question however: If I throw a ball for her and on the way back from fetching it she puts it down to temporarily follow the scent of another dogs trail, then picks it up again and brings it, do I still reward her? Or only if she does it without getting distracted half way through? I'm also proofing her to train her to come when she is tempted by let's say by the BBQ drips on our porch. If I call her and she doesn't repond and I give her a gentle tug on her training line and pull her slightly away from the drippings and she comes, do I reward her? Or only when she comes immediatly without needing a gentle tug?
