We are serial dog owners but it's been a while since we had a puppy. That changes tomorrow when we pick up Angus, our black labrador pup, in the morning. We have read the Puppy book, The Labrador Handbook, and Total Recall and we get the gist but we're of an age where memory is not what it was. So, when we have a puppy scampering around our feet, thumbing through the books looking for the right section is going to be a challenge. Are there any "cheat sheets" available? A4 pages of essential tips?
Hello and welcome to the forum. Top tips: Take pup out for toileting every 20 minutes and, otherwise, any time he wakes, finishes playing, eating or drinking. If he goes inside, don't make any fuss, just clean it with an enzymatic cleaner like Simple Solution. Lots of praise and treats for going outside. If (when) he bites, withdraw all attention (this means not looking at him and not saying anything, even "no") for a few seconds (no longer) before re-engaging. If he is frantic, he's over-tired, so pop him in his crate for a snooze. Get him hooked on kongs. Start by just having a couple of pieces of loose kibble in the kong. When he gets this, move on to wet fillings (soaked kibble, mince, sardines, tuna etc) and, in time, start to freeze it to give you some peace. Forget "sit", "down", "paw" etc, start with teaching practical things. The biggest I'd say is probably "give". If you keep on taking things out of pup's mouth, he'll learn to play keep-away. Pick your battles; if it's not dangerous, use the object he's taken as a training aid. Wave a treat under his nose to swap with and, when he's taken the treat give the object back. If you do this five times and keep it the last time, in exchange for a good reward, he's learnt that most of the time, he gets a treat and the object back, rather than learning that "give" means he loses the thing he wants every time. You can quite quickly fade the bribe and introduce a cue. But, he still gets a reward and the object back each time. Keep training sessions short - a minute or two max each time. Count out ten treats into your hand and, when they've gone, you're done. Training should be fun to engage your puppy's brain. Be tactile, but not overbearing. If your puppy doesn't like feet, teeth, ears etc being played with, take it slowly and make it a positive experience. Lots of fun handling at this age will make it easier to brush teeth, have vet inspections, trim nails etc later. Forget feeding from a bowl most of the time. Use his kibble for enrichment. At first, simply scatter it over the floor, or in a snuffle mat, so he has to hunt it out (making it easy at first). In time, you can teach him to sit and wait while you hide it around the room, then release him to find it. I could make my puppy's meals last half an hour this way, and she was pooped afterwards! An easy alternative if you have a garden is to create "kibble trails", where you make a trail he follows, picking up the pieces as he goes. Again, easy at first, with the pieces in an almost continuous line, but, over time, spreading the distance between each piece. Take lots of photos. They grow up fast!!
Welcome from me Helen, Hattie 9 years and our rescue boy Charlie 6 years. Have a wonderful time picking up Angus and good luck with your training. x
Hi and welcome from me and 3 year old girl, Harley. Really good advice above so can't add much apart from to say that teaching pup to be left alone for short periods (starting with seconds and building up slowly) will help when you do pop to the shops etc. Good luck and look forward to hearing about Angus and your journey.
Welcome from me and Wispa (5) and Tuppence (3). Fiona has given you some good tips. I would add crate-training if possible, creating a cosy, safe 'den' that will keep him safe (and you sane!) when he needs to be alone or to have time out. The combination of crate, Kongs, cosy bed and perhaps a radio left on can be helpful when trying to establish a routine. Take lots of photos - and don't forget to share some here!
