Hi everyone Daisy is 3 months old now and we are moving along pretty well with her training (I think). We’ve just started puppy classes but I’ve been training her myself at home so she’s quite far ahead compared to some of the other pups in the class So far she knows sit, down, stay, paw, look at me, rollover, spin, come (most of the time) and leave it with treats on her paws. What other commands/fun tricks have you guys taught your pups? I want to keep giving her something new to learn to keep her progressing well, so looking for some ideas. Thanks!
Hi @Jordan Maides well done on the training. Continue with your socialisation program. I would teach go to mat as a cue.and touch with her nose. Above all, I would also teach some useful behaviours that do not have a well-defined cue such as 1. Loose lead walking.(reward for checking in). 2. Play with you while you play tug toy with the pup (not too rough, you don't want to dislodge any puppy teeth. You will need to teach mine and yours so that your puppy will release the tug toy) 3. Carry a solid rubber ball (do not use a tennis ball). Have fun. You want your puppy to want to be with you rather than other dogs. You are the source of fun, not necessarily cues.
Thank you Michael. I started teaching “in your bed” but wasn’t progressing very well, what is the proper way to teach this? Also I will try touch with nose. She is biting like crazy right now, I’m covered in cuts and bruises. So it’s very difficult to play with her as she just moves up the toy and chomps on your skin instead She also gets very wound up and crazy after a few minutes of training, so it’s hard to make good progress at the moment. I know these times pass though, hopefully in the near future
Hi @Jordan Maides You can teach go to mat either by shaping or luring. I think shaping is harder but it's better for your dog and you as a trainer. Ask your teacher after class whether she can explain and demonstrate how to do shaping. Sing out here if that route is unproductive. As you well recognise you really need to get the biting under control. Use a piece of rope or a tug made from linen. The following video will give you some useful advice on using a tug. It will not make your dog aggressive. Otherwise detection dogs would be latching onto tourists at airports. https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j1QGb5ZSIY&ved=2ahUKEwiFzdqey87eAhUFfX0KHTjxAiIQtwIwAHoECAkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1V6ad6p_U5Ur7Qf9eqwupV Elsa Blomster and Lena Gunnarsson Retrieving for all Occcasions, has an entire chapter on play and offers a game involving tug designed to teach calmness.. The idea is that the tug offers a much better substitute than flesh and fingers. Done correctly you can avoid the pain of biting. Teaching tug has the added advantage that it can be used as a reward, and a tool to be used in teaching retrieve.
Brilliant thank you! I’ll have a look at that video later and also see if I can progress with the go to mat. It may sound stupid but I never realised you had to teach a dog to play tug, I assumed it was just something they know to do naturally Thanks for all your help!
Hi @Jordan Maides Yes, you are right, most young dogs wiil grab hold of something you wave at them. But you have to layer a structure over it. Your hands are, for example, out of bounds. You need to be able to call a stop to the game. And to initiate it. My advice: Attend to the tug first and the biting, the shaping and mat can wait. Good luck
When my black lab lab pup gets something really exciting in her mouth, one day I started tapping her butt, causing her to run around me in circles, just for fun. I started saying “little black Sambo” as a joke, but she caught on and I’ve been training her to run around me and other objects in a circle with it. If you’re unfamiliar with the children’s short story “Little Black Sambo,” you can find it online. It’s got an interesting and somewhat controversial history.
We did “puppy pushups” in puppy class guiding with treat sit, down, and stand. Once they know them, mix them up and incorporated hand signals for most commands. I thought this confused my pup, but when she moved on to manners application class, she knew them.
I teach my pups to automatically "check-in" whenever we are on puppy walks with pup romping out in front. I live in the wilds of Alaska, so puppy walks are without leash and pup explores the field or forest during our walks. Easy to teach, they quickly learn anytime I stop they get a treat for "checking in". So even though pup is having fun exploring the woods or fields, I want him to pay attention to where I am and the "silently recall" whenever I stop walking.
