Hello everyone! Those of you that don't know our black lab Hamilton, he is now 9 1/2 weeks old, and we got him at 7 1/2 weeks old. We have trained him to sit, come, and he is starting to "stay" but he's not quite there yet. He doesn't know the word "fetch" but he does fetch the ball instinctively, but doesn't drop it when you tell him. The training seems overwhelming! What are some of the things that are appropriate to train such a young puppy? Can we start training heel, train him to not bite the leash, or teach him the perimeter of the yard? Or is this too much for him already? Also he has been scratching at the door when he needs to go out! He does have occasional messes, but we're very happy with his potty training so far. He even sleeps on the bed all night and wakes us up when he needs to go (I know he probably shouldn't sleep on the bed...but he's so darn cute!)
Re: When to start training? Welcome to the forum! It is so overwhelming, isn't it! I didn't get it right at all....if I was doing it again, apart from the house training itself, I would definitely put RECALL at the top of my list. That and "leave it". Which you might find comes along with coping with biting aswell I suppose its a case of using everything as a potential learning opportunity...... jac
Re: When to start training? I'd keep if fun and stick to short sessions- Young puppies can't concentrate for too long. Maybe try and incorporate training into play sessions? All the basics such as sit, down etc are useful. I would keep the stays nice and short though. Tricks are always good to to keep things up beat- shake a paw etc. Hope you have lots of fun with your new puppy!
Re: When to start training? Lead walking - I wish I started this earlier! And as Jacqui says, recall is a must sounds like you are doing really well with Hamilton P.S. Harley sleeps on our bed too (as do lots of others on here )
Re: When to start training? Yes we really need to work on him coming to us when we call him! He usually listens, but sometimes he's just stubborn and looks at us like "meh. I think I'll lay here instead.." His leash manners are awful :-[ I have been trying to walk him around the house with the leash because it's almost embarrassing the way he flails and chews on the leash when we go on walks. Is he too young to train him to stay within the yard boundaries? We do not have a fence. So far he stays near us, but I know he will eventually start wandering and I don't want to have to leash him in the back yard. And we love Hammi on the bed he likes to sleep above my head with his little face on my forehead. I am sure that will get annoying when hes full grown though ;D
Re: When to start training? I'd say you can start clicker training as soon as you want - have you got a good book? It's great to follow a programme, or I found it helpful, anyway. [quote author=Libamajig123 link=topic=8891.msg126413#msg126413 date=1416867085] Is he too young to train him to stay within the yard boundaries? We do not have a fence. So far he stays near us, but I know he will eventually start wandering and I don't want to have to leash him in the back yard. [/quote] Well, my mum had dogs who would stay on the front lawn (that's a front yard without a fence) reliably - but only when they were very old dogs, who wanted to lie in the sunshine and go for a quiet toddle around the field once a day. It would have been absolutely impossible to train a young, boisterous, curious, labrador to stay within invisible boundaries - without supervision - once out of puppyhood and into teenage years. I can see installing a fence in your near future... ;D ;D ;D Although if you mean he should stay near you in the yard when you are with him, that's perfectly possible of course.
Re: When to start training? He will always be supervised but either way it sounds like we should put in a fence this summer. It's a good thing we're quite handy with the DIY's! JulieT, you must have meant we can start clicker training which is great because a few people told me not to bother training him anything but "come" and "sit". Thanks for the advice, I will be finding a program to start! A program sounds a little less overwhelming...
Re: When to start training? Fences are good. Oh yes, so long as you stick to positive only training, start as early as possible. The sooner the better, really. It's quite old fashioned advice to wait, based on times when training involved punishment.
Re: When to start training? recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall recall
Re: When to start training? [quote author=Libamajig123 link=topic=8891.msg126372#msg126372 date=1416859318] Can we start training heel, train him to not bite the leash, or teach him the perimeter of the yard? Or is this too much for him already? [/quote] Hi You have the very best time to start training as a puppy's mind is essentially a blank canvass. Behaviours mastered now can set them up for life. Bad habits learned now can be hard to break! But keep expectations very low for the tricky stuff, I made this mistake, expecting too much at too young an age. Heel you could definitely start with. At his age, heeling for just a few seconds is a great result. It will take months of work to gradually build that up to longer distances and months more for entire walk - if you're lucky! In terms of biting the leash, I think that's a natural reaction for many dogs until they get used to it. Adding a "leave it" command to your training list might add some extra help there too. Stays are the same. You have to build them up very gradually over many months with some structure. Just a 2 second stay would be a great start. Then 3, 4 etc. Then try introducing distractions during the stay too like dance around the room like a nutter ;D When he can do a reliable stay in one room, with you with him, the next milestone is being able to leave the room without him following. He'll follow to start with I can guarantee it Then build it further, can you leave the room, go upstairs. Can you have him in a stay and go to the kitchen and clank a few pans? He'll come to investigate the first time you try but obviously no reward for that, so just a part of the learning process. When stay is good around the house then move to outdoors etc. [quote author=Libamajig123 link=topic=8891.msg126413#msg126413 date=1416867085] Yes we really need to work on him coming to us when we call him! He usually listens, but sometimes he's just stubborn and looks at us like "meh. I think I'll lay here instead.." His leash manners are awful :-[ I have been trying to walk him around the house with the leash because it's almost embarrassing the way he flails and chews on the leash when we go on walks. Is he too young to train him to stay within the yard boundaries? We do not have a fence. So far he stays near us, but I know he will eventually start wandering and I don't want to have to leash him in the back yard. [/quote] How are you teaching the recall? Best way to start is to bend down on your knees with a smile and open arms (the welcoming body language will count for a LOT), show him a treat too and hopefully he'll coming running! Once he gets the idea don't lure him with the treat but of course whip one out for the reward. Figure out what motivates him, try a super special treat only used on a recall, or play a quick game of throw the ball etc instead. Having a secret recall toy can be useful too. Make him coming to you as special as possible. If you can get that to become an automatic response at such an early age you're laying a great foundation for life. Yard boundaries. Ouch. I'm sorry to say this but having a securely fenced escape proof yard is an important criteria for responsible dog ownership. In Pippa's own words in one of her articles she says she "The fact is, I don’t know of a way, and I don’t know of anybody else who knows of a way, to reliably teach a dog to respect an ‘imaginary boundary’, during the extended absence of supervision." I've seen it done in Youtube videos etc but I suspect they use adversives or punishments which are frowned upon nowadays. And even if you think you have it, trust is a killer! OK you will be supervising when he's young but in time I'd imagine you'd like him to enjoy some free yard time on a nice summers day with your back turned. You might think you've cracked it but think of the possible stimuli he may encounter - birds to chase, cats, squirrels, and god forbid he one day there's a bitch in season living or walking through your neighborhood and he will be OFF! Again, you might think you have it, but it only takes a one in a million event to stir his interest and runs and gets lost or hit by a car. Sorry to be morbid but there's no use beating around the bush when it comes to something so important. As protector of his precious young life you owe it you him and yourself to either get some fencing installed or keep him leashed or tethered on a long line in unfenced yard.
Re: When to start training? Well we have been trying to sit across the room from each other, each with a bag of treats. And I will call Hamilton and when he comes to me I will praise him and give him treats, and Kel does the same, he calls Hamilton and when Hammi comes he gets praises and treats. Last night and tonight, he has been completely ignoring us! He will walk half way, stop, and sit or lay down and just walk away. Grrr!! Why is he ignoring us like that?
Re: When to start training? Possible reasons are: He doesn't understand what you want (maybe he could just see the treats last time) or doesn't understand why he got the treat last time He doesn't like your treats You've asked him to do this for too long or too often You are sitting too far apart He doesn't feel well For some reason he has a negative association with approaching you What's really unlikely though is that he has decided to ignore you - I don't think dogs think like that.
Re: When to start training? Our motto was the earlier the better! Luna learned to sit at 9 weeks old, and now at about 17 weeks she's sitting, staying, laying, and giving us her paw. She started puppy class at PetSmart two weeks ago, so she's going for her third class tomorrow. I believe they're going to be working on "leave it" with her, and teaching her to ring a bell if she has to go outside. I highly recommend getting him enrolled in puppy school as soon as you are able as it really gives them that mental stimulation, and it gives them a chance to socialize with other dogs as well. We also wanted her to be used to different types of people, so we sort of introduced her to really little babies/toddlers, then older kids/teens, older adults, etc. and she socializes with our friend's dogs in small, casual settings. All of that combined wears her out, and a tired puppy is a good puppy!
