How To Of Puppy Training?

[PoppyDog]

So I have read now a few times of people doing 5 min training sessions with their puppy...

I am a first time puppy owner and a tad clueless so please indulge me!

1. WHAT do you train them to do?

2. HOW do you train them?

[Parkeyre]

So I have read now a few times of people doing 5 min training sessions with their puppy...

I am a first time puppy owner and a tad clueless so please indulge me!

1. WHAT do you train them to do?

2. HOW do you train them?

It can be anything, on the lease walking around the house..

sitting for a treat.

standing up for a tread.

laying down for a treat.

putting him in a crate with a treat or troy and letting him out when he quietens down.

There's so many easy little things you can do.

[PoppyDog]

Thanks Bonnie!

So do I pick one thing...like coming when called and then just practice that everyday until she gets it THEN move onto the next thing ... like sitting or whatever OR

Do I teach a few things at a time and practice each during each 5 min training session?

Also would I be using a verbal cue....like "Poppy come!" then giving her a treat when she does it?

[Parkeyre]

Thanks Bonnie!

So do I pick one thing...like coming when called and then just practice that everyday until she gets it THEN move onto the next thing ... like sitting or whatever OR

Do I teach a few things at a time and practice each during each 5 min training session?

Also would I be using a verbal cue....like "Poppy come!" then giving her a treat when she does it?

Whatever is fun.

Does Poppy know her name? Teaching her to come to that is a good start, call, come and praise.

showing her a treat and slowly holding it up past her head so she automatically sits, then saying "Sit" and treating immedieatley..

Once they are down pat, try having her sit and then holding the treat out of reach on the floor encouraging her to drop for it. Following with the word "Drop" and immediate treat.

Dont say the word untill she does it, if she wont do it, get her up and start again.

[poodlefan]

Join a dog training club or take some lessons PD. You'll learn a lot more by watching and doing than by reading.

And it will be good for Poppy to meet dogs in controlled circumstances.

[PoppyDog]

Thanks Bonnie!

So do I pick one thing...like coming when called and then just practice that everyday until she gets it THEN move onto the next thing ... like sitting or whatever OR

Do I teach a few things at a time and practice each during each 5 min training session?

Also would I be using a verbal cue....like "Poppy come!" then giving her a treat when she does it?

Whatever is fun.

Does Poppy know her name? Teaching her to come to that is a good start, call, come and praise.

showing her a treat and slowly holding it up past her head so she automatically sits, then saying "Sit" and treating immedieatley..

Once they are down pat, try having her sit and then holding the treat out of reach on the floor encouraging her to drop for it. Following with the word "Drop" and immediate treat.

Dont say the word untill she does it, if she wont do it, get her up and start again.

She does know her name but only comes about 75% of the time so that would be a good starting point I think!

Join a dog training club or take some lessons PD. You'll learn a lot more by watching and doing than by reading.

And it will be good for Poppy to meet dogs in controlled circumstances.

We will be going to Puppy Preschool in the first week of March for 4 weeks! After that I will look into obediance classes!

[pipsqueak]

until you get to a puppy school, a good online resource is Ian Dunbar's Dog Star Daily website - have a look under the link that says "Training Textbook".

www.dogstardaily.com

[newfsie]

I love the Ian Dunbar system....Always a good read/watch

We train our puppies as we go. Before they are six months we do not too much on lead work, because we have a giant breed and to me all the bony structures are very precious (neck especially)

But we do a lot off lead. We do sit, stand. drop with treats...........And because we want retrievers/rescue dogs we always give the pup something to carry and tell her how good she us. We use a mix of training. A lot is clicker, but we use "yes" and no clicker and a lot of voice only or treat rewards. When we walk from our barn to house we do a little heel with a treat or a little recall, with a huge reward.

Our present pup at six month has a lovely off lead heel, sit, drop, recall and a fabulous retrieve on ground and in water. She even ramps in and out of the car. But we do it constantly when we are around her, she thinks it is just all attention. Even when we have dinner in the lounge room, it is training time. We leave our plates on the table and we watch them. She now knows food on tables is "off" (at least when he are there :D). When we do obedience with our other two we actually tie her up nearby and that has happened from very small pup and she just sits and watches, we hope she absorbs some of it .

She is also at all our obedience classes and we take her a lot of places to introduce her to lots of people. When we walk her for short distances on lead, she stays with the other two dogs at heel now. And that is just because of the constant work we do off lead.

So we have no special training moments, we just use all opportunities and moments with our pups. i wish you fun with you puppy

[Cazwah]

Hiya there,

Our trainer told us that the very first thing we should teach our Chestnut is name recognition. He said when you say "Chestnut", ideally you want him to give you his attention, to make eye contact (not to come running over or to sit or do anything else). This way when we say "Chestnut, come" or Chestnut, sit" we get his attention first then give the command. We taught name recognition by saying his name "Chestnut" then putting a treat to his nose and then drawing it up to our nose to get the eye contact. Once we got the eye contact we'd mark it with a "yes!" (or click) then reward. We'd repeat that say 10 times in a row then move on to something else. We did that a lot at first, every time we took him out to play or train and it's been really good. I still do it now sporadically (sp?), and also under more distracting situations. More recently at our last puppy school class the trainer advised to practise saying our pup's name in an angry or stressed out tone, as sometimes it can't be helped, and the pup should learn that responding to his name is always a good thing regardless of our tone Have fun!

Edit to add: I'm also a big fan of the Ian Dunbar books, highly reccommend the website!!!!

Edited February 14, 2010 by Cazwah