JulesP Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Interested in what ages people start doing some more serious training with their pups beyond your basic sits, drops & loose lead walking. I guess it depends a bit on the pup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 8.5 weeks so probably 9 weeks before we started playing around with other things. It was all one big game though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 As soon as possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W Sibs Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Pretty much straight away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted April 21, 2010 Author Share Posted April 21, 2010 Oh so you are all teaching heeling at 8 weeks then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Oh so you are all teaching heeling at 8 weeks then? I teach heel position at 8 weeks of age - I began by stepping into heel position when the dog is sitting and rewarding for the dog doing absolutely nothing at all. It took no time at all to put a word to it and the dog was jumping into heel position. I find with Clicker Training that the puppies offer lots of behaviours which allows me to click and treat whenever I want to and like Ness said its just a big game. So different from my old dog where I lined her up at my first day of club training at 14 weeks of age and we began paddock bashing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerraNik Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 I start straight away, too. It's all fun and lots of playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 I am the total opposite, Lincoln is 5 months and only we have only done manners and show stuff. I am not expirenced enough to know what I am doing with the more formal stuff properly so I am waiting till I join classes (this week) before attempting it in case I teach him the wrong thing, its much easier to teach right from the start then re-teach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamby Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 As soon as I picked Jorja up we started training. Befinning with the most important Toilet training followed by wait at the door, sit instead of jumping up, come on lead, seek, retrieve, give, stand, leave it etc., etc. She is so responsive for a little while and then it's "up Yours" with a look that could kill if she was capable of doing that. She is such a joy and I love her interaction with Gambit and Max and of course me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted to Dogs Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 I start the day I bring home the puppy (8 weeks) with all sorts of training as games/play not serious training time. It all just blends together and is such fun they learn to crave those times - so beware when/if you start slacking off on challenging them. For some great home video footage of what breeders and owners have done with pups check out some of the following videos taken from just one site (www.dogstardaily.com): Housetraining you have to see to believe - http://www.dogstardaily.com/video-cck/thic...0/field_video_0 Toller Trick Training at 15 weeks - http://www.dogstardaily.com/video-cck/thic...0/field_video_0 Yorkie Puppy tricks - http://www.dogstardaily.com/video-cck/thic...0/field_video_0 Shar Pei Puppy tricks - http://www.dogstardaily.com/video-cck/thic...0/field_video_0 Irish Setter and Terrier at tricks - http://www.dogstardaily.com/video-cck/thic...0/field_video_0 Keep it light, fun and rewarding and they will give you everything they can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 I have found it harder in some ways and easier in others with Lincoln, because I might be doing retrieveing with him he is not allowed to tug or play with squeaky toys in case he gets a hard mouth, but he is very food/praise motivated. So I can't make training a game the same way I did with Toby, I have just been using the clicker and keeping sessions short and praise/food heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 I probably started training Ziggy when he first came home at 8 weeks - but more for manners than anything else - simple, fun stuff like sitting, waiting at doors, informal recall, hide and seek toys, leave etc etc. He was so bright and likely to get up to mischief that I had to do quite a bit to keep him busy My last dog was 17 when she was PTS so I just wanted to muck around and enjoy the puppy antics, plus I knew he would take a while to mature mentally. We started show training when he was about 5 months old, which was really good for both of us. From memory I started working on heeling at about 12 months old - spent lots of time thinking about how I wanted to train exercises before I implemented them as my approach to training was just worlds apart from the old fashioned paddock bashing and poorly timed correction collars with my previous dog. With my next puppy, I imagine that I will start formal but fun training much earlier as I have a clearer idea about what I want to do. The biggest lesson that I have learned is that the style of training shouldn't actually change in terms of keeping things light and fun and rewarding - it's only duration and distance that increase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkySoaringMagpie Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 It's not so much age as the approach you use I think. You can burn out a young dog if you go too hard too soon but if it's all games as others have mentioned I think early is great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Our pups, being prospective working sheepdogs are started on commands as soon as... when they look with intent at a sheep/goat/chook they are told to 'watch' and praised.... if they attempt to herd, a command is given, and praise...they are taught to come around behind us when they approach..and to walk behind us (not at heel)..all sorts of things as babies... nothing strictly regimented..and no leashes /collars....just everyday chances to praise and reinforce they are taught to NOT see humans as their main source of entertainment/excitement... so that(hopefully) at a few months old, they barely open their eyes when we come home and sometimes we have to walk over them to get to the house,cos they just lie there It is SO good when they are settled like that ! Oh so you are all teaching heeling at 8 weeks then? no- we teach 'come behind' ,instead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mas1981 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 I wish that I had known how to train a lot more things than i did when I got Mason, my next dog I will work on heel position and heeling right from the get go..... I would have done it sooner but had no idea how to teach certain things... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~*Shell*~ Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Training starts the day they arrive here! Danika was an 8 week old puppy when she arrived and by 10 weeks, she would reliably sit and drop (which she kept doing everytime she was asked until she passed away) - Zero arrived here at 2.5 years old and took more time but we had to work around his problems. Training with him started with games that just got him interacting with me which was his biggest problem! I can't wait to get a puppy - first thing we'll be doing is attention! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 (edited) With my next puppy, I imagine that I will start formal but fun training much earlier as I have a clearer idea about what I want to do. The biggest lesson that I have learned is that the style of training shouldn't actually change in terms of keeping things light and fun and rewarding - it's only duration and distance that increase Tick and Tick! :nahnah: You said it so very well. I taught Ruby a bunch of things starting with her first day home, but then I went wrong with the paddock bashing and not making it fun for her. I've got this cute video somewhere of the stumpy leg 8 week old chubby puppy shaking paw My next puppy I will start the fun and games of training from the day he/she comes home, now that I have a slightly better idea of how to do things, and it will continue to be one big game as they get older Edited April 21, 2010 by RubyStar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 (edited) So different from my old dog where I lined her up at my first day of club training at 14 weeks of age and we began paddock bashing. :nahnah: I think it's safe to say that the majority of us did this with our first dog, as how were we to know better? But it has a good side, it showed us the foundations of how to train and showed us what not to do next time!! Edited April 21, 2010 by RubyStar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serket Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 So different from my old dog where I lined her up at my first day of club training at 14 weeks of age and we began paddock bashing. :nahnah: I think it's safe to say that the majority of us did this with our first dog, as how were we to know better? But it has a good side, it showed us the foundations of how to train and showed us what not to do next time!! Some of us were lucky enough to learn from other's experiences some things to avoid, and pick up some good tips for training (although the paddock bashing is still the norm at our obedience, and we've stopped going for a while). Between 8-12 weeks Gypsy learnt sit, drop, stay, wait, and come when called between 12weeks-9 months (timeline starts getting blurry) we did heel, roll over, commando crawl, high 5, high 10, 'speak', fetch pegs from a basket and return them on command - i.e. mainly tricks + loose lead walking (except my club calls heeling "loose lead walking" and I call "don't care where you are if the lead is slack" loose lead walking - so I'm using my definition here). All done with (one or more of) luring / clicker / free shaping In terms of classes, we did puppy school from 8-12 weeks, basic obedience from 12-16 weeks, a 2nd round of basic obedience at a more formal club and now we do basic (puppy-appropriate) agility weekly, and we're taking a break from obedience classes because I was a bit peeved that they expected her to already know how to do a flip finish & a proper sit after recall etc (not learn in class, already know and demonstrate) in the first 'intermediate' class after finishing the basic 8 week course - if we're supposed to do all the teaching and learning at home before showing up to demonstrate, then fine, we'll do that on our own schedule and attend classes again later on. It's an interesting topic though, since lately I've been pondering the different between dogs and horses - where horses are broken in, then often turfed out into a paddock for a while to finish growing up and then brought back into work. I'm wondering if there's any benefit to doing some reasonably intense (but fun) training before 6 months, and then having a break from the really serious obedience stuff (while not letting the dog turn feral and disobedient), and then come back to it at an older age Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyStar Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 So different from my old dog where I lined her up at my first day of club training at 14 weeks of age and we began paddock bashing. :nahnah: I think it's safe to say that the majority of us did this with our first dog, as how were we to know better? But it has a good side, it showed us the foundations of how to train and showed us what not to do next time!! Some of us were lucky enough to learn from other's experiences some things to avoid, and pick up some good tips for training (although the paddock bashing is still the norm at our obedience, and we've stopped going for a while). I reckon if I had found DOL first then I may have avoided the paddock bashing style training. Since being on here, I have met many great trainers and learnt many good tips But it was a bit too late to utilise them on my brand new Lab puppy 3 years ago as I had already bored her to tears But with all that great advice I have gotten since joining DOL, both my girls are loving their training! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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