GSDGirl Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 I have a 9 1/2 week old German Shepherd and I'm wondering if anyone has a sample schedule of how far in training I'd be able to get with her based on a week by week basis? She started "sit" today and is now doing it 80% of the time. There are manners I want to teach her (waiting for her bowl to be on the ground, waiting for me before she walks through a door, lying down when she's around the cat so that she doesn't chase) but they require "down" and "stay". Is she too young to be learning that kind of self-control? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suziwong66 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 I have a 9 1/2 week old German Shepherd and I'm wondering if anyone has a sample schedule of how far in training I'd be able to get with her based on a week by week basis? She started "sit" today and is now doing it 80% of the time. There are manners I want to teach her (waiting for her bowl to be on the ground, waiting for me before she walks through a door, lying down when she's around the cat so that she doesn't chase) but they require "down" and "stay". Is she too young to be learning that kind of self-control? I'm not working on a schedule, but we've had Wilbur for 2 weeks now (10 weeks & 3 days old) and over the last two weeks we've been consistently working on: sitting at the door & waiting, car travel, down, toileting outside, giving toys on request, bite inhibition, going in the crate, sitting to be let out of crate, coming out of crate & sitting &, prolonged eye contact (we've started puppy school as well). Everything is at differing levels of competency. I personally don't think your pup is too young to begin developing the skills as long as the expectation of competency isn't too high. I don't think the skills (including self control) are learned in a linear fashion; perhaps more along the lines of two steps forward and one back. That's my take on it; for what it's worth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 i don't think you can plan for "A" in week 2 "C" in week 5 ... she is a puppy, and will have good days & bad days ..as will you ;) Perhaps you are expecting a bit much ..and may need to approach things differently.. ? Many pups have learned to not chase cats .. but not by learning a down stay .. for example. perhaps have a read of these links? They may be of help... LINK LINK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSDGirl Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 Thanks for the answers guys :D She's starting puppy school in October - only school in the area works on terms. Persephone: I'm also keeping her in her crate while the cats are around to help her with associating the cats with something she can't chase. Since she was sitting today, I also tried having her sitting and treating for calm. This is what Victoria Stillwell does. Suzi: Half the things you've listed are things we're also working on but I just didn't think to mention. She's going in her crate with a treat lure and she's actually got the toilet cue - every time I say it, she starts sniffing and squats once she finds her place. I'm not exactly sure how to get her to sit reliably while I'm getting her out of the crate. I don't want to expect too much (especially since I've only had her for a couple of days) but if it's not too early for teaching some self control then I might try for a second of control until I think she's ready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suziwong66 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Thanks for the answers guys :D She's starting puppy school in October - only school in the area works on terms. Persephone: I'm also keeping her in her crate while the cats are around to help her with associating the cats with something she can't chase. Since she was sitting today, I also tried having her sitting and treating for calm. This is what Victoria Stillwell does. Suzi: Half the things you've listed are things we're also working on but I just didn't think to mention. She's going in her crate with a treat lure and she's actually got the toilet cue - every time I say it, she starts sniffing and squats once she finds her place. I'm not exactly sure how to get her to sit reliably while I'm getting her out of the crate. I don't want to expect too much (especially since I've only had her for a couple of days) but if it's not too early for teaching some self control then I might try for a second of control until I think she's ready. it sounds like you & puppy are making great progress. I don't always get a reliable sit from Wilbur when i open the crate door if he's asleep. He tends to roll on his back, stretch, yawn and just look at me But, in the morning when we do our crate training session he's really consistent. I'm doing a morning session with the crate every day. I open the crate, put my arm in high up into the right hand corner (the crate has a left side hinge opening). I figure, eventually he'll be consistent about getting up into a sit position every time i open the crate...patience is a virtue :D The Susan Garrett 'crate games' dvd didn't give any suggestions for puppies that don't always sit up when the door opens so i'm not sure what else to do other than keep practicing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSDGirl Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 Well Sasha just had her first negative experience of chewing on the wire of her crate - she got stuck. A morning crate training session sounds like a good idea - she's always the most active in the morning. Then she mostly sleeps all afternoon, gets chewy in the evening (about now), and sleeps all night. Last night she didn't even cry for the toilet. She only had this crate for last night and today because her first night we had a soft crate that was a wee bit small and she scratched at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 (edited) I don't believe that you can train to a scedule. Each dog is different. Perhaps get yourself a copy of this book: http://www.cleanrun....2&ParentCat=175 Edited August 30, 2011 by SecretKei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ish Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 I don't believe that you can train to a scedule. Each dog is different. Perhaps get yourself a copy of this book: http://www.cleanrun....2&ParentCat=175 This is an excellent book and one I plan on recommending to my puppy buyers in the future. Its free shipping at the moment so the perfect time to buy it GSDGirl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
**Super_Dogs** Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Like others have said it all depends on your puppy. I do not think it is too early to start teaching stay and down. However you need to start with a basic criteria and slowly increase it. For example start rewarding for staying on the spot and slowly increase your distance. The biggest mistake I see is people challenging their puppy too quickly. My rule is if they fail once try again, if they fail again it is too challenging and I need to go back a step. While it is OK for your dog to fail, as they learn from this, you do not want them failing over and over. So yes start teaching stay and down, but it is going to some time before your puppy has the self control to stay in exiting situations. Also recommend the book from Clear Run. Fantasitc for anyone new to training or want to teach their dog than just sit/down/stay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSDGirl Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 Focused Puppy looks like a great book - will look at getting a copy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Try Sue Ailsby's Training Levels. It's free! http://www.sue-eh.ca/page24/page26/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atanquin Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 i don't think it is too early zorro was sitting and also had down and speak all down pat by the time he 10 weeks!! just don't expect to much and i know some might disagree with me but i train my dogs the same as my horses slow steady CLEAR commands and when they start to look like they get what your on about instant reward treat or toy is up to you :D but zorro is now 17 weeks old and knows sit down stay wait ( i use this for his food he will wait until i say okay) speak shake roll over and bow remember slow and steady and just one thing at a time and do not panic just always be calm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I think it depends on the individual puppy. My puppy knew sit, drop, speak and shake hands by 9 weeks. she knew 90% of her current tricks by the time she was 3 months. In hindsight, I wish I had not focussed so much on "trick training" as such (although it is great fun) and instead focussed on drive training and developing a reliable reward system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Can also recommend the focussed puppy book from Clean Run. Im going to use it with my new pup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suziwong66 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Can also recommend the focussed puppy book from Clean Run. Im going to use it with my new pup i ordered this book based on your recommendation a while back. :D Waiting patiently for it to arrive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Love Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 I think it depends on the individual puppy. My puppy knew sit, drop, speak and shake hands by 9 weeks. she knew 90% of her current tricks by the time she was 3 months. In hindsight, I wish I had not focussed so much on "trick training" as such (although it is great fun) and instead focussed on drive training and developing a reliable reward system. I agree - Roy new lots of tricks by this age but I kinda forgot to start on manners...oops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 IMO tricks are good for developing a bond. They also teach the dog how to learn (and owner how to teach) which is a big bonus when they are older and you want to teach more complex behaviours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 (edited) IMO tricks are good for developing a bond. They also teach the dog how to learn (and owner how to teach) which is a big bonus when they are older and you want to teach more complex behaviours Yes, totally agree. However I don't think they should be the focus of training. Also if the puppy doesn't seem to "get them" as quickly as others, I wouldn't be upset about it. I don't think you can make a timeline as such to say when a puppy should have learnt what by when. Even something as basic as toilet training has a hugely variable timeline depending on the owner and the puppy. As others have said you also need to work on manners, and in the case of competition dogs its good to work on drive development and build a strong reward system. But teaching tricks is a great way to have fun and to make your puppy want to work with you Edited September 3, 2011 by aussielover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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