What Do You Teach First?

[Rilla-My-Rilla]

Some books say train pups instantly, others say wait until 12 weeks, 16 weeks and some even say 6 months. I personally believe that training begins the moment you bring puppy home. At my local dog club class 1 starts off with heeling, assuming that your dog already knows sit.

Just interested to know what are the first 5 commands you taught your dog/ recommend starting with?

[Tilly]

From day one I start with name, coming when called and sitting (because they sit to be fed). Then add drop/down, leave and out/release ... heeling comes later when they are able to walk outside the yard on a leash.

Edited February 18, 2012 by Tilly

[Leema]

I start training a dog/puppy the instant it gets home. (If I bred the litter, training starts at 3-4 weeks, depending on the individual pup.)

The first 5 commands I'd teach a dog is (in no particular order):

1. "Give" a toy back

2. "Touch" my hand (useful as an informal recall)

3: "Sit" (simply because it's easy)

4. "Drop" (again, because it's easy)

5. "Settle" or "calm" behaviour on cue

[ness]

How to interact and play - "engagement". If my pup thinks I am the best thing on the planet and the source of all the fun then the rest is made so much easier .

I know having a dog who finds interacting with me a reward means that she is never slow to respond to commands because there is always the opportunity of something she might find rewarding coming as a consequence.

Edited February 18, 2012 by ness

[Rilla-My-Rilla]

If my pup thinks I am the best thing on the planet and the source of all the fun then the rest is made so much easier .

Is it harder to control this though, when there is more than one dog?

[ness]

Depends on the dogs to some extent. You can also manipulate it by having them out individually. I was lucky my older girl was much older and didn't really take immediately to the pup - was indifferent and still is. I was therefore put in a position of keeping the pup amused and entertaining it rather than having it rely on the other dog as a source of entertainment.

It also would depend on what your focus/goals might be for the pup. Competition or pet. Some competition people will keep there pups separate from their adults until the pup has more focus on them then they do on other dogs.

Some breeds are also easier when it comes to this then others. My guys are both BCs and have also both shown a preference for doing things with me rather then playing with other dogs.

Edited February 18, 2012 by ness

[ness]

Here is an interesting video clip on teaching pups - its not something I would necessarily want for a competition dog but for a pet perspective it raises some interesting thoughts:

[persephone]

to be comfortable with being handled ALL over ...to have mouth checked;in between toes;under tail;in ears ; length of tail..

to come (we use a whistle)

to trust and communicate .. by playing

to sit .

[aussielover]

Personally I think a reliable recall is one of the most important things to teach.

Then of course teaching the pup that interacting with you is the best thing ever. This can be done by play, teaching tricks/ basic commands, cuddle time etc

And for some puppies, teaching them to be bearable to live with is a high priority! So general house rules, toilet training, how to be calm etc.

[Rilla-My-Rilla]

Thanks for your thought everyone. Interesting clip. Mine will be a BC and the other two dogs are a brother and sister jack russel x shit tzu, so they play together a lot as they are litter mates. They will focus on us when alone though, or if we have food

[Red Fox]

Handler focus and engagement but there are no real 'commands' for that.

I guess the first verbal commands would be;

toilet (ie toilet on command)

in your crate

name recognition

here

sit

then 'watch' and basic positions.

If my pup thinks I am the best thing on the planet and the source of all the fun then the rest is made so much easier .

Is it harder to control this though, when there is more than one dog?

Not if you separate them.

[Tralee]

1. Sit

2. Drop

3. Stay/come

4. Heal on lead

5. Sit and wait; to cross road/Cross; to walk to the other side.

Maremmas do not do recall without extra insight and creativity.

[Rilla-My-Rilla]

I suppose I never really counted name recognition as training, nor toilet training or handling. Everything is pretty much what i though would be first 5.

sit

come

wait

drop

heel

In your crate is a good one - guess I'll have to teach this one as I'm getting a crate

Edited February 18, 2012 by sjp118

[Red Fox]

I suppose I never really counted name recognition as training, nor toilet training or handling. Everything is pretty much what i though would be first 5.

sit

come

wait

drop

heel

In your crate is a good one - guess I'll have to teach this one as I'm getting a crate

The thing is that it's much easier to teach everything when your dog is engaged, interested and wanting to please you.

I don't particularly care how many commands my pup knows in the beginning. Does she follow me? Yep. Does she push me to work? Yep. Halfway there

[Salukifan]

1. Focus

2. Interactive play - that doing things with you is fun.

3. Recall

As far as I'm concerned everything else can wait. I'm not into hot housing puppies with the equivalent of flash cards.

In the early months my focus is socialisation, not skill teaching beyond what they need for safety and for development.

[whiskedaway]

1. Watch

2. Stand if a show dog, sit if not. Therefore Akira was taught sit, Halo stand, after a week or two Halo learnt sit by watching Akira.

3. Recall - I played hide and seek with Hales, she has a pretty good recall now because I made it fun.

4. Stay

Training starts the instant they come home.

[Agility Dogs]

If my pup thinks I am the best thing on the planet and the source of all the fun then the rest is made so much easier .

Is it harder to control this though, when there is more than one dog?

Not really. My pup wasn't allowed to interact with the others unsupervised until we had this sort of relationship. She will now come no matter what she is doing with the other dogs. We have other issues - but this one we got right!

[Guest Clover]

Focus, come, give, sit, wait, drop. But first is to be my friend and to think i am the best thing in the world :).

[Rilla-My-Rilla]

But first is to be my friend and to think i am the best thing in the world .

That applies all through their life, and to any animal you keep doesn't it

:D

[Guest Clover]

Yes it does of course, but it is the first priority before anything else which is what you asked ;).