When To Start Training A Pup

[TessaBella]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me when it is recommended that you start training a pup basic commands and walking on a lead etc.

I'm looking at purchasing a puppy (to keep you updated, perhaps next year) probably a cavalier as it is, and has been for a while, at the top of my list.

If anyone could suggest training methods that would be suitable for a cavalier, this would also be EXTREMELY helpful...

[shoemonster]

As long as the training sessions are short and fun you can start from the day you get him/her

Find out about puppy preschool from your vet or other local vets and then later you can do obedience if you want

There are a few cavs at our obed school anf they do well

[ReXy]

i agree as soon as he walks in your door the training starts,, weather it be toilet training manners around people,, or basic obed commands.. also dont forget to sociaslise the pup,, a huge thing and very important for them.. good luck keep us posted..

[MrsD]

Yep, toilet training starts straight away, if they are very young (ie 8 weeks) I personally usually let them settle into the household for a few days before starting them on collar & lead type stuff. Leaving it a few days tends to allow your relationship with the puppy to start to develop, just remember to keep to really short sessions (2 or 3 mins is plenty to start with).

Edited June 18, 2006 by MrsD

[Dogsfevr]

All the answers will be given too if you purchase from a good breeder,many of use start lead training before they go & then show you how to follow on with it.

Whilst the basic concept is the same some breeds have little habits that a good breeder can help with.

We arent a believer in puppy preschool ,many do not have qualified staff running them & no matter what there is a higher risk of picking up bugs.Dogs go to the ets because there due for there needles but maninly because there sick

[Lablover]

I like looking backwards, having a goal. What are your plans with the pup? Pet?

[TessaBella]

I like looking backwards, having a goal. What are your plans with the pup? Pet?

Yes, pet but i would also be interested in maybe obedience and flyball or agility. Just for fun though...

[Bully]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me when it is recommended that you start training a pup basic commands and walking on a lead etc.

I'm looking at purchasing a puppy (to keep you updated, perhaps next year) probably a cavalier as it is, and has been for a while, at the top of my list.

If anyone could suggest training methods that would be suitable for a cavalier, this would also be EXTREMELY helpful...

Hi puppybabe,

New puppy, how exciting!

I'd start training from day one. Clicker Training is excellent. Use only reward based training, keep it short and keep it fun.

Pele, my 16 month old Bull Terrier came home at 8 weeks. By 12 weeks she could sit, drop, stand, short stay, come, high 5, roll over, crawl, watch. At obedience she graduated a class each month and we are anticipating entering our first obedience trial very soon - YIKES!!!

Good luck

[TessaBella]

I'd start training from day one. Clicker Training is excellent. Use only reward based training, keep it short and keep it fun.

Pele, my 16 month old Bull Terrier came home at 8 weeks. By 12 weeks she could sit, drop, stand, short stay, come, high 5, roll over, crawl, watch. At obedience she graduated a class each month and we are anticipating entering our first obedience trial very soon - YIKES!!!

Good luck

First of all, OMG how'd you do that??

Second, I've read that Cavs shouldn't be trained using a food reward as they tend to gain weight easily (although I know you shouldn't believe all that you read )

Does anyone have any info that might help??

[shoemonster]

Any dog will put on weight if you treat too much

If you find he/she puts on weight, use portions of their daily meals to treat train with, that way they aren't getting any "extra" food in the day

[shoemonster]

Oh, and I have just started clicker training too and it is excellent, I wish I had started earlier

Do a search on clicker here, you will find heaps of info to get you started

[MrsD]

Oh, and I have just started clicker training too and it is excellent, I wish I had started earlier

Do a search on clicker here, you will find heaps of info to get you started

I've never clicker trained before, but read a quick summary of it somewhere & am considering it for my sheltie pup .

[Bully]

Oh, and I have just started clicker training too and it is excellent, I wish I had started earlier

Do a search on clicker here, you will find heaps of info to get you started

Here are some sites to get you started -

http://www.dogpatch.org/obed/obpage4.cfm

http://www.clickertraining.com/home/

http://www.clickandtreat.com/

http://www.wagntrain.com/OC/index.htm#Learning

http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/lessons.html

[TessaBella]

Wow!! Thanks guys!! Excellent help. I've found a breeder in my area that seems to fit the criteria of a good breeder and they're only an hour away, so I don't have to worry so much about travelling 7 hours with my new baby... :p

I was talking to the lady yesterday and have arranged to go visit them on Friday. They don't have any pups at the mo but their next litter is about Sep/Oct and May/June next year (prospective only).

I was also wondering if anyone could tell me how to tell if they're a good breeder when I visit them...what to look for in their dogs etc...

[ReXy]

just wanted to say good luck and well done on doing a lot of research , it certainly pays off.. and is well worth the wait

[Ashka]

Cavalier breeders should have clear heart & eye certificates less than a year old for all breeding stock.

My pup came with his own clear eye certificate @ 8 weeks old, he was heart tested clear last year & has just been heart tested again at nearly 4 ~ again clear :-)

Inherited disorders for Cavaliers:

http://www.vetsci.usyd.edu.au/lida/index.p...es+spaniel&Op=1

Cavaliers are easy to train and you start on day one. A mixed breed Obedience group is usually best when a little older so he gets used to dogs of all sizes, my pup made friends with the biggest Neo Mastiff bitch I've ever seen, he just came up to her knees. He passed the tests easily.

Just the usual 'Never give the dog a command you can't make him obey' crate train to make house training easier, good food and heaps of sleep. he's a baby. Sitting on the floor with him is an easy way to teach sit / down etc.

Always ¼ commands & ¾ praise.

Be Consistent. If he's not allowed to jump on the sofa wet & muddy he's never allowed to jump on it. He doesn't know the difference, he's a dog.

Never ever call him to you to tell him off. He only remembers the last thing he did ie. came to you. You may well have been yelling yourself hoarse, no matter, praise the dog for coming.

Food treats as praise can be fraught with problems, dogs have a wonderful sense of smell ~ he knows if you have them or not. I use treats for the first couple of days learning something new, not after that. Treats are not any use at all when you need to drop your dog from a distance. Have the same problem with clickers. I always have my mouth for praise and a my hands for a pat. Up to you. You could ask a farmer what he thinks about food treats & clicker training for his sheep dogs. lol Dogs are dogs.

Like many others I'm not keen on puppy play groups with crates used for time out and with learner owners of big pups who think it's funny when the toy breed pups get monstered. My dog's crate is his safe place and always has been. The vets, like a hospital, is a great place to pick up whatever bugs are going round at the time.

I have replied to your PMs twice but the reply doesn't seem to go through, sorry.

Get pup out and about to meet people and get used to strange noises, carry him unless you have a perfectly clean area for him to play on.

Took one of my boys pups to the beach at 8 weeks old, clean beach with the tide going out. He had a ball with his Dad.

Have fun

Edited June 20, 2006 by Ashka

[wyvernblade]

I think the best way to explain what you should do with your pup is FUN!!! Always be the best thing that happens to your pup, protect him, play with him, have fun with him. If you make training fun then it's all just a game to the puppy and they learn very fast. If they don't get something, don't growl, just don't reward and keep trying. I use food to show puppy what I want and then use toy as a reward after that when they do it correctly. Be the best friend and the best thing that has ever happened to your puppy as any growling, especially in that first couple of weeks, is bond breaking. Ignore any bad behaviour and focus on the good stuff. My 11 week old puppy can do a 2 minute sit stay for food, can drop and stay and comes and sits on command. I can also call him away from other dogs, people, cats etc etc and all because I just play with him and make sure he knows I'm the best thing in his life! Puppies are so much fun, and you'll have a ball with yours! Make sure he knows you first before introducing him to anyone else (Family, friends etc etc) and puppy socilisation classes are overated :p

[TessaBella]

and puppy socilisation classes are overated :p

Wyvernblade - I thought the best type of puppy socialisation was to have him meet other people first, then dogs etc...am I right?

I am so looking forward to this puppy as it is my first and I'm having trouble with how long I have to wait before I can even see him/her without even thinking about when I can take him/her home...

This puppy will be the centre of attention for the first few days and then I'll slowly ease off so that I can get back to work. That's going to be hard too!! :p

Thanks everyone for your help.

[wyvernblade]

I'm only talking from personal experience and there are probably some fantastic puppy classes run *somewhere* But with all the dogs I've had and trained and done the 'right' thing by and taken to puppy classes etc etc, they have all turned out dog aggressive! The problem is that there can be such an age difference between the puppies attending and it depends on how they run their play' and socilisation bits. And I mean when you really think about it, is it natural for a dog to be best friends with every other dog they meet?! In the wild if they met another dog it would be a fight for survival/space/territory/food, whatever. So with my new pup I have decided to go a bit off base and bond him to me first and foremost, and get him to view dogs as a non entity, i.e they are not play toys, they are not enemies, they are not potential best friends, they are just another 'thing' in the dogs life. And you know what? It's worked! I took him to a club for the first time last Sunday where there were half a dozen big dogs around being trained, and he couldn't care less. Didn't look at them for longer than half a second, wasn't worried by them and was quite happy doing all his training right next to them, without trying to say hello. I'd had him 4 weeks before I took him to 'see' other dogs and I will not be socilaising him any more than that. But then I want to do competition obedience with him and don't want him breaking concentration because he wanst to play with the dog next door! If you WANT to be going to off lead parks and having your dog play while you chat etc, then by all means find a good puppy class, but make sure it's a 'good' one! Or you'll end up with a dog that tries to attack everything in sight! :D Again, personal experience but this has happened with at least 4 of my dogs.....................

[Georgie-boy]

Millie my second Cav is about 11 weeks old now and we started training her almost straight away.

She is crate trained and toilet trained and I do VERY short "come" & "sit" training sessions with her - she's so little that thats about all she can cope with at the moment but as she gets bigger, we will progress the commands to come in line with George's.

I am reward training her like I reward trained George. Yes, Cav's can be prone to weight gain but no more than any other breed that is over fed!

They are very clever little dogs who tend to know a whole lot more than they let on and they do know how to wrap you around their paw! I hope your wait is short!!