When to start basic training ?

[jstregis]

Our Mira is 12weeks old - is it too early to begin with the basics of training ? I just got going and am having moderate success so far. I take her to one of our fields to limit distractions, but she always gravitates to the pond where the distractions are many and varied. I want to make progress , but on the other hand , I don't want to force her if it is too early . What has your experience been ?

 

[Giddyuppy]

IMO....It's NEVER too early to start. Each pup is different, as I'm sure you know...regardless of the breed.

Ya just gotta start SLOW wif 'em...pay attention to THEIR learning abilities, attention span...and don't FORCE them. Make it a FUN experience. They learn MUCH quicker and BETTER when it's FUN!

You'll BOTH benefit from it.

 

[AngusMcDubhsMom]

Giddy's right. Never too early, and make it fun. Don't forget socializing with other pups too. Enjoy! you're in for a great time.

 

[Sailorgirl]

Definitely not too early as long as you keep sessions short and end with fun playtime. I think we started Hudson in formal basic obedience training at 13 weeks and he enjoyed it a lot.

 

[BoundlessNewfs]

We started teaching Lucy as soon as we brought her home. Not on the leash, but just simple commands, like "sit" (putting the treat above her head, and as she went into the sit, say "sit"). It only took her a day to pick up on the command. "Down" took another day, but we still have to bait her, by getting her to sit, then taking the treat down in front to lead her into the down. She's also picking up on "stay" and "leave the kitty!" now. I've done some limited leash work with her, to get her used to being on the leash, but haven't started doing formal lessons on the leash with her yet.

 

[Annie Milliron]

I agree that it's not too early to start. And, as Sailorgirl said, training sessions should be short (because puppies have short attention spans), and should be followed up with play time.

A Cardinal Rule: never train if you're in a bad mood. If you're impatient with the puppy, the puppy will sense it, and you'll have a disaster on your hands. So, if you've had a crappy day at work, wait til you are in a better frame of mind before you begin training. It's important that training be FUN!

You might also consider finding a puppy kindergarten class. It has the added benefit of socialization, which is very very important!

[ 04-01-2004, 09:23 AM: Message edited by: Annie Milliron ]

 

[2Paws]

Benson and I started puppy school when he was 12 weeks old. We both had so much fun and learned so much. The socialization for him was priceless and I received very good tips on training. Be sure and find an instructor that uses positive training and is patient with the pups.

Keep the lessons short, keep them fun and be postive. These guys are very, very intelligent! One more word of warning.....this can become habit forming. Benson and I now go twice a week to classes. We are having a ball and have made many friends, four legged and two legged!

 

[ardeagold]

Right now, Mira's biggest problem is bolting out the door....she thinks that any open door is an invitation to her to go barging through. We're having a difficult time stopping her - even though the Goldens have all come to a dead halt, she keeps right on rolling. They didn't particularly like a door closing close to their faces, or a storm door shutting with them half way through. She doesn't care. I'm afraid she'll get hurt by the door right now...and later on the bolting through could be very dangerous.

She's got the sit command down pat. She learned it from the other dogs. Come is hit or miss. Right now she's fascinated with the frogs hopping in the pond and she makes a b-line straight to the splashing noises. Time for the long line as Annie was saying. She stays better than the Goldens did when they were young..already. Of course, she's calmer overall than they are.

Does anybody have any suggestions about stopping her from charging through the door when we want to open it to go in or out?

 

[FuzzyDustBunnies]

The earlier the better to start training! Always end on a positive note, keep it short and make it fun for the both of you. Even when you're not doing a "formal" training session, they're still learning things.

Don't forget the socialization with new people, places and other dogs. But, be picky to where you take that young pup..you don't want it exposed to something nasty.

Have fun with that puppy. They grow up so fast.

 

[sarnewfie]

i agree with the others and taking them to classes off of their home turf is so good for them, they go thru fear stages, and helping them thru those fears, in a different environment, helps them sooooo much.

 

[2Paws]

While at puppy class our trainer taught us about the wait command. With the leash on, use "wait" for any places you want the dog to wait until you give them the go ahead (slightly different than stay). Put your pup at the door, hold it open, and tell him wait, give him a quick correction tug and continue until he waits and then praise the heck out of him.

I've trained Benson to wait at the door for me and wait inside the car until I tell him it's ok. I use this at home, going to the pet store, going to the vet and going to obediance training. It's invaluable. No more tugging through doorways or bolting through our door at home. And he is so good about waiting in the car until I tell him OK.

This differs from the stay command because they don't have to stay in a certain position. They can stand, sit, move around but just have to wait until you say OK.

 

[naturemama]

Originally posted by Annie Milliron:
You might also consider finding a puppy kindergarten class. It has the added benefit of socialization, which is very very important!

This is where we started with both Maggie and Tyson. The socialization part helped Tyson especially, as he was a Humane Society pup who had come from a litter thrown out of a truck.

We did start on basic commands almost as soon as we brought them home though. It's never too early, but like everyone mentioned, you have to make those initial sessions very brief because they have such short attention spans. If you try to stretch them out too long, it just becomes counter productive.

Lisa

 

[naturemama]

Just wanted to add something. We have learned that an important command to teach a Newfie is "Leave It". We have had to use it numerous times when Miss Maggie was eating something that she shouldn't. Now, I can be across the room and if I see her doing something naughty, her "Leave It" works every time.

It can be funny sometimes because if the offending item is very small, she actually has to work to push it out of her mouth, but her expression is priceless.

Lisa