Puppy Training Camp
- Posted on 19th September 2010
- in Featured
- by jvfairbanks
Puppy Training Camp
I get questions from my owners on my training preferences/schedules. As all of you know, I speak from both good and ‘things I would have done differently” experience with my dogs. I list here things I have found to be solid advice. I think it is very important to read before hand as well as discuss the commands, signals and order of training with your family. Then hang it on the fridge for easy reference.
I have listed “core commands” on the right to give you an idea for starters. Consistency and common language while training is so important. For example your expectation for sit is with one hand signal and your child uses a different signal? You expect your puppy to sit on the right but husband rewards a sit in front and to the left? Little things make a big difference and everyone involved in the training discussions make life easier all around.
While you wait for your puppy to be enrolled in classes (because your not enrolling until after their full puppy shot series, right? Right!)… you can begin with some very basic commands. You will find Labradoodles are very intelligent and quick to learn and very ready and willing to gain your approval. They are social animals, always looking to you for eye contact, affection and love. This makes them easy to train, especially during the young puppy stage.
As they grow older they have different stages they will go through. Some will try to rewrite the rules so your being trained instead of them. Be strong! It is hard not to love these dogs as babies; they have such magic.
You must remember to respect the pack order in which they operate. I think training is also keeping the owner focused on the goal; to have a life long trained well mannered dog. Remembering pack order and the training rules will produce a well mannered doodle for the next 15-20 years! Invest time now to work with your doodle during this ideal training window.
Off the bat: 8-12 week training suggestions:
- What’s my name?
- Kennel
- Potty
- Leash training
- Introducing sit and stay
- Handling and socialization
- Mouthing and biting; nipping it in the bud early
- Jumping for Joy and how to control it
- Grab and Chase of the bathrobe suggestions
- Welcome home! How to properly be greeted
- Barking
12-16 Weeks:
- Keep control
- Introduction of “The 10 commandments” with hand signals. Short, 10 minute work outs prior to Boot Camp:
- Dogs name
- Let’s Go
- Sit
- Down
- Stand
- Take/Drop
- Settle Down
- Wait/Okay
- Excuse me
- No sir (or no ma’am)
16-24 Weeks:
- Staying in Control
- Continue Politeness Training
- The difference between praise and petting
- Working on “The 5 commandments”
- Heel
- No
- Stay
- Come
- Stand/Stay
6-9 Months:
- Remain calm and don’t let your puppy ignore you. This is a pack order thing. Reinforce your expectations.
- Raise your expectations. Teach them the meaning of NO. Stay centered and watch eye contact. At this age they are trying to determine “am I the leader or the follower?”
- Work on door greeting
- Work on article stealing
- “runaway puppy” work
- working on the “5 commandments”
- Heel
- Sit
- Down
- Wait
- No sir/ma’am
9-12 Months:
- Puppy puberty. Although your dog is now a teen they are now fully ready to work on what does not please you. This is when they test the boundaries of the commandments they have learned as is natural in the pack order of things. You may notice sit is not beside you but just an itty bitty bit in front of you; a small challenge to your earlier work on what you meant.
- If you’ve stuck to it through the year your done. Odds are during the 6-9 months you probably have also introduced a few tricks. Once you have the core down, they are eager to “do more”. Other puppies of ours are opening the fridge, retrieving the phone (although cool, they can’t read and know it is tele-marketers) and other assistive tasks. I just love labradoodles.
