Things you wish you had taught you dog earlier?

Just looking for ideas on anything I should be working on with Siri that I may have overlooked.

I'm not worrying about actual behaviors like sit or down right now, but we are doing lots of self control games, relaxation games, and building toy drive. Crate manners and leash skills are another big one that we're working on. And learning to learn through shaping!

But I was wondering what you wish you had worked on earlier. Something you wish you had prevented or just put more time into earlier on.

TIA

Oh, nail trimming is the other thing that we are really working hard on. I do NOT want another Frodo when it comes to nails!

I like to make sure I get grooming in early -- nail trims, ear cleaning, etc.

I also like doing mat/place target work early. Helps to build an early stay, can br used to build distance/sends, and is easily transportable. Can also be used as a more transportable extension of crate games work (though she so litter I suppose just bringing the whole crate isn't much trouble I'm thinking like a retriver person!)

Also doing wobble board work and loud sudden noise work early is good, especially if you plan to do agility. Slamming aroud a wobble board, knocking over metal bowls to clatter, whatever. Basically introducing the idea that she can control motion and noise around her and that these things are cool.

There are probably others but those come to mind as additions to your list.

ETA: As an extension to wobble boards/noise is general potentially scary stuff: running across crinkly bags, dropping a trashcan lid, noisy overhead doors. Mira used to "surf" around the house on a sleeping bag as I pulled it...she thought it was super fun.

There's also body awareness work -- crawling through tight spaces, playing amidst pvc bars, jumping in an out of low boxes or walking along a line of them, having different feet on different surfaces, paw targets with all four paws, etc.

I wish I had taught a "no bark" command earlier. Liberty was our first dog, and at first his vocal-ness was really endearing. Until it wasn't.

NOT TAKING FOOD FROM THE FLOOR.

This is Cohen's #1 biggest issue. She's renowned for scenting a half decomposed sandwich while out at a park from the other side of the field and making a beeline towards it and completely blowing me off. She's almost perfect otherwise.

That and being more conscientious of dog-dog interactions when she was a pup and stepping in earlier. I had a "let them work it out" mentality that I don't think worked very well for her.

And food-related: giving up/trading what you have (food, property, real estate) when asked.

If someone had taught Webster that when young, he may not have ended up homeless. But then I wouldn't have him, so hey silver lining

Thank you! I definitely want to get her started on wobble boards and the like, I had totally forgotten about them! She doesn't really startle at noises, which makes me happy, but I guess it won't hurt to do setups to keep it that way.

She LOVES tight spaces. We have a cat tunnel for Whiskey that she will run back and forth through. She tunnels under the end tables which are about 5 inches off the ground I have pvc in my car, I should probably bring those in and play around them.

THANK YOU!!! This is exactly the type of thing I'm looking for!

She isn't very vocal, doesn't bark when Frodo starts. We reward BIG TIME for that. The only time she is vocal is when she is frustrated (You have my toy and I don't know what to do to get it back!) or barking at the other critters in the apartment. We have almost eliminated this in the past two days by giving 30 second time outs whenever we bark at the other beings.

Hm. Not sure how I would work in not taking food from the floor when I do a lot of rewarding on the mat, not to her mouth when we work on relaxing (Overall's RP style). And I do a lot of throwing food to reset her when we are training?

Also I am very very very very careful with her dog/dog interactions. She only gets to play with dogs I know well. I don't know that she will ever meet a truly "strange" dog because I'm too worried about one instance making her reactive Right now she can't be on the ground in pet stores, but I let her look at all the dogs there. Once she can be on the floor we will look, but avoid meetings.

I keep her most favorite tuggy toy up high just for trading reasons.

I wish I had gotten Payton started with more agility foundation stuff earlier. I mean beyond the relationship building and tug and drive work and blah blah. It would be nice to get over my regret but it will probably take me a while.

I don't have anything I wish I had taught Auggie earlier. And I didn't have Pepper for so long so she kinda doesn't count. There are of course a million things I would rather have done with Pepper but it's impossible to have done.

I should have spent more time on leash manners with Recon from a younger age and appropriate behavior on walks by traffic.

What I spent a TON of time on and do not regret one bit;

LOTS of off leash time (recall) with awesome treats, everywhere we went. Front yard, public park, dog park, inside my home and friend's homes... etc.

Attention/working near other dogs. I work a private dog park and Recon gets to accompany me to the office at least 10 hours a week, so this helped a TON

Nails/grooming/bathing- TEACH A STAND. Well, you don't have a very fluffy puppy... but I'm so glad I taught Recon to stand on the table when he was young... Paid off big time!

Waiting for meals/toys/to go through doors. Don't want to develope a guarder!

Car riding/making it a good experience. I had a drooly anxious puppy, so I did it more than I normall would.. but he's much better now, so that paid off!

Crating while you're in the house/treating and giving them time in the crate even if you're home all the time. Frag developed SA because we didn't do this at all, then went to school full time.

Desensitizing to the vet's office/grooming tubs can be a big thing, too.

Those are pretty much the most important to me.. many that I didn't do with Frag because he wasn't my puppy and I didn't know anything about dogs at the time, that proved to be much larger problems that we had to overcome later down the road. Recon got it all right away and he's doing SO MUCH BETTER than Frag was at his age.

This is going to sound weird (and probably dumb considering all the other very sound advice you've gotten) but better socialization to hats, sunglasses, and facial hair. And tall/big men with deep voices.

I have a list of things to encounter. I'm taking hats and such along when I take her into work and making people put them on Not that I'm paranoid or anything.

Oh good! I didn't do a good job of this with Mu and sometimes she still reacts to some random combination of those things. It's horribly embarrassing when your small cute dog is acting like the gigantic dude with glasses and a mountain man beard wants to eat her when all he wants to do is cuddle.

LLW, keeping a cool head around other dogs (saw the warning signs early, shrugged it off as puppy behavior), relaxation at home.

Those are really the only things that ended up causing me trouble later on...

As far as socialization - I would have liked to be more organized and had a better plan with it. I sort of just thought bringing my dog a lot of places and introducing him to people and having him around a few other dogs, would mean he'd be "socialized".

I never took into account setting up specific situations (people of different races, wheelchairs, etc) OR recognizing signs it wasn't going well, past the basic growling, pinned ears, typical fear behavior.

Also, I wish I hadn't let him on my lap the way I did. 24/7, thinking it was sweet how attached he was. It was adorable until he wanted to murder anyone else who got close to me.

This a list of things, sounds and experiences that I started with the litter. So she knows a lot of it, but I would certainly continue with it and anything else you come up with.

Whistles: people and sports whistles including the new electronic ones (purchased at most sport stores)
Banging everything and anything to makke loud or sharp nosies, i.e blocks of wood, spoons on pans, keys on aluminum etc.
Clapping and cheering, with lots of people.
Feet stomping
Hats and halloween costumes i.e masks etc.
Weird kid's hats.
Loud music
Mircophones
Bells of various types
Party noise makers and sport event horns.
Bang on walls, doors etc.
She knows how to move a small skateboard and rolling a cookie tin on it's side.
She has also been on a mini teeter

Meals in an xpen set up beside truck stops, construction sites or busy intersection.
Snowmobiles racing (nothing like that sound), Atv's, tractors etc.
And so on...............
I am hoping so smuggle Punky into the local arena and watch a hockey game.

I really wish I had sent Squash on some sleepovers to the neighbors, friends' houses, and boarding kennels when he was wee. The first time we went on vacation without him, he stayed at our neighbors. They are very experienced dog people and he goes over to play in their yard with their dog all the time, but he wouldn't go into their house at first. Everything turned out fine, but it was stressful.

I also wish that I hadn't been so charmed by some of his attention getting strategies. But god help me, they still charm me most of the time... it's just that 1 in 10 when I'm annoyed by them that makes me wish they didn't.

Loose leash walking.

It's my major pet peeve with Gypsy. Try and try and try as I might, she will not walk LOOSELY. She doesn't pull much but she keeps the leash taunt. It's a horrible habit now, and one I'm failing to break.

Have you tried silky leash training?

It's the only thing that worked for Frag and is working for Recon.

Well, I didn't have either of my dogs as puppies, but things I wish someone would have done with them...and things I would make sure to do if I ever end up with a puppy...

Instilling that you taking things away from her means BETTER THINGS. That trading is the best game ever and whatever treat/toy you have in your hand is MUCH BETTER than what she has.

Teaching them how to be polite for nail trims/baths/ear cleanings/etc, including handling from strangers.

That crates are the best things ever, and crate time equals quiet/chill time.