ideas please

[AndrewF]

Hi all,

I'm looking for suggestions for training my 11 wk. old pup. Jake. He's already got some of the more basic commands pretty much down like sit, stay, come, lie down (even at a short distance from me), giving me his paw, standing up (briefly) and I'm working on getting him to walk calmly instead of trying to pull me. What I'm most interested in is other basic commands to teach him which are fun for him and useful as he gets older.

Thanks,

Andrew

 

[Renee750il]

Wow! It sounds like you've got a great head start. Maybe you could start teaching him some agility type tricks, like running through a tunnel, walking on a (low) inclined board and weaving. He's still too young to be doing any kind of impact things like jumping, but he might enjoy starting to learn some of the non-impact things.

By the way, I've found using a halter instead of a collar is a big help teaching a pup to walk calmly. Just a plain, regular halter, not one of those Haltis or anything special. It's just so much easier to maintain control; the pup seems to feel more under control and remains calmer. It also doesn't pull on their necks or put so much stress on your shoulder.

 

[smkie]

Old dog boss said walk a quick step with puppies..keep it short and fun. I think your pup will fall in line easy enough just give it a little time. If he starts pulling, switch directions so he has to follow you. Do it everytime he gets starts to pull. I learned this from my friend Kelly and boy howdy did it work great with Victor,..and make it fun..he'll be learning to sense his cue from what you do and will be trying to anticipate what you are going to do. That way you will have his attention, not the squirrel scents and the excitment down the road. Stop occasionally and practice sit on the leash so he knows he's "working". We do it when I hear a car coming. I also edge to the side of the road as I hear one approach before I give the sit command.
YOu must have a very special puppy to have the basics down so early. Have you seen the dog dancing video in Dog chat?

 

[AndrewF]

Just checked out the dancing dog video...now that's a well trained dog!

The halter sounds like a good idea Renee. The question I have about that is when you go back to a collar, does your dog revert to pulling....or perhaps a better way to ask this is does a dog associate the behaviour with the halter instead of the walk? (much like Jake initially though 'come' was strictly and inside command).

Switching directions is a good idea as well and I'm going to start on that when the snow melts enough in the park that Jake doesn't end up chest deep in snow. Right now, he's working for kibble which has had some success, but it's been limited to the first half of the walk. The home stretch is where he wants to hustle. As for stopping on the leash, Jake's pretty good with no distractions - but we're working on it.

One last question; Is there a book which has ideas for agility training throughout a dogs life - like simple things that a puppy can do right on up to an adult? I think Jake would like the inclined board and other related activities.

Thanks again.

Andrew

 

[Renee750il]

I haven't noticed any real desire to start pulling again with mine, but for longer excursions I like to stick with the halter, just for comfort's sake. Right now I've only got one halter that fits the two big girls, but neither one is pulling so it's really become a non-issue now.

I don't know if there are any books that specifically address agility for different life stages. If there aren't there really should be! I'm sure you can figure out which things Jake is old enough for and which he needs to wait to work on.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

Leave it and stay close are two good commands. I use stay close when I don't want the dog to be in a heel position, but I do want him/her to be near me. Leave it is useful if you leave food or something else interesting in your dog's reach. You can say, "Leave it!" and be back in a few minutes with (hopefully) your things untouched.