Well trained

Well trained

Training your puppy begins as soon as you get home. An 8 week puppy has a short attention span. Keep training sessions around 15 minutes. End every session on a good note. If your trainer is saying your pup needs to be older, they are more than likely implementing training techniques that are too rough for their little bodies. It could be because they don't want the sheep to hurt pup, or the intense exercise of the agility course to damage pup's joints. It could be because they want to use tools such as choke chains or pinch collars that are too aggressive for a pup (and to be honest, if this one was the reason, I'd look for a different trainer).

Always remember that training is about communication and relationships. You are building a trust between you two. Think of your relationship with your spouse or children or life long friend, would you use this technique with them? Would it damage your relationship if you did? If you are introduced to a training method that feels wrong, like you are damaging that relationship instead of building it – leash up and leave. If it feels wrong, it is. I've seen too many people that have an 'issue dog' because they trusted a training technique that damaged their relationship with their dog. Without respect and trust, you will not get far.

Take advantage of this age! Puppies are sponges for the first 4 months. Teach them the basic commands – then the sky is your limit. Have a goal of what you’d like to see from your dog in a couple years. Now is the time to start teaching those basic tricks! Teaching the foundations now can cut months off of training later.

The first few commands I usually do is sit and then down on command. I do not use stay (more about this later). Then it is most important to give your dog a drop dead recall. Your dog must leave ANYTHING it is doing and come to you. I recommend you start this training immediately. I will have started this here by calling the puppies and then rewarding them with dinner. You can carry on this training with treats. Hide in an easy spot, call the pup in a high pitched fast voice that will get his attention. Reward him with heaps of praise and high value treats when he finds you. For the first few months ALWAYS reward your pup for coming to you! NEVER call the pup and then punish it - for any reason.

There are many guides on training the basic commands. You can find them all over the internet, so I will not include any of that now. However, I will stress that the best training method is the one that works. Look into Puppy classes. They are great for first time owners. It teaches the owner and the puppy. It’s also a great exposure, experience, and socialization time for your puppy in an important learning window!

Customize the training to fit your lifestyle. Someone that wants to run agility may have different commands that are important to them than someone on a farm. For example – I do not use Stay. I use Wait. There is a difference. When you put a dog in stay they must stay there until you, the handler, returns to the dog and release them. Wait is that the dog will freeze and wait for a second command. You release Wait with a command word. If the dog is herding for example I can say wait and the dog stop where it is and look for further instructions like ‘walk up’, ‘easy’, ‘come’, etc. It allows me to also put a dog in a temporary ‘stay’ position to block a gate and I can release them from across the field or yard. Find out what you want in your life and do that.

Keep training short as a pup and gradually increase session as they age. Meal times are an easy time to do this. Always end on a good note. It’s all about communication. Learn how to get your dog to understand what you want and they will gladly do it for you. Learn how your dog communicates to you. It is a two way street.

Remember to listen to your dog. He will tell you how he is feeling in that moment. He may have bright shining eyes and be focused on you as you introduce him to a fabulous new game, or he could be disconnected and stressed. A common sign of stressors during training is yawning. If your dog is yawning, he may be telling you he’s been at it for too long, or that he is frustrated, or he may be feeling your frustration, or he may be confused, or over stimulated. Some pups shake, as if to shake off the stress like water from their coats. Some pups just stop listening because they no longer find you exciting, or they may not understand the point of putting his butt on the floor over and over and over again. He is trying to learn your language, it’s your job to learn his too!