Hi all,
I think I've read all the posts(and there's quite a few) for any and all advise. I haven't had a pup for quite a few years and could ask a question on almost any topic since my new puppy fits many catagories(Ug) but I'll try and keep it short.
I know you should start training your puppy right away with housebreaking,sit,stay,paw etc...but at what age is good to start formal training. I've read that some trainers won't even look at a puppy to train until it's a year or two old. I have a 5 1/2 month old mini poodle who has just been spayed(this is my second post (great feedback) she's still mouthy but much better since most second teeth have arrived). She's good with some commands but has become a puller on the leash which is difficult now because she needs to heal and I don't want to hurt her by pulling her back too hard.
I was also wondering when its a good time to get a second pup/maybe a little older this time(6 or 7 months) and maybe a yorkie. I do work approx 6 hrs daily and would like to get her a mate so that she's not alone.
thanx

Hi Dappa,
I'm not sure what you mean by 'formal training' - training for what? For a companion dog, housetraining, sit, stay etc is formal training - and it starts as soon as you get the puppy home! Most training clubs that I know of will take puppies as soon as they've had their jabs and are safe to go out - that's when they learn to walk to heel, etc.
:)

Hi Jeangeni,
I was trying to be brief but I guess I was a little too brief. I want an obiediant companion dog but I tend to be an overacheiver and don't know if I'm expecting too much from a pup that's too young. I guess I was looking for general guide lines of what I should expect from a pup by age(say 5mos).

No puppy is the same as any other in what it can (or will!) learn by a given age. A lot depends on how much time is dedicated to the puppy and the quality of the training....and of course how good the trainer is!

And of course they never stop learning - even into old age.
:)

I have a damaged spine so could not have a dog which pulls! As soon as your pup starts to pull, stand still. The dog will very quickly learn that to walk forward, it either goes at your pace or not at all. I managed to get my terrier to walk to heal on a lead at all times within a week of beginning lead training and terriers are stubborn. If you allow the dog to pull it very quickly begins to think its dragging you along and leading the way ie winning. Good luck with this. All dogs are different but I'd wait until you've got your little well behaved before I got another.

Thanks, I think I'll do that.

I started obedience training with my boy at 12 weeks and he is obedient but is like his great, great grandma and finds it boring, although he does everything I ask of him. His mother on the other hand also did obedience training from an early age and adores it, you just never can tell!!!

About how much time do you spend daily? My shelby seems to get bored easily(short attention span) and is not good with commands like drop it(if she has something you dont want her to) or come if she's otherwise occupied or gets out of the fenced yard which to me are the most important for safety. I'm trying to incorporate the clicker method but some stuff she does and some she doesn't. I was wondering if I should take her to obiedence classes or if I could just do it at home?

When you are working with her on the leash give her a reason to come to you. Along with the voice command use a soft treat that will entice her to come. When she comes, praise her for coming and then give her the treat. A third wrinkle you can throw in is to use a clicker( a small plastic box with a metal flapper inside) to reinforce the correct response to your command.

You must keep your training sessions short as attention spans for puppies is only about 10 minutes. Two ten minute sessions a day is much better than one 20 minute session. Always work on positive reinforcement and ignore the negative as best you can. As you do the repetitve work with positve results the negative will disappear. If a severe negative habit shows up deal with it immediately so that it will not become a repetitive bad habit. NIP IT IN THE BUD SO TO SPEAK. If you get them right away it doesn't take much to turn them around.

There are a lot of good books in the library or on the internet that follow the POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT TECHNIQUES in TRAINING. There is also a site on the internet about Clicker Training. My girlfriend who has her own training business as well as she breeds Std. Poodles swears by both of these techniques. I have seen them work and it would blow your mind how quickly the puppies catch on. Dogs should learn because they want to, not because they have to.

Margaret :) Canada

Hi Margaret

Do you have the name of the clicker training website? A search on Google brings up so many!!! I am hoping to train my next pup (Australian Cattle Dog) using Sheila Booths Purely Positive Training techniques, which seem like the best way to get a dog to think for itself, and from what I have seen of Cattle Dogs, boy can they think! :)

Hayley

Hi Magaret,

Thanks for the advise as I need all I can get. I've done most of what you said, even the clicker part which I read about not long ago so I went out right away and got it. Do you have the website on it? I'm sure I could benifit with some more tips on how to use it but your right they do learn it right away with it. When I click that thing she immediately sits because she knows a treats not far behind. Outsides a different story though, yesterday I got a little cocky and had her off the leash when she ran out front and if not for the stone wall was ready to chase the UPS truck(Eeek). Well, I just about passed out with fright but grabbed her before anything happened. Although we walk on leash in the street she seems to be oblivious to the dangers of cars. I got one of those leashes that goes across her nose because she's a puller which she didn't like but once she got use to stopped the pulling.
I'll keep at it and hopefully one day I'll have a well trained dog!
Thanks
Lorna:)

hi
i often wonder whether dogs like having another dog in the house as a companion, in my experience they compete for affection and food my sister has 2 dogs she does'nt dare leave them together with bones etc as all hell breaks loose because one dog always wants both bones or toys etc. a companion seems like a nice idea but can in some cases can cause more distress,although this is'nt always the case sorry I sound like a grim reaper , but years ago i had 2 dogs which had lived with me for 3 years with no problems at all then one day while throwing a ball for them like i always did ,one grabbed the one which retrived the ball and nearly ripped her throat out she survived but it was the worse thing i have ever seen, i had to rehome the other dog to an experienced dog handler but obviously this is the worse case senario!!!!

jackie

Hi jackie,

Wow, that sound like a bad deal. I've always had two or more dogs at a time and did not have many problems, some like when we rescued this gsd who was chained to a coke machine but he was far beyond training and was quite a disruption so we had to give him to the mspca. I had two yorkie females who got along with no problems and seemed to enjoy each others company but it's always a concern when getting an additional pet. When you go to the breeder they of course always have many dogs and they all seem to enjoy each others company and get along so well at least that was my experience when I got shelby.
I'm sure I'll get another dog just not sure when but I'll be hoping all goes well.

Lorna;)