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I know how to do the basics, like my pup already knows how to sit, stay, lie down and give his paw, but I want to train my pup properly off and on the lead, I already leave him off the lead and he his pretty good but any advice for off the lead? And I have no idea how to train him on the lead, he's started to pull, but obviously its not too bad yet because he's young, but he's a collie x lurcher so I'm worried when he gets bigger he may be hard to handle. Any advice would be really great. And how much time to recommend for training? I try to do it a couple of times a day for roughly 15-30, is that too much or is it okay?
By rabid
Date 26.10.12 17:19 UTC
Best to attend a good training class so you can make sure you've got everything right from the get-go. Whereabouts are you based, someone might be able to recommend a trainer?
How old is pup? 30 minutes is probably too long for his attention span. A good training class will teach you a lot as will books, although would have said read up BEFOREy ou get the dog but too late to tell you that now. I did a lot of off lead training with my dog at the beach between groynes. Luckily it was a time off year where dogs were allowed on the beach and the beach was quiet so we had the space to ourselves and i had the security of knowing he was safe. Have you got any safe enclosed areas (like a paddock etc) where you could do that. The sooner you do off lead training the better but it is paramount you know what you are doing otherwise you will confuse pup or teach him bad habits but not carrying out commands correctly. rewarding with food works well for most dogs and some find clicker training very effective but again this will only work if you really know what you are doing
A good training class is a good idea. Not only for the training aspect of it, but for the socialisation ... it's good for your pup to see dogs of other breeds, and it's also good to train with your dog with distractions but within a controlled environment. If you have one nearby, go along and observe before signing up. Important to know that you like their methods.
As far as I'm concerned, any interaction with a puppy is training, I don't set myself a set time each day to train. Meal times become training - sits and downs and reward with their food. Lots of short and fun session is far better than a longer session, but training must always be fun, for puppy and for you.
Everyone has their own idea about how to train a dog to walk nicely on lead. I use the stop and act like a tree tactic, ie if pup pulls I stop. When lead slackens I move forward again. This can become boring for both pup and handler, so I'll sometimes stop, when lead slackens I'll head off in another direction and at a swift speed, keep puppy guessing. Has to be done consistently though, you can't go for one walk and 'train' nice lead walking and then every other time in the day pup is on lead accept pulling.
A good training class is your best starting point though :-)
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