What to do with 11 week old puppy?

[tgolike]

I have an 11 week old puppy that I am hoping to train as a successor service dog for me. He of course is a german shepherd. I am wondering at that age, what I should be doing with him, and what he already needs to know, if anything?

[DJEtzel]

Well, training on a daily basis is a must, along with getting him into puppy classes as soon as possible. By this age my pup knew sit, down, shake, stay, come, leave it, off, and bedtime, so it's never too soon to start.

Just make sure you're using great training treats and are keeping sessions short and fun. 5 minutes is a good starting point a few times a day, but make sure you end them on a good note.

[ILGHAUS]

At 11 weeks old my dogs are mostly playing and being babies. They are also learning to come, being potty trained, learning basic house manners, learning to walk nice on a leash, learning to feel confident around various people, and further building on their trust in me and my decisions.

I say "learning" because they are not yet reliable nor proofed nor do I expect them to be.

[Andaka]

I have several "games" that I play with my puppies. Jag is a little older than your puppy, but we started this when we got him at 10 weeks.

First we do recall games. You need two pieces of food -- one of them needs to be big enough to be seen on the floor. Hold onto the puppy's collar. You throw the first cookie a little ways in front of the pup. Let go and say "get it" or fetch or whatever. You may have to help him find it the first time or two. When he finds it, coax him back to you with the second cookie using your recall command. Soon the pup will be watching for the throw, run to get it when released, and come back when called. He is actually learning to both retrieve and come with the same game. Then you can swap a ball or other toy for the first treat and fade out the second treat as playing with you becomes more important to the pup.

[Andaka]

Another recall game you can play takes two people. They sit on opposite sides of the room and both need cookies for the pup. One calls his name and coaxes him to come using the cookie. Then the second person calls and gives him a cookie for coming. This game gets really funny when the pup gets this figured out and just starts running back and forth between the two people looking for cookies. That is when you would stop playing this game.

[Lilie]

And give lots of kisses on the nose and cuddle time and play time and take lots of pictures..and....awe, I want another puppy...........

[ILGHAUS]

And give lots of kisses on the nose and cuddle time and play time and take lots of pictures..and....awe, I want another puppy...........

Some very very good advice. For now I have to get my puppy fixes by volunteering at our Humane Society. Yesterday, I had two babies to love on. It was puppy heaven.

[Mrs.K]

Originally Posted by ILGHAUS

At 11 weeks old my dogs are mostly playing and being babies. They are also learning to come, being potty trained, learning basic house manners, learning to walk nice on a leash, learning to feel confident around various people, and further building on their trust in me and my decisions.

I say "learning" because they are not yet reliable nor proofed nor do I expect them to be.

This!

[Chicagocanine]

Lots and lots and lots of socialization! It is the #1 priority at that age. I would get into a puppy class right away if you're not already in one as they are very helpful for socialization as well, but you should be socializing them every day not just in class.

[tgolike]

we are in classes right now, and we will start our next session in July. He seems to be doing much better with people as well as with other dogs. At about 8-9 weeks old, he would bark at people and other dogs. Now, he only barks at them when they come to our home. We don't have many people come over, and we live in a bad neighborhood, so I don't see a problem with this as long as he stops when I tell him to.