When to Train/What Commands

ladyfreckles · 01-11-2012, 08:04 AM

My initial plan was to gradually teach the puppy everything I could without overwhelming him. That's what I'm doing right now. He's picking up on Sit, Quiet/Down, Come, and "Get Dressed". He's only 7.5 weeks today. I'm confused because out of no where I saw in a training article that you should spent the first 6 months or so on these basic commands, perfecting them, before you move on to anything else, and that you shouldn't even bother trying to teach the puppy more advanced stuff (like "wait", "pass", "heel", "speak", "watch", "Easy", etc).

This directly contradicts things I've read in most of the dog books I have, which say to teach at the dog's own pace and if he's learning, to keep teaching it. I'm not sure which advice to follow. We'll be enrolling in basic obedience when he's 12 weeks. After that I want to start doing more advanced stuff--though I'm still thinking and researching on what kind of stuff. I will do a lot of training both at home and with a trainer.

Any advice on the rough ages you taught your dogs certain things (example, when you stopped doing basic obedience and started doing agility/SAR/protection/etc or if you kept obedience going while starting the other things). I'm also curious about the CGC.

Thanks.

**JakodaCD OA** · 01-11-2012, 08:12 AM

Depends on the puppy and their ability to handle what your throwing at them

In my case, I usually work on those basics, sit/down/COME being the most important, I want a GOOD SOLID COME ..

They are smart even as puppies, and usually pick up things fast, but then you get to a 'butthead' stage where they choose to forget EVERYTHING , sometimes

I am always socializing my dogs, so walking on leash is something I start early, but I'm not looking for a "perfect" heel or perfect "no pulling",,

I always will reinforce those basics...I usually also let my puppies be puppies, and start a class when they are around 4-6 months.

If I'm planning on doing competition agility/obedience, I start with the small stuff, and don't really start getting serious until they are around 1-2 years of age, unless they are showing more maturity on their part and can handle the sometimes stress of it..

In the end, I think to much repetition can bore a dog, you have to make learning FUN, and performing those commands FUN, if it doesn't benefit them in some way, whether it's food, just wanting to please you, it's not going to be FUN for the dog and they just aren't going to want to do it..

doggiedad · 01-11-2012, 08:34 AM

i never start what i call "formal training" untill
my pup is 4 months old. before 4 months old
they're house broken, they know their name,
still working on not destroying the house and everything
in it. there's probably other things they know by 4 months
old but i can't think of them. then at 4 months old sit,
down, stay, come, heeling and whatever else. i teach
one thing at a time. sometimes you get a 2fer when you're
training. if you teach your dog one command a month that's
12 a year and in 2 years that's 24 commands and that's
really good. now that's 24 commands in 2 years but think
about the other things they learn where a command is used
in the early stages but the behaviour becomes automatic
and you don't use a command or rarely. example,
door dashing, once your dog learns not to do it
you can leave the door open and they won't exit (no command given),
riding in the car and not putting their heads out of the window,
waiting for you to clear the steps before going up or down,
staying in the yard if the gate is left open, not walking in the
street (leashed or off leash),etc. i like usuing
a long, slow and sure method of training. by sure i mean
they follow the command in all situations. if a dog comes,
sits, downs, stays, wait/stop on command that's good
but just think about all of the other things you can teach.
once a dog has the basics it's easy to go advanced.

doggiedad · 01-11-2012, 08:39 AM

what's "get dressed"???

ladyfreckles · 01-11-2012, 08:39 AM

That makes sense! That's what I'm trying to do here. I'm just trying to work on stuff at a pace Viking seems comfortable with. It scared me when the article said I shouldn't even bother doing other stuff.

May I ask how you work on the "come" command?

Right now I'm keeping it simple. It's usually on leash and from a few feet away. I started off by luring him with some kibble and now when he comes I reward him by playing with one of his toys with him for about 30-60 seconds before continuing on.

doggiedad · 01-11-2012, 10:18 AM

in the begining when i taught "come" i also taught "go to Rosie" (my GF).
we use to sit on the floor opposite of each other with our feet touching.
the pup was between our legs. i would turn the pup to Rosie and say
"go to Rosie", my GF would say "come". you might have to give him
a little push in the begining. my GF would a treat and plenty
of praise when the pup made it to her (with a little pushing).
then my GF would turn the pup to me saying "go Tillmon" and i would say
"come". another exercise was i would leash the pup and stand
1' to 2' in front of him and say "come" but pulling him towards
me the moment i said "come". when he was near me i would make
a big fuss over him and treat him. as times past i made the distance
between and the pup longer and longer. in the the house i would
step behind a doorway and then call the pup, move down the hallway to a
bedroom. my GF held the pup or kept him leashed while i called him
on many occassions. i never called my pup without making him "come".
sometimes i would walk within a foot of my pup with a treat
in my hand and say "come". you can always practice the distance
as the pup learns the command. make sure the pup has a grisp
of the command before adding distance.

BlackGSD · 01-11-2012, 10:59 AM

My puppies learn all kinds of things young. "Obedience" commands (come, sit, down, wait, out, ect...) as well as tricks like shake, speak, ect..... They are like little sponges at that age.

However the first thing they learn is what "hurry up" means. (That is what I use for bathroom breaks.)

They also learn the names of their toys. It is all "in fun", they enjoy it. It isn't formal training.

GregK · 01-11-2012, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doggiedad

what's "get dressed"???

Get Dressed Command for Dog Training at k9-1.com - YouTube

ladyfreckles · 01-11-2012, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doggiedad

what's "get dressed"???

Teaching the dog to willingly go into the leash or harness on their own. It was one of the first things we worked on because he wasn't leash trained when we brought him home and sometimes in the rush to take him out to go potty he'd struggle with us to get the collar/harness on. Teaching him to "get dressed" helps a TON with that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by doggiedad

in the begining when i taught "come" i also taught "go to Rosie" (my GF).
we use to sit on the floor opposite of each other with our feet touching.
the pup was between our legs. i would turn the pup to Rosie and say
"go to Rosie", my GF would say "come". you might have to give him
a little push in the begining. my GF would a treat and plenty
of praise when the pup made it to her (with a little pushing).
then my GF would turn the pup to me saying "go Tillmon" and i would say
"come". another exercise was i would leash the pup and stand
1' to 2' in front of him and say "come" but pulling him towards
me the moment i said "come". when he was near me i would make
a big fuss over him and treat him. as times past i made the distance
between and the pup longer and longer. in the the house i would
step behind a doorway and then call the pup, move down the hallway to a
bedroom. my GF held the pup or kept him leashed while i called him
on many occassions. i never called my pup without making him "come".
sometimes i would walk within a foot of my pup with a treat
in my hand and say "come". you can always practice the distance
as the pup learns the command. make sure the pup has a grisp
of the command before adding distance.

That's a really great tip!! I'll make sure to try it.

Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackGSD

My puppies learn all kinds of things young. "Obedience" commands (come, sit, down, wait, out, ect...) as well as tricks like shake, speak, ect..... They are like little sponges at that age.

However the first thing they learn is what "hurry up" means. (That is what I use for bathroom breaks.)

They also learn the names of their toys. It is all "in fun", they enjoy it. It isn't formal training.

Viking is DEFINITELY a little sponge. He's already sitting without treats or visual cues. I didn't even think that was possible. It's not a perfect sit, but it's pretty good for a puppy who's only known the command for a day or two. Ooh! I should try working on the toy names. That sounds like fun while I'm playing with him.

RocketDog · 01-11-2012, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackGSD

My puppies learn all kinds of things young. "Obedience" commands (come, sit, down, wait, out, ect...) as well as tricks like shake, speak, ect..... They are like little sponges at that age.

However the first thing they learn is what "hurry up" means. (That is what I use for bathroom breaks.)

They also learn the names of their toys. It is all "in fun", they enjoy it. It isn't formal training.

LOL...that's what I use too. Mostly because it's the most natural thing that always comes out at that moment.

01-11-2012, 08:04 AM	#1 (permalink)
ladyfreckles Elite Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Seattle Posts: 1,833	When to Train/What Commands My initial plan was to gradually teach the puppy everything I could without overwhelming him. That's what I'm doing right now. He's picking up on Sit, Quiet/Down, Come, and "Get Dressed". He's only 7.5 weeks today. I'm confused because out of no where I saw in a training article that you should spent the first 6 months or so on these basic commands, perfecting them, before you move on to anything else, and that you shouldn't even bother trying to teach the puppy more advanced stuff (like "wait", "pass", "heel", "speak", "watch", "Easy", etc). This directly contradicts things I've read in most of the dog books I have, which say to teach at the dog's own pace and if he's learning, to keep teaching it. I'm not sure which advice to follow. We'll be enrolling in basic obedience when he's 12 weeks. After that I want to start doing more advanced stuff--though I'm still thinking and researching on what kind of stuff. I will do a lot of training both at home and with a trainer. Any advice on the rough ages you taught your dogs certain things (example, when you stopped doing basic obedience and started doing agility/SAR/protection/etc or if you kept obedience going while starting the other things). I'm also curious about the CGC. Thanks. __________________ Viking vom Zeder-Kamme (11/19/2011)

01-11-2012, 08:12 AM	#2 (permalink)
JakodaCD OA Moderator Join Date: May 2000 Location: Old Lyme, CT USA Posts: 14,237	Depends on the puppy and their ability to handle what your throwing at them In my case, I usually work on those basics, sit/down/COME being the most important, I want a GOOD SOLID COME .. They are smart even as puppies, and usually pick up things fast, but then you get to a 'butthead' stage where they choose to forget EVERYTHING , sometimes I am always socializing my dogs, so walking on leash is something I start early, but I'm not looking for a "perfect" heel or perfect "no pulling",, I always will reinforce those basics...I usually also let my puppies be puppies, and start a class when they are around 4-6 months. If I'm planning on doing competition agility/obedience, I start with the small stuff, and don't really start getting serious until they are around 1-2 years of age, unless they are showing more maturity on their part and can handle the sometimes stress of it.. In the end, I think to much repetition can bore a dog, you have to make learning FUN, and performing those commands FUN, if it doesn't benefit them in some way, whether it's food, just wanting to please you, it's not going to be FUN for the dog and they just aren't going to want to do it.. __________________ Diane Danger Danger vom Kleinen Hain aka Masi "Angel" Jakoda's Bewitchen Sami CD OA OAJ OAC NGC OJC RS-O GS-N JS-O TT HIC CGC "Angel" Steinwald's Four x Four CGC HIC TT Harmonyhill's Hy Jynx NA NAJ NAC NJC RS-N JS-N HIC Jakoda's Jagged Edge

01-11-2012, 08:34 AM	#3 (permalink)
doggiedad Crowned Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Jenkintown,Pa. Posts: 9,853	i never start what i call "formal training" untill my pup is 4 months old. before 4 months old they're house broken, they know their name, still working on not destroying the house and everything in it. there's probably other things they know by 4 months old but i can't think of them. then at 4 months old sit, down, stay, come, heeling and whatever else. i teach one thing at a time. sometimes you get a 2fer when you're training. if you teach your dog one command a month that's 12 a year and in 2 years that's 24 commands and that's really good. now that's 24 commands in 2 years but think about the other things they learn where a command is used in the early stages but the behaviour becomes automatic and you don't use a command or rarely. example, door dashing, once your dog learns not to do it you can leave the door open and they won't exit (no command given), riding in the car and not putting their heads out of the window, waiting for you to clear the steps before going up or down, staying in the yard if the gate is left open, not walking in the street (leashed or off leash),etc. i like usuing a long, slow and sure method of training. by sure i mean they follow the command in all situations. if a dog comes, sits, downs, stays, wait/stop on command that's good but just think about all of the other things you can teach. once a dog has the basics it's easy to go advanced. __________________ "Life Without A Dog Is A Life Unfulfilled"

01-11-2012, 08:39 AM	#4 (permalink)
doggiedad Crowned Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Jenkintown,Pa. Posts: 9,853	what's "get dressed"??? __________________ "Life Without A Dog Is A Life Unfulfilled"

01-11-2012, 08:39 AM	#5 (permalink)
ladyfreckles Elite Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Seattle Posts: 1,833	That makes sense! That's what I'm trying to do here. I'm just trying to work on stuff at a pace Viking seems comfortable with. It scared me when the article said I shouldn't even bother doing other stuff. May I ask how you work on the "come" command? Right now I'm keeping it simple. It's usually on leash and from a few feet away. I started off by luring him with some kibble and now when he comes I reward him by playing with one of his toys with him for about 30-60 seconds before continuing on. __________________ Viking vom Zeder-Kamme (11/19/2011)

01-11-2012, 10:18 AM	#6 (permalink)
doggiedad Crowned Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Jenkintown,Pa. Posts: 9,853	in the begining when i taught "come" i also taught "go to Rosie" (my GF). we use to sit on the floor opposite of each other with our feet touching. the pup was between our legs. i would turn the pup to Rosie and say "go to Rosie", my GF would say "come". you might have to give him a little push in the begining. my GF would a treat and plenty of praise when the pup made it to her (with a little pushing). then my GF would turn the pup to me saying "go Tillmon" and i would say "come". another exercise was i would leash the pup and stand 1' to 2' in front of him and say "come" but pulling him towards me the moment i said "come". when he was near me i would make a big fuss over him and treat him. as times past i made the distance between and the pup longer and longer. in the the house i would step behind a doorway and then call the pup, move down the hallway to a bedroom. my GF held the pup or kept him leashed while i called him on many occassions. i never called my pup without making him "come". sometimes i would walk within a foot of my pup with a treat in my hand and say "come". you can always practice the distance as the pup learns the command. make sure the pup has a grisp of the command before adding distance. __________________ "Life Without A Dog Is A Life Unfulfilled"

01-11-2012, 10:59 AM	#7 (permalink)
BlackGSD Crowned Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Eastern Washington Posts: 7,795	My puppies learn all kinds of things young. "Obedience" commands (come, sit, down, wait, out, ect...) as well as tricks like shake, speak, ect..... They are like little sponges at that age. However the first thing they learn is what "hurry up" means. (That is what I use for bathroom breaks.) They also learn the names of their toys. It is all "in fun", they enjoy it. It isn't formal training. __________________ Tracy Siren vom Banach { Sable female GSD 3-20-08} R.I.P. Wrangler male ACD/Aussie mix. 9-29-99 to8-29-11. Last edited by BlackGSD; 01-11-2012 at 11:04 AM.

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