My girl is 10 weeks old now. She came home at 9 weeks, so we let her settle and get used to us for the first week - lots of engagement with us, learning her new environment (yard, different levels in the house, her crate, etc), and letting her adjust to her new schedule with us. Now that she's had that time, we've begun our official at-home obedience work.
I'm not so confused on how to train or what to train, but rather how strict I should be with her freedom and her play. Lots of blogs and training websites I've read essentially say to tether the dog to you and dictate their every move while in the house and keep energy low by not encouraging play in the house... in my head, that's just impossible for a young pup. When she wants to play, it has to be with us and with the toys we provide, but she's also a good self-entertainer and I feel that's important. We don't let her do zoomies in the house. We do dictate what she is and isn't allowed to chew on, and redirect when we need to.
As for the tethering, we do have a drag leash, but she instinctively follows me because she's still a pup. I reward it with praise, play, or a treat. She responds well to all three.
EDIT: Just to add quickly - she is beautifully crate trained. Doesn't cry and will settle in that, so that's not a concern.
With her being my first working line, I'm pretty convinced and okay with the fact I will screw something up. But the one thing I don't want is a dog who doesn't settle. Part of that is genetics, but the other part is on me. So what do you guys do? I've set my ground rules and expectations for her. Is there any key thing I'm missing?
I'm not so confused on how to train or what to train, but rather how strict I should be with her freedom and her play. Lots of blogs and training websites I've read essentially say to tether the dog to you and dictate their every move while in the house and keep energy low by not encouraging play in the house... in my head, that's just impossible for a young pup. When she wants to play, it has to be with us and with the toys we provide, but she's also a good self-entertainer and I feel that's important. We don't let her do zoomies in the house. We do dictate what she is and isn't allowed to chew on, and redirect when we need to.
As for the tethering, we do have a drag leash, but she instinctively follows me because she's still a pup. I reward it with praise, play, or a treat. She responds well to all three.
EDIT: Just to add quickly - she is beautifully crate trained. Doesn't cry and will settle in that, so that's not a concern.
With her being my first working line, I'm pretty convinced and okay with the fact I will screw something up. But the one thing I don't want is a dog who doesn't settle. Part of that is genetics, but the other part is on me. So what do you guys do? I've set my ground rules and expectations for her. Is there any key thing I'm missing?