[yungster]

When did you start training your pups? When I got Heaven she was 3-4 mos old, and was very receptive to training. She was very easy to train. I didn't train Koa soon enough, obviously...we're still working on it. Nala is almost 11 weeks old now, I am going to start teaching her to sit. I was just curious what ages you all started training?

 

[Tara<3Boss]

Well, Boss became my dog when he was 4 months old. My sister got him when he was three months old, and he already knew sit. So yeah, I started teaching down and stay when he was four months.

 

[debs]

Now is a good age for the basics.

 

[gazar]

Now is a good age for the basics.

I agree with Debs - that was what a trainer told me. "They should immediately start learning
"manners". The younger they learn the easier it is." Her statement.

 

[Kasco]

We started basics with ours as soon as we got them. It's never to early to learn good manners. The younger, the better.

 

[Biscanton]

i started Biz at about 2 months ( about 2 weeks after i brought him home)
he knows to sit and lay down, etc
he knows them, sometime he chooses not to do them on first command, but he does know them
dang stuborn bullys

 

[Roxy]

I'm training Marlee now, all the things I learn with roxy I do with Marlee. She can sit, lay, wait, come and she is getting use to close. Get training, lots & lots of praise.. get her really excited. Always best to train first thing when they have the most energy

Have fun Roxy actually joins in, she is doing better, it's like she is trying prove she is the best at OB. :lol:

 

[yungster]

I'm training Marlee now, all the things I learn with roxy I do with Marlee. She can sit, lay, wait, come and she is getting use to close. Get training, lots & lots of praise.. get her really excited. Always best to train first thing when they have the most energy

Have fun Roxy actually joins in, she is doing better, it's like she is trying prove she is the best at OB. :lol:

How old is Marlee now?

 

[Roxy]

I'm training Marlee now, all the things I learn with roxy I do with Marlee. She can sit, lay, wait, come and she is getting use to close. Get training, lots & lots of praise.. get her really excited. Always best to train first thing when they have the most energy

Have fun Roxy actually joins in, she is doing better, it's like she is trying prove she is the best at OB. :lol:

How old is Marlee now?

11 weeks

 

[yungster]

Awww, they are forum sisters! :lol:

I started working on "sit" with her earlier. I think she's a little bit TOO hungry. She acts like she's never seen food before and just gets so excited that she won't calm down and listen. I'll try again later after she has her dinner.

 

[Jenn]

The second they come in my home, rather it's waiting to eat, walking correctly on a leash, sitting, get in the crate etc. I've always started from day/second one.

 

[angie7349]

I gave Tora a break for about a week. Then at about 9 or 10 weeks we started with the basics..Nala is so darn cute by the way

 

[yungster]

Little off topic, but her potty training is going very well. I just wonder if she's not constipated though. It seems like whenever I would take Heaven or Koa out when they were little, they would poop. Especially Koa. He was a pooping machine. Nala will only go once, maybe twice a day. I shouldn't complain, but I wonder if that's normal! The last 2 nights that I worked, I was so busy that I couldn't break away to check on her. I came home after 13 hours, expecting her to have pooped all over the place... nothing. I was shocked. I took her out, and she went right away. Apparently she is one of those few pups who WON'T poop where she sleeps. She is something else, that girl.

 

[Cookies Mom]

I always start the 2nd day I have my pup. nothing too hard but sit, laydown and such.

 

[LifeIsDaPits]

Shadow started training classes when he was around 3 months old. But I started working with him on simple things like sit and no, when he was around 9-10weeks.

 

[Patch]

Patch

We got Patch when he was 8 weeks, and started teaching him straight away things like 'sit', 'no', 'on your bed', etc. and he's been pretty quick picking it all up.
He's now 4.5 months and a few weeks ago we started obedience training at a dog school every sunday morning. When he's not 'humping' his Great Dane/Bull Mastiff girlfriend who is 10 times his size (he likes the larger woman) he has been really good obeying commands! AND we implement them at home or course...

I think the younger you start training them, the better!

 

[halo]

I started mine right away they were about 9 weeks when I started the basics. I let them settle in for the first week then started but I made it a fun thing too. A game so to speak for the basics. They picked up really fast By 12 weeks they were doing a baby agility in my yard that I set up for them and they loved it.

 

[HausMommy]

We started Haus with Sit the day I got him. He knows Sit, Stay, Speak, Shake, Wave, No(I think every dog knows this one), High Five, Stop(our heel), up and down.

Justice we started working with the second day we had her. The first day was spent in a car(mostly). She knows Sit, no, and up. It's hard to do any training with her, because she whines if she's not around Haus.

 

[Lisa]

I think the best time to start is immediately...if you do it right.

I did almost everything wrong with Rosco. Different methods, not consistent, took rewards away to soon, too many freedom and choices...lots of mistakes. I piad heavily for that. No training is better than bad training.

As I have mentioned in several other posts I hand fed Smooch until she was about 6 months old. It started at the airport when I picked her up. Had a pocket full of Rollover and everytime she looked at me she got a piece of food. I made sure the breeder did not feed her before the flight so she was good and hungry. After she understood the eye contact I started with sits and downs. I probably started that after a few days. I did not feed her from a bowl at all until about 6 months old. By that time she was doing sit/stays, down/stays, focussed heeling, flip finishes etc and she was very focussed on me. I do still hand feed her when time allows. She still earns alot of her meals during training (obedience and tracking) and even now if i notice her being an ass I will go back to handfeeding for a few days.

I honestly do not believe its ever to early to start training. If they are old enough to leave their mother, they are old enough to start learning who the new centre of their universe will be.

 

[yungster]

I think the best time to start is immediately...if you so it right.

I did almost everything wrong with Rosco. Different methods, not consistent, took rewards away to soon, too many freedom and choices...lots of mistakes. I piad heavily for that. No training is better than bad training.

As I have mentioned in several other posts I hand fed Smooch until she was about 6 months old. It started at the airport when I picked her up. Had a pocket full of Rollover and everytime she looked at me she got a piece of food. I made sure the breeder did not feed her before the flight so she was good and hungry. After she understood the eye contact I started with sits and downs. I probably started that after a few days. I did not feed her from a bowl at all until about 6 months old. By that time she was doing sit/stays, down/stays, focussed heeling, flip finishes etc and she was very focussed on me. I do still hand feed her when time allows. She still earns alot of her meals during training (obedience and tracking) and even now if i notice her being an ass I will go back to handfeeding for a few days.

I honestly do not believe its ever to early to start training. If they are old enough to leave their mother, they are old enough to start learning who the new centre of their universe will be.

Thank you, this was very helpful.

How long did you wait to introduce a new command? Nala is learning sit right now, I want her to learn "down" (as in lie down) next. Should I wait until she has "sit" mastered, or try them at the same time?