Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:56 am Post subject: training ideas for a 13wks old
Hi Guys
We (Jessie and I) have nearly completed the puppy training course.
Right this is going to sound very big headed & just a bragging thread, but it doesn't mean to be, so bear with me...
I train Jessie twice a day for 10-15mins per day, plus am fortunate to be at home with her all day. Because of all this extra 'homework' we are well ahead of everyone else in the class (despite Jessie being the youngest) and tbh I find the classes boring, although it great for socialising her.
she can:
sit (verbal and hand commands)
sit and wait (I can go quite far from her or she will wait for her dinner till told)
down (verbal and hand commands)
down and stay (again i can go quite far from her)
watch (as in watch me)
recall to name and whistle is perfect
she walks beautifully to heel
leave, i can put a treat infront of her and she will leave till told
lol and she also does 'give me five'
she knows the words NO and LOOSE.
we are still working on her retrieving as this is very hit and miss ! so any advice about that would be great.
Glenn will be using her as a gun dog in the future, but I would like to do something with her in the mean time. The dog trainer also does fun working trials courses, but she has said Jessie is too young at the moment, so i just wondered what else I could do to keep us occupied !
there is another trainer locally who does the KC good citizen awards (my trainer doesn't do them) - are these worthwhile ?
At her age I would be thinking of doing all the same basic exercises but outside and with increasing distractions. Being able to do things at home in her usual environment is one thing, but outside where there are other dogs running about, new smells to sniff and people coming and going, is a whole other ball game.
If you can crack the basics outside and in as many different environments as you can think of, as well as at home, then you'll have one fine dog you can do anything with later on.
At her age I would be thinking of doing all the same basic exercises but outside and with increasing distractions. Being able to do things at home in her usual environment is one thing, but outside where there are other dogs running about, new smells to sniff and people coming and going, is a whole other ball game.
If you can crack the basics outside and in as many different environments as you can think of, as well as at home, then you'll have one fine dog you can do anything with later on.
thanks, yes I do the training in lots of different places and shes so motivated that she will forget about everything else around her and just concentrate on the food ! at yesterdays dog training she sat and looked at me whilst another dog jumped all over her - without removing her eyes from mine !
shes such a pleasure to train, as my other dogs havn't been food motivated at all and she is very easy to train because of this
She sounds lovely and very much like my black girl, Mojo.
All I will say, knowing how Mojo grew up to be, is don't make the mistake I did and put more effort into the Training side, than the Socialising. I was over enthusiastic and so was Mojo, so it was so easy to get carried away with the Training and think she was being Socialised at the same time, when she wasn't really.
I think some of these driven pups, often forget to take in the world around them, as they are so busy "working" and concentrating on you, they just don't see what's going on around them, let alone interact with it. Then when they hit about 5-6 months they realise there are scary things out there in the world and they don't know how to handle them. I had problems with Mojo being defensive because she was scared, from about 5 months old and this went on for years, as it's much harder to crack the problem once they are past that little puppy stage.
It sounds like she is doing really well with her training and I would carry on doing what you're doing, but I would also spend a lot of time getting her out and about, on buses, in cars, outside shops, in town, visiting friends/relatives, seeing children, buggies, wheelchairs, etc, etc and letting her take it all in.
Their little brains can only think of one thing at a time and if she always has one eye on you, then she isn't taking in what else is going on around her. So relax a bit and let her find her feet in her world and she will benefit hugely from this.
We had a dog turn up at gundog training one day who could do 'it all' his obedience was 2nd to non, unfortunately he had been steadied far to much far too early and was too obedient for a young dog all his drive had gone, its easy to steady a dog later on but very difficult to put drive back in.
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Vikki, Ruby, Henry & Hector xxx
She sounds lovely and very much like my black girl, Mojo.
All I will say, knowing how Mojo grew up to be, is don't make the mistake I did and put more effort into the Training side, than the Socialising. I was over enthusiastic and so was Mojo, so it was so easy to get carried away with the Training and think she was being Socialised at the same time, when she wasn't really.
I think some of these driven pups, often forget to take in the world around them, as they are so busy "working" and concentrating on you, they just don't see what's going on around them, let alone interact with it. Then when they hit about 5-6 months they realise there are scary things out there in the world and they don't know how to handle them. I had problems with Mojo being defensive because she was scared, from about 5 months old and this went on for years, as it's much harder to crack the problem once they are past that little puppy stage.
It sounds like she is doing really well with her training and I would carry on doing what you're doing, but I would also spend a lot of time getting her out and about, on buses, in cars, outside shops, in town, visiting friends/relatives, seeing children, buggies, wheelchairs, etc, etc and letting her take it all in.
Their little brains can only think of one thing at a time and if she always has one eye on you, then she isn't taking in what else is going on around her. So relax a bit and let her find her feet in her world and she will benefit hugely from this.
thanks, I am very conscious of this as our last dog (who we got at 16wks) spent his whole puppy life before we got him in a portacabin and was scared of everything ! she has already been camping with us and regularly goes into town and crowded places (such as horse shows lol)
We had a dog turn up at gundog training one day who could do 'it all' his obedience was 2nd to non, unfortunately he had been steadied far to much far too early and was too obedient for a young dog all his drive had gone, its easy to steady a dog later on but very difficult to put drive back in.
oh ok this Im worried about as she is VERY steady and everyone comments on it. ( i thought it was a good thing as our old springer was just plain loopy and you couldnt do anything with him or steady him up at all)
how can I stop this from being too steady then as like I say glenn needs her to be a gundog ? I do let her have her mad moments and play with other dogs etc..
I'm only telling you what my trainer says, when I started gundog training with Hector he had no obedience apart from sit and a brilliant recall, I was mortified because he was like tigger on acid but my trainer was happy with that said "we can steady him up but we could never put that enthusiasm back in"
I know gundog trainers never used to start any sort of training until the puppy was 6 months, not sure how true that is of modern day trainers.
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Vikki, Ruby, Henry & Hector xxx
thanks, I have arranged to take her to another dog training class who do the good citizen awards, (lady was very kind and said we can go along to join in for one class and then decide if its for us) and when shes older they also do gun dog training.
also when shes older she said she knows of a great working trials trainer locally too
I think the advice is good. Lots of puppies are good pups at 13 weeks and can do the above or similar BUT the key is to keep plugging away at it, as boring as it can be for you, if you move on too fast you risk having to go back and correct mistakes. I don't think you are guilty of this - but some people are - the key to dog training in my eyes, is not only amending ones plans to suit the dog but to not race to the finish, there is no need to rush anything, in reality often the slower you go (within reason) the quicker you get there.
I would be looking at slowly extending her sit stay. Practising recall with distraction in lots of different places. Also practising heelwork with distraction. I would not be wanting to go into any formal retrieving or complex tasks.
I would also be looking at continuing the socialisation, you sound like you are doing a great job there.
The basics do need to be set well in stone because before you know it teenage rebellion rears it's head and it's back to working on their manners.
You will make mistakes, we all do, it's how we learn. I made may on grouse but she was kind enough to teach me more than i taught her! Fern on he other hand is a complex fish and engaging her brain is proving more complex the older she gets!
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