# puppy training?



## Ava. (Oct 21, 2020)

Where do I start? Puppy is settling in, eating food now (yay! Starved himself for the first week, poor dude). He doesn't really care for food when I offer it out of my hand. He usually eats most of his meal 3 times a day and doesn't really like ANY of the treats we have. He's picky, bascially. He's eating zignature with instinct raw as a topper. 

toy drive is high though. Will do anything for a toy. I've been working on having him follow the toy. I would like to try teaching sit but he won't offer the behavior for me to target.. ever. I don't think i've ever seen him just sit. 

I've never trained a puppy, deacon was super easy to train, i dunno what I'm doing


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

I think I would definitely start with a good puppy class. All the youtube videos in the world aren't really a great substitute for having a trainer to help when you are having difficulty with your puppy learning exercises. And it's great to get them used to learning around other dogs and people.

I think the first things I taught my puppy before we started class were sit, down, and leave it. For sit and down I use a lure to induce the behavior. Teaching a puppy to naturally follow a food lure is a great thing as well.


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## Ava. (Oct 21, 2020)

Raindrops said:


> I think I would definitely start with a good puppy class. All the youtube videos in the world aren't really a great substitute for having a trainer to help when you are having difficulty with your puppy learning exercises. And it's great to get them used to learning around other dogs and people.
> 
> I think the first things I taught my puppy before we started class were sit, down, and leave it. For sit and down I use a lure to induce the behavior. Teaching a puppy to naturally follow a food lure is a great thing as well.


He is already signed up for puppy classes, I'd like to put some foundations on him and it would be good for bonding but right now I just have a crazy puppy who wants to eat me and his leash and he would rather barrel roll trying to eat his own toes than to learn how to sit.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

I feel like 1) name+eye contact, 2) sit, 3) down, 4) touch are the easiest and best places to start.

I'm still very beginner level training with Basil and those were the easiest for us to master.


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## Ava. (Oct 21, 2020)

Basil_the_Spoo said:


> I feel like 1) name+eye contact, 2) sit, 3) down, 4) touch are the easiest and best places to start.
> 
> I'm still very beginner level training with Basil and those were the easiest for us to master.


he neeeedss to learn his name. He doesn't come to "puppy puppy puppy" anymore. He's learned the joys of ignoring me and will stand at the end of his leash trying to back out of his harness for as long as he possibly can. I'm having a hard time with him. We don't have a X-pen but I might need one.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Some random thoughts.

One is not to worry about him having any tricks/tasks/behaviors mastered before or even during puppy class. Part of the point of puppy class is simply to get him used to the idea of going to a strange place with lots of other puppies and distractions. He's got plenty of time to learn to sit, but there is a narrow window of opportunity for him to learn how to be brave in the face of weird new things.

Puppies and breeds vary in their drive and attention span. You have a terrier, and terriers tend to be a little more independent. I've certainly felt the discouragement of watching the Aussie or Border Collie in our puppy class gazing worshipfully into her owners eyes, while my puppy has discovered the fire extinguisher and is gnawing on the rubber hose. It's just what comes of owning a free thinking dog.

Part of the fun of having a puppy is learning what their interests are. Play with him and reinforce things he likes doing anyway. Teach him to barrel roll on command if he likes doing barrel rolls. Galen was always air snapping at me, so I taught him to snap his teeth on command. There's no law saying a sit is the first thing a puppy needs to learn.

Treats will be hard because he is so small. It doesn't take many to fill him up. You might be able to get him more interested in treats by offering him higher quality treats. Chicken breast, steak, mozzarella cheese, and/or hot dogs cut into popcorn kernel sized pieces might work for him. Freezing them helps keep them from turning into a greasy ball in your treat pouch during class.

A toy or play can be a reward. Galen, given a choice between his ball and a treat, will almost always choose the ball. I can reinforce a good heel by squeaking his ball in my pocket and then handing it to him after walking a few yards.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Freddy is learning lots from the other dogs - they sit for treats, so he sits; they come running when called for treats, he runs with them; they walk more or less with me when off leash, he does the same. I haven't attempted to add cues for these yet, just reward and praise and make it all a lovely game. We play games for treats every time we come into the house, which makes it easier to ger him in from the garden. The one thing I did work at immediately was a Pick Up hand signal - a papillon puppy is very tiny and it is important to be able to pick him up quickly in an emergency. A few demonstrations with chunks of chicken soon got the message across.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

I like reinforcing good offered behaviour at that age. Puppy is sitting? Good things happen! Puppy gives a little lick instead of a nibble? Good things happen! Puppy drops his ball into your palm? Good things happen! Puppy ignores that tantalizing leash hanging from his harness? Good things happen!

Like CP said, the “good things” vary based on the context. Sometimes play is the ultimate reward. Sometimes it’s proximity. Sometimes it’s freedom. Sometimes it’s a shred of chicken or string cheese. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to reinforcing the behaviour you like. It’s got to fit the moment.


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## MiniMojo (Aug 20, 2021)

Ava. said:


> he neeeedss to learn his name. He doesn't come to "puppy puppy puppy" anymore. He's learned the joys of ignoring me and will stand at the end of his leash trying to back out of his harness for as long as he possibly can. I'm having a hard time with him. We don't have a X-pen but I might need one.


SAME! Mojo loves to ignore me and I’m afraid to use his name so much that it has no meaning. I hope Puppy Kindergarten will help us! I highly recommend an ex-pen but get a taller one than you think you might need.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

MiniMojo said:


> Mojo loves to ignore me and I’m afraid to use his name so much that it has no meaning.


I use a clicker to train names. They pick it up really quickly.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

MiniMojo said:


> Mojo loves to ignore me and I’m afraid to use his name so much that it has no meaning.


Most dogs have a word or a sound that brings them running _every time_. Maybe it’s the crinkle of a treat bag, or even just the word “treat.” Maybe it’s the doorbell. Maybe it’s the sound of their leash being picked up.

When you see that in action, it’s a powerful reminder that the reason dogs ignore their name or a command from us is because it’s not reinforced powerfully or consistently (or consistently _positively_) enough.


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## Starvt (Nov 5, 2019)

Maybe try using a spoon or a squeeze tube/treat dispenser for soft treats (like baby food or squeeze cheese etc) to see if part of the issue is the 'eating from hands' aspect.

My top two puppy behaviours are the focus/eye contact and hand target/touch. They are an incredibly useful base for almost any command you want to teach. And they can certainly be taught and rewarded with toys and play. A ball on a rope (if you can find one small enough- a cat toy might work) or a soft long skineez- type toy for tug would be good options.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Fjm mentioning The Aunties has me asking, have you tried getting a few Sit's in with Deacon as the demonstrator? Big Eyes Boston might decide to go along .


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## Ava. (Oct 21, 2020)

Rose n Poos said:


> Fjm mentioning The Aunties has me asking, have you tried getting a few Sit's in with Deacon as the demonstrator? Big Eyes Boston might decide to go along .


I have! Truman doesn't care. I've tried catching both of their attention and asking deacon for a sit and truman just runs off. He's such a terrier. thats all I've got to say.


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## Ava. (Oct 21, 2020)

Starvt said:


> Maybe try using a spoon or a squeeze tube/treat dispenser for soft treats (like baby food or squeeze cheese etc) to see if part of the issue is the 'eating from hands' aspect.
> 
> My top two puppy behaviours are the focus/eye contact and hand target/touch. They are an incredibly useful base for almost any command you want to teach. And they can certainly be taught and rewarded with toys and play. A ball on a rope (if you can find one small enough- a cat toy might work) or a soft long skineez- type toy for tug would be good options.


I'm going to try some squeeze cheese tonight because he seems to really like it in his kong.


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## Ava. (Oct 21, 2020)

I typically combine name, and the word "come" with recall. The name gets too generalized, no matter how hard you try. Over the years with reinforcement, deacon drops everything and (very excitedly) runs to me because he knows he will get something good in the form of toys, treats, or attention


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## Ava. (Oct 21, 2020)

Update:

Truman is a year old now,

he has his TKI, and his ACT. He loves agility, tricks, fetch, frisbee, and is learning to love water.

his recall is pretty amazing, best recall I've ever had on a dog. and he LOVES frisbee. He's been going to our toss and fetch club for several months. Rollers are our gig, he doesn't look up.

also considering trying rally, his obedience is incredibly hit and miss. 

With myself being so busy, he's not the _most_ well trained , but he's so fun to come home to and mess around with.


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## Ava. (Oct 21, 2020)

also he has found his love for food and is absolutely obsessed, but toys are still #1


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