Puppy training advice or resources

[J Patrick]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

I started my post to you with no offense intended and also each to their own and what works for you works for you...not sure why you have to start your post out "wrong wrong wrong" I meant no disrespect and was quite clear in that.

...mainly because you based your disagreement on something I never said or insinuated...that’s what I meant by wrong wrong wrong....you may have misinterpreted my thoughts and maybe they weren’t clear....but putting words into others mouths will sometimes trigger a salty response...I felt no offense and intend none....it’s just a post about how great girls are at training dogs...based on my observations...certainly you are free to feel otherwise...

[TomB'sox]

Originally Posted by J Patrick

...mainly because you based your disagreement on something I never said or insinuated...that’s what I meant by wrong wrong wrong....you may have misinterpreted my thoughts and maybe they weren’t clear....but putting words into others mouths will sometimes trigger a salty response...I felt no offense and intend none....it’s just a post about how great girls are at training dogs...based on my observations...certainly you are free to feel otherwise...

I had no intentions of putting words into your mouth. I may have misunderstood your post and apologize if that was the case. It seems others may have as well based on the replies.

I will try not to bother you anymore. Have a great night.

[Gabby84]

Labradors are a great breed and have an innate need to please (moreso than other breeds-I’m looking at you, Shiba Inu). Although they are active and benefit from training and exercise, but not as much as a border collie (needs a very active household). Great with kids. Also, many rescues that are great, too and respond well to training. Depends on your lifestyle. I’ll reach out to you and we can talk about it in more detail.

[ziapack]

If you can find it, most likely out of print but worth the search to obtain and read is a book by J. Allen Boone titled Kinship With All Life. It will change the way you understand and relate with animals, an may enlighten your experience beyond what you think would be obtainable. Enjoy your pup, they bring amazing joy into a household.

[Dogma]

Crate training for sure.
If you have a particular area where you want the dog to pee and poop, start taking him/her there from the very start. They will become habituated to that area and use it consistently.

POSITIVE TRAINING METHODS! Treats or play rewards depending on the proclivities of your breed/dog.
I used to be of the "no treats" method of training until Guide Dogs for the Blind switched to 100% positive training methods in their program and greatly improved their success rate in the process. These methods work and make working with your dog so much more fun.

I recommend finding a positive training methods-schooled trainer to work with. Group puppy classes are invaluable and hopefully trainers will be able to start them up again sometime soon. Timing and consistency and learning to read your dog are critical to effective training. I have found that working with a knowledgeable pro cut my learning curve significantly.

Expose your puppy to many different kinds of people and situations, and other dogs (safely and appropriately, of course), especially before 16 weeks of age.

It's A LOT OF WORK but such a wonderful addition to life (IMHO!)

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

No offense intended, but I could not disagree more. The dog needs to respect and listen to everyone in the house. All people should be involved so the dog knows they need to listen to everyone. Raising a good dog is like children with the main thing being consistency. One would never (I hope) leave the raising of children to one spouse.

Each to their own though, what works for you works for you.

Yes, all breeds of dogs have their own personalities and along with that train differently. Some dogs a simple change in tone of your voice is all that is needed while others (including labs) need more to get their attention. Some breeds are so smart that they virtually train themselves while others it is like hitting your head against the wall.

This aligns perfectly with my experience. Everyone in contact with the dog being involved and on the same page is incredibly effective.

[IBKuz]

Lots of great advise here, my experience is in training sport and police dogs. One aspect we train for is good obedience, as this is the foundation for working dogs at our club. Obedience can be overdone at times, so it is important to remember to always make training fun. We start by building trust with our dogs, gaining their respect and obligation. With all three together, we can then work as a team.

For formal puppy training, keep it short, no more than a minute or two, as they get older you can train for longer periods. Keep it upbeat, modulating your voice in normal tones, don’t use “baby talk”. Limit disciplining your dog, and rather reward good behaviour. Timing rewards or discipline is important, needing to be immediate or not at all. If not, then you are not marking the correct behaviour. Only train when you and your dog are in good spirits, this will improve learning retention. As soon as your dog gets tired or looses focus stop. If you’re out walking on a leash, this is a good time to train when you see them focusing on you. All training should be getting them to focus on you.

Environmental training is also just as important to get a stable dog that is confident in themselves and you. Take them out to fireworks, shopping malls, on park equipment (as they get older). The more experiences they get in life, the less fearful they will be; fear is the problem. Have them jump up and down (on command) from large rocks (within reason) to gain agility and strength. When a dog is fearful, don’t force them towards their fear object. Stop and let them assess what is going on, but don’t let them back away, encouraging them with a confident vocal encouragement from you.

There are many tools for training, but we don’t usually use food, except for specific circumstances. The problem with food training is if you don’t have food, your dog knows this and will blow you off. Balls and tugs are good (vocal praise as well), using them to reinforce that these rewards come from you. Don’t chase your dog for the toy, but go in the other direction, eventually they will come back to you to continue playing. Teach them to release the toy, before you start playing again. They like to start with the game of “keep away” as they would in the pack, this is not the behaviour you want to encourage, the leader does not chase. They need to see that all rewards come from you (i.e. food is a good example).

As dogs are pack animals, they want to be part of your family; you need to be the leader. Dogs take discipline well, but it needs to be measured (proportional) to the situation. You can’t go ballistic, if your dog plays “keep away”. Your dog barking at people or bitting people is not acceptable. As the leader, since you have not had dogs before, you need as much training as your dog, likely more. Find a good training center near you. Go watch the class before signing up, evaluating different trainers. My job as a dog trainer was actually to train the handler, not the dog ... lol

Most of all, enjoy the process. Dogs are very intuitive, look to them to see a reflection as to how you are feeling. Last piece of advise, don’t get a dog based on the breed you think you like. Look at your first dog as a breed that is easy going and easy to train. A mutt may be a good way to start. My first dog was a lab, with a great experience. Then I moved onto a working Shepherd and got into formal dog training and competitions.

[guitargabor]

If not mentioned before, you should consider the books by the Monks of New Skeate. Their series is very readable,makes common sense and really unlocks the canine personality and how humans interact with dogs.

One book is dedicated towards puppies.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/...new-skete.html

Gabe