miloandhisfuturefurryfriend

[miloandhisfuturefurryfriend]

Want an easy way to start attention training? This is how my SD trainer starts all training. I'm assuming you are feeding kibble. Use breakfast and dinner as training opportunities. Sit with dinner in your hand, and every time he/she offers you eye contact, mark, and reward. This is a super easy way to help with the attention training, the "focus" you mentioned in one of your posts, and helping build the idea that you are the gateway to the reward.

Tether training is another big recommendation. If he/she is not in the crate, they are tethered to you. Play only happens when the leash is off. This is called tactile association so your pup can understand that when they are on leash they are paying attention to you and shouldn't expect to play and do whatever they want. This will build when you start doing PA and using an actual vest to help recognize "work mode" vs "play mode"

I know you didn't ask, but I hope this helps

I love the idea of using meals as training opportunities, especially if you have a very food motivated little guy or gal on your hands. And tether training is an idea i’ve explored a little, but i’ve never heard it put into the context of work mode vs play mode which is incredibly enlightening. Do you mind if i link this ask at the bottom of my post?

[miloandhisfuturefurryfriend]

Week One (& Two) Of Training Puppy

Environmental

Most important thing to remember when getting your pup is how important routine is for successful training. Whether it be crate training, potty training, time on and off the leash, or feeding times, there has to be as much consistency in the house as you can offer.

First, we're going to start potty training immediately. I'll make a post about how i suggest doing this, but it's important to remember that puppies can only hold their bladder for one hour per month of their age (plus another hour for most dogs). There are going to be accidents, don't beat yourself up about it, and definitely don't blame the dog as that will only build up resentment.

We're also going to start crate training night one.Yes i know, both you and Puppy just want to snuggle, but it's best for them to get used to their crate as a safe place as soon as possible.That first night I would even suggest putting the crate on your bed. We want them to form a positive bond and recognize the crate as a calm down space and not as a punishment. It's all about positive reinforcement.

During the first few weeks you're going to want to introduce some sort of playpen. This pen is just a vital as the crate for training because it offers your dog a supervised amount of freedom. You control what goes in the pen, and you get to supervise how Puppy interacts with those things. Being in a playpen makes it a lot easier for a new puppy to navigate how to be well mannered and helps us control negative behaviors. 

You're going to keep puppy on a leash around your waist during training, and basically anytime they aren't playing outside of the crate. We don't want them to associate the lead with playtime, and this makes it a lot easier to supervise puppy while they get used to the house.

During these first few weeks you’re going to want to make sure they are socialized with a handful of friends and family, so that they get used to random people being around. Do NOT socialize a young dog with other dogs unless they are up to date on vaccines and have a recall command. 

Training

Puppies can start Foundational training as early as the week you bring them home. That being said, always make sure you've given two, three, or maybe even four days for the dog to adjust to their new environment.

The first thing we want to start with is marking the word “Yes” and Food Lures. With this, we are teaching Puppy how to properly accept treats and food from their owner, and helping to solidify the bond between you, AND creating a marker word that in the future will let Puppy know when they’ve done the right thing. This is the foundation for every command and task that will be taught in the future, so it's incredibly important to take the time to build this skill properly

Continuously feed Puppy treats (their kibble works) while handling them. Touch their ears, their paws, their stomach, and anywhere else they may not used to being touched so that they are used to being handled.