When To Start Training A Puppy?

[Guest snakes]

So a friend of mine adopted a lab/dalmation mix puppy a few months ago, he is 5mo old now. My friend seems to think that you don't need to worry about training a dog until it is 1year old.

Now i know it is a puppy and they have incredible energy, but this dog is WILD, it has already chewed many things in the house, doesn't listen at all, and is a crazy whirlwind on and off leash.

He took it to the pet store "puppy class" but he doesn't really keep up with any of that "training" (from what he told me it was more a sales lecture).

 

So my question is, since i never had a puppy, regardless of the breed - what age do you start training a puppy in order for it to become a reasonably well behaved and manageable dog?

Is it unreasonable to start "reining him in" at 5mo old?

 

I have no experience what so ever with puppies so any advice/experience would be appreciated.

[Guest KennelMom]

We pretty much started with Dash from the time she was born. It's never too early, you just have different methods, expectations and goals as the dog ages.

[JAJ2010]

I've never personally had a puppy in my adult life, but I think as soon as they start eating solid food they can be taught to sit for a treat!

Edited September 9, 2011 by JAJ2010

[fionasmom]

Nessa is an english pointer (very high energy breed) and I have had her since she was 8 weeks old. At 9 weeks she knew how to sit for treats; at 10 weeks she knew the down command. We started puppy classes at PetCo at 12 weeks; as soon as she had all the necessary shots. In short, it is never too early to start training a dog.

 

As someone who works with pointer rescue I can tell you that your friend is setting the dog up for failure. Most of the owner surrenders we see are 1 year old dogs that have reached physical maturity but have no training. By that point they are too wild for the owner to control. They have no impulse control and no clue what proper behavior is. Soon after they reach a year old they get put in the back yard because they are too wild to be in the house. Boredom sets in and they start digging, barking and chewing the patio furniture or escaping to visit the neighbors. Their next stop is the shelter.

 

At least a pure bred has a hope that a breed specific rescue will pull them. A badly behaved mix at the shelter has almost no chance.

 

Oh yeah, even with all the early training, Nessa was a handful once she reached the "teen" phase around 8 months but at least the obedience training gave me some tools to work with.

 

If he doesn't like the pet store class he needs to find another training program.

Edited September 9, 2011 by fionasmom

[turbotaina]

Your friend needs to start now. Fiona brings up very good points about owner surrenders. A puppy is never too young to be trained In fact, the earlier the better, especially when it comes to socialization. If you wait too long, you could end up with a fearful and/or aggressive dog who doesn't know who to socialize properly.

[fionasmom]

To add to Turbotania's post, training classes are as much about socialization as obedience. There is a small window when a young dog is open to socialization. Your friend needs to work on that as well as obedience.

 

Your friend has trouble handling the dog now that he weighs probably 30 pounds. In a few months the dog will weigh 70 pounds and he's not going to teach himself any manners in the interim.

[Fruitycake]

The dog is being trained, whether the owners are trying or not. Trained that chewing is an all right activity and he can choose what he wants to destroy. Trained that he doesn't need to follow orders or walk nicely on a leash. Trained that he can do whatever the heck he wants, and it doesn't matter.

 

Manners training is more than "sit" "stay" and "lie down" (though those are helpful). The best way to start training is to do small gentle steps and encourage behaviors you want and discourage behaviors you don't by making that less pleasant than doing what you want. Make it fun, take small steps, and you can do it.

 

Saying that dogs don't need training until they're adults is like saying that children don't need education or manners until THEY are adults (or at least teenagers). Good luck, then!

[Guest snakes]

Thank you everyone! I have never had a puppy and don't want to overstep any boundaries, after all it isn't my dog. i am trying gentle pushes/training of the owner to get him to train the dog.

 

 

Soon after they reach a year old they get put in the back yard because they are too wild to be in the house. Boredom sets in and they start digging, barking and chewing the patio furniture or escaping to visit the neighbors. Their next stop is the shelter.

---------

The dog is being trained, whether the owners are trying or not. Trained that chewing is an all right activity and he can choose what he wants to destroy. Trained that he doesn't need to follow orders or walk nicely on a leash. Trained that he can do whatever the heck he wants, and it doesn't matter.

 

He is or has already done all this! In fact the owner sees no problem with the digging at all! (drives me crazy!) He already tries to leave the dog in the back yard no matter how many times i remind him that the dog has no common sense whatsoever about what not to eat (plum pits in the yard....) and what behaviors are good, bad, ugly.

He has tried socializing (As much as he can with the dog not fixed yet-next month), that part he is doing well on I will admit. The dog is very social, it just knows no boundaries....

the puppy does know sit....but that is it...

 

I appreciate all your input, i know nothing about puppies!

[Guest Swifthounds]

Birth...or as soon thereafter as possible.

[krissy]

Thank you everyone! I have never had a puppy and don't want to overstep any boundaries, after all it isn't my dog. i am trying gentle pushes/training of the owner to get him to train the dog.

 

 

Soon after they reach a year old they get put in the back yard because they are too wild to be in the house. Boredom sets in and they start digging, barking and chewing the patio furniture or escaping to visit the neighbors. Their next stop is the shelter.

---------

The dog is being trained, whether the owners are trying or not. Trained that chewing is an all right activity and he can choose what he wants to destroy. Trained that he doesn't need to follow orders or walk nicely on a leash. Trained that he can do whatever the heck he wants, and it doesn't matter.

 

He is or has already done all this! In fact the owner sees no problem with the digging at all! (drives me crazy!) He already tries to leave the dog in the back yard no matter how many times i remind him that the dog has no common sense whatsoever about what not to eat (plum pits in the yard....) and what behaviors are good, bad, ugly.

He has tried socializing (As much as he can with the dog not fixed yet-next month), that part he is doing well on I will admit. The dog is very social, it just knows no boundaries....

the puppy does know sit....but that is it...

 

I appreciate all your input, i know nothing about puppies!

 

I don't see what being fixed as to do with this. The puppy is not really at sexual maturity yet, therefore he doesn't need to be fixed in order to socialize. And even dogs that are sexually mature can still socialize, there are just precautions that need to be taken so as not to end up with an accidental litter. My friend didn't neuter her German Shepherd until he was a year old but he was out being socialized with people and other dogs from day one. Our retired racers socialize with each other all the time at turn out at the track, and they weren't neutered. When foster dogs arrive from the track the adoption agency doesn't tell you you can't socialize them until after their neuter/spay has been done. I even begin socializing puppies before they have had their vaccinations. I usually socialize them mostly with friends' dogs that I know are vaccinated, but if I'm out walking and meet another dog I'll ask if that dog is vaccinated and take the risk. In my experience parvo and distemper kill far fewer dogs in this day and age (since almost all dogs are now vaccinated) than poor socialization and owner surrender.

 

Your friend needs to start socializing and training this dog or he is going to be an absolute nightmare that no one wants to be around.

[HoundHeavenAZ]

Day one! Socialize, socialize, socialize!! And take all the classes you can manage - a well behaved dog with a well trained handler will be well received in most situations, and the dog and handler will both enjoy each other more. First learn how to control your dog and then expose the dog to new situations as often as possible. Anticipate reactions and be prepared for them!

Establishing who runs things should happen the day the dog joins the family. There are lots of experienced handlers and excellent suggestions available on GT so do some searching and plan on reading for a while! Best of luck to all

[philospher77]

What the owner needs to understand is that they are training the dog every day, simply by how they interact with it and what they let it do or not do. So he needs to look ahead to when this dog is an adult and decide what behaviors are going to be acceptable then and start guiding the dog to those behaviors. It may be really cute when your 5 pound puppy crawls in your lap and bites your fingers, but you probably do not want a 70-pound dog doing that! Secondly, they need to find a trainer or class that believes, like mine does, that dog training should be fun! It can be a great way to interact with your dog, and the more fun it is, the easier it is, the more likely you will keep up with it. They use games like Freeze Frame (you play with your dog however your dog plays on leash... tug is popular... while music plays, and when the music stops, have your dog sit or down, depending on what you are working on that day. Music starts back up, dog gets to play again. Music stops, repeat.) Cheeseball relay, to help the dog learn to walk nicely on leash. Hide and seek, where one person goes and hides and calls the dog by the recall word, rewards the dog for finding them, and possibly for a sit as well, then the other person hides and repeats. Training a dog doesn't have to be just "do a sit 15 times in a row". Mix it up and have some fun with it!

 

And my response to the many people I see post on line that "greyhounds are dumb" and that they aren't easy to train:

Yes, Katie loves to sit, and she did eventually learn to spin the "other way". Keep in mind that Katie started out as a dog who was terrified to leave her crate, so if she can be trained (slowly, gently, and with a lot of patience and taking a lot longer than a more normal dog), an energetic puppy should be capable of being trained.

 

Rebecca

Edited September 10, 2011 by philospher77

[JJNg]

As everyone else has said, the earlier training starts, the better. When puppies come in to the clinic with their new owners for their first visit at 6-8 weeks old, I often show owners how they can start using treats to teach basic commands like 'sit'.

 

I'm wondering if your friend is thinking of "training" in the sense of formal obedience training? Maybe it would help get the point across if you compare training a puppy to teaching a child good manners and polite behavior. Good parents don't just let kids do whatever they want and wait until they are grown up before teaching them basic manners and social skills. A 1-yr-old dog is full grown and sexually mature and would probably be the equivalent of a 16-18 year old human.

[Guest LindsaySF]

I'm wondering if your friend is thinking of "training" in the sense of formal obedience training? Maybe it would help get the point across if you compare training a puppy to teaching a child good manners and polite behavior. Good parents don't just let kids do whatever they want and wait until they are grown up before teaching them basic manners and social skills. A 1-yr-old dog is full grown and sexually mature and would probably be the equivalent of a 16-18 year old human.

X 2

[Guest snakes]

Thanks guys, good to know i wasn't off in my thinking/rationales! Now just to convince the owner.....

 

I don't see what being fixed as to do with this. The puppy is not really at sexual maturity yet, therefore he doesn't need to be fixed in order to socialize.

 

Being in an urban area the puppy doesn't have many off-leash areas to play with other dogs, all the dog parks you have to be payed/neutered, and the doggie daycare/playgroups require this as well. He is meeting dogs on the street, but that can be limited.

Believe me, i totally get your point and i think he should be doing more....

[Sighthounds4me]

Thank you everyone! I have never had a puppy and don't want to overstep any boundaries, after all it isn't my dog. i am trying gentle pushes/training of the owner to get him to train the dog.

 

 

Soon after they reach a year old they get put in the back yard because they are too wild to be in the house. Boredom sets in and they start digging, barking and chewing the patio furniture or escaping to visit the neighbors. Their next stop is the shelter.

---------

The dog is being trained, whether the owners are trying or not. Trained that chewing is an all right activity and he can choose what he wants to destroy. Trained that he doesn't need to follow orders or walk nicely on a leash. Trained that he can do whatever the heck he wants, and it doesn't matter.

 

He is or has already done all this! In fact the owner sees no problem with the digging at all! (drives me crazy!) He already tries to leave the dog in the back yard no matter how many times i remind him that the dog has no common sense whatsoever about what not to eat (plum pits in the yard....) and what behaviors are good, bad, ugly.

He has tried socializing (As much as he can with the dog not fixed yet-next month), that part he is doing well on I will admit. The dog is very social, it just knows no boundaries....

the puppy does know sit....but that is it...

 

I appreciate all your input, i know nothing about puppies!

 

I don't see what being fixed as to do with this. The puppy is not really at sexual maturity yet, therefore he doesn't need to be fixed in order to socialize. And even dogs that are sexually mature can still socialize, there are just precautions that need to be taken so as not to end up with an accidental litter. My friend didn't neuter her German Shepherd until he was a year old but he was out being socialized with people and other dogs from day one. Our retired racers socialize with each other all the time at turn out at the track, and they weren't neutered. When foster dogs arrive from the track the adoption agency doesn't tell you you can't socialize them until after their neuter/spay has been done. I even begin socializing puppies before they have had their vaccinations. I usually socialize them mostly with friends' dogs that I know are vaccinated, but if I'm out walking and meet another dog I'll ask if that dog is vaccinated and take the risk. In my experience parvo and distemper kill far fewer dogs in this day and age (since almost all dogs are now vaccinated) than poor socialization and owner surrender.

 

Your friend needs to start socializing and training this dog or he is going to be an absolute nightmare that no one wants to be around.

 

Agreed. I have a youngster who is almost 3 and intact. He is a very social dog. My Manero was not neutered till he was almost 8, and we have taken him everywhere.

[krissy]

Thanks guys, good to know i wasn't off in my thinking/rationales! Now just to convince the owner.....

 

I don't see what being fixed as to do with this. The puppy is not really at sexual maturity yet, therefore he doesn't need to be fixed in order to socialize.

 

Being in an urban area the puppy doesn't have many off-leash areas to play with other dogs, all the dog parks you have to be payed/neutered, and the doggie daycare/playgroups require this as well. He is meeting dogs on the street, but that can be limited.

Believe me, i totally get your point and i think he should be doing more....

 

I think if this is looked into more the rule probably has a lower age limit. It's not right that they would expect a 3 or 4 or 5 month old puppy to be spayed/neutered. Only shelters/rescues routinely alter that young and there is controversy about whether or not it is detrimental to their health. And socializing doesn't have to be done sans leash. Most of my dog's socialization is done on his leash on walks around the neighbourhood. As have all foster dogs and puppies that I've had. The dog park not allowing an unaltered puppy is an excuse to not socialize that puppy. The owner really needs to take things into his own hands and do the grunt work. Yes, having a dog park would be convenient, but sometimes having a dog is not always convenient, but it still needs to be taken care of. I walk my dog every day 3 times a day even though we have access to a fenced yard. Would it be faster and more convenient to let him out in the yard instead? Yes. But there are so many benefits to walking a dog. Socialization and exercise are among them. Walking helps to bond with a dog which translates into easier training.

 

A lot of dog training places offer puppy socialization times. You bring your puppy for an hour of play with other puppies. Might be something to look into if this owner is looking for convenient.

[GeorgeofNE]

From the day you bring a puppy home, everything you do is training it!

 

My last dog was a puppy when I got him, and by six months he knew sit, down, heel, come, and stay--not 100% of course, but I did two short training sessions a day, every day, from the time I brought him home at approx. 12 weeks of age.

 

The key is to keep them short and fun, but be very consistent.