At what age should obedience training begin?

[Darlene68]

Bailey is only 10.5 weeks and I can't imagine him listening to me to come, stay etc. He is always bouncing around so much it takes alot to get his attention for any length of time. Also he isn't fond of cheerios, I gave him a piece today and he just had a grand ol time playing with it..so at what age should the basic commands be taught? Should I wait for him to be less hyper?, if not are there any suggestions for treats? Thanks

[Pam Campbell]

I thought Gracie loved Cheerios but not the case. I also bought her Wellness puppy treats but she doesn't think those are great either. What she does LOVE is CHICKEN!!! Spoiled little thing. She will be 12 weeks on Thursday and I can't see her listening to any commands yet... Will be watching to see the the majority is though!

[Britster]

He's still very young, you're right! So don't expect too much of him. But I do think
it's a good thing to start them as young as possible! You can begin teaching anything
you want. Jackson knew Sit & Down by around 13 weeks.

[Darlene68]

Hmmmm..I feed Bailey chicken with every meal, maybe I should stop doing that, because he doesn't really look at it as a treat. I am going to try and work on a few things, I'd be happy with just the basic commands!

[Marilize]

I know that 10.5 weeks seems very young, but you can start teaching him right away. I started training June at eight weeks and by 10 weeks, she had a great recall and knew her name very well. I may be a little over-eager, but June graduated from her first obedience class at 12 weeks. She knows her name, has a great recall, can sit, lie down, sit up and stand on her hind legs by 18 weeks.

You just have to keep the sessions very short (5 treats) and although they can be bouncy at time, the earlier they learn that obeying you gets them rewards, the better.

I have heard of puppies leaving the breeder at 10 weeks already knowing their names, recalls and performing a trick or two, so it is definitely not too early.

I started really early with June and she is most obedient dog I have ever seen. She is still a puppy and gets into things, but she drops something that she shouldn't be playing with immediately after I tell her to, she waits for me when I tell her and overall, she is just very obedient.

Except for the shortened training sessions, there is no reason to not start training now. Don't expect miracles, just make it fun.

Try tiny pieces of cheese for treats (tiny, tiny treats). These are completely healthy in small amount and the calcium is very good for the little growing bones. If the pup isn't food motivated, use his favourite toy as a reward.

Have fun!!

[Darlene68]

Thanks! I will start with Bailey, I especially want him to learn to drop things, because he tends to take stuff in his mouth and run with it, my birds feather was on the floor yesterday, Bailey just grabbed it and ran in his glee when I told him to drop it!

[lyndam]

I registered my Dog with Who's Walking Who in Ajax, ON. Anyone heard of this school ? Any suggestions ? She will be 19 weeks when we start this traning. I wish I could have started her earlier in the Puppy training ! None of the sessions matched my schedule. I have been training her at home she is now 16 weeks, knows her name, come sit & down (well still working on this one). I have socilized her with a few others dogs as well.

Here is the link for the training school if anyone is interested ?!


Welcome to Who's Walking Who!

[YorkieMother]

Training should start from the day they come home.
Obedince should be the learning of those rules that will help a puppy/dog be ok in the world not just heel and come but off couches not biting.. wait. nice social skills, no posestion aggression and that starts day one.

JL

[allyboo]

I agree with the above post. Training should begin straight away, and if your pup is slightly over-enthusiastic, this is even better! There's nothing quite like seeing your tiny puppy fling himself down on the carpet because you said "down!". As long as you don't expect him to hold a sit or down for more than a second or two (you need to have that treat ready to pop in his mouth as soon as his bum hits the floor!), he should be fine with some basic training.

Little and often is the key, because puppies get bored very easily, and can forget newly-learned commands if it's not repeated regularly. 5 minutes, several times a day, armed with some tasty treats, and he will likely throw himself into the exercise with the same zest and enthusiasm you have described

[Darlene68]

I am so proud! I taught Bailey come, sit and down..he learned so quickly, now on to the next one