Pups need to Learn How to Learn

Pups are learning all the time. I am amazed at what they can learn and at the reliability of response. Early training will turn on circuits in his brain that will make all later training easier.  

First, your dog needs to learn how to learn. The goal for this puppy work is not that the pup learns the individual exercises, nor is it reliability of obedience to command. Rather, the goal is to jumpstart the learning process and to establish early on that good things happen when he is with you, the handler, and that good things come from work.   

Don’t fret if you don’t teach all the commands—doing any puppy work is better than none. While you are engaged in puppy training you are building a relationship with him. He learns to enjoy working with you and he learns about you. 

The great majority of puppy training and raising should emphasize positive interaction. However, your pup also needs to learn manners. He should learn early that there are some things he must not do. There are two reasons for this: 1) so you can stand to live with him, and 2) so that he learns to accept correction and parameters to behavior.  

The very short list of Don’ts includes: 

Ø        Don’t bite humans

Ø        Don’t jump on humans

Ø        Don’t chew on furniture 

House breaking is better taught as a do rather than a don’t. Teach your pup to do his business outside; try to avoid a lot of correction for going inside. Get a copy of “Eliminate on Command” by Dr. M.L. Smith. It’s available on line at:
www.eliminateoncommand.com. 
 

Pups have a short attention span, so keep lessons brief and emphasize action commands. These are commands your pup can complete quickly such as sit, here, and finish to heel. Save the long stays and long heeling sessions for later when his attention is sufficiently developed to stay focused longer. 

Puppies learn exactly the same way as grown dogs (and people):

Ø        A pup acts.

Ø        He experiences the result of his action.

Ø        He makes a connection in his mind between his action and the results, creating a memory.

Ø        If the result is desirable he is more likely to repeat that action in the future.

Ø        If the result is undesirable his less likely to repeat that action in the future. 

Treat Training for Puppies

Food is a good motivator for puppy training but a weak motivator for grown dogs.

Motivational training is only part of a complete training program. In the end we want a dog that will obey commands, not simply respond to cues when there is nothing he’d rather do. While the principles espoused here and the benefits of puppy training will be an asset to your dog throughout his life, treat training cannot substitute for a formal training program for grown dogs.

We will use food initially both to lure the pup into the action we want and as a reward for the desired action. When he knows the action we will put a cue to the action. When he will perform the action on cue, stop luring but continue to reward with food. After the dog is regularly performing correctly on cue, gradually reduce the frequency of the food reward. At first, reward every correct response, then every other time, and then reward on an intermittent schedule. This is an important process—you do not want your dog to be dependant on the food lure, nor do you want him to be tied to a treat for every correct response. When you are rewarding intermittently he never knows which response will bring the treat so he will continue to work hard, hoping that each time may be the time.   

Start in a quiet room. I like doing the puppy training first thing in the morning before the pup’s first meal—the pup is fresh, excited to start the day, and hungry! You also don’t want to compete with the other dogs or people in the home for the pup’s attention.  

You need a hungry pup and healthy treats that the pup can chew and swallow quickly. All-beef hot dogs cut to puppy-sized bites work well for most pups, although I use regular kibble for some chow hounds. 

Teach your Pup to Sit in Front

Sit or squat on the floor with your legs or knees forming a V in front. This helps funnel the pup to the proper front alignment.  

When your pup notices the treat, raise the treat close to and over his head. He should sit. When he does, verbally praise him and give him the treat and pet him. If the pup stands up to wrestle the treat from you, twist your hand to protect the treat and prevent him from hanging on your hand. When he sits give him the treat.  

Don’t worry if he jumps up as soon as he gets the treat; you’re only concerned with teaching sit, not stay. 

Pause a moment and then repeat. After a few repetitions your pup will be sitting quickly to get his treat. Now let’s put a cue or command to that action. From here on say “sit” as you start the hand movement and just before the pup sits. Continue to praise and treat him when he sits. 

As soon as your pup is sitting, begin to work toward the perfect sit. You want to end up with straight sits, not flopped over on one hip. You want the pup in front and aligned correctly.  

When you have practiced this for a session or two we will wean him off the food lure. Begin to say “sit” and then verbally praise and food reward him when he does.  

After a few sessions begin to wean off treating the pup for every proper response, but continue to praise and pet him for sitting on cue. 

Teach your pup to come when called

Now that your pup will sit in front, begin to teach the recall or “here” command. Call “here” or tweet on your whistle, then do whatever it takes to get his attention. When your pup comes to you, use a treat to lure him to sit in front. Praise and pet him along with the treat you have provided. 

When he will come to you when called, work to get him to sit in front. Because you taught the sit in front first you can ask for the straight sit in front from the beginning. If he approaches from the side, lure him with the treat to sit in front. 

Teach your pup to "Kennel up" on command

I teach grown dogs to go to a place board, half-crate, or pre-identified area on command. This serves to balance e-collar pressures because the action involves pressure for the dog to move away from the handler rather than toward the handler. This “kennel” command is useful for loading a dog into boats, blinds, and crates. We will do initial force on casts using this command and introductory work on jumps. This is a versatile command.   

You can begin work on the kennel command once the pup knows sit. Use a place board about 12” x 12” and 2” high. Your pup will outgrow several puppy place boards so don’t make them too fancy—I bet an old college text book will do to start.  

Use a treat to lure him on the board. When he climbs up give him the teat. Pause and allow him to explore and then climb off.  Repeat. 

When your pup is readily climbing up on the board add the cue. Say “kennel” just as he begins to climb up.  

Begin to tell your pup to sit when he is on the place board. He has enough success now that you can stop giving the treat for climbing up and only treat for the sit when he is up. Very quickly you should be able to drop the sit command and his “kennel” will mean kennel up and sit.   

Call him off a place board to a remote sit near the board and then cast him to kennel again. AS he learns this pattern you can teach him all the directional casts--left and right over, left and right backs.

Teach your pup to take Directional casts

As soon as your pup knows the casts add a second place board. Call off one board and then cast to another. When your pup is comfortable casting from one to another add in a third and then fourth place board. You will end up with place boards at the pitchers mound and first second and third base positions.

Don't be in too big a hurry to cast long distances, move the place boards out as your pup's enthusiasm and proper casting responses warrants.

Once the pup knows the casts, begin to treat intermittently for good casts.  

You should not be luring the pup to cast or to sit at this point, but continue to praise treat periodically for each.

Begin to teach your pup to Stay

You can feel your way around this exercise. Gradually ask the pup to wait longer after giving the sit command before you reward or give another command. Go slow on this as older pups easily learn how to stay. Don’t push this or any of the puppy training. Your goal is for your pup to gain familiarity with but not necessarily to master this or any command.  

Teach your pup a Remote Sit

Lure the pup to sit at a distance on the return from a back cast by moving your hand with the treat out to meet the pup an arm’s length away. Cue “sit” when pup and treat meet. Reward him at that point, and then call him in to sit in front; or, alternately once he finishes his treat you can cast from the remote sit to a place board.  

Teach your pup Dixie Cup Lining Drills

Hold your pup and making sure he sees you, place a treat on top of a white eight ounce or larger Styrofoam cup, or a coffee mug. Put the pup down about five inches from the cup and let go. After he eats the treat call him to sit in front. Treat for every recall for now. 

Do several of these. When your pup is going straight to the treat and is sure of the location, begin to place the treat and then still holding the pup, back away, only a foot or so at first. Try to keep the pup’s eyes on the cup. After you have backed up, hold the pup in front of you to show him the cup and then set him down and release him to get his treat. This sequence will become a pattern and a useful cue for him when you start doubles and lining longer distances. Recall and treat him on the sit in front after he finds and eats his cup treat. As you increase the distance, begin to reward intermittently on the return, but continue to praise him heartily on every return.  

As you increase the distance, make sure not to move too far too fast. Your pup must remember the treat and the cup the entire time you are backing away, and until he gets there. 

Teach your pup little Doubles

When he can remember and run to one cup well from 10 to 15 feet away, it’s time to start little doubles.  

I start with 180-degree apposed cups, but move to 90 degrees and then tighter when the pup is doing well. 

Carry the pup, cups, and treats. Place a treat atop one cup and back away. Turn around and set down a second cup and treat. Back up and holding the pup to show him the second cup, release him to run to and eat this treat. Call him and treat him for sitting in front. Catch him as he runs by if he doesn’t come in to you. Then hold up the pup and show him the cup you placed first and set him down to run to it. Call him and treat him for the sit in front on the return.  

Increase distance and tighten angles slowly. Gradually move to intermittent reward on the return from the cups.

Teach your pup Derby Double Configurations

Teach derby double configurations as singles. Have helpers in position, one long and one short. Hold up your pup to watch the proceedings. On your signal, the closest helper should make noise and walk out three or four steps and place a cup with treat, and then step back before you release the pup. Recall your pup, and then treat him for the return after he eats his treat retrieved from the first cup.  While your pup is returning have the helper pick up the short cup.

Now have your long gun place his cup and treat just as for the short gun. This time the pup has to run past the short fall, but not the short cup, to retrieve and eat the treat on the second cup.

Contact

To schedule private training or tune ups, arrange for training when you go out of town, or discuss problems or questions, call or write:

 

Pat Nolan

301-748-8518

pat@ponderosakennels.com