Paranoid pre-pup owner

[writercat]

I've been reading lots of books and lots of the threads on here (an amazing resource, thank you!). I've never had a dog before - only cats. When they get up to no good, I'm used to shouting NO! or clapping loudly, but I know that's not the right thing to do with pups - distraction seems to be the best policy, followed by rewards for good behaviour.

The thing I'm paranoid about is momentarily forgetting to do the right thing, whether it be a consistent verbal command for going to to the toilet or praising every time he behaves in the right way. There seems to be so much to remember! Is it enough to get it right most of the time, or will training only work if I get it right each and every time? I want to give my pup the best possible start!

Just over three weeks to go until I bring Griffin home, so I guess I've got plenty of time to study!

Thanks!

[Poppsie]

Nobody ever gets it right first time it's all trial and error I'm afraid   Try not to overload your new edition with too much information at first as their attention span is that of a knat You will soon get the hang of it, don't forget that you are learning too.  Good luck with Griffin love Dianne x x x

[8 Hairy Feet]

First of all DON'T PANIC
Are you looking at puppy classes because they are there for you as much as for your dog; The Association of pet dog trainers (apdt) has a website and there are some trainers on here too!
Remember that this is a good time to start basic training in very short bursts
before your pup can go out. You seem to be clueing yourself up so I'm sure all will be well.
Second ; Relax and enjoy your pup because the times flash by so fast and before you know it there is your dog!
xxx

[Juno]

Hi writercat, I'm a first time pup-owner too.  Mine's 13 weeks now and the last month has flown by!  Try not to worry too much - the books make it sound so easy but we are only human and of course we all make mistakes.  Just take each day as it comes, I'm sure Griffin (lovely name, by the way) will bring you lots of fun!  Just remember to reward all the things you DO like and try your hardest to ignore those that you don't - easier said than done

Griffin will soon learn what pleases you; it didn't take Juno long to cotton on to going outside for the loo or sitting down when she wants a cuddle (have to be quick though or she springs up to your face!)

I'll look forward to hearing his progress once he arrives

[writercat]

Thanks for the reassurance, folks! I'm going to sit in on a puppy class tonight to see what it's like. This class is pretty much the only option for me since I don't have a car, but I'm a bit concerned there might be too many pups her class (eight or nine). Still, maybe the benefits will outweigh the disadvantages?!

[Juno]

Is it a socialisation 'party' or beginner puppy obedience classes?  Great idea to go and check it out.  I checked out two before I decided which to go to and although I chose the smaller class (four or five dogs compared to seven or eight), the larger class seemed equally well run - a large hall with plenty of space for everyone using only positive training, of course.

Check out that there's enough room for everyone to have a decent amount of space to work in and that it's not a free for all!  You'll probably pick up loads of tips while you're there observing, too.

[writercat]

Is it a socialisation 'party' or beginner puppy obedience classes?  Great idea to go and check it out.  I checked out two before I decided which to go to and although I chose the smaller class (four or five dogs compared to seven or eight), the larger class seemed equally well run - a large hall with plenty of space for everyone using only positive training, of course.

Check out that there's enough room for everyone to have a decent amount of space to work in and that it's not a free for all!  You'll probably pick up loads of tips while you're there observing, too.

It's puppy socialization, so maybe the more pups the better?! A friend of mine's got a Westie called Juno - such a fab name!

[Juno]

Ah, okay.  I went to two pup socialisation parties with Juno - at the first there were 5 pups (2 other Cockers ) and at the second there were 9 and it didn't make much difference.  It was run by local dog trainer who also runs obedience classes and we covered house training, play biting, trust building, etc.  The pups certainly didn't have a free run of the room - it was held at the vets and the pups each had a sniff around the exam room and a pretend once over on the table.  Pups were on lead or on owner's laps until a short supervised play session at the end where two or three pups were allowed to play together for a few mins each at a time.  More importantly, there were whole families there so each of the pups got to meet and greet plenty of men, women and kids of all ages.

[8 Hairy Feet]

Hi again Writercat,
I was just thinking about you and whether you knew that Dogs Trust
have some lovely little short training vids on their site, I think anyone
can view them and it is nice to be able to watch what someone else
is doing first so you get the drift
Hope that helps!
steff
xxx

[writercat]

Hi again Writercat,
I was just thinking about you and whether you knew that Dogs Trust
have some lovely little short training vids on their site, I think anyone
can view them and it is nice to be able to watch what someone else
is doing first so you get the drift
Hope that helps!
steff
xxx

Thanks Steff, I'll check those out! x

[Marina and Saartje]

If you are worried about praising on the right time en with the right words you could consider clickertraining. The click stands for a reward is coming"'If your dog is used to clickertraining it a wonderfull way of learning and you wont have to use words to praise his behaviour .

[Rufus MacD]

It's probably true to say that on the job training is probably going to be more valuable than reading books about training. My vet used to say 'it's all right for these blokes sitting in their conservatories writing books but have they ever met a dog?' Slightly over stated but the thing is that your dog won't have read the book either. Things will crop up that you never paid much attention to in the book whereas the things you concentrated on, you will probably have no problems with. Sod's law.

Just relax and you'll be fine and as someone else said, enjoy this time because they grow up fast...although cockers do tend to remain puppyish a lot longer than other breeds!

If you fancy a walk down at Cramond sometime, give me a shout.

[writercat]

It's probably true to say that on the job training is probably going to be more valuable than reading books about training. My vet used to say 'it's all right for these blokes sitting in their conservatories writing books but have they ever met a dog?' Slightly over stated but the thing is that your dog won't have read the book either. Things will crop up that you never paid much attention to in the book whereas the things you concentrated on, you will probably have no problems with. Sod's law.

Just relax and you'll be fine and as someone else said, enjoy this time because they grow up fast...although cockers do tend to remain puppyish a lot longer than other breeds!

If you fancy a walk down at Cramond sometime, give me a shout.

Thanks for the advice. I sat in on the puppy socialization class last night and found it completely overwhelming! Glad I went to see what it was all about without Griffin in tow. There seemed to be a lot of dogs - 11 or 12. I wonder if that's too many? Unfortunately, it's the only class I can get to easily. Most of the puppies seemed to get on OK though.

Rufus MacD: a walk would be great sometime, thanks! I don't have a car though, so would have to think about transport. And do let me know if you ever come to Portobello!