11 week old pup - when should we start training?

[Sarafina]

I am the prowd owner of a 11 week old pup called Bella. For now, of course, it is all about feeding, sleeping, toliet training, bonding with, and say NO to the biting. And: making her come to us by calling her name, of course.

But: when is the right time to start training our dog - I mean: learn to sit, short walks (we have started with a few 5 minutes awlks, but some say even that is to early.. I am confused.) We are going to a puppy course in May, when she is 4-5 months old. But - what is the absolute necessary to teach her before that time? (apart form the above mentioned.)
So tell me: how did you guys do it?

Sorry if the same question has been asked before, or if this is a dumb question... I am a first time owner and just want to do everything right 

[Marialh]

The best advice I got from fellow COLers when we got our boy was to start NOW with what behaviour you want in the future (ie. not jumping up on the sofa if you don't want that to always be the case!)

We started with sit with Bracken from the beginning (9 weeks) and he picked up on that really quickly. I also taught lie down and give paw around that same age. I wish I had also taught not pulling on the lead instead of laughing at his efforts to get where he was going really quickly!

I suppose I was really teaching him his house manners - sit, no jumping up, no biting, ask for the toilet etc. We had to wait until he was 13 weeks old to take him out for walks (the way his jabs worked out). Recall and focusing on you are other good lessons... especially when you start going off lead in parks and on beaches!

Most of all, have fun with your pup and don't get too stressed out over the training - it goes on a long time 

[Sarafina]

Thank you very much, Maria!
That sounds very right and I will keep it all in mind. I look forward to when she gets her 2 nd vaccination after she is 3 months old, so we can go out a bit more. But, just to ask: that is just an issue when it comes to meeting other dogs, right? (just walking to the end og the road and sniffing the ground wont do any harm, will it? Then I will just lift her up if we meet another dog)

[coralee]

Hiya

I'm not the hugest experienced person here - can only say that when we got Harvey (3 weeks ago, he's now 11 weeks) I started training him straight away. He has learned "no" and "a-a" (which is what we tell him when he goes anywhere near electrical wires!) - he also has "sit" "lay down" "roll over" and "hi five" to a T! Bless him! So they really are capable of learning from a very early age. What I do is have a session with him, play for 5-10 minutes, train for 5-10 minutes (depending on attention span!!) and then play again - he finishes the session all full of beans and happy, I do this a couple of times a day, as well as short walks.

I also bought myself a copy of Jean Donaldson's "Culture Clash", after recommendations here on COL - which has really helped me understand what might be going on in Harvey's head - and get him playing/learning through positive training techniques every day...a very good read...and great reference book I feel!

Good luck!  

[Joules]

But, just to ask: that is just an issue when it comes to meeting other dogs, right? (just walking to the end og the road and sniffing the ground wont do any harm, will it? Then I will just lift her up if we meet another dog)

This is how I understand it:  You need to keep your pup away from other, possibly unvaccinated, dogs until her vaccs are all done.  That includes places where they may have been so, if you take her out with you, then she needs to be carried.  If you know any friendly dogs she could meet in your house and garden then, as long as they are fully up to date with vaccs, then that is fine.    I know it seems a long wait but it really is not worth putting your pup at risk    Once she is fully vaccinated and the vet says she is safe to go out then she can meet as many dogs as you like    When Coco was a tiny pup I used to take her into town etc with me to get her used to noises, people etc, but I carried her and didn't put her down on the ground until all her vaccs were done.  

Agree with others that it is good to start training straight away.  Just keep training sessions very short - ie 5 mins at a time - and make it fun for her 

[PennyB]

Thank you very much, Maria!
That sounds very right and I will keep it all in mind. I look forward to when she gets her 2 nd vaccination after she is 3 months old, so we can go out a bit more. But, just to ask: that is just an issue when it comes to meeting other dogs, right? (just walking to the end og the road and sniffing the ground wont do any harm, will it? Then I will just lift her up if we meet another dog)

err you're not meant to let them walk out and about ouside anywhere until about a week after their 2nd vax - until then you should be carrying them everywhere to socilise them

[AnnieA]

Thank you very much, Maria!
That sounds very right and I will keep it all in mind. I look forward to when she gets her 2 nd vaccination after she is 3 months old, so we can go out a bit more. But, just to ask: that is just an issue when it comes to meeting other dogs, right? (just walking to the end og the road and sniffing the ground wont do any harm, will it? Then I will just lift her up if we meet another dog)

Unfortunately it isn't just an issue when meeting other dogs.  For instance, Canine Infectious Hepatitis (one of the diseases covered by the vaccine), can be present in the urine of an affected dog for up to a year after the initial infection.  A dog is more likely to catch this virus from the environment (i.e. by sniffing where another dog has weed), than from meeting a dog carrying the virus.  I don't know if the same is true for other diseases, but it's just not worth the risk. 

Agree with everyone else about the training, the sooner the better, just keep the sessions short and fun. 

Congratulations on your pup, and welcome to COL, by the way. 

[hedgehog]

From 2 weeks after the second vaccine, find some local training groups and ask to go along to one of their puppy foundation classes without your dog if there are too many pups (10 is absolutely max IMO) no structure and all the pups just mingling in yappy chaos (this can be really bad for a pup as it may meet an over zealous pup who can set your pups socialisation back) look else where, if the class is small and calm with controlled pup interaction and positive reward based training methods and idealy a APDT trainer  who you feel comfortable with book your pup in for a trial lesson. Good luck, I absolutely loved puppy class. 

[Little-Miss-Molly]

Hi,
We carried Poppy when we took Molly out on a walk so she would get used to traffic, people, etc but didn't put her down until she was fully protected by her vacs, it's only a couple of weeks and it soon goes fast, better being safe than sorry, I believe some of the diseases can also be passed on in dogs faeces, unfortunately not everyone cleans up after their dog so best to stick to the garden until it's safe    Good luck with the training, looking forward to seeing some puppy pics  

[Sarafina]

Thanks so much to all of you!!!!
oh my god - I have already been on a couple of short walks with her, to the end of the road etc. - I did not realise that it was a chance of catching anything fro  the ground... Oh, I feel so sorry for my little puppy now.... The chances of catching something are very slim, right?? (What should I do - do I need to contact a vet about this?)

[Sarah71]

First of all, welcome to COL. I'm a newbie too and very much am learning the ropes with our naughty Dylan who is 12 and a bit weeks old and has discovered he has att-i-tude!

We have had Dylan for a week, and in the first week we've taught him to sit (finger up), he's learning down (hand palm down) and weewees means go out into the garden. He also has to sit before getting a meal, and knows this now. We've taken him out 3/4 times but have always carried him as he's only had his 2nd vac last Tuesday so it's not safe for him to be down on the ground.

He's also learning to come when called..........slowly 

All of this has gone by the wayside since yesterday as we had to take him to the vet and he's been diagnosed with colitis, so no treats = no fun for training with a food motivated puppy!

So to answer your Q, I'd say it's never too early to start the basics. Good luck!

[Marina and Saartje]

Like most here say, start right now with the things you don't want him to get used to.
Here's what I did:
I started Puppytraining at the age of 9 weeks en few days after Teun took over home  That was really basic, sit and down, a lot of socializing; standing on a table, being groomed, look at the paws and teeth al that kind of stuff and practise at home.

At 13 weeks we started with basictraning with the clickermethod. one month 3 times a week half an hour practical and a hour theory. Last Wednesday we both got our diploma Follow, sit and wait, down and stay, here and sit in front of me. We didn't do everything right but it was enough. So proud of Teun, he's only 18 weeks old today

[Sarafina]

I have now posted photos of her on the puppy photo board....

Thanks for great advice to all of you!! What a GREAT forum!

[Joules]

The chances of catching something are very slim, right?? (What should I do - do I need to contact a vet about this?)

She will probably be fine - just don't do it again    Obviously if she seems unwell, take her to the vet 

[AnnieA]

The chances of catching something are very slim, right?? (What should I do - do I need to contact a vet about this?)

Very, very slim, so try not to worry.  Our puppy did manage to catch a nasty virus between the two vaccs (and he hadn't even been on a walk), but I understand from every vet I have talked to that we were spectacularly, astronomically unlucky. 

As Joules said, just keep an eye on her, in theory she should have a reasonable level of protection from the first vac. 

Have seen the photos, and she is a real cutie.