PuppyTraining

At CHESRITE we prefer to use a free choice method of training for our youngest hopefuls. This means that we do not force the puppy to participate by means of collars or leads unless it is absolutely necessary, such as when participating in group classes or in an area which does not offer safe containment, such as outside of a fenced in area. The puppy chooses to participate in our sessions because they are fun and offer incentives to work with us. Incentives are toys, treats, and lots of petting, play and verbal interactions. If the puppy is not in the mood to 'play' with us we will stop a session and try again later. The lessons requiring the dog to do something simply because we said so, come much later.

The first three lessons lay the foundation for all future training. The first is Response to A Clicker. This small training tool has become one of the most vaulable assets in our equipment bag. The process is very simple. You click once, and then treat. Using very tiny tidbits of a soft treat. We generally use hot dogs or deli meats. We want the puppy to swallow them quickly without any chewing. Click/Treat, (C/T), repeatedly until the sound of the clicker causes the pup to immediately look to you for its food reward. This will take various numbers of repetitions as each dog is different and the only one where we do not limit the number of reps to three at a session.

As soon as the pup shows awareness that the click means food reward we progress to the second lesson, Sit-Down-Stand. Sitting on the floor with your puppy in front of you and armed with clicker and bait, offer a small piece of bait to your pup, without letting him remove it from your hand. guide the pups nose/head with the bait in a backwards and slightly vertical motion trying to move his head, backwards towards his tail. If necessary gently tuck his rearend under him with your other hand as you say 'Sit'. As his head and nose lift backwards to try to get the bait the puppy will tuck his rear end down under him. If he is standing on his hind legs to get at the bait you are holding it too high and need to lower the bait. As soon as his rear hits the ground, C/T. Use praise and petting to keep the puppy in the sit position, using a piece of bait again at the nose, lure the puppy into the down position by moving your hand between in his front legs and downwards towards his tail while you say 'Down'. The pup should 'collapse' into the down while trying to get the bait from your hand. Once again C/T as soon as his elbows touch the ground. By moving your hand 45 degrees down and backwards instead of down and forward the pup will learn to do the best down for future obedience competition. As before use praise and petting to keep the pup in place. Lastly with the pup in the down position use the nose food lure and raise it vertically while placing your other hand under the pups belly and lifting his rear gently while saying 'Stand'. C/T and praise the instant the pup has stood. Again if you are coaching a future obedience star look for the stand to come directly up from the ground without any forward steps. After one or two repetitions of Sit-Down-Stand we begin to mix up the order of the commands. (i.e. start with down, go to sit, go back to down, go to stand.) What we do not want is a pup who thinks that sit is always followed by down which is always followed by stand. In this way we are sure that the puppy is learning to associate the word with the action and not simply identify a chain of events that begins with sit!

The third lesson establishes the foundation for the all important 'Come' command. For this you will need two people each with a clicker, lots of treats and a few toys. Start by sitting on the floor about ten feet apart. One person holds the puppy while the other excitedly calls the pup by name to get its' attention. As soon as the pup is struggling to get to that person they say the pup's name,"Come" and the holder releases. The pup should go flying to the caller and be rewarded AFTER some petting praise and being held! Now the roles are reversed and the other person calls while the first caller retstrains. Beyond that the steps are identical. IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER! Click when the pup is in the ACT of coming! Not for his arrival! Make the puppy 'work' to go to the caller but not so hard that he gives up! Tiny treats for the click on arrival and don't hesitate to pull out a squeaky toy if the puppy gets 'sidetracked' enroute to the caller. As the pup masters the Come Game, extend the distance between the callers and later, only C/T the fastest responses! Often pups get wise to the fact that both handlers have treats and after one or two 'recalls' don't want to leave the holder. Be patient and have the caller get even more enthusiastic when trying to get the pups attention. This game looks a little like a modified game of 'Keep Away'. Do Not Do More than three repetitions per caller per session.

The learning patterns you establish with a young puppy are the foundations by which your adult dog will continue to learn. While the old addage, 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks' is a fallacy, the earlier you begin training the better. It is important to remember that the emphasis on what you are teaching the 'baby' is more about how to learn than what he is learning. A puppy's attention span lasts but a few minutes so training sessions should be kept very brief. One to three repetitions of an excercise several times a day are sufficient.