Getting Puppies Started

Puppies bring new life and excitement to a kennel.  They arrive as needy little creatures that depend on their mom for food, warmth and care.  Their first few weeks are spent nursing, sleeping and growing.  When they reach six weeks of age, they are ready to leave mom and start to learn their trade.  At this early age their brain activity has developed and they are able to respond to your voice, learn basic commands and to start to socialize with people.  The right amount of interaction at the right time is very important for pups to transition from mom’s care to your care.  They will quickly learn to depend on you, trust you and establish a bond.

Any pups that are to be placed with new owners should be moved to their new homes at the end of their seventh week. This is the most ideal time to make this move.   The pups are both physically and mentally ready for this change. They can begin to learn, develop and establish a lifetime relationship with the new owner.

  Training During Weeks 8 thru 12
If everything is going as planned, pups have learned a little about their new surroundings and are now ready to begin training to become man’s best friend and hunting companion.

This may very well be the greatest learning stage of their life.  What they learn or fail to learn during this time will determine their future as a hunting hound.  Their little brains are like little sponges that will soak up everything that you share with them.  While it is hard to teach old dogs new things the opposite is true of pups.  Pups are curious creatures that are alive with energy and enthusiasm.  They are eager to learn.

Give that Pup a Name
The first thing every pup needs is a good name.  I like short snappy names that I can call out in a clear, loud voice.  Keep in mind that when you pick a name for your pup, they will be stuck with that name.  They will need to hear their name before every command.

Once a puppy has learned their name and the sound of your voice they are then ready to learn a few basic commands.  The two commands that I find most beneficial are “Here and Down”.  Many dog handlers will use the command “Come” for “Here”.  I like “Here”.  Either will work, however, you must choose a word and stick with it.

Here

Many pups will learn this command quickly.  When you start working with a young pup, always remember the simple rules of Arf.  Quite place, short lessons, be patient, use the pup’s name, teach one simple command at a time.  These basic rules should be followed for each command taught.  One problem that I often have when training pups is that I always have too many pups to train.

When I buy a puppy and only have one pup to train, I give that pup my full attention.  They seem to learn fast and develop a close bond with me.  These pups come into my kennel as the new kid on the block, with no other youngsters to compete with.

When I have a litter of pups, I sell a few and keep several to train.  This year two litters were born at Paw Paw’s Kennels.  After all sales and trades were done, I ended up with four pups to train.  The months ahead will be busy as I work with these trainees.  I will have to take care to spend time with each pup and make sure they each get lots of opportunity to learn.

  Individual Training
When teaching the Here Command or any other command, I work with each puppy, one-on-one.  I take a puppy from the kennel and put them on a retractable leash.  This gives the puppy an opportunity to learn about being on a leash and going for a walk.  The retractable leash puts some resistance on the pup, but not the close control of a standard leash.  When the puppy reaches the end of the leash, I stop, squat and call.   I say the pups name followed by the command, “Here”.   Example:   “Dolly, Here.”  At first, I may have to give the command more than once and I may have to give a tug on the leash to get the pup to respond.  As the puppy comes to me the leash will retract.  When the puppy reaches me, I pet them and praise them.  A treat can be used as a reward, but I like to use petting as the primary reward.   If you give out tasty treats, the puppy may never want to leave you.

 We continue our walk and repeat the “Here Command” a number of times.  This first time out, we keep training fun, short and only work on one command.  Pups can’t stay interested for long.  It is better to have two short training secessions each day than to push past the pup’s interest threshold.  After several secessions the pup will be responding well to the “Here Command” and will be ready to move to the next important command.

While this is a basic command and one that is easy to teach to a puppy, it may very well be the most important lesson they will ever learn.  When a young hound learns to come when called, they have learned to trust you.  This trust will allow you to control and direct your new hunting friend in the field.

Once the puppy is responding well to the “Here Command” it is then time for them to learn the “Down Command”.  This command will most often be used in combination with the “Here Command”.  Many times you will want your hound to come to you and then want them to sit or lay down.  When they are down they are very much under your control.  Once you have taught them to get down when at your feet, you should then work on getting them to drop down where they are when ever they hear their name and the “Down Command”.   There will be times when you want them to stop where they are and wait for you to come to them.  If they are on a hot track, it will be easer to get them to stop and drop on the track than it would be to get them to leave the track to come to you.  Like all commands, the “Down Command” is always preceded with the dog’s name.  Example:  “Dolly Down”.  The first time your pup hears this command they will be at your feet.  Get their attention by calling their name and when saying the command “Down” while firmly pushing the pup to the ground.  As they go down, roll them over on their back.  When the pup is down and on their back, you should pet them and praise them and rub their tummy.  Most pups will love this attention.  Warning, if you are giving this training to an older male hound you may find he may get so excited that he tries to spray you in the face.

Several secessions should be devoted to getting the pup to go down at your feet before you try to get him down at some distance.  He should soon be getting down without being pushed.  When he routinely responds well to the “Here” and “Down” command he should be ready to be downed at a distance.

Down at a Distance
Your goal is now to get your young trainee to stop and drop at a distance. At this point in the training process I move to my enclosed training pen and remove the leash.  The enclosed area helps to keep the young trainee from wondering off and keeps any neighborhood dogs from moving in and distracting our training efforts.  Start with a short distance.  The first time you ask your pup to go down at a distance, he may only be a few feet from you.  With the pup several feet away, look at him and say in a loud clear voice his name.  When he looks at you, bend towards the ground and give a hand motion towards the ground all as you give the command “Down”.  If the pup goes down, move to him and give lots of praise.  If he stops but fails to drop, then move in and push him down.  When he is down, give lots of praise.  When they get the idea and start to drop upon command, then you should give lots of praise and stop all training for the day.  You may want to give them a treat, but keep the treats few and far between. Treats should always be unpredictable.  Pups in training should never be able to guess when a treat is coming.  Back to the basics, keep training short and only teach one command at a time.

During your next secession, you will want to run thru a quick review of previous lessons and then work on short distance downs.  If the pup performs well then you can try to down the pup at greater distances.  Remember, when the pup drops down, go to them and pour on the praise.  If they stop but do not go down, then you need to go to them and firmly push them down then give praise and a belly rub.  If you are not getting the desired results, shorten the distance and try again.  If it is not working, go back to something they can do.  You may have them do several “Here Commands”.  Praise them and then stop training and let them play.  Never punish your pup.  Lack of praise when they do not do well is about the most punishment they should receive.
 
 

Your pup loves you and wants to please you. Very soon they will learn and understand your commands.  After as many training sessions as it takes they will hang on your every word and gladly obey your every command.

You should continue to train and retrain them until you are able to down them at great distances.  My goal is to be able to stop them at 100 feet or more.  If they can hear me and see me I want them to drop and stay put when they hear their name and the command “Down”.   Some hounds may want to step out of line when in the woods with other hounds.  This is when the training pays off.  The basic obedience training they have received in a controlled area has let them learn what is expected when a command is given.  If a hound chooses to ignore a command while hunting they then become a candidate for a little E-Collar education.  That type training will be covered later on this site.

I consider these two basic commands (Here and Down) the most important that a productive rabbit hound will ever learn.  Most pups will learn these commands at an early age.  Some may take longer than others.  All need to learn and respond to commands before they are ready to spend any time in the open woods.

From week eight to week twelve you will spend lots of short training periods with your pup.  While you are teaching them basic obedience, they will learn to trust you and to depend on you.  They will know that you are the “Big Dog” and their job is to please you.