When Is The Best Time For Obedience Trainning

[Kashing]

What is your opinions and some experiences?

[Aussienot]

Some training should start the day you get your dog/puppy, and continue daily for most of his life. My GSD was in group classes from 12 weeks (I lied and said he was 16 weeks to start him early.) He already knew how to sit, drop, stay and had leash manners at that age, I just wanted him to get used to working with other dogs and people around. When a dog is learning, it's all positive, happy, rewarding. The worst a pup gets is no reward and try again. I mix training and playtime. And all sessions are short and frequent. Exercises are easy and you make the dog's choices easy.

From about 6 months, I start proofing and start trying to improve performance (faster, straighter, stability) and lift distraction thresholds. Drive training can be started.

A lot of people wait until the dog is 18 months or two years, huge and unmanageable. So much harder that way. So much more temptations to use corrections. Better to set a firm foundation of learned behaviours and build from that.

[PRADA68]

I totally agree start as soon as you get your pup and continue for the rest of his life. Like people a dog should never stop learning. Good luck with your new puppy.

[sas]

Go here: http://www.k9pro.com.au/pages.php?pageid=89

[missmoo]

training should start as early as possible

[whiskedaway]

I agree with as early as possible. We did training at home (Akira knew sit, stay, and how to drop from a sit before we started classes, as well as some tricks) and she started obedience when she was 4 months old. Halo's training will start the instant she comes home too, though she'll be taught stand rather than sit.

[persephone]

Kashing- what do you mean by 'obedience training' ?

Do you mean going to classes , or do you mean getting the puppy listening/obeying at home ...learning house rules and manners ?

You might get some information on training your puppy at home if you CLICK HERE

[poodlefan]

I'd start obedience training now and continue for at least the next 18 months.

Right now you should also be socialising the pants of your GSD - with people and with safe dogs in controlled situations.

[freundhund]

I start puppies from 4 weeks when they are still with their mum not even weaned. I use lovely soft food and lure the puppies into sits, stands and drops.

By 8 weeks when they go home with their new owners, I have a list of the local puppy schools that they can attend. (Most then go to puppy school) And I recommend the closest obedience club from 12 weeks of age.

I also suggest that training to have well trained dogs last until the dog is about 2 and that the new owner needs to attend training as regularly as possible. I then tell them that it is good for the dog to continue with going to class just to keep the learning up. In 30 years of breeding I have had 3 puppies out of just over a 100 returned.

2 divorce's and 1 owner who died.

Most people seem to understand after meeting my adults that training was necessary.

[DURNSTEIN]

Basic obedience or should I say good manners such as Sit for dinner should start at 8 weeks when puppy taken home.

[Rusky]

Basic obedience or should I say good manners such as Sit for dinner should start at 8 weeks when puppy taken home.

good breeders have this done well before the puppy goes home. I believe it all starts as soon as they are born never too early

see dogstar daily

[Mason_Gibbs]

I took my dog to pup school when he came home and at our club they go into obedience class at around 16 weeks - my dog is 20 months old and I still attend obedience class once a week and we train for a short period daily.

[Tilly]

I started training my boys from day one ... and during the periods of time when he was more responsive such as after toileting and before meals (used food as rewards).

Once he mastered the basics I then looked at working in different locations and with different levels of distraction. I then used "obedience training" classes as an added level of distraction ...

[3shepherds]

Immediately with the basics when you get the puppy home until old enough (and vacc'd) for puppy school, then onto big school

Don't forget the socialisation 'training' as well as obedience.

I've had mine at GSD clubs, and general dog clubs. There is very little difference between the two but the GSD club was much more targetted to the breed and also included puppy agility, and, as they got older and more advanced it also covered noise - guns etc. If I get another GSD (in a moment of madness ) I would personally choose the GSD club over the general.

Edited December 22, 2010 by 3shepherds