Dogs learn contextually, so go back to 'kindy' in a every new and unfamiliar situation until your puppy can repeat each discipline in the new context.
Start with focus training routines and basic obedience training in
1. Enclosed courtyard or in house advancing to
2. House Yard progressing to a
3. Public area
It is critical that the new handler understands that puppies and young dogs cannot generalise meaning that the cannot immediately transfer a learn behaviour into a different situation.
Basic Training is reward oriented
- Luring introduces your dog to the required behaviour
Repetition training
- 20 reps is an ideal number for each behaviour, in each session with a marker and food rewards.
Remember that a dog has only an approximate
- 6 sec short term memory.
As you advance, give your command & let dog work it out for 4 sec maximum.
- Affirm or start again after 6 sec.
Your Affirmation or Correction must be energy neutral
- Yes is the reward marker (mark success with Yes or clicker immediately followed by food reward)
Advance to a ‘duration marker’ - GOOD. This is neutral positive.
If your puppy does not complete the exercise then use you neutral negative marker - NO.
This must not convey negative energy or your puppy will lose confidence and be unwilling to try again.
'Energy' is emotion & intent.
- Dogs read intent
- Dogs respond to emotion
- Focus training channels and directs the dogs energy.
Regulated physical touch
Always give the command eg sit and wait for compliance before you touch your dog.
Regulate physical touch during training and never touch a dog until the command / response has been completed. Express positive energy and keep your dog calm.
Remember that the causes of training problems include
- Anxiety, Boredom, Aggression
Symptoms of problems include
- barking, scratching, yarning, staring
- Stop all staring immediately
Trainer must be calm and clear in their response to a dogs (except with an excited recall)
Standard Commands and Leash Protocols.
- Use 1 word commands
- Engage 20 reps min per exercise per session
- Correct Jumping up and never reward a jumping dog with words, touch or eye contact.
- Walking a heel. If your dog moves in front of heel position, stop your forward movement until they release the pressure on thei leash then reward immediately.
- Controlled Heel Walk. Always begin by Luring your puppy with food with your hand positioned behind your left thigh.
- Correct leach pulling by turning 180 degrees and continue walking.
- A Fast Heel walk, employ 90, 180, 360 degree turns, fast & slow.
- Sit, raise you hand with a food lure above your puppies head causing the head to extend vertically. This will endure a ‘sit’. Reward immediately the rear hits the ground.
- Sit Stay, engage a sit position and variously move 1m commanding your dog to stay. As you progress, drop leach and step away)
- Drop / Down; Lure you puppies nose so that they drop to their belly. This movement is best engaged early while it is a natural movement. A your puppy gets a little older they will be inclined to drop only their chest leaving their butt in the air.
- Drop Stay (lure, reward, leave)
- Place / Mat training - Drop / stay on a mat is the most useful lifestyle command.
(Lead dog onto the place / mat, drop food reward onto place and when their 4 feet on the mat.
A Solid Recall is engaged by the command Come / Here with high energy, high pitched enthusiasm. You might like to employ ‘Long line’ training.
- Wait @ Doors & gates is critical. Never let you did enter before you.
- Leave it is applicable with cars, people, other dogs, special items.
- A Release command is commonly Ok or free or break.
Crate training, all labrador pups need a large metal crate and a 600mm Exercise pen.
Lure the puppy into the crate with food. Lure them in & out with food, closing & opening the door after each movement