General training questions

[ScottCM]

Hi all, I'm just posting this for some training tips. I would like to learn my 3 month old BC how to lay down when told, even if he is outside and quite a distance from me. I can get him to go down using my hand close to his nose and saying "down" but he won't lay down when I just say the command. Also I would like some information on walking him on the leash, he seems to pull and go in front of me a lot, I want to have him walking calm beside me. I know he is only young, especially when he has only been outside 5 days now since he got his injections few weeks ago. All tips and information will be appreciated thanks.

[in2adventure]

Congrats on the new pup. Puppy pics are expected

 

You are really expecting a lot from a 3 month old puppy. Distance is something that is gradually learned over time and takes patients. The puppy learning down at that age is a huge deal in itself. Take your time and don't rush it. At this stage, you should be teaching just basic commands, helping the pup learn it's environment, establishing a bond, setting boundries and building confidence.

[urge to herd]

Scott, congrats on the new pup! At 3 months, he's really just a baby. I bet he's cute as the dickens.

 

Can't help with the leash thing, my dogs all came to me leash trained. Down at a distance is a skill for a more mature dog, but you can start now by adding duration to the stays you've already got him doing, very slowly, and working your way up. Always return to the dog, praise/reward - whatever you do to let him know you're happy with him lying down, then release calmly. Calling him to you from a down at this point will teach him that the lesson is 'down then come' rather than just down.

 

Down him, step back a bit, then return and praise/reward. Repeat, but step back even further. Don't add duration while you're adding distance, do those separately.

 

Ask for a down or a sit before you feed him or take him into the yard or play with him. Get him used to you cuing him all the time. Down at a distance is something you'll work up to gradually, so maybe when he's 6 months or so he might be able to do that. Course, then he'll be a teenager . . .

 

Good luck!

 

Ruth

[ScottCM]

Thanks for the replays, greatly appreciated. This is the first time I've had my 'own dog', as my two other dogs were trained by my parents, as at the time I was to young to understand. Now I'm 19 it's a new experience and a fun one at that, I absolutely love my little dog, it's the first we've had a BC! We had two other dogs one was a white German Shepard and one a mongrel. Also I will be posting some pics of my little boy soon!

[Ninso]

I would recommend reading some general dog training books. There are many methods you can use. Sounds like right now you are using a "luring" method--getting the pup to follow your hand to lay down. This is a great way to start. Are you using treats to lure with? What you probably want to do is lure the down with a treat while saying "down" or whatever you will use for a command until that is consistent. Then, every once in awhile start luring the pup into a down without a treat, using just your hand. Some will catch on right away and make the association between the word and the position. Some will take longer. Once your pup understands the down and can do it without a lure, you can start increasing the length of time you ask him to hold the position, the distance from you that he obeys the command and the distractions, such as being outside.

 

For walking on a leash, again there are several methods. If you want him to walk right beside you, you will need to train him to hold that position, just like any other command. If you just want him not to pull, you can try any of several techniques: every time he pulls, stop and wait for him to re-orient to you before you start walking again; when he pulls in one direction, turn around and begin walking the other. Your pup is young, so be careful that you aren't jerking his neck around whatever method you use. The most important thing is to be consistent. Use the same method every time and NEVER let him pull. The more he is allowed to pull, the more he will build up this habit and habits are a lot harder to break than teaching good behavior to begin with.

[MaggieDog]

I love the articles about puppy training on www.clickersolutions.com/articles - I bet they'd be quite helpful and best of all they're FREE!

[ScottCM]

I would recommend reading some general dog training books. There are many methods you can use. Sounds like right now you are using a "luring" method--getting the pup to follow your hand to lay down. This is a great way to start. Are you using treats to lure with? What you probably want to do is lure the down with a treat while saying "down" or whatever you will use for a command until that is consistent. Then, every once in awhile start luring the pup into a down without a treat, using just your hand. Some will catch on right away and make the association between the word and the position. Some will take longer. Once your pup understands the down and can do it without a lure, you can start increasing the length of time you ask him to hold the position, the distance from you that he obeys the command and the distractions, such as being outside.

 

I've never used a treat he just done it more a less straight away I use treats for certain other commands, but down was just to see what he would do, he followed my hand and went down. Thanks for the tips Ninso and MaggieDog. Also clicker training sounds interesting, something I've never thought about using.