Ages and Stages

[Scottea]

Gidday!

 

I'm sortta wondering about what Moffat should be able to do at different ages/stages in puppyhood to adult (that's about 2 years, right?).

 

She is great with the basics except for the leash caper - although she now no loner is afraid of it --- she just does not comprehend the loose heel caper (I do not want her to heel at the military 2" from my knee at all times caper). Is this usual for a 15 week old?

 

She goes in next week for the change of life op as well as microchipping - a day to really tidy the house areas she is allowed in.

 

Gonna have to fill her cookies jar as well - whenever I have proper leftovers and the oven on I cook up a batch of varies cookies for her. She loves the liver and carrot ones the most.

 

Thanks for all your great hints and tips.

 

Scottea

 

Thanks for all your good tips.

[Crashless]

Well, for refrence, Sadie is 13 weeks old and has a fairly good handle on:

Sit

Stay

Come

Heel (though still sniffs a lot, normal for a pup)

Fetch (frisbee and ball)

Drop

 

She also has learned to sit at exterior door thresholds and not to leave or enter without being released. And will find her ball when I ask for it. She hasn't quite learned any other toy names, but we're working on it. Also, she seems to have a mental block learning 'down'. Any tips?

 

Potty training is progressing. She's periodically whining next to the door when it's time to go. We're batting about .800 over the last week - which is pretty good I think.

 

I'm not sure what the vets do in New Zealand, but here in the States, our vet scheduled her spaying for 6 months, 4 seems a bit early to me - but again, I'm not a vet. She got chipped however last week (at 12 weeks).

 

Anyways, not that Sadie is normal (what IS normal anyways) but that's where she is. For comparison.

[Kat's Dogs]

Well, I train my dogs, a lot. Really, I train to much!

 

By 15 weeks Dazzle knew this stuff (I had a training log)

 

Sit

Down

give (a toy)

Shake

Stay

Come

Roll over

Okay

get it (fetch)

Where's your nose (paws at her nose)

Tunnel (agility)

 

Potty training is coming along

Walking on a leash is going well - still needed more practice though

Started training "on the flat" agility stuff

Started training Agility contacts

Started training Agility jumps (poles on the ground)

 

Dazzy got spayed at 'bout 6 months also got chipped then too.

 

At 15 weeks it is normal for a pup to still have some trouble with the loose leash thing - just keep working on it and one day it will click!

 

I expect a pup that is 15 weeks old to at least have a sit, down, come, and give (or drop it, or whatever). Those are the life-saving ones!

 

Dazzle is now 1 year old and knows about 80 some commands but like I said, I do a LOT of training.

 

I hope that was a helpful refrence.

[RaisingRiver]

At that age River could:

 

Sit, stay, down, come, wait, crate, ok.

 

She got the no peeing in the house, but too many accidents inside... well, let's just say at 6mos she's still confused.

 

She doesn't loose leash walk, but I haven't trained it, it's next on my list.

[Meg's mum]

Megs going through a "now that I'm 18 weeks old I don't have to listen to you any more unless I want to" phase. She's slipping backward on her housetraining and recall. Sigh. Good thing we started puppy obedience school last week. BUT when she wants to:

 

She fairly well knows 6 (was 7 - destroyed fuzzy the lambswool duster) toys and two classes of objects.

 

She will go find, get it, bring it, drop it, leave it, sit (lays down now instead, terribly hard to break her of this), down, dead (for a split second unless I follow it with stay) stay (about 15 seconds without a reinforcing good girl, or repeated stay) and she will give her paw unless its been over long that we've been scrubbing mud off of her paws, belly, face, tail etc....

 

She knows up, but I haven't taught her off. She knows back and half the time will take commands without coming forward again.

 

She was fine on leash until recently. We put her back on a short leash and now she fights it as if I were a dog theif. She carries her long leash in her mouth and tugs ahead when excited which is always. We haven't taught her heeling, but she does if she feels like. Off leash she occasionally walks me with my pantleg or skirt hem in her mouth for a moment until I stop dead. Otherwise she keeps me within 15 feet of her.

 

She will jump up in the car in the mornings when asked, but not in the evenings.

 

To get her to stop being a watch dog, I have but to bark loudly for a moment and she gets behind me, dulling to a little grumble.

 

Please do NOT take this as a catalogue of what 'should' be, we are over permissive, and under attentive dog parents and there is a devious cat determined to distract and dare Meg to chase her wherever and whenever.

 

Meg has been training me on the other hand, very well. She piles toys at doorways and at my feet until I give in and play with her. She has the guilt trip thing down to a tee.