PUPPY TRAINING

TRAINING MARKER (clicker)

Click and then feed within half second

     Very critical that the marker comes first and then the food

     If you have trouble coordinating things, put the food behind your back

 

MANDING (sitting upon approach and not jumping)

Sit on the floor with the puppy

     They will instinctively want to jump on you.

Remain impassive and wait until they back off and sit, click and treat

     Do not add a verbal cue- the human is the cue

 

AUTO-SIT

When you approach puppy in his pen

     Feed/pay attention if he is sitting ask all guests to participate.

     At first, just reinforce paws on the ground

     Once they have that, just wait for a sit. 

     Don’t ask puppies to sit, wait for them to do it on their own

When puppy has this down add a distraction (multiple people, another dog etc)

     Start with the distraction stationary and several feet away

     Move as far away as you have to, so puppies can concentrate

     Gradually have distraction move closer but remain stationary

     Move further away again and begin moving

     Again, move as far away as you have to, so the puppies remain calm

     Work your way closer

 

LEASH WALKING

Start walking in a small counterclockwise circle with the puppy on the inside

When he’s within 5 feet of your left side click and treat

Gradually wait until he’s closer and closer to your left side before you click and treat

Once he’s clearly running to your left side, take 2 steps before you click and treat

Wait for 3 steps.

Then work your way up to 3-5 steps

Put a collar on the puppy and have him walk by you again clicking and treating

Attach the leash, click and treat

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If the puppy pulls or fights the leash:

     Let the leash slide through your fingers

     Drop the leash if necessary

     Keep moving forward

     Click and treat when puppy starts following

     Keep sessions to no more than 1-2 minutes

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The goal for a puppy younger than 12 weeks is 10-15 steps on leash

 

DOG ON DOG SOCIALIZATION

Give space

Give the puppy a place where they can escape to

Have puppy off leash

Don’t force or lure puppy to another dog

Let puppy take it at their own pace

Puppy should never be terrified

Don’t pay attention to reluctant puppy instead interact with the other dog

 

SOCIALIZATION WITH HUMANS

Have a wide variety of people meet your puppy

     Men, women, deep/shrill voices, tall/short, thin/thick, different races and ethnicities, all ages, hats/boots/glasses/heels etc,                                canes/walkers etc.

 

RESOURCE GUARDING

Food dish:

     (do each step until puppy gives a positive response)

     Step 1- add food to dish while puppy is eating

     Step 2- exchange dish, take dish away while puppy is eating and give treat

 

Objects:

     Give the puppy a meaty bone and allow him/her 10 mins with it

     Take the bone away and exchange for a treat

     Give the bone back

     Repeat with a variety of toys and chew objects

 

Locations:

     Approach the puppy when he’s comfortably resting in his bed or crate

     Move him/her off the location

     Give the puppy a treat

 

Lap Guarding:

     Approach puppy while in owner’s lap or arms

     Pat puppy and give a treat

 

BITING

Interactions with the puppy should be calm and structured

Use a toy to play with your puppy, never your hands

If the puppy bites, pick him/her up and point the biting parts away

Keep re-gripping and massaging the puppy

Offer the puppy a toy or chew object

 

Walking with the puppy

     If he bites, stop moving. Motion is a big trigger

     Always carry food and reinforce walking next to you without biting

     If he wont stop, pick him up and point his teeth away from you

     Break out the food and train, or if you’re too busy to train, put the puppy away

 

Puppies biting children

     Behavioral loop, puppy bites and children scream (excites puppy) so bites again

     Teach child to interact calmly with the puppy

     If a child is too young to understand, manage the puppy

          Feed puppy and train calm behaviors while kids are running around

          Put puppy away if you don’t have time to train

 

It only takes a month or two for the puppy to outgrow biting if you are diligent with the training!

 

POTTY TRAINING

Foresee when puppy will need to go and take him out before then

     10 mins after the start of play session

     15 mins after eating

     Immediately upon waking up

     Abrupt cessation in activity or starting to sniff

     Going to the door, even just walking by

     At least once an hour no matter what

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When you can’t watch your puppy, put him in a puppy pen (exercise pen with crate and potty area)

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Getting mad at the puppy for having an accident will only teach the puppy to hide from you when he goes.

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Simply watch for the cues and praise puppy when he goes outside.

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Have a bell by the door and teach the puppy to ring it when he wants to go out.

     Start by hitting the bell with the puppy’s paw or nose before taking him out.

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**Puppies can't control their bladder until they are about 16 weeks old.  After that, in general they can only hold their bladder for the same number of hours as the number of months of their age plus one.**

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I recommend a weaning pen for puppies to sleep and be in while nobody is able to watch them closely. 

Your weaning pen should consist of an open crate, potty area (I tape a puppy/hospital pad down and put recycled paper dog litter on top for extra absorption and easy cleanup.), fencing, and eating area.  I like to use the cheapest linoleum I can find at Home Depot/Lowes to protect the actual floor from water or other spills and messes. 

 

Here is a picture of one of our weaning pens for our puppies.                           This was our simple weaning pen for the hotel room.

                                                                                                                                              I taped a puppy pad to a muddy shoe holder tray and put puppy litter on top.

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​             The dog litter I prefer, but others work as well.

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SLEEP

Puppy should sleep in puppy pen

     Withhold food for 3 hours before bedtime

     Withhold water for 1 hour before bedtime

     Take puppy out and make sure he at least pees

     Leave crate door open

 

When puppy goes 4 or 5 hours at night without using the potty:

     Close the door to the crate

     Set an alarm to wake up in no more than 5 hours

 

Most puppies will be reliable by 5 months old, although some will not be until a year

     This is a physiological development issue

     Punishment will only slow down the process

     The only thing you can really do is take the puppy out more often

 

BODY HANDLING

Make sure to touch ears, tails, toes, lips, teeth every day

Squeeze paws and hug/restrain puppies

Exchange body handling for a treat (hide treats so he doesn’t get frustrated)

 

RECALL

Recall word should be high pitched and staccato “come”

Give the dog something great, every time (treat)

Recall word needs to be said the same way every time said in a way you don’t normally talk

Their name is not a recall word

Never call your dog to you and then do something unpleasant, such as clip nails, clean ears or something they don’t like, go to them when you need something unpleasant done

 

CRATE TRAINING

Let him/her get used to it before you shut the door

Withhold food 3 hrs, water 1 hour before crate, take potty before closing crate

 

Closing puppy in crate:

     Place puppy in crate with meaty bone

     Close the door, make sure puppy is engaged in chewing, and leave puppy for just a few seconds

     Return and let him out BEFORE he starts fussing

     Remember to do a treat exchange for the bone

     Gradually work up to longer and longer periods

 

FINDING A GOOD PUPPY TRAINER

No aversives:  clapping, yelling, spray bottle, hitting

No special training equipment: No prong, choke or shock collars No “stopping” behaviors

No verbal/physical corrections: Kneeing puppy, grabbing snout or pressing tongue, clapping or “eh-eh”

Instructors should show how to build behaviors, not punish for bad behavior

Ideal class plan: settle/train/play/train/play/settle

Puppies need a way to escape if they need a break and should not be forced out.

 

REWARD VS. PUNISHMENT TRAINING

When you use rewards in training dopamine is released strengthening the bond between you and your puppy. When punishing your dog for a behavior such as yelling, hitting, leash corrections etc. the dog will learn to fear you and retain that fear in your presence at all times. Punishment techniques can bring on an aggressive response and cause aggression problems that weren’t there to begin with.

 

SOUND SENSITIVITY, RESPONSE AND RECOVERY

Continue introducing your puppy to new sounds beginning at 9 weeks after the fear period has ended and they are more comfortable with their new home.

Start with the noise being soft and short lived and gradually work up to loud and longer sounds. This will help your puppy’s startle response and recovery.

Sounds to introduce include: fireworks, fire alarm, beeping, thunder etc.

Also, dropping a pan, clapping randomly also aids in this

 

REMEMBER TO LET YOUR PUPPY REST AFTER TRAINING!

Even if they seem to not get it at all, a little rest can do a lot of good!

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GROOMING

Grooming is an essential part of caring for our Golden Doodles. While all dogs need regular grooming to keep their coats clean and free from dirt, the Golden Doodle requires more grooming than some other breeds that naturally rid their coat through shedding.

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Start a routine early. Try simply finger-combing as the very first step. Handle or gently massage puppy paws daily.

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Make sure you brush your dog before bathing it. I recommend a metal comb and a slicker brush.

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Bathing should be limited so as to not dry out the dog’s coat and skin.

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Use dog shampoo (no human shampoo), avoid getting shampoo in your dog’s eyes, and keep water out of your dog’s ears.

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Dog’s nails need to be trimmed regularly. (This is where daily paw handling proves to be extremely beneficial.) Make sure not to cut too short and hit the quick!

 

​Regular teeth brushing is very important to keep oral hygiene in check.  Make sure to use dog toothpaste and never use toothpaste made for humans!

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Keeping sanitary areas nice and trim will greatly help with the overall hygiene of the dog!