Vital things a puppy needs to learn.

Molly'sMama

Molly'sMama

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We're collecting our new cocker spaniel puppy in October and whilst we raised out JRT successfully enough,I can't really remember what kind of things are essential for their developement.

At the top of my head I know ; toilet training,socialising with as many different people/dogs as is safe to,introducing to cars/horses etc, training them not to be food aggressive,walking on a lead,coming back,...


Yeah.So a bit uncertain.

So what do you ensure the puppy knows /try to teach first ? Some techniques for doing those things would be gratefully recieved.

Thanks so much!
 
That life is stress free and that the world is a happy, friendly place (done by appropriate socialization . . . particularly in environments you frequent, e.g., livery yards, horse shows, etc.)
How to play appropriately, e.g., no teeth on human skin ever, how to give/leave/wait
Recall - this one is key
Basic obedience commands like sit, stay, wait, down, heel
How to walk nicely on a lead, to come to have the lead clipped on/off
Not to jump up
Not to beg
To be polite with other dogs, small children, small furries
How to greet visitors to the home (no jumping up, barking, being territorial)
How to sleep alone at night (sadly, we failed at this one so I now have two dogs who insist on sleeping with at least one of the four humans in the house)
How to behave in the car

I'm sure there are others . . .

P
 
Everything PS said!

The 'no' and 'leave it' commands are the first things I teach with young dogs.

In the early days, shape behaviour you want by using things like distractions, redirection onto a ball or a toy, get the dog to focus on you as the source of all good things (food comes from you for good behaviour, toys and play come from you for good behaviour) and be very clear about the boundaries...not...sometimes you can come on the sofa but other times you cannot, but I am not going to tell you when those times are...don't give a dog too many choices, they like clear, firm direction.
As PS says, no pressure in the early days, build a bond, get the ground rules sorted out.

The Culture Clash is a good book, by Jane Donaldson, very fluffy in parts but good common sense ideas.
 
The very first thing that I want a puppy to learn, is to make eye contact with me, when I speak to it.

If your new Cocker puppy is bred of show bench stock, then they can all so often have temperament problems, and can be quite spiteful, especially around food. Work bred puppies tend to be a little more amenable, though they are still wilful!!

It's better for the first 2-3 months to prevent the problems occurring, rather than correcting them, if that makes sense. Too early a level of discipline will all so often result in eventual rebellion.

Alec.
 
Thanks everyone !

Found an obedience/training class right next to a potential livery yard so hopefully wil sign up when we get her.... this may sound silly but what age should she be at the first session?Obviously needs her vaccines but should we wait beyond that?

Alec.. Her mother is a Kc registered bitch but she comes from a line of Workers/Field Champs,her father is more a showy type so maybe she will be a mix?Will keep an eye out on food anyway..

..This is going to be my first spaniel ,any warnings?! No worries excerise or the like,we're aware of that,have miles of field around us,but any other behaviourial habits with the breed? ;) My dad did have a few cockers growing up.

Thanks :D
 
I teach 'wait' from day one. When dinner is put down for puppy then he has to wait before he is released to eat it. The pack leader would eat first before giving permission for others so I like to try and mimic this. Not only is that an easy way to show puppy that your top dog but also ensures they don't start getting a 'my food!' attitude.
 
The best one I teach is food is at her meal time, she never gets food any other time I hate food rewarding use a toy instead, it reminds me when a friend had a Jr and it started take food from her kids at meal times, she always fed it treats.
 
I start training from day one. I strap a bum bag with clicker and treats around my waist and just reward all the good behaviours. I would take a puppy to a training class as soon as they let you in and you may find some puppy only fun sessions that accept puppies after the first vaccination.

I let young puppies off the lead immediately because they are too scared to go away, so I can reward everytime the puppy comes close to me and start the basics of recall.

Other first actions: teach the puppy its name and teach 'leave it' for food.

Also start crate training asap as it takes a little while before any dog is comfortable being shut in the crate.

As for the training class near you make sure you attend a class now to see their training methods and decide if they are for you. There are loads of different approaches out there (Cesar Millan's for example is quite a different approach from clicker) and you need to find the one that suits you and your puppy.
 
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