Labradoodle Puppy Training

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Labradoodle Puppy Training

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Reward Training
Small treats can be used as lures or rewards.
Picture one shows the correct way to hold a treat
so that the dog cannot get the treat until
he follows the command. Picture two shows how to
hold a treat to lower to the ground for a Down
command. Puppies should learn to take
treats gently without biting. Keeping treats
steady and not allowing the pup to snap is
essential to teaching this. Keep the treat very
still and be patient.
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Once the pup realizes that it cannot help itself
to the treat, you may stand up and give commands.
If the pup in picture 3 were to jump up I would
discourage it with a deep voiced eerrrr and
give it a sit command. Praise and the treat
would follow. Clear commands and quick praise
are essential tools to a happy working dog.
Picture 4 shows two 4 month old pups politely
accepting treats for a Sit.
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Leave It
Leave It means the pup should leave or spit out
anything. You must be very firm for this
exercise to work. Start by placing a treat in
front of the pups nose and give the command
Leave It in a stern voice. The pup may sniff
the treat, as in picture 1, but must back away
from it, as in picture 2. Reward pup once it
has turned away from the food. Be sure to say
Okay once the treat is offered. Picture 4
shows two four month pups leaving a treat offered
to them. Note if the pup will not leave the
food, try a stern eerrrrr sound to discourage
them.
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Once you have established a good Leave It, it
can be used to stop a dog from many behaviours.
These include eating garbage off the street,
chasing other animals, picking up shoes to chew
etc. Always reward a leave it with immediate
praise.
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Sit and Down
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Sit and down are taught using a treat as a lure.
To teach the sit place the treat just above the
dogs head and behind his eyes as in the first
picture. Keep the treat steady and say Sit.
Reward the dog when it sits. To teach down,
lower the treat to the ground, as in the second
picture and wait for the pup to lie down. Praise
the dog after each performance. Eventually, the
dog will know the command and you may talk from a
standing position.
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Hints Ask your pup to sit or down for his
dinner, to greet people or just as a fun game.
Wean dogs off treats by offering a treat
randomlyie only give treats for every second or
third request. Praise is also a good motivator
so practice your Good Dog.
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Come
Come is the most important exercise a dog can
learn. It must ALWAYS be taught with a positive
attitude and lots of patience. Start with
your pup in a confined area or on leash. Allow
the pup to become distracted and then call the
pup in a happy voicePuppy Come . The minute
the pup looks toward you begin to praise him
encouraging him to come to you. Reward with a
treat. NEVER YELL OR LOSE YOUR TEMPERYou must
look friendly and welcoming. Crouching or
patting your legs will encourage the pup to come.
A crinkly treat bag carried in your pocket also
works. The key to a reliable Come is a happy
attitude and lots of practice. Picture 1, 2 and
3 show handler positions. Picture 4 shows pups
being rewarded for a good Come. Be careful
about only using the Come command to call your
dog away from having funtry calling your dog
away from a play session and then allowing him
to go back and play more.
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Stay
Stay is a handy exercise that teaches self
control for the pup. Begin by sitting the pup by
your left side. Give a firm Stay command using
a flat handed signal in front of the dogs nose.
Step away from the dog, gently holding him in
position with the leash. Pivot back beside the
dog and release the dog with an Okay before
praising. Do not attempt distance until you are
sure the pup knows the command. Also try not to
make eye contact, as this is often a sign for
Come. A 10 second Stay is a good start. A
sit/stay is a handy command to give a dog when
guests arrive at the front door. Use the word
stay to mean stay in that position until I come
back to you. Using Wait to mean dont come
with me or dont run out of the house/car.
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Walk on Leash
A dog that walks without pulling on the leash is
truly a pleasure. The puppy has been trained on
a regular buckle collar. It has never
been allowed to pull on leash. The pup is gently
guided by the leash. If it pulls, the handler
must stop and encourage the pup back into
position. Treats may be used to lure the dog, as
in picture 3, or a stern Hey when the dog pulls
can be helpful. Try to keep the pups attention
by talking and praising. At the end of the 4
weeks of training, puppies will not be pulling
on the leash. If problems occur later on, please
consult a trainer about other helpful equipment.
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Housetraining Hints

• I have often thought when I am housetraining a
  puppy, that I become trained first! You will
  need to learn the cues the puppy gives before you
  give it the run of the house. The key to
  successful training is supervision. Puppies
  need to relieve themselves after they sleep, eat
  or are active. This puppy sleeps through the
  night in a crate. I place the crate in a bedroom
  next to a sleeping person. It improves bonding
  and is comforting to the pup. Puppies easily
  adapt to a schedule so accidents can be avoided.
• I take pups out first thing in the morning. I
  take them to the place I want them to relieve
  themselves and say go potty, hurry up or go
  pee in an upbeat tone of voice. I praise when
  the pup goes. Praise should be gentle so as not
  to disturb the puplet them finish or they will
  finish in the house! The pup is then taken back
  into the house for supervised time. The basic
  rule is that the pup is crated if I am unable to
  watch them. After crate time, the pup can be
  taken out for another potty. If the puppy
  relieves itself, it can come back in for
  playtime. If the puppy does not go, put it back
  in the crate and try again in 30 minutes.
• Hints If you have left the pup crated for a
  period of time, always open the door and lead it
  outside before greeting itexcited pups often
  dribble urine which is best done outside.
• If the pup disappears in the house, follow it!
  Pups will often go into other rooms to relieve
  themselves and they move quickly. If you catch a
  pup in the act let out a bladder-clenching
  HEY and quickly take the pup to his potty spot
  outside. On the other hand, you cannot punish or
  scold a pup for a mess you discover after the
  fact. They really dont understand.
• Clean all messes promptly and spray with a mix
  of 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water. If the
  pup sniffs in this area again take it out
  immediately.
• Remember that the pup is still young and that
  accidents happen. Accidents mean that you need
  to supervise better.

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Other behaviours

• Chewingpuppies teeth and need to chew things.
  Provide acceptable chew toys and put things that
  you dont want destroyed out of reach. Use a
  crate to contain the pup when you cannot
  supervise. Use Leave It when you want to
  discourage chewing and replace the forbidden item
  with one that is acceptable.
• Diggingsome pups love to dig. You can
  discourage digging by using Leave It and
  distracting the dog with a game more acceptable
  to you.
• Barkingdogs bark to alert us. Excessive barking
  should be curbed by a firm, stern Thats
  enoughno barkinggrrrr. Said in a deep
  growling voice, this is often enough to stop
  barking dogs.
• Jumping UpAs your pup comes toward you, tell it
  to Sit and immediately greet/pet the pup. A
  hand firmly placed on the dogs chest and a Sit
  command will often cure the jumper.

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Final Words

• I hope you enjoy your new pet. As is often the
  case, the more effort you put into training your
  dog, the happier you all will be.
• Obedience classes and trainers provide valuable
  information. Problem behaviours are easier to
  correct before they become well established.