What Should I Teach Him First

919 Views 8 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Thracian, Jun 25, 2009

1stymedawgowner

Discussion Starter · Jun 24, 2009

Greetings!! I got my wonderful puppy 2 weeks about and I just love him to pieces. He is a 10 week old yorkie/poodle mix and VERY playful. I am currently using the crate method to house break him and it is going OK I guess. I really want to start training him but am not sure if he is ready. We have tried to teach him to understand "NO", His Name, "KENNEL", and "POTTY" but it is not going so well. He is doing very well with his name and "NO". I really want him to go into his crate on the KENNEL command but it really is not working. He just wants to play all the time. POTTY is also not going so well but I know that one will come with time.

My main question is should I try to teach him one thing at a time or multiple things at once? My #1 priority is the KENNEL command. After that maybe SIT and STAY. I plan on getting him into a puppy training class is a few weeks when I get back in town but in the mean time should I simply continue trying to teach him the KENNEL command?

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rosemaryninja

· #2 · Jun 25, 2009

How are you teaching "kennel"?

Frankly at this age I would be less worried about teaching sit, stay, roll over etc and more concerned with teaching your pup how to learn. You'd be surprised, but many dogs who aren't trained in their early stages find it really difficult to make the connection that their actions can earn them rewards. Clicker training is excellent for teaching this.

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rosemaryninja

· #4 · Jun 25, 2009

I have a feeling that Ritaf's "leading in" method might be a little harder than it sounds. It's not easy to lead a puppy "into" a kennel, since the puppy has to walk ahead of you in order for it to happen.

I would train this through a lure... wave your hand in the direction of the crate (sort of like you're pointing at it, but your finger doesn't actually have to be extended). At the same time, throw a treat into the kennel and let the pup go in to get it. You do not need to say anything at this point. After a few repetitions of this, the sight of you gesturing towards the kennel will incite him to enter the kennel expecting a treat. When he starts entering the kennel in response to the hand signal, you can start adding the word "kennel" as a cue.

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