Dog Training?

Just looking for some advice on what to do about training a puppy. My wife spoke to some kennels in the area and it sounds like we are going to have to drop about 1000.00 bucks for a 3 week training ordeal. I am on the fence on to spend the money or just try and do it ourselves. Our British lab is about 4 months old and all we are looking for is your standard training for a good family dog….no hunting at all. There’s a lot of other things i could do with a 1000.00 bucks but i am just curious what others take is on this???

Thanks for the input

I grew up training dogs with my dad and several other professional trainers. First question you have to ask yourself is, do you have a lot of extra time to dedicate to this new puppy? The key to training a dog is consistency. You have to make sure that you train daily. That being said, you also have to keep the training sessions to a minimum length so the pup doesn’t get restless. Puppies are very impatient animals which requires you to have a lot of patients to be able to train them. I always thought it was so much fun training dogs due to the fact that you can say you actually taught the dog everything he knows. After all the obedience training you can start training him to fetch ice cold beverages out of the fridge.

Do it yourself, just time and patients. A bag of treats also would be good.

I have trained a lot of dogs and with a puppy I will say the biggest thing is make it fun, turn it into a game. Give them treats that they don’t normally get, I love using cheese because its quick and easy for them to eat and they don’t every get it any other time. Also keep sessions short 2-3 minutes multiple times a day is way better than 30-40 minutes once a day. And the biggest thing I can stress is do not EVER give a command you cannot back up, meaning that for the next 3-4 months the dog should be wearing a check cord whenever its out of the kennel. Inside I use a short 3-4 foot piece of light rope, out in the yard is a 20-30 foot rope. That way whenever I give a command I have the ability to grab the rope and make them complie with that command. You don’t have to be harsh but if you say “here” and they don’t come to you grab the rope and reel them in.

Also find a retriever club in your area a lot of times they will hold basic obedience classes for young dogs. You don’t have to train them for what the others in the club train for but it will get you around some guys that know what they are doing and can help you out and it will get your pup some much needed socialization.

Good luck and remember its not about the destination its about the journey

We took our Golden/black lab cross to a class at pet smart. I think it was about $100. The best $100 I ever spent. I think it was once a week for 6 weeks. They teach you as much as they teach the dog.

I would buy the book urban gun dogs

check for puppy classes at local shelter or even community ed classes have this. I would do classes you are part of so your dog learns to take commands from you. enjoy your time and do 15 min at a time for training.

I have trained lots of hunting and field trial dogs over the yrs. I would NEVER EVER give a dog a food treat for doing what he was told to do. 1st off I don’t want to carry around pockets full of doggie treats where ever I go, so my dog will do what I tell him/her to do. The ONLY thing the dog needs is PRAISE when he does it RIGHT.PRAISE is the REWARD.! Most dogs will learn to want to please you. And when he does you PLEASE him/her with PRAISE.! You want the dog to learn to please YOU for what he has done right on command. NOT FOR FOOD TREATS. This has worked well for me and my dogs for 50-plus yrs. My 2 cents……rrr

Thanks for the feed back guys I appreciate it.

I agree with Randy they don’t need treats,get em to enjoy playing games,but make them mind you! the check cord is an important part of that, if you have to chase them to make them mind,it’s a game to get away and not mind,YOU LOSE! I wouldn’t pay to have a dog trained to be a pet, you will enjoy the dog more if you do your own training.Not to belittle a pet over a hunting dog. they will retrieve naturally with just playing with them if they mind thats the battle. you don’t care if they bring the retrieve back and drop it or hold it like is required in a trial situation.

Stan

Find a local obedience school.

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Find a local obedience school.

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Ralph? Are you talking about RRR? We’ve tried.

We trained our dog using chicken meat. Every time we have chicken the dog is all over us thinking he’s going to get some.

Won’t make that mistake again.

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Just looking for some advice on what to do about training a puppy. My wife spoke to some kennels in the area and it sounds like we are going to have to drop about 1000.00 bucks for a 3 week training ordeal. I am on the fence on to spend the money or just try and do it ourselves. Our British lab is about 4 months old and all we are looking for is your standard training for a good family dog….no hunting at all. There’s a lot of other things i could do with a 1000.00 bucks but i am just curious what others take is on this???

Thanks for the input

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Personally, I would never have anybody else train my dogs, either for hunting or obedience. The process of training, in addition to teaching your dog YOUR expectations, builds the bonds of trust and partnership that a lifetime of interaction depend upon. You and your dog(s) are in it together for better or worse (kinda sounds a bit like a marriage and it is). If you need help, there are groups and resources out there in every region to give you the tools and confidence to be successful. Search them out, partner with them…you, your dog and your family will be the better for it.

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Find a local obedience school.

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Ralph? Are you talking about RRR? We’ve tried.

We trained our dog using chicken meat. Every time we have chicken the dog is all over us thinking he’s going to get some.

Won’t make that mistake again.

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Good thing it wasn’t spam.

Have you ever trained a dog (I mean, really trained a dog)? If not, a couple hundred dollars spent on obedience classes (for you and the dog) are well worth it. Even if you have, it’s well worth it. I’m not a fan of the “Petsmart” classes, but if you have actual canine obedience schools near you, I’d go that route.

FWIW, prior to purchasing Floyd in 2008, I had never owned or trained a dog. We began training at a local training center, and I am extremely grateful for all they did for us. We have a fabulous companion, now, that people are constantly impressed by. I competed in Rally Obedience trials with him and attained his Rally Novice, Rally Advanced, and Rally Excellent titles in addition to being the top-scoring Great Dane in the US in 2010. He’s also an active therapy dog.

So, don’t feel that you need to shell out mega bucks to have someone train your dog. You can do it yourself, but determine your expectations, get help from experts, and be consistent!

Good luck!

Here’s Floyd and I (quite a bit chunkier then) after he scored a perfect 100 on an Rally Excellent run.

In most cases the owner needs the training more than the pup. That is where the gtg sessions shine. You will learn a lot and that will trickle down to the pup. Mistakes can sometimes be very bad for first timers.

Check with your local court house and se if FHA has a Dog obedience class they offer them here for about $10 for 8 weeks. It will give you a good start and jump on the internet or many good books it really is not that difficult to do. We are fortunate here as the instructors are all professional trainers and donate there time.

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In most cases the owner needs the training more than the pup. That is where the gtg sessions shine. You will learn a lot and that will trickle down to the pup. Mistakes can sometimes be very bad for first timers.

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x2! Often times, you might not even realize a mistake you’re making till someone else points it out to you.

Basic training is easy. Don’t spend a grand. By a good book for less than $20. I like Wolters.

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By a good book for less than $20. I like Wolters.

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I bought one of his books. It was alright, but I don’t agree with some of his stances. There are lots of methods that work to train a dog. Consistency is key.

PM sent.

BTW. Our dog is getting trained here http://embarkdog.com/
8 week class is 110 dollars so 1000 dollars is way too much. unless thats private one on one classes.

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BTW. Our dog is getting trained here http://embarkdog.com/

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Your dog is getting trained, or you are getting trained?

That’s the type of thing I’d look for. Price seems about on par with what I’ve seen here.

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By a good book for less than $20. I like Wolters.

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I bought one of his books. It was alright, but I don’t agree with some of his stances. There are lots of methods that work to train a dog. Consistency is key.

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Thanks for shooting down my suggestion..

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Thanks for shooting down my suggestion..

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Honestly, I’m a hands-on learner. I have a hard time picking things up by reading.

If you are just doing basics you can enroll in obedience classes for probably 50-$120. Like others have said it really teaches you what to do and then you have the homework or practice, practice. Several small 5,10,15 minute sessions a day,what ever they can handle. They lose there attention span quickly, you want to stop right before there tired. Consistenty with commands and praise from all folks involved in training so they don’t get mixed messages. Like RRR said you want to reach the level were the dog wants to please you, takes time, patience and practice.
You may also want to get enrolled now, 4-6 months is prime time learning. They can still learn after that but seems to take more repetion. Put lots of time in now and you’ll have a great dog for life. Twice daily walks if you can helps too with energy level. If you can expose them to a couple new kids each day. Have the dog sit, greet, pet and reward[what ever you chose or figure out what is a reward in the dogs eyes.]. Make it fun. Good luck

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Have you ever trained a dog (I mean, really trained a dog)? If not, a couple hundred dollars spent on obedience classes (for you and the dog are well worth it. Even if you have, it’s well worth it.

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I’ve bolded the key phrase. For YOU and the dog.

Knowing a couple of professional gundog trainers, I would say that the consistent remark is that training the owner is harder than training the dog. And probably more important.

Honestly, for just a general companion dog, I can’t see where it would be necessary to shell out big bucks on a professional. As long as you invest the time, there’s no reason why you can’t turn out a perfectly good family pet on your own.

Hunting dogs are a different story. The bar is set a lot higher and the cost of NOT getting it right is much higher. A hunting dog is a professional dog and they have to be able to do their job or what’s the point?

Ralph’s story is a great example of what someone with no experience can do if they invest the time and effort.

Grouse