when is a good age for a puppy to start obediance school?

Question

I got my first puppy ever the other day and still a clueless about raising him.

Answer 1

Congratulations! on your new puppy!

You can begin training your puppy at home, but he shouldn't go to classes away from home until he has had all of his shots..You can ask the vet, when he gets his next vaccinations, how soon is safe..
The Basics
SIT, COME, DOWN, STAY, HEEL.

SIT

Holding a treat in your left hand just above the pup's nose, gently rest your right hand on pup's rump.
Slowly move the treat in an upward motion while applying gentle pressure to the rump. ( you don't want to push hard because if you do the dog will sit every time someone touches him and this is not good for competitive obedience)
as soon as pup sits say in a very happy excited tone "GOOD SIT" and give the treat.
Repeat exercise 7x. then take a play break and move on to something else.
very young pups should not train for more than a half hour each day
every time you put food bowl down or give a treat give the sit command, and wait for the sit. then once pup sits give treat or food down.
DO NOT move on to something new until pup has the new command down pat.

COME

walk away from pup about 10 feet to start. say pup's name and "COME" in a happy voice. once pup comes praise it lavishly have a bit of a play and give it a treat.
Gradually increase the distance you walk away. and eventually once pup knows command only treat every 3rd come. tapering off until he comes every time with out treat using only praise.
this will take a few days to learn if you practice every day.

DOWN

Start with pup in sit. move hand with the treat between the pup's front paws on the ground.
Say "DOWN" in firm but not loud voice.
pup might try and get treat without going down, don't let him have it until he downs.
praise in happy voice "GOOD DOWN"
repeat 7x

STAY

Start pup in down position. say "STAY" in firm voice. walk to end of leash, backwards. if the pup moves say once only "AP" in a not pleased tone. go back do not say anything. put pup in down again repeat "STAY" walk backwards to end of leash.
pup does NOT get praise or treat until he stays for 30 seconds, then a minute, then 5 minutes. move times up each week.
after he can do a 5 minute down/stay every time. move on to a sit/stay doing exactly what you did for down/stay.
Once on leash sit and down/stays are reliable for 5 minutes each. drop the leash and walk away from your pup, your back to the pup. about 10 feet away. wait 5 min. recall your dog. with dog sitting in front of you once he reaches you. treat and praise.

HEEL

Please do NOT train with a choke collar. i recommend martingayles .
with dog on a short leash exactly beside you on your left side say "HEEL" if the dog starts to pull give a correction snap with leash on collar. and recommend "HEEL" the second your dog complies praise with "GOOD HEEL" in happy voice. and continue to walk , correct, and praise for 30 minutes.

Always end training sessions on a positive note. Never get angry with your pup for not responding to a command. Praise lavishly every time pup responds to a command.

Answer 2

You could take your puppy to puppy kindergarden classes which are basically for socializing puppies and teaching them a few manners.

I don't believe any dog should be to formal obedience classes until they're at least one year old. The atmosphere in obedience classes isn't good for puppies - you've always got people yelling at their dogs, instructors yelling to be heard, and puppies can get too stressed out. I've had dogs who hated obedience classes and were never themselves there, never comfortable, yet they totally loved doing the work any place else.

Teaching your dog at home is a great way for you to start right now to build a trusting relationship with your dog. You can teach the basics, sit, down, stay, heel and most importantly, come, at an early age. Keep your lessons very short (because young puppies have a short attention span), keep them fun and always quit if you feel yourself starting to lose patience.

Answer 3

You can start obedience classes at 3 months of age. At 6 months of age your puppy should know the basic commands, such as sit, stay, laydown and come. He/she should also be pretty much potty trained at this age all though some dogs might take longer train.

Answer 4

As soon as possible. However, most places will want you to get immunizations first. As a dog walker, sitter, and entreprenuer in the dog industry, I suggest having a dog trainer come to your home. (Bark Busters or a local person with a certification.)

I'm the first to say many dog people are just wierd. I do NOT suggest petco/petsmart trainings. They're mostly a waste of money... good for socializations, but horrible for training ...there is no follow up, the trainers are trained by the store (who just wants your money, etc.)
Have someone come out to your home so they can train you as well as the pup. They'll do follow ups and work with you.

Start training as soon as possible. Dogs know what they can and can't do... so make your training a part of what they can and can't do.

(Check out Cesar Milan's Dog Whisperer episodes on National Geo channel OR check out his book, Cesar's Way. It's a GREAT beginner for new dog people.) I STRONGLY suggest it. I give a copy of it to most of my new employees.

Answer 5

As soon as he has had a full series of puppy shots get him started.
It depends on the trainer you are going to work with but I start them at about 12 weeks.
The sooner the better. Just make sure your classes are short and fun. His attention sapn will not be long at 12 weeks.
have fun and keep training.

Answer 6

You should be able to find a puppy class for all breeds of puppies starting as early as 8 wks old--highly reccommended for ameteur & pro dog owners--they do as much good for the owner as the puppy.

Answer 7

I would wait till between the third and fourth month after your puppy has the third round of shots. You want him to be immunized from common deadly viruses before socializing with other puppies

Answer 8

you can start to train when they reach the age of 4 months. just make sure that he has had all his shots and his rabies.call your local pet store to find out if they do offer obeidiance classes and at what age they need to be and also what shots they are required to have before they start a class. all classes are different and they all have different rules and requirements for their classes. good luck in finding a class that will suit you and you dog.

Answer 9

3 months, after his series of shots are finished, so he can't catch anything from another dog. You can start with the easier stuff yourself. There are some good on-line guides for the basics.
http://www.mypuppy.ca/training.asp

Answer 10

They offer classes that start accepting as young as 6 weeks.