# new pup



## ghostbuster (Nov 30, 2007)

hey guys i just got a new black lab pup on saturday and i have a few questions. 1. When should i start traing him because he is 8 weeks? and another how train him to stop barking?


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## Chaws (Oct 12, 2007)

First thing to recommend is laying down the basics of being a good puppy. Crate train the pup when you're not able to focus most of your attention to it and make it sleep in the crate at night and when you're away.

The vocal issues you're seeing is more than likely because of its age. Being separated from its pack it'll bark. If you crate the puppy while you're there and he barks, ignore it unless it's an ongoing situation. Start enforcing a command of "quiet" by holding his nuzzle when he barks right away. Same thing with potty training, you have to reprimand the dog during the act and not afterwards.

Other commands you could work on like sit using kibble at treats. Also doing teeter totter in the hallway with another person commanding "here" and rewarding works as well. Get the pup running back and forth. Make little learning sessions short, only a couple minutes at a time maybe a couple times a day and it will pay off once the pup is older for formal training. Also something people tend to do is to throw objects for the pup to retrieve over and over again. Keep it short and only 3-5 retrieves a session each day. Also do this in a hallway to make sure the pup comes right back to you.


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## rb.number3 (Jun 15, 2004)

Check into the video : Sounnd Beginings, by Jackie Mertens.
Great video for starting a new pup. She works on the things, 
that will help your pup, be a good citizen & great family member. 
I agree, start working on crate training right away. I start crate training,
at about 5-6 weeks of age, for any pup that will need to fly at 8 weeks old. They catch on very quickly, and the crate becomes their place to get away, for quite time. Consistency, and patience, are the keys, to reaching
your goals. I really think the video is worth the price. I have watched it many times, over the years. 
Good Luck


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## Chaws (Oct 12, 2007)

rb.number3 said:


> Check into the video : Sounnd Beginings, by Jackie Mertens.
> Great video for starting a new pup. She works on the things,
> that will help your pup, be a good citizen & great family member.
> I agree, start working on crate training right away. I start crate training,
> ...


+2

I've seen the video and it starts with puppies all the way to about 4 months of age to get them to start using their prey drive and marking abilities as well. It also starts the process of introduction of gunfire as well.


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Agree with the above, and would add...

Don't push your pup and get in a big hurry to "train". He needs time to be a pup. Most all trainers I know, myself included, don't begin actual OB until 16 weeks of age. Bear in mind if you properly follow a program, your pup won't be finished until 16-24 month old. A lab is a pup until about 24 months.

Right now you need to work on potty training, crate training, socialization, and a few puppy bumpers. Do puppy bumpers in a hallway with any doors closed so the pup doesn't have any place to go but back to you. Don't overdo them, maybe two bumpers twice a day. Right now this is a game to your pup and his instinct will be to keep the bumper, not bring it back to you...

I recommend the 10 Minute Retriever by John & Amy Dahl (excellent for the first 6-9 months) and Smartwork For Retrievers by Evan Graham as your program.

Take your time & enjoy that pup...


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## northdakotakid (May 12, 2004)

I have to agree with all comments above and I will throw in my thoughts as an aspiring trainer of my own dogs... the toughest lesson to learn is to set your expectations of what a young dog is able to do... and not to work against it.

I know that I made that very mistake when I started out I was just as guilty as the next guy when I saw in my mind the greatness that I hoped would come out of him/her. A guy gets so worried about making sure he is not falling behind on the "development" of his dog.

Training started to make more sense to me as I had several more since our first. All the dogs we have had were labs, and as I started to think about training as Instinctive vs. Learned behavior in terms of one that is present at birth and the other that develops over time thru repetition.

Seems to me, starting out, that people worry so much about training the instinctive behaviors (retrieving, pointing, quartering, etc.) because their greatest interest in the breed/dog was to perform these behaviors exceptionally well.

So if these traits are not demonstrated adequately at an early age, in their eyes, they become so disappointed and begin to overcompensate by adding frequency and/or intensity to their training sessions. Which, at a young age ,in my experiences, can "teach" behavioral traits that reduce a pups interest and work against their Instinctive traits.

So take it slow, work on teaching the pup how to become a good citizen and how to learn in general as this base of knowledge and bonding will serve you well later when you begin to use learned behaviors to control & sharpen instinctive behaviors... but it is difficult to do that if you have not developed that working relationship with the animal or worst off taught him that he has a say in behaviors that should be automatic for him(Instinctive).

Again, I do not claim to be a professional nor do I posses the skill to do so... but this just comes from me starting at the bottom and failing forward to where I am today.


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## ghostbuster (Nov 30, 2007)

thanks alot guys for all the good info thanks for helping me out


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## northdakotakid (May 12, 2004)

Good luck and love those pups when they are young... they won't be that way for long...


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

BTW Ghost, post us up a pic of that pup, and what's his name?...


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