What training did you do.

[Paranoidmarvin]

I’m possibly getting a dog either in a few months or next year. But getting myself prepared.

I have had dogs in the past and done different training with them. My last dog ended up with a behaviourist and having to re home to a specialist dog person to see if they could change him before he was put to sleep. Nothing I did or how i trained him according to the vet and the behaviourist I was working with.

But. I can’t bear to go through that again. So I want to look up and research as much as I can about classes , different Techniques etc etc.

I couldn’t do things like scent training classes with my last dog because of how he was. But has anyone gone to a class for this.
There were no puppy training classes where I lived last time. How did everyone get on with theirs

I know about socialisation. This will not be a problem as the dog will be coming to work with me ( that’s we’re in getting it from hopefully ) and there are already dogs there. But also other dogs as well. Taking to different places etc.

I want to know what worked best for u. I know each dog is different but experiences from other people as to what ur dog enjoyed and what was a waste of money.

Group obedience lessons were a bloody waste of money.

I did a few 1-1 sessions and we did far more in that time and was much better value for money. If I ever got a dog again I would go straight to 1-1 for obedience.

I did group for gun dog training (WCS), agility and scent work and group lessons worked much better for that. But I wish I hadn't continued as much with the gun dog and agility lessons as it was clear that my dog enjoyed scent work far more than the others but we only tried that much later on.

I’ve done almost all of them at one point.

Younger dog does agility and fly ball and the puppy is currently doing ring craft and puppy obedience.
Not sure if I have any intention of showing him but ringcraft seems to be good for socialisation and learning to focus around other dogs.

I’ve also walked them alone and together, took them for ice cream etc all of the usual socialisation things. I think lots of it is personality based though so I would be sure to find a breeder who breeds for the temperament your hoping for and make sure the parents are the sort of dog you want to own!

Do they do dog gun training with any dog or is that breed specific. I wanted to do that with my last dog who was a springer but it wasn’t possible due to how he was.

I was also thinking if 1.1 training. And this is something I’m looking into. Thanks for ur answer.

The gun dog training was for any gun dog breed or cross breed (they did have a couple of cockerpoos).

I have been involved in the parents lives since they were puppies and helped raise them. So I know both parents. Which is what I wanted. I am painfully aware though that you can do all the correct things and it can still turn out badly.
So I am worried. But I need to be confident or the dog will feel that.

So I am trying to ingest all the latest advice as it has been five years since I had a dog. I miss having one so much.

I will also have the advantage of knowing the puppy from the first day they are born as well.

If you want a specific breed of dog, look into the typical breed traits first. See what your choice of breed was originally intended to do.
This will give you some idea about the dogs nature, intelligence and the type of training that is suited to your dog. Training should complement the natural traits your dog has rather than supess them.

The KC good citizens training scheme always gets overlooked on here, yet it's a simple pet dog training course offerd by local dog clubs. It is usually small groups often with 2 instructors starting with puppy class and ending with a gold award which is achieved after 2-3 years when your dog is grown up.

I grew up with dogs that had a very high pray drive, they managed to catch the odd bit of wildlife. I hated that.

So when it came to getting a family dog, top on my list was low prey drive. I wanted something that respods well to training but not too energetic... my end choice was a Tibetan Terrier. They really do tick most of my boxes.

Another in favour of KC good citizens. I did this with my male lab as he was a bit wild. We had a good group of motivated owners and it’s very good socialisation. Made good friends who supported us on the tough days when we couldn’t get anything right.
One on one is fine, and I did a bit of that, but they can miss out on a lot of social skills.

@Paranoidmarvin
I did the KC good citizen training with mine. Currently my youngest dog is at a training. I would recommend a group dog training class. The dog learns how to behave around other dogs and people too.

We did puppy classes and I'd like to do agility at some point.

When we first bought our puppy home we worked on socialisation every single day. I wanted a confident dog so I made sure he went everywhere and met as many different people and places as possible.

It's mostly worked, he is now a year old and goes anywhere. He is slightly reactive to some dogs unfortunately but I'm not sure if that's just teenage hormones!!

We also did the KC good citizen training. Managed to finish the gold level just before lock down.
Through this group we also did scent training which dog loves doing.
They also did rally dog training but that wasn't my cup of tea. Hoping to start agility this year/next.

This is really helpful. They don’t seem to have a puppy section for the KC in my area. But I think I will do a mixture of solo and mixed training.
My last dog couldn’t go near another dog due to the damage he would do. So I don’t want to get this wrong.
They will be coming to work with me everyday and there are lots of dogs there but I want them to be able to see dogs out and about and be okay as well. I live in a little quiet village. So have plans to go to other places for more of a visit to nosier places.

Also. The groomers as soon as I can. And to my favourite dog friendly cafe. So they get used to being in there and learning how to be in there.

All of this but not over doing it. Phew. It’s a mine field.

I would make sure that you are happy with the temperament of the dam (and the sire, if you can see him too), and also with that of the puppy. Having a confident puppy is a good start.

With my last dog I made sure that she was exposed to as many different environments as I could reasonably manage, and that she met a lot of other 'safe' dogs and people. I did a lot of the basic training myself, some one-to-one and some group gundog classes. IME the big things is frequency and consistency. Train little and often (you and your dog will benefit more from going out together for training for 15 mins a day than trying to do a 90 minute session once a week) and expect the same level of obedience day-to-day as you get when training - and make sure you give and reinforce the same commands.

Make it fun for the dog - and enjoy it yourself!

I like this graphic to help explain socialisation to people. I think it is a good place to start.

The book easy peasey puppy squeezy has a good section on socialisation, there's a list in there that we tried to tick everything off.

Can u over do socialisation. I want to do this right. But don’t want to over do it.

What sort of dog is it? Do you work at a dog breeders?

This is where I think I would do it differently next time.

I would try and do a fewer nice experiences for things that matter to my specific environment rather than trying to squeeze in everything in a short time.

We did do a lot of that e.g. around risking horses and cattle given that we were in the countryside but I wish I hadn't had the idea that you needed to 'meet and greet' other dogs as much.

That graphic is quite good from PP.

@BiteyShark the horses and stuff is a good idea as where I work and where I live is in the middle of nowhere. May do some research on the best way to do that.
They will be with other dogs while I’m at work anyway. But it is the dogs they will meet in the street etc are the ones that are the main focus for me. My last dog went from being nervous to nervous aggressive and in the end went for my sons neck. I cannot go through that again. My son is 17 now so not the same. But it was one of the most awful experiences.
@Wolfiefan I’m not saying the breed as I don’t want this thread to turn like some others I have seen on here.
The puppy comes from a country estate. There are working dogs and home dogs. The home dogs are the ones having the puppies. Known them since they were puppies themselves. And will be with the new puppies hopefully when they are born.

around risking horses and cattle

Should have been roaming horses and cattle. Stupid autocorrect .

@BiteyShark yours sounds better as it will be risky

Lovely graphic, Viper

I exposed my last pup to a lot of odd surfaces, but she still dislikes cellar gratings.

Something else I would add is to make sure a puppy remains familiar with being handled all over as it gets older - paws, between the pads, tail, nails (and trimming), ears (and cleaning), chest, inside the mouth, the lot. It makes it much easier at the vets.

@GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman. Yup. My vet in the village encourage all puppies to come in and have a treat as much as they can.
I’m also going to book straight away for the groomers as that is a must with the breed.
I will put brushes etc on the list. Thanks.

So a poodle cross i am guessing.
Consider what work you do and how much time you can have to settle it in.
Also I would be concerned about the breeding TBH. House dogs? So lots? Or just two that they are breeding from? Had litters before? Health testing done?

@Wolfiefan and this is why I didn’t want to talk about the breed.

No. Not a poodle cross at all. But thanks for the answer. I have worked in this place for years. And know all the dogs. The outside ones are for hunting so nothing to do with the pet ones. Which are just two.
I have plenty of time to settle etc. I have done puppies several times before and know how long it takes to settle a puppy.
This thread was for training and not for cross examination of breeding. As for that. I am perfectly happy with the breeding. As I have been there since the puppies were bought home and know exactly where they come from.

If u have any answers on the questions I have asked please let me know.