Training : order of progression???

[willyqbc]

So i am going to rely on all the knowledgeable folks on here to help me out with our new pup arriving home this Sunday. I have been doing a bunch of reading and am getting a bit frustrated as they all seem to outline training philosophies but don't really give too much in the way of specifics.

Pup is a black lab and I will be training her for basic obedience, accompanying on big game hunts, blood tracking, flushing/retrieving.

My first question is what order do you generally teach the skills.....i.e 1st "sit", 2nd "come", 3rd "stay" etc, etc or does it matter what order these and the more advanced skill are taught.

Second.....does anyone have a "schedule" matching skills to an age where you are better off not attempting to train until they are at least X months old?

I know all dogs are different and will follow their own schedule.....just looking for some basic guidelines


Thanks
Chris

[Jagermeister]

First order of training is to get it to pee outdoors.

[thehammer]

My philosophy is, training is every day all the time. Every time you feed, walk or play with the pup. The key being consistency, consistency, consistency. The commands just become a way of life for the pup, no real start with one command and move onto the next on.

[Kasomor]

So i am going to rely on all the knowledgeable folks on here to help me out with our new pup arriving home this Sunday. I have been doing a bunch of reading and am getting a bit frustrated as they all seem to outline training philosophies but don't really give too much in the way of specifics.

Pup is a black lab and I will be training her for basic obedience, accompanying on big game hunts, blood tracking, flushing/retrieving.

My first question is what order do you generally teach the skills.....i.e 1st "sit", 2nd "come", 3rd "stay" etc, etc or does it matter what order these and the more advanced skill are taught.

Second.....does anyone have a "schedule" matching skills to an age where you are better off not attempting to train until they are at least X months old?

I know all dogs are different and will follow their own schedule.....just looking for some basic guidelines


Thanks
Chris

Your pup is coming from Eromit Labs right?? Therefore, pup will already have the sit, come, stay down pat before you get her! :D
8-):D:D

Seriously...bonding with your pup, getting her into new experieinces, house training, house manners, crate training, sit and come and a couple hundred other things are all taught and learned at the same time.

Amount of time it takes depends on how much time YOU have to put into pup, what your expectations and experinece is in teaching. Less to do with age of pup.

Have a look at this http://www.totalretriever.com/images/forms/Flow%20Chart%20Final%20Version.pdf

Socialization and Introduction to Field is GENERALLY done by 6 months. I can't stress the word generally enough.

Basics is generally started after 6 months when the perminate teeth are in. I know dogs that are done Basics by a year, dogs that are still in Basics at 4 years old and dogs that will never get out of Basics! :shock:

Transition generally starts at a year but I know dogs who are 3 who are still in Transition training, dogs who will never get there and dogs who will never get out of Transition.

Advanced training never ends. No matter how good your dog is.

Have fun with your pup and enjoy the journey.

[Islandbowhunter]

Buy a copy of "The 10-Minute Retriever". It was recommended to me a couple years back, I recommend it to all dog owners/trainers. Whether a first-time owner or more experienced, this book should offer something of value.

[325]

I would seriously consider taking formal puppy training classes with an instructor. I did, and was amazed how quickly my pup learned basic obedience. Consider finding a trainer who teaches you to use a clicker.

[Somethings happening BB]

Hi Chris
I would say to you that one of the most important training lessons with your new pup is to be consistent and fair . Let you pup be a pup for a while and then start with sit and then here/heel drill. You have to be consistent on these drills as it will come back to haunt you(I know because I wasn't) also you can use a 22 blanks to get your pup used to gun shots . Then when you have those drills down you might want to force fetch and then after that you want to to some basic hand signals (left /right/back ) so you can direct the dog to your downed bird if he did not see it. You would also want to do some Quartering drills to get your dog to use is nose for upland birds and it should help you with blood tracking? Make sure you get your sit, here/heal drills as you do not want your dog to take off in the bush and besides none of your hunting buddies will want you to come along with the dog. Don't let your dog get away with been noisy it only gets worse as they get older and harder to fix. Don't use a collar for any training drills and if you haven't used one I think Erin knows Doug Grant and I think he puts on seminars once in a while. It all depends on how far you want to go, it never ends.
Good luck