# How obedient at 14 weeks?



## Miss Molly May (Feb 19, 2010)

Just wondering how obedient should my 14 week old GSP be? I've working very hard with her since 8 weeks old(15 to 20 min three times daily. She sit, lays down, comes, stays, crawls, and heels on the walk but only when she knows I have treats. Should I just be patient and keep a handful of treats in my pocket to reward her for good behavior? Will she eventually become obedient without the aid of treats? 

thank you
Marc


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Let her be a puppy! Treats are fine to hand out generously, but don't constantly have her in the zone of structured obedience. Trade treats now and then for a special toy that she likes to get her focus. 
Play with her~have her want to be with you, and look to you over everything else, that would be the best thing you can do while building her confidence. In the future that foundation will help whereever you go with her.
Tugging and fetch are mind exercises as well as physical.
Enjoy your puppy, she'll be a big girl before you know it!


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Wow! She does pretty good!! I have the same advice as Jane. At this age, it is more important to build her confidence, work on bonding by playing fun fun fun games together, and shape behaviour you want more than training specific excerices. You can throw in some obedience excercises along the way, but keep it short, keep it fun, and keep it rewarding! She is a baby, let her grow up and mature.

Yes to your questions: she will become more obedient as she grows (but first will go through the rebellious testing teen period), so you may be expecting too much from your pup. 

Continue with the treats, being a walking treat dispenser is wonderful to teach your pup to focus on you, and that you are the source of all good things! My pup is almost a year old, and I wouldn't expect him yet to "work" for me for free. It is always for treats, or for a ball or tug and play reward. When he wants to play, he offers behaviours that we have trained, and eventually your pup will too.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

Of course she's a puppy and while she will do them with treats, she doesn't have quite the attention span and self control to do them on demand without good motivation. She'll get there though. I worked with Frag for about 2 months with treats before asking anything of him (besides sit) without them. Now at 6 months, he's completely obedient. (except when being pet in the pet stores  )

Just keeping training short and positive and she'll get it. She's got pretty good groundwork for a lot more, so the possibilities are endless.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Miss Molly May said:


> Just wondering how obedient should my 14 week old GSP be? I've working very hard with her since 8 weeks old(15 to 20 min three times daily. She sit, lays down, comes, stays, crawls, and heels on the walk but only when she knows I have treats. Should I just be patient and keep a handful of treats in my pocket to reward her for good behavior? Will she eventually become obedient without the aid of treats?
> 
> thank you
> Marc


My friends has GSP's and we are always confusing our friends with the GSP (German Shorthair Pointers) with the 'GSD' (German Shepherd Dog!).

LET YOUR PUPPY BE A PUPPY! You are both doing really really well, but at this stage I teach all those behaviors as happy fun 'tricks' and go at it with that mindset. As soon as I say it's 'obedience' work I tend to get WAY to anal and hard on my puppy. Rather than continuing to make all the training fun fun fun with all the toys/treats that involves.

I'm MUCH more concerned and focused on having a happy, SOCIALIZED and well exercised puppy than an 'obedient' puppy. Because if you have that, your pup will eventually learn everything you ever wanted and be BRILLIANT cause you'll have a confident and happy adult dog. 

When we fail on the exercise and socialization periods in the first year, we NEVER end up reaching the full potential of the puppy we raised. But if we DO the proper socialization and exercise we can ALWAYS teach 'obedience' later on.

This is the stuff we were doing at 14 weeks:





 




 
and FUN puppy and dog classes:


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## wolfspirit (Dec 10, 2009)

My puppy is 16 weeks and he loves to do fun things too- sit, quick downs, spin, walk backwards, targeting etc but I always use treats still. I would say that I have occasionally asked him to do a sit 'for nothing' but I don't think he would do anything else without the treats yet. 

I have just started not rewarding every time though, and will make it more random (and also will try and have the treats but not show them to him first)

Hope that helps.


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## heather122 (Nov 6, 2009)

I varied commands with Sadie. We did a little training session daily, but very short. I also worked with her on walks. Just out of the blue we would "sit" or "watch me." This helped keep the commands fresh in her mind without her getting bored with it. She also got treats for going potty outside, but decided that she no longer needs treats when she goes potty outside. I guess she figures that this is something that she should do without reward. Like the others have said- she's still a baby. Enjoy it! They grow up too fast! Now, at 5 months old, we have to work on basics when distracted by visitors and other dogs. I think the dogs in "real life" are different from the ones in class...


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Good Golly Miss Molly, (sorry, couldn't help it), 15 to 20 minutes three times a day is HUGE. It is ok only if it is very fun, and changes constantly. 

Attention span at this point should be short. Lots of people do not even start formal obedience training until 10 months. I am not advocating that, just suggesting that mostly the puppy needs praise and stuff to build his confidence. A command along with a lure or hand signal and praise/excitement. Short sessions, and then play sessions. 

Food is a great motivator and nothing wrong with that. As your puppy gets good with the commands, it is time to start phasing them out. The trick is to give them intermittently. Some people give the treat every other time, or every third time. Others give the treat for the straightest sit, the quickest come, the best position. That is up to you. If you lure with a treat, give the treat the moment the behavior is accomplished. Stop luring, and give the treat when the behavior is accomplished. Then give the treat for the quickest response or the best response to the command. shake it up giving voice and hand signals, then just voice, then just hand.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

It sounds like she is doing great! Smart pup!


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## VaBeachFamily (Apr 12, 2005)

Marc-

I agree with you to a sense, but I only do random training with our 9 1/2 week old. At his age, I don't force the focus, but as soon as I can see that he is very focused on me at the moment, i take advantage and work one something basic for a few minutes and then turn it unto love and playtime. It has works. 9 1/2 weeks old and he is very good at Sit and down. Stay isn't quite working, and come is give or take, depending on what his ADD mind sees going on around us!!!

Maggie - 

Where was that first Video? Looks like something that I would love to attend could I find one locally!


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