# What to teach an 11 week old puppy?



## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

Sherman is 11 weeks. I need some ideas about what to teach him. He knows sitz and watch me perfectly. Currently doing platz(down), come, aus(drop it), and walking next to me. He learns sooooo fast. I've only had him 5 days. Want him to enjoy being a puppy but also want to get him ready to be a well behaved dog!


----------



## TiaMarie (Aug 7, 2016)

Sounds like he is a very smart pup! I got my Oakley at 11 wks old, and now he is 14 weeks today! I would say he has learned about 2-3 new commands each week. 

He does: go to bed (crate), sit, down, come, look at me, play dead, roll over, shake, high-five, and rings his dog bell to go outside.

We are working on stay, leave it, and drop it- mainly because these take much more attention span to master and I feel he gets bored easily during training with these ones. (I think they take a lot of patience too!)

I've been watching dog training videos on youtube to get ideas for things to teach him and I just try to keep it fun when we do, if he's not in the mood then I just stop or try later. Training can be fun for a puppy and it sets up healthy structure for them. We started with clicker training and now I use clickers to introduce new commands because the reward of the click comes faster than I can actually hand him a treat!


----------



## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Relax and enjoy him!After he's had his final immunizations in a few weeks take him out and about and incorporate the skills he knows into play sessions with increasing distractions and all kinds of surfaces.And lots of breaks so he can look around and discover the world.


----------



## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

I'd start on leave it and the foundation for a good settle.


----------



## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

If it were my puppy, I would have him off leash in the woods working on his recall and off lead heeling.


----------



## John C. (Mar 6, 2013)

Gee Katdog, I have a 12 week old puppy and you make me feel like we are already falling behind. So far our training consists of me taking her out in the yard and getting her to focus on me. She is then rewarded with verbal praise ("Yes" or "Good" - a la Michael Ellis) and a treat. We've just started working on the down a couple of days ago.

I do live in a rural area, on a dead end road and across from a trail, so she does get a bunch of very short off-leash trail walks, which she loves. She's already likes to strut down the trail carrying an enormous stick.

I've also been trying to socialize her and she's been doing pretty well. She'll be a little hesitant when meeting new people, but that usually lasts about 10 seconds and then she becomes friendly, yet remains pretty calm.

Not sure what else I should be doing and would be interested to hear recommendations from others. Basically I want to keep things fun. Ultimately am most concerned about making her calm and confident, strengthening my bond with her and laying the groundwork to be able to compete at club level schutzhund.


----------



## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

Where to go potty and recall into a sit. Play, play, play. 
I live in a small city so I had to teach basic ob. If I had an acre or more, I wouldn't train anything except recall until 5-6 months old. Just play.


----------



## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

i love working with young pups!

Position changes.
Rear end awareness by pivoting on a tub, book, cot and doing spins. 
Muscle memory with foundation heeling.
Playing 2 ball.
Targeting.
Place: boundaries and impulse control.
Crate games.


----------



## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

Can't walk in the woods around here....too many other dogs. Worried about parvo/lepto. Once he is fully vaccinated we will be going out and about! 
I was thinking of just driving into town and letting him watch stuff from the car but it is soooooo hot. 
Leave it is definitely on my to do list. 
What would the foundations for settle be?

And how do I get him to enjoy his crate? He is fine at night but during the day......ugh. I am feeding him in it and trying to make it a special place. So far once he is done eating, the noise begins...


----------



## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

He should be out in the world by now.


----------



## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

wolfy dog said:


> He should be out in the world by now.


Hmmmmm. My vet said not till last series of shots. Although the breeder has taken him to stores before we picked him up this past Monday. Fortunately, I have had different people coming to the house so he has at least gotten to meet people. He has met a neighbors dog in my yard and tomorrow will be meeting another friend's dog.

There are usually kids and people walking dogs down my street that he could have been observing, but it is soooo hot no one is out!!!


----------



## WembleyDogsUK (Jul 13, 2016)

Train him to follow you *off leash* in (safe) unknown areas, that is a first step in training to recognize you as his leader.


----------



## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

katdog5911 said:


> Can't walk in the woods around here....too many other dogs. Worried about parvo/lepto. Once he is fully vaccinated we will be going out and about!
> I was thinking of just driving into town and letting him watch stuff from the car but it is soooooo hot.
> Leave it is definitely on my to do list.
> What would the foundations for settle be?
> ...


I would find other woods to go to, or go behind a mall or a parking lot. If you don't, you might be back on here in a couple of months with a much bigger puppy exhibiting created problems that are much harder to fix. 

The foundation for teaching a dog to settle is adequate exercise and mental stimulation. To force a dog to "settle" without providing necessary outlets for his physical and mental well being first is not fair to the dog. 

I like this method for crate training:


----------



## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

I treat a crate like just any other boundary I am teaching my dog to place on or in. The crate just has walls and a roof. To get them comfortable and confident with it i start with repetitions of in/out with the door open and fast release words. The quicker they get paid the quicker they will start understanding the behavior. Never force them to stay in it when doing this exercise, allow them to make mistakes because that is how they learn how to work smart. I will also place the crate in different areas when training. Once they start diving in with enthusiasm then I will start adding duration and then closing the door. I work on this in short sessions multiple times a day.


----------



## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

WembleyDogsUK said:


> Train him to follow you *off leash* in (safe) unknown areas, that is a first step in training to recognize you as his leader.


Young puppies that age will follow naturally off leash, no training needed. :wink2:


----------



## John C. (Mar 6, 2013)

MineAreWorkingline said:


> Young puppies that age will follow naturally off leash, no training needed. :wink2:


But watch out, as they get more confident this becomes less true. My 12 week old puppy does stay with me on the trail for the most part. However, she is now pretty familiar with the area and will occasionally veer off the traill and run into the woods to explore. Always stays relatively close, but sometimes I lose visual contact for 30 seconds when she gets behind bushes, trees, etc.

Again this is a pretty safe environment. We are unlikely to run into people or dogs. Biggest worry is if we encounter a skunk or a porcupine.:surprise:


----------



## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

John C. said:


> But watch out, as they get more confident this becomes less true. My 12 week old puppy does stay with me on the trail for the most part. However, she is now pretty familiar with the area and will occasionally veer off the traill and run into the woods to explore. Always stays relatively close, but sometimes I lose visual contact for 30 seconds when she gets behind bushes, trees, etc.
> 
> Again this is a pretty safe environment. We are unlikely to run into people or dogs. Biggest worry is if we encounter a skunk or a porcupine.:surprise:


Don't miss the training opportunity, at that age she won't go far at all. YOU step behind bushes and trees when you can and_ be quiet_ and observe her. Let her come looking for you. Only call her if she panics and blasts by too far too fast when she is trying to find you. She will learn to keep an eye on you real quick. Now is the time to start training her an awesome recall.


----------



## John C. (Mar 6, 2013)

What a great suggestion. An awesome recall would be pretty great.

My girl is also super food motivated. I've been thinking of keeping a few training treats in my pocket on these walks, calling her and when she comes sporadically giving her a treat. Right now she's pretty responsive to my calling her - but I know from experience that as they get older they become more likely to blow you off if you haven't established a solid foundation.


----------



## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

John C. said:


> What a great suggestion. An awesome recall would be pretty great.
> 
> My girl is also super food motivated. I've been thinking of keeping a few training treats in my pocket on these walks, calling her and when she comes sporadically giving her a treat. Right now she's pretty responsive to my calling her - but I know from experience that as they get older they become more likely to blow you off if you haven't established a solid foundation.


Another technique I use is to quietly turn around when they aren't looking and quietly walk away or if they are really interested in something I turn and run. It keeps them on their toes.

This is all natural dog behavior.

Three of my dogs: " Yeah! We're going to the river!"



















I discretely stopped and just started walking slowly backwards. The dogs: "Wait a minute guys! I don't think she is following us anymore!"











The dogs when they busted me: "Wait! Please don't go! We promise we'll be good!"



















You just can't lose these dogs!


----------



## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Lolol!That's a great series of photos!My dogs constantly check in with me out in the woods.When they were puppies every time they even looked at me or came near they got a treat.Now they come flying by,poke my hand with their muzzle,and then off in the other directionYou really can't lose them.


----------



## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

dogma13 said:


> Lolol!That's a great series of photos!My dogs constantly check in with me out in the woods.When they were puppies every time they even looked at me or came near they got a treat.Now they come flying by,poke my hand with their muzzle,and then off in the other directionYou really can't lose them.


The only thing with that series is that I used the zoom so you can't really tell how far ahead they had really gotten. 

I don't treat in the woods when they are puppies, but I guess that would work just fine too. What ever it takes, as long as it works and the dogs are enjoying themselves. I do a lot of hiding, that is if they let me. :grin2:


----------

