# How Soon Before I should Start Training My New Puppy



## shawk2424 (Feb 6, 2013)

Hello everyone,

So tomorrow is a big day for my family and I. We finally get to bring home our puppy from the breeder. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve...lol So my question is this. How long should I wait if any to start training my new buddy with basic commands (sitting, staying, lying down and coming)? I have read several articles about what to do when you bring home your new family member but I have to admit that it has been overwhelming because the advise in the articles vary a lot.

I figured that the first day will be hard on the little guy because of the separation from his brothers and sisters and mommy that I should just let him get comfortable and used to us. I just don't want to stress him out but I also dont want to miss any opportunities to start training him. I am also not sure about when to start socializing him because I have read some articles that say that you don't want to do it too soon because he might get stressed out as well. 

My theory is this, when we bring him home I should immediately show him where he can do his business but after that just play with the little guy and earn his trust and simply let him be a puppy for a while.

What are your thoughts?

Also, would it be a good idea to bring a towel with me and rub it on the momma to capture her scent so our puppy will feel a little more comfortable when he is in the crate at night or left alone?

Thanks


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## MissMetric (Dec 5, 2012)

I started "training" with Talos D1, and by training I mean I started to charge my mark. It's easy and to the puppy, all it is is..."The tall thing gives me treats...the tall thing gives me treats when it says yes...when the tall thing says yes, I get a treat after!" Low impact, and without expecting the puppy to DO anything, but building the foundation.


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## bigd3077 (Aug 19, 2012)

I picked my pup up at 8 weeks. I gave her two weeks to settle in and get used to us and at 10 weeks we started training.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Every moment you spend with your puppy is a training opportunity, for both you and your new pup. The first few weeks you learn what makes your pup provide a desired behavior. Is it driven by food, toys, praise etc.? 

When you take your pup outside to potty and you throw a party when it does, does your pup join in on your party antics? Or does it cringe and slink away? 

Just about everything you do with your pup from the moment you take it into your arms to take it home is training.


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## shawk2424 (Feb 6, 2013)

Here is my lil buddy!


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## POWERSCOL (Jan 3, 2013)

Emma is just past the 11 week point and starting to pick up on the training. Were starting to get goo results on sit and a bit more on stay. Dow is tough for her to understand. her first command was "No" as that is what we said a lot as she got into everything. She is good at stopping whatever she is doing and looking at us now. She has been finding lost socks She is also learning off too.

Potty training can start now, especially if you have a crate. Don't expect much at first, but be sure she knows the outside spot - have treats available for everything she does good.

You can also work on the mouthing pressure - there will be lots of little scratches. Clipping nails helped a lot. There is a great article on bite inhibiting somewhere here.

Also be sure to puppy proof - if you don't want him into it, pick it up. I thought I had done a good job, but Emma found a lot of stuff.

Hope this helps - there is a lot to learn here.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i never start any "real training" untill they're 4 months old.
the 1st day home i take the pup out a lot and talk to them
usuing their name. i crate at night and take the pup out
every 2 hours. during the day it's watching the pup closely.
when he goes to another room one of us immediately brings
him back so we can see him. i'll put him in his crate for 5 or 10
minutes on and off many times during the course of the day.
everytime i crate him i say "go to your crate" then i pet him
and praise him. this leads to him going to his crate on command.
i enroll in a puppy class a week after the 2nd round of shots are given.
i invite a ton of people to vist and to bring their dogs. i take the pup everywhere.


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## shawk2424 (Feb 6, 2013)

Thanks for the info. We are on our second day together and he has transitioned to his new surroundings and my family quite well so far. The first day I took him out every 20 minutes or after he drank or ate. To say the least he has been responding well to going outside and doing his thing. I must say that I'm quite impressed with how he has reacted to some simple commands. He has started sitting on command without treats (not every time) and us learning to fetch the ball and bringing it back to me. Not a bad first day if you ask me.

Do you think it's still a good idea to put him in the crate several times a day when we are home even though we will be using baby gates to block off our kitchen and keep him in a bigger are when no one is home?


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## jessac (Oct 29, 2012)

We let him hang out and chill for a few days, but after that we started teaching sit, his name, and watch me. We would lure the sit but taught him he had to before his food was put down and coming in and outside. We would teach him his name by calling it and if he looked at us or came over to us, treat. It was and still is a fun game we now play in the yard. My husband and I have contests to see who can get him to run to them the fastest (and not to brag, but it's always me ) Potty training and crate training were difficult for us, but this breed is so smart, the commands and tricks are pretty easy. Other "house rules" were ongoing learning, but those were the commands we taught just so we had some simple ones to use as default behaviors.


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## shawk2424 (Feb 6, 2013)

Here is our ball of joy!


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