top of page

Puppy Class Lesson 1

Keep your training sessions short. 2 minutes maximum 2-3 times a day

Attention

Eye contact:

Eye contact is the foundation for many other important behaviours such as recall, loose lead walking, learning to pay attention to you and so much more.

​

  1. Drop a treat on the floor.

  2. Wait for your dog to eat the treat.

  3. Then wait for your dog to look up towards your face.

  4. Mark that behaviour by saying  the word "good" or "yes"  

  5. Reward your dog by dropping another treat on the floor.

​

Start your training in a quite room of the house then slowly start moving your training sessions to other rooms of the house, then the garden then after a few weeks start taking your training out into the real world ( on road walks, in parks etc)

Recall

Recall step 1:

The key component to teaching a reliable recall is to train a visual and verbal recall cue. I like to teach a hand touch as my visual and the word  "come" as my verbal. Using a whistle as your verbal will work just as well.

​

  1. Stand in front of your dog

  2. Place your hand flat out close to your dogs nose

  3. Say the word "YES" as soon as your dog touches her nose to your hand.

  4. Once your dog is touching your hand reliably you then add a cue. I like to say "come"

Recall

Recall - adding distance:

Now that you have practiced your recall hand touch cue at home your dog is now ready to start adding in some distance.

​

  1. Take a couple of steps away from your dog.

  2. Say your recall cue followed by placing your hand out to the side (palm facing your dog)

  3. As soon as your dog comes over to touch your hand mark your dog then place a small handful of treats on the floor in front of your dog.

  4. While your dog is eating the treats off the floor move to the other side of the room.

  5. Wait for your dog to finish all the food then recall your dog again.

​

Repeat steps 1-5. Start your training in the house, slowing increase the distance as the days go on. 

Reflex to name

Attention to name:

When we say our puppy's name is should be an attention cue to look at you. 

​

  1. Say your puppy's name.

  2. Wait for them to look up at you.

  3. Mark the instant they turn to look at you.

  4. Give them a food reward.

Recall

Hide and Seek:

Hide and seek recall is a fun game to play with your dog. It also teaches your dog to find you when you are out of sight as well as allowing them to use their nose. 

​

  1. Start the game in your house.

  2. Hide in the next room and call your dog.

  3. Make a big fuss of them and reward them with food or with them favourite toy when she finds you.

  4. Play the hide and seek game in the garden and then practice it out on your walks.

Socilisation

Video curtsey of Amy's Puppy Pre School

Play Sounds:

We can't socialise our puppies in a normal way at the moment but there are lots of other ways we can build confidence and resilience in our puppies.

​

During your puppies meal times play some sounds off the Puppy Sound Proof App or Youtube of things your puppy will encounter when out walking. Make sure the volume is down quite low as not not startle your puppy. Some examples of sounds would be:

  • Children playing

  • Babies crying

  • Skateboards

  • Crowds

  • Motorcycles

  • Cars

  • Trucks

  • Thunder

  • Heavy Rain

  • Fireworks

bottom of page