160 Bear Christiana Rd
Bear, De 19701
302-322-6488
Dr. Jim Berg
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Puppy Questions
Dear Dr. Berg
When is the best time to train a puppy? We have a 9-week old black lab, Scooter, and he's already bringing things
to us. I think it's just great, and wonder if there are more things we should be doing with him now? Should we
do obedience school, as you have talked about before, or can we do this on our own?
G. H., Newark
Dear G.H.,
Sounds like you've got a pretty smart little guy that wants to please you at an early age. He will be a wonderful
dog to train and a much-loved member of your family.
A new puppy has lots of things to learn about the world around him: where do we eat? When do we sleep? What happens
if you chew on a hand? On a nipple? What a blanket tastes like? Much of this training he is counting on you to
have a safe environment around so that he will not hurt himself. But he also looks to you for guidance for what
is right and what is wrong. And, just like kids, the younger the puppy is, the shorter the attention span.
It is usually best to wait until your puppy is ready to learn before you attempt a serious training program. This
age will vary, depending on the breed and personality of the dog. Trying to train a 6 week old puppy to lay down
can be very very difficult at best, whereas that same dog may learn in a day or two once he reaches 16 weeks of
age.
Dog trainers differ in what they feel is "optimum age" to begin a training program, but many recommend
an age somewhere between 3 and 6 months. The trainers at the K-9 Academy that hold training classes behind our
hospital, recommend beginning training classes at around 4 months of age, and perhaps a little younger for certain
breeds. The basic obedience class, where puppies learn to sit, stay, come, go down, walk on a leash, stand-and-stay,
lasts 6 weeks and meets for about 1 hour each week. Doing training in a classroom setting not only trains the puppies
to respond to commands, but they learn to behave under stressful situations with other dogs, strange smells, and
other people nearby. This socialization can be a very important part of the training.
Once a dog and owner have completed the basic class, they can move on to advanced obedience classes. In these classes,
dogs review and refine the basic lessons, then gradually move into off-lead work where they learn to work and respond
with hand commands and off-lead. After they graduate from advanced obedience, they are ready to take my favorite
class (and most dogs' favorite as well)---agility training. In agility training, dogs learn to jump over jumps,
crawl through tunnels, climb over barriers, walk elevated planks, and weave through an obstacle course. It is great
fun to watch and to participate.
When we took our 90-pound Akita, Ty, though the agility course, he was reluctant to go through the tunnel, which
is a 3-foot diameter 20-foot bendable tube. How do you get them to go through the tunnel? The owner/trainer (my
wife Dottie) climbs in the tunnel to show the dog that there is nothing to be afraid of. Dottie went in one end
with Ty following reluctantly behind. It was great fun watching the tunnel wiggle and roll with strange noises
and to watch Ty come out of the tunnel first.
So start training your dog today at home with whatever he seems responsive and eager to learn. And, while treats
can make the training go easier, it is your love and attention that he wants more than anything else in the whole
world. POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT is the key to training your dog. Don't make a big deal when he fails, but jump up
and down and get crazy when he does something right (my wife tells me that I can do this pretty well). He will
have a ball learning how to behave, and so will you.
Back to the Puppy Page
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