Can I get an "Amen"?
That's my new client Jax, a 9-week-old yellow Lab. I love working with really young pups like Jax because it's easy to start them off on the right paw. People mistakenly assume that puppies can't really be trained, but my puppy training program is no different from my adult dog training program ... sure, pups need more frequent potty breaks, and the individual lessons are a tiny bit shorter, but the little guys "get it" just like big dogs.
Old-school advice stated that you couldn't begin training your pup until he was 6 months old, but that was because the training methods were too harsh for pups (choke collars and "corrections" -- ouch!). Unfortunately, people also assumed that pups couldn't be trained until 6 months of age for developmental reasons, but Jax and company will happily dispel that myth! Next week, at 10 weeks old, Jax will be learning how to "stay," walk politely on leash, come when called, and most importantly, how to greet people without jumping on them! (That's another benefit to beginning training at a young age: You don't give bad habits like jumping up a chance to develop.)
Believe it or not, every puppy deserves to be in an Advanced Placement class -- they're fuzzy little geniuses!
1. Early training for puppies is a must as far as I'm concerned. My puppy took Appropriate Behavior Classes at the Wisconsin Humane Society and learned how to socialize with other dogs along with proper behavior toward people. I would recommend it very highly to all new puppies.
Posted at 10:07AM on Jul 31st 2007 by Agnes Kalinowski