Retriever Puppy Training Tips
Training Tips for Retriever PuppiesSocialization
As a trainer, I am often asked what an owner can do to get his puppy ready to begin formal training. The most important thing a person can do to prepare his dog for formal training would be to socialize the puppy. Socialization covers a broad spectrum. An owner must take the puppy to as many different places as possible. A variety of scenes and settings will expose the pup to new places, new things, new smells, new dogs, as well as other animals. An owner can also expose his puppy to training sessions in the field with other dogs and trainers. This initial exposure acclimates a puppy to the sights and sounds of gun shots, ducks, birds, and other stimulants that it will encounter during formal training.
Swimming
Another stage of preparation for a puppy involves introducing it to water. A successful retriever must learn to love the water. Obviously, the best time to do this is during the warm months. You should take the pup on a leash to a mud puddle or any shallow body of water that you can walk into with the puppy. The depth of the water should be shallow enough so that the puppy walks into it without having to swim or tread water. If the pup is reluctant to enter the water try to entice the puppy by using praise. If you walk into the water yourself, the puppy will feel safer walking in right beside you. With practice and encouragement, your puppy will begin seeking out the water and will happily jump into the water by themselves. If you get your puppy during cold winter months, you should use a bath tub with warm water. Using the same ideas outlined earlier, you should put your puppy into the water and let it play or take a bath. Then as soon as weather permits, you must get your puppy outside and into the water.
GiGi & Josh playing in the water.
GiGi getting used to being in the water.
GiGi inspecting the shore for anything worth retrieving.
Ground Rules
When you work with a future retriever, the first and most important ground rule involves teaching the new puppy the word “NO”. "NO" is a universal command in training retrievers. It tells your dog to stop what it is doing right now. If your puppy puts itself into a dangerous situation, then you need the word “NO” to protect it. You should use the command loudly and firmly to get your pup's attention, then remove the pup from the area of danger and get them interested in doing something else. The word “NO” will help your dog focus on the more important ground rules of retriever training and assist it in becoming a well mannered and well trained retriever.
Simple Obedience
All dog owners can teach their puppies simple obedience commands, such as sit, stay and here, with the use of treats as a reward. But, you have to show the puppy exactly what you want from a command before you begin using that command. For example, if you command the puppy to “sit”, you should walk through the following steps. First, you place your puppy on a leash. As you tell your puppy to “sit”, you should simply pull up on the leash and apply pressure to the pup's head and neck area. You need to be careful and not choke the pup. You should use slight pressure until the pup gives up and sits. As soon as they sit, you must release the pressure and immediately reward them with lots of praise and a treat.
When using obedience commands, a puppy that complies with a command should be rewarded immediately. If the puppy fails to obey, you should not punish it. The best reprimand for your puppy is to simply ignore it until it accepts and performs your request. From about 6 weeks old until 6 months of age, everything should be fun and games, so always remember, your retriever is a puppy and need a childhood too.
Puppy Retrieves
I teach my puppies to retrieve as soon as I get them home at ages six to seven weeks. I start out with an old pair of white socks. I take the pup to a hallway and close all the doors to all the joining rooms. This step keeps the puppy from escaping with its prize.
You place the puppy in front of you, take the socks and shake them so the puppy can see them. You should tease the pup with the socks and really make it want those socks. While you are teasing your puppy, you must let the puppy catch the socks periodically and hold them in its mouth. While the pup is holding the socks, you give it a lot of praise. The next step is to let your puppy see the socks in your hand. You shake them a little to get your puppy’s attention and then toss them a short ways down the hall. It is important that you do not hold your puppy back, just let it go and get the socks. Once your pup has the socks, you must praise them wildly and encourage them to come back to you. If your puppy tries to run around, you need to catch them and hold them while praising the pup. I do not recommend taking the socks out of your pup’s mouth immediately. You should let them hold their prize while you praise them. As your puppy gets better at this game, you can increase your distance and change locations, even moving outside. You can also move from socks to small canvas puppy bumpers.
GiGi ready for action
GiGi fetching
GiGi retrieving