Hi,

We’re expecting a puppy in August following about 18 months of consideration. We’ve done loads of research etc and now we are looking for so me good info on dog training / dog psychology so we can get prep’d ready for its arrival. From looking around there is a lot of conflicting so called best practice out there.

Does anyone have any recommendations on books or other sources on training / psychology?

Cheers B.

From looking around there is a lot of conflicting so called best practice out there.

Well you have come to the right place for a definitive answer 🙂

Does your local vet do a puppy pre school type thing. It’s basically a socialising thing for puppies and owners where dogs get to learn being around other dogs. That should be a good start – also when you crack about dogs on sofa/bed then your done for.

I am no way an expert but we have owned a Border Collie (he died last Sept) & are trying to put off getting another one but really struggling.

Things to consider which you have probably already done. Choose an easily trainable breed that loves kids.

As for training, fingers crossed with the right breed it’ll be easy. Our last dog learnt quick but my wife is soft and allowed him on the couch/bed, etc. We plan on treating the next one like a dog and don’t intend to send him mixed messages. The better behaved your dog is the more you can aske others to have him over night.

Good luck.

As above find a local puppy school and do the first couple of courses. There are many books that are useful, but its really the Owner who makes the big difference.

Obviously enjoy your puppy but from the start be firm and consistent and you will be rewarded with a well behaved dog who knows its place. Some dogs need more work than others, but put in the time and it will be worth it.

Remember effort for reward and consistency and you’ll be reet!!

So they only get food when they sit, that kinda thing. And don’t allow them on the couch one day if you’re going to shout at them the next when they are muddy. They don’t understand the difference. Same as jumping up at people – just be consistent…

Depends what breed, but a few books out there on the basics, but better bet is (as suggested) puppy training and socialising classes.

This is worth a read before you get it to give you an idea.

The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey

Look for a good local dog club too as most do puppy training. We started when Dottie was 3 months old and she is still going. She’s now 2 but she loves it and is now it an advanced class. 🙂

Gonna venture down to some puppy classes before we get our dog. Anyone got any recommendations for some in the Cheltenham area?

Have a look on the Kennel Club web site. They will list local dog clubs.

Clicky

Also depends on the breed – what are you getting?

Best advice I’d give on training classes is to go along to a couple without the pup before you pick one. I’ve heard some pretty bad things about vet-run puppy socialisation, which is basically just a free-for-all with loads of puppies running amok. It might look cute but isn’t really teaching them anything in my opinion.

I’d try to find a structured class which has a decent ratio of instructors to dogs, lets the whole family go at the same price, and where you get some kind of materials/handbook/exercises to take home and practice.

We we really lucky in that we got two recommendations for the same dog school. We’ve been through 5 courses of 6 weeks each to be allowed to graduate onto the club class. Nowhere near Cheltenham tho I’m afraid…

Anyway – what you getting?

dog training classes should be more about training the owners to be consistent and clear at all times with the dog, every member of the family needs to be using the same commands and rules.

definitely go along to a few classes without the dog and ‘sit in’ to watch. we found more classes that we definitely did NOT want to attend than ones we did, saved us hundreds in pre-paid courses that we wouldn’t have got much out of.

saved us hundreds in pre-paid courses that we wouldn’t have got much out of.

😯

Definitely worth looking around. Most clubs will encourage you come come along first without your dog. If they don’t then stay away, they will only be interested in making money from you.

We pay £10 a month for ours. Club had been running for around 50 years too so well established. We were lucky though as from the offset our club made us feel very welcome. They also liked the fact that we have a Border Terrier because most of the dogs they get are Labs, Collies and Spaniels.

dog training classes should be more about training the owners

That’s the first thing they said to us. You train the owner and not the dog.

We liked ‘The Puppy Listener’ by Jan Fenell

Not a training book as such, but more about how to set the boundaries both through actions and voice. Not something I would follow to the letter, but gives an idea on how to deal with certain situations, as well as the basic training.

Dog training classes… were good for us with the first dog, we progressed along the Kennel Club ‘Good Citizen’ route. When we got the second dog, we just worked it along with the older one at home and things fell into place easily. Agility is great (once they are old enough) and gets you working with directional commands which are useful on the bike too.

Cheers for the advice. Read “Think dog” which I think is really good but it did raise the question in my mind that there are numerous methods to train a dog.

Breed we are getting is a Vizsla.

To be honest, it’s not rocket science. They do something good, you reward them (instantly; food, a little fuss or just a happy ‘good boy’). They do something bad you either ignore or, if very bad, scold (a stern ‘no’). They soon learn.

And consistency, consistency, consistency. It might be more about training the girls how to treat the dog (i.e. it’s not a toy) than training the dog how to behave.

It might be getting the dog to train the girls 😉

Got my Scottie -Westie cross completely trained to sit, give pay, jump and go to bed at 7 weeks old got some really cute videos of him when he was a pup. I used the KISS guide to puppy training i got it from a charity shop. At night he sleeps in a cage which seemed cruel at first but has been a useful tool when staying at relatives, the first night he howled then got used to it.