16 Weeks Old
Small paws in a Big world!
Recall Games
There are several games you can play with your puppy to gain a solid recall. One of my favorites is setting up various situations to allow the pup to make his/her own decision. In the video you will see exactly what I mean.
I start off with a simple sit/stay along with a recall. To make this challenging I place objects/treats around the recall area for the puppy to think. Once this is almost 100% I increase the distractions and add in rolling toys,throw treats and get other dogs involved.
Just remember to have fun!
Crate Issues?
No matter how much you work on crate games, in every puppy's life they will one day get bored. Thankfully there are a ton of interactive games you can buy to keep your puppy busy. With Loki I used a regular empty plastic bottle. Put his meal inside and BOOM! Busy puppy!
Loose Leash Walking #2
(Article By Lindsay Oakley, KPA CTP, CTDI)
Don't forget to share your thoughts and training questions!
After a week of working on loose leash walking, its time for the next step! The following is from an article by a fellow trainer.
"Step two: go back to a minimally distracting environment. Ask your dog for a sit, and put yourself beside him, where you would like him to be
while walking. I know, I know.....it sounds backwards. Next, toss a treat behind you, about a foot or two (depending on the size of your dog he needs to slightly leave your side). Your pup should go for it, and then.....turn around and look at you. (yay attention!) Because you haven't tossed the treat very far, when your dog turns back around, he should end up pretty much beside you again, where you want him to be....this is where you click (or say your marker word) and toss the treat behind you again.Once your pup is readily coming back to your side, you may move a bit
(turn 90 degrees, take a step forward, etc) and continue the process
until the dog understands that he gets the good stuff right at your side.
Step three is increasing your distance (180 turns, two steps, three, etc)
but always make sure you vary the difficulty never continually increase it; rather, maybe take three steps, then one, then four, then three, etc to keep your dog guessing. Take to more distracting environments with the high value stuff (you know the drill!) and go back a step or two to
make it easy for your dog to succeed. Gradually, and with lots of practice, you can increase the amount of steps you're taking, and you can fade
out the treats (eventually only treating your dog at the very end of the
walk.) When you and your dog are ready, you can add a cue (I use "let's go!")....remember to click/reward while your dog is getting it right; don't wait until he has made an error. Itwill happen all it means is that you've gone too fast for him. Take it back a notch. Resetting to start over is as simple as asking your pup for a sit, and then recue the behaviour. With a lot of practice, nice, calm, enjoyable walks are possible.
Your shoulders will survive!"