Initial Puppy Training At 6-8 Months

2023 Author: Molly Page | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-07-31 03:34

At the age of 6-8 months, the puppy continues to be taught to perform the commands " To me", "Walk", "Near", "Sit", "Lie down", "Stand", "Place", "Aport", "Fu", " Show your teeth”, to overcoming obstacles, movement in settlements, transportation in vehicles and endurance. Games continue with the owner and peers, walks. Begin to work out the commands "Voice" and "Crawl". The development of the initial simple skills of special training begins (alertness to strangers, sampling things by the owner's smell, detecting and working out the smell trace).

In the indicated age period, the puppy is taught to execute commands given simultaneously with gestures and separately. The method of initial training becomes more complicated and the requirements for the puppy increase. For a clearer execution of commands, not only tension is allowed, but also moderate jerks with a leash, palm presses on parts of the body (compulsion method). But still all influences on the puppy (voice, hand, leash, twig) should be sparing, since the puppy's body, including its higher nervous activity, at this age is still not fully formed and not sufficiently strong.

The command "To me" at this age is practiced on a long leash. When the puppy runs away from you, give the command "Come to me" and after that show a treat in your right hand. Typically, the puppy will rush towards you. After repeating the command "To me" and showing the treat, run back 3-4 steps, activating the movements of the puppy, and stop. Encourage a puppy that comes running up to you by exclaiming "Good", stroking and treating. After short breaks, repeat the exercise 3-4 times.

If, after the command “To me” and showing the treat, the puppy does not come to you, again give the command “To me”, but in a more strict tone, and with a slight tension on the leash, pull the puppy to you, repeating the command 1-2 times. When the puppy is near you, reward him with a "Good" exclamation, stroking and treats. While pulling the puppy up with the leash, try not to hurt him. Repeat the exercise after a short break. In subsequent lessons, make sure that at the command "To me" the puppy goes to you without the help of a leash, and does not come up, but runs up. Cut back on treating your puppy.

After the puppy gets used to running up to you on the command "Come to me", start developing the gesture skill. When the puppy runs away from you on a long leash, say his nickname to draw his attention to yourself, make a gesture: raise your right hand to the side to shoulder level, palm down and quickly lower it to the thigh of your right leg; give the command "Come to me" a little later. Encourage the running puppy by exclaiming "Good", stroking and treating. After short breaks, repeat the exercise 3-4 times.

In subsequent sessions, gradually give the command "To me" less and less, and then limit yourself to one gesture, reinforcing it with a command only occasionally. In the future, call the puppy to you with a command and a gesture at the same time, but periodically resort to one command, then one gesture.

After repeated exercises, the gesture will become for the puppy equivalent to the command "Come to me" and he will run up to you in both cases.

If the puppy, on the command "To me" and gesture, will approach you reluctantly, sluggishly, activate his movement of showing treats in his right hand and running back a few steps.

In the future, teach the puppy when approaching the command "To me" and gesture to go around you to the right and behind and sit at your left leg. Unfasten the leash, give the puppy a free state and, when he steps back 5-7 steps, say his nickname. Then make a gesture and give the command "Come to me." To the puppy running up to you, show a treat in your right hand, take it behind your back and, shifting it to your left hand, encourage the puppy to walk around you on the right after the treat. When the puppy is at your left leg, place the treat in your right hand and lift it up and back a little. In an effort to get a treat, the puppy will have to raise its head and sit down. As soon as the puppy does this, give him the treat and reward with exclamation “Good” and stroking. If the puppy does not sit down, give the command "Sit" and only after its fulfillment encourage him with a treat,exclamation "Good" and stroking. After short breaks, repeat the exercise 3-4 times. Get your puppy to gradually speed up the command.

If the puppy running up to you on the command "To me" and gesture is grabbed by the collar with his left hand and guided to his left leg, and after landing on the command "Sit" you are encouraged by the exclamation "Good", stroking and a treat, then he can be taught to sit by your left legs without it running around you from behind. Both of these methods of teaching a running puppy to sit at the left leg are equivalent in their purpose and are allowed in the tests of dogs according to the general course of training (OKD). But it should be said that the second method is simpler in technique. In addition, with this method, the dog will not leave your field of vision. It is no coincidence that he has long been entrenched in the service dog breeding of the border troops and other departments and in recent years has gained many supporters among amateur dog breeders.