# What should I train my puppy to do first?



## Carsonsdaddy (Nov 1, 2006)

In my opinion the most important commands to teach are: come, sit, stay, and down. Especially come, and stay. If you can get those down reliably, they are something that could save your pups life, or at the least avoid potential problems...

Welcome to the site by the way. :wavey:


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## thegoldenjoyride (Dec 18, 2005)

I would think . . . they should know their name first. 

At puppy kindergarten, we were taught:
Name, sit . . . stay . . . off (or leave it) . . . watch me . . . down . . . let's go . . . heel (or by my side) . . . come. :wavey:


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## foreveramber (Feb 25, 2007)

i say use a crate. i have been told to start crate training at about 5 months. but i started jake the day day i brought him home. (8 weeks)

it has been perfect. i can get some quiet time alone, and he is safe when i am not around to watch him. AND it is perfect for potty training once they get older, since, a dog will not go to the bathroom in his "den"

i have used the command "kennel" since he was 8 weeks old. he knows that when i say kennel, to go inside his kennel.

any books on crate training are helpful.


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## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

The dog whisperer by Cesear Millan and a good book on golden retrievers.
I would teach him,his name,come,sit,down,drop,off(as of me),walk on a leash,bring back a ball and shake.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Here's my top list, and what I teach my own puppies first:

* Housetraining - don't pee in our home!

* How to be alone - goes against what they're programmed to understand (pack drive) so I like to get this lesson out of the way early. I crate train and teach the pup to be okay in the crate for a bit of time even when he knows I'm home, etc.

* Come when called - Keep it fun, fun, fun!

* Focus on me, even when around distractions -- This makes *everything* easier when you leave the house with your pup. I teach my dogs to want to play with me, even when there are other things in the enviroment that compete for their attention. 

* The world is a happy place -- Socialize, socialize, socialize! My pups go everywhere (not parks, never dog parks) with me -- car wash, Jiffy Lube, Starbucks, etc. We play and train everywhere we go.

Congrats on getting a pup!

-Stephanie


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

From what I'm told, if your dog is a show dog, they don't learn sit until later???

The first thing we taught Shadow was to sit. This took all of 5 minutes. He was just so easy. He had "sit" and "down" within the first day. "Stay" took longer.


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## JLJ (Nov 18, 2006)

A great book is The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skeet. They also have written How to be Your Dogs Best Friend. I am almost finished with the first one and plan to start the second one immediately thereafter. 
They are written by a group of Monks who breed german shepard puppies and have raised dogs for 20 years. I found these both at my library which is helpful because you don't have to pay for them. 

I have also found Golden Retreiver's for Dummies to be an excellent resource. They cover everything from training to grooming to socializing, what to do if your dog gets sick or eats something it shouldn't, etc. I did buy this book as it is a good resource "manual" to have around. 

I would highly recomment any of these!


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## kra (Oct 2, 2006)

Accepting the leash, her name, sit, off, mastering the walk, and come command, sit-stay, down stay, drop it or give; are all of equal importance while house training your puppy.

I agree The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skeet is a great 
ref, suggestion!

I have always used meal time to teach, and treats. You have there full
undivided golden attention. Something I taught Sandy, and now Nug's, works great. As I'm preparing the golden meal, they are not having a "GGFM"
(Goofy Golden Fit & Meltdown). I have them "sit-stay" then I put together dinner, breakfast, etc. Then as holding the dish, she has to follow a command before she gets her meal. They pick this up, real, real fast.
My grandfather was the grand, guru at this with his dogs. It was cool to watch. When I was a little kid, I enjoy watching him work with his dogs at meal time. Who ever feed his dogs did the same routine.
It was and is a great time to introduce a new command. 

It's very important that you and everyone around your golden be consistent
in everything you do. Set a pattern, and follow it 24/7.

I forgot to mention, I keep a training log, the first thing that Sandy learned after the leash was "sit" Nug's followed the same path


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## Lestorm (Feb 25, 2007)

Teach her that she can trust you. Let her know that she is loved. The first few days allow her to settle in. Charlie is now 16 weeks old and its only now that I have started to teach him the rules of life. I keep the door open and he pees outside most of the time. He knows his name as I use it every time I groom him, feed him and play with him. He has learned that the lead is fun as it means he can carry it around the house until its time to go somewhere nice. He sits and stands when I give him his food, i didnt teach him, he just knew. He knows when hes in the dog house as I turn my back on him. Enjoy your puppy and read as many books as you can, then do what feels right for you, Never smack, shout or shake him. He will love to please you and will soon understand what makes you tick.


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## Katiesmommy (Sep 10, 2006)

Katie learned how to "Sit" and "Shake a Paw" at 10 weeks of age.
I recommend getting: Golden Retrievers For Dummies (just a name of the book)


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## thegoldenjoyride (Dec 18, 2005)

I would also recommend going to puppy kindergarten (dog obedience -- after pup's shots). Good instructors would be able to help _you_ to become a good dog handler, owner, person . . . and your pup would be socialized as well. It was a good experience for us, anyway . . . 

Getting started with basic obedience training (includes videos) . . . Puppy basics . . . Learning tricks
Dog Training and Obedience Lessons

I found the book, Maran Illustrated Dog Training  at the mall earlier in the day . . . skimmed through it . . . it includes full-colour photographs and clear, step by step instructions -- it might be helpful if you are a visual learner -- see if your public library has dog training books like the ones suggested above.


http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/books-978159200858/1592008585/Maran-Illustrated-Dog-Training?ref=Search+Books%3a+'Maran+Illustrated+Dog+Training'&sterm=Maran+Illustrated+Dog+Training+-+Books

:wave:


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## audreyannlow (Mar 5, 2007)

Congrats on the pup! When I got Aspen at 8 weeks of age, we kept a training log:

Week 1

Take/Hold
Give
Heel
Sit
Down
Come
Go Potty!

Week 2

Find...[insert name of any family member or toy]
Fetch (scent discrimination)
Rollover
Say please (sit up and beg)
Speak/Quiet
Here (informal recall)

Week 3

Bite (play tug) & Out
"A" (5 years later, I still have not been able to accomplish this, lol! Silly 13 year old, I should have known dogs don't necessarily have absolute pitch!)
Over (jump over)
Under (crawl under and stay there)
Tunnel (dash through all the way)
Socks (pull socks off)
Laundry! (put into laundry basket)

And so, by the time Aspen was 11 weeks old, we had plenty of basic stuff to expand upon, mainly just learning the names of various fetchables, such as the phone, newspaper, clearing up the dirty laundry on my bedroom floor, helping with recycling/garbage, etc. Later on, we also started mushing.

Have fun with your puppy!!! Especially if he's from an unethical pet breeder, like Aspen was (we didn't know better back then), be careful of health problems, weird temperaments, and the like. I wouldn't go so fast with my next dog (right now, I am fostering "pit bull" type dogs, but someday I will have some more dogs of my own as well).


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