# Feeling Unconfident - need a boost - please!!



## rubix (Mar 13, 2009)

Hi, I have a 13 week old male pup. He is so lovely and we are really enjoying him. I have just come back from Puppy Training classes and am feeling hopeless. We had to get Moko to respond to his name. He ignored me all the time!
Then we had to get him to drop. He wouldn't. The trainer said this is because he is probably used to having stuff taken out of his mouth. I felt awful! Thinking about it, I do take unappropriate stuff out of his mouth. Will have to use the 'trade' method. It is amazing how you think you are doing the right thing in innocence.
He jumps up all the time and I have been pushing him back down. Learnt today that this is re-enforcing the behaviour and I will have to get him to sit first or turn my back.
I feel I have been doing a good job but all my confidence has been wiped away. I know you have to make mistakes, learn and move on but boy raising a puppy is hard work.
Trying to get him to learn down. Have to do the tunnel method as he just looks at me otherwise. 
I have never had a pup/dog before and am going to go all the way with training/obdience training. 
Does anyone have any tips?
I also keep him in our kitchen/diner in the day. I am in that room all the time and have puppy proofed it. He has not yet gone in the family room as I don't want him to chew on stuff. He is really happy and gets so much attention/walks. He is good at being left alone. We crate him at night next to our bed and that is going so well. He sleeps right through.
As I have never had a dog before I do feel unconfident a lot of the time. I have done so much research and want a lovely, content and well behaved dog.
Thanks!


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

Yes, they are a lot of work, some more so than others. You'll get the hang of things soon enough. I had to retrain myself of a few bad habits when I took Sam to obedience class. Your confidence level makes a difference too. When you're confident, he'll sense your positive strong attitude and take your commands seriously. Good luck with practice at home. I bet you'll show great improvement at the next class. As for recognizing his name, just make sure you use it often and that he knows you're referring to HIM.


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## Bossoli (May 5, 2008)

Don't be discouraged! He's still extremely young. You've had him for what, 5 weeks at the most? That's not nearly enough time for someone who has never had a dog before to become puppy-savvy. That's not a bad thing though; it just means that you'll be learning together (just try to learn a little faster than the puppy )

It's great that you're enrolled in a class with him because that's where most first time dog owners go wrong. They underestimate how much knowledge and effort is required to raise a happy, well adjusted dog. Training classes are more of a support system for the owners than schooling for the dogs. 98% of everything your dog will learn will take place in your home- not in obedience class. The trainers in obedience class are there to help you and guide you along the way. Take advantage of it and don't be afraid to ask questions.

The trading game is an excellent route to take when teaching a Golden to drop something. Being Retrievers, they are naturally very mouthy- they love to hold things in their mouths and also chew things. The best way to prevent your puppy from having things in his mouth that he shouldn't have is to make sure your house is puppy proofed. Keep all small obejects that he's not supposed to have beyond reach so you won't have to worry about it. Prevention and setting a dog up for success are 90% of training. Keep him in a crate or an exercise pen during times in which you can't supervise him. 

Good luck and don't get discouraged! Even young puppies can pick up on frustration and that will take the fun and effectiveness out of training.


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## rubix (Mar 13, 2009)

Thank you so much! After writing the post, I dusted myself, took a deep breath and thought lets do this! We worked on down and I didn't use the tunnel method. I got his to sit and then we did the down command. He got it! Yes! I will just keep thinking positive thoughts and (try) be confident.
This forum is so supportive.


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## Sienna's Mom (Oct 23, 2007)

It sounds like you are doing GREAT to me!! It is a lot of work, you will get tired, frazzled and the like. You will forget and get burnt out. BUT! you have the eagerness and it is very important to you- this will play a good part in helping your pup learn.

Persistence, repetition, confidence. Keep at it and it will eventually all fall into place. We weren't as diligent as we should've, but Sienna has turned into a sweet, wonderful, albeit GOOFY dog LOL. Some of our training came about just by accident because we did something the same way all the time and she thrived on routine.

HUGS!!!


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Please keep the faith....As one who has made my own share of mistakes - and Im certain will continue to do so...remember you're working with a living creature - capable of learning and relearning and relearning again! I'm speaking of you not your darling puppy!!


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

We have all been in your shoes at one time or another so dont feel bad. The positive training works so much better. To me I look at like they are people, if you talk nice to them and are positive you will get alot more positive results. Keep up the good work and it will get better.


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## spruce (Mar 13, 2008)

I am just NOT good trainer material - but learned so much in class and it gave me the confidence that the methods I used were correct. We are debating if our next class should be Obedience II for a 2nd time or a entry level agility (just for fun)


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## goldensmum (Oct 23, 2007)

It is still very early days - but just wanted to share with you something about the drop and the trade. We got Ralph when he was 6 years old and he was a devil for picking up the odd stone - you couldn't open his mouth so we used the trade method and after a couple of time he learnt what it meant - you drop the stone i give you a yummy treat - Great - yes it was until he started going outside and bringing in stones 
one after the other and waiting for his treat.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Well anyone that has been in training dogs for any length of time will tell with your first dog it i not he dog that is getting the most training it is the handler. None of us knew anything when we started. And we all have at times felt beaten.
The 3 keys to training to me have always been

1 - You must be consistent 100% of the time when training for something. If it is not ok to jump up it must NEVER be ook to jump up. Later after this is learned by the pup you can if you want to teach it to jump up on command but she must first TOTALLY understand it is NOT ok ever.

2 - Patience. Your pup will continually test the waters to see what they can get away with. And as they grow, both physically and mentally, they will revisit some of the issues you thought were already resolved. Normal puppy behavior.

3 - Never "train" when you are frustrated, tired or cranky. You can do more damage in 5 minutes than if you did no training for 7 days. And it will take far longer to "fix".


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## jnmarr (Mar 7, 2008)

It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job to me! You have the desire and love to train your pup. He is still very young and a lot of training takes time, repetition and patience. Use the same words all the time.. One thing I see a lot in new owners.. even my D/H does a LOT... is they will call the pups name.. Okay, in our case.. Penny.. then what? She will look then go about her business.. Get their attention.. Penny... Then gove a command.. Come! Then we give yummy treats. For drop.. we treat it as though we were saying swap. I hold the treat after saying drop and wait... giving eye conatact.. at first it might take a while before they grop... the time will lessen as you practice. You will get it.. The classes will help you. Be sure to practice for a short time thoughout the day.. Have him Come, Sit, then feed, etc. Wait at the door before he goes out.. be calm for petting, etc. so it all becomes a part of his every day life. Be sure to practice EVERYWHERE, too.. So he will listen when you are away from home. Practice practice practice.. Praise praise praise!


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