my pup is almost 4 months. is this too young to start the correction phase of her training?

If you are 100% certain your pup knows and understands the commands you ask (basic stuff like sit, down, minor heeling, etc) and you're not trying to give the command under a distraction the pup hasn't been proofed under and the pup is blowing you off, willfully ignoring you, perhaps it's time. There is a difference between not understanding the command and understanding it fully and choosing to disobey. Never correct a dog until it has fully learned and understands the command. If you train "sit" only indoors and suddenly give the command outside, your dog may not have made the connection. Do the command everywhere under a myriad of situations with light distractions to ensure your dog knows that "sit" means "butt on floor" whether inside, outside, on a table, rock, or in a wading pool. Some dogs start to mature sooner than others so you'll have to gauge by how your dog reacts. Do you have Leerburg's Basic Obedience DVD? That should help a lot with regards to your question and how to go about corrections. http://leerburg.com/corrections.htm Good article about correction theory, do note that corrections to the pup have already started courtesy of Mother Bitch.

Is your pup acting differently lately in her training sessions in a way that prompts you to consider corrections at this time?

i do have the obedience video. we have been doing marker training and she knows sit, down, come and she has to sit every time she goes outside and back inside before i will open the door and before she gets food.

i'm certain she knows the command, but occasionally she won't listen or she responds real slow (not wanting to, but eventually doing it). it's at those times i feel like a correction is needed, but she is still pretty young (4 months on sept. 3.)

For "come," keep her on a long line so you can reel her in and give at least some praise for actually coming. You don't want her to think the command is optional nor do you want to be giving the command when you're not in a position to enforce. You can make coming to you more fun such as running backwards while acting like an excited fool, praise her profusely and give her a favorite treat, then release her. Maybe you always call her when it's time to end playtime and she's realizing that if you call her and she comes, playtime's out. Keep things fun, always make coming to you an exciting event with different treats and good things every time. Keep her motivated. If she likes tug, call her, play a quick game, then release her. If she has a favorite toy, call her, play with her and the toy, then send her off again. Have things that she wants so coming will always give her a good thing.

Building speed is still something I'm working on as well. From what I've been reading, the best thing is to have something the dog will sell its soul for, be it a treat or a toy, then give the command, and ONLY give that goodie if the dog obeys instantly. A slow response garners praise while a speedy one gets the paycheck. Finally, make obedience sessions short but sweet, many sessions a minute or two long works better than one half hour one, keep things upbeat, make them exciting (maybe you're boring her with routine), and always end on a good note and leave her wanting more. I'll leave a real expert to decide whether it's time for a corrections, I'd still lean on the positive but depending on the pup's overall temperament I may introduce light corrections but nothing major. I'd want the pup to want to obey from the bond as well as because I'm the source of all things good and yummy in its life, not yet because it has to. That should come later when adolescence pops up.

Another thing you can try is if she does not sit for the food, don't put it down and walk away for a couple minutes, ignoring her. She'll really get worried about that. Come back and see if she's quicker to respond. If so, she gets the food and lots of warm praise. You won't deal with a brat after all, right? <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Note, this will typically only work if the pup's really hungry and excited for the food, if she's ho-hum about eating at that time, your routine will only garner a "big deal" from her.

Almost 4 months <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> Geeze arent you rushing things a little here ???? Can a pup that age really be expected to perform reliably ??? Is there any fun in your house ?

I agree with Brad here. The pup, not even 4 months, needs more work with marker and treat and praise. For a sit at this point, the only "correction" I would give is a gentle reminder by holding the leash in one hand and gently pushing down the butt with the other, immediately mark and treat and praise. I personally am concerned about breaking the spirit and or drive of the pup with corrections and serious obedience work at such a young age. In the Basic OB dvd, note the patience Ed has with a 6 month old pup when doing the sit, for example, and that pup is 6 months. If we start corrections for basic obedience too young, being creatures of habit that we are, we may start correcting for every little thing. It may look to us that the pup isn't obeying intentionally, but I think a pup that young really just doesn't understand enough and isn't mature enough to grasp fully that it won't eventually be a game, because at that age it SHOULD be a game, not serious business. They're all about play and having fun, so the basic commands they're learning should be fun to them. If their butt hits the floor for a second only, it's good enough for now, and should be marked etc. Right now it's not so much about pleasing you as it is about what they get out of doing something you ask. That's as it should be, since maturity is a long ways off.

My pup didn't even START obedience till 5 months old, don't rush it, let your puppy be a puppy, work on OB motivationally, food, toys etc, till 8-10 months old. You should see her walk, choking herself on a flat collar pulling, doesn't bother me any <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Haven't even started on heeling yet, all she knows is sit/down/bark/watch him/stop it.

Remember, a young dog may look big, but they're still babies essentially, don't kill their drive and character by correcting too young for things they can't possibly have the focus to do properly yet. Don't rush!

thanks for the advice! i wasn't totally sure so i thought i'd get some opinions. don't worry, we have tremendous amounts of fun! thanks again,

brian