Reg: 10-14-2011
Posts: 66
Loc: NE Washington, the State
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Is there a "Timeline" or guide that shows the steps or progression that a pup should be working towards? I work obedience with my 5 Mo. old every day, and "I" think he is doing great, but I really have nothing to compare against, since this is my first GSD and the first dog that I have really worked with. He isn't a super high drive pup, but he does love to play tug.
When should his recall be 100%? When should he be able to perform a long down? and so on. Is it all just dog dependent?
Melissa Hoyer Webboard User Reg: 05-09-2005
Posts: 1340
Loc: SE Michigan
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I personally think it is "dog dependent". At 5 months old, I am still working on teaching the basics (sit, down, stay, heel, recall and all that) and proofing with distractions. I base everything I do on the maturity level of the pup, always keeping things fun and keeping the pup under threshold. I like to let puppies be puppies, so to speak, all while building a strong foundation. I also teach a lot of tricks to interject fun, but useful behavior...all very low pressure. Funny after writing this out, I realize that I teach kids the same way (I am a teacher).
Tracy Collins Webboard User Reg: 10-09-2008
Posts: 1917
Loc: St. Louis, Missouri
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I agree. And I also think there is a lot of variability based on how much time the owner devotes/how often an exercise is repeated.
The lady that owns the agility school I take my dogs to put an agility title on a 10-month old pup. But she worked with the pup every day, several sessions a day.
I think every dog has a certain number of positive repetitions they require to really "get" what you want reliably. That number of repetition is different for each dog--that's one of the measures of canine intelligence. But for the sake of discussion, say it takes "Fido" 50 repetitions of a thing to master it. Done twice a day, he'd have it perfected in 3 weeks. If he only worked once a week, it would take a year to get to the same proficiency.
Anne Jones Webboard User Reg: 04-29-2004
Posts: 3825
Loc: Northeast
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He's only a pup for a short time....let him be a pup.
Why is everyone in such a HURRY to have perfection in their dogs. There is plenty of time to perfect training. You have years to train your dog to his highest ability. It doesn't have to all happen in 12 months or 15 months.
Just PLAY with him & let him learn thru play. Slow down & enjoy your pup.
It is very much dependent on the individual dog...AND the individual dog owner...AND the environment and circumstances in which the dog lives and is trained...AND many more intangible factors. There are too many variables involved to be able to set objective benchmarks, IMO.
Have fun with your puppy. Play with him, be fair and consistent, work on your training at a pace he seems comfortable with, and don't worry about time lines!
Reg: 10-14-2011
Posts: 66
Loc: NE Washington, the State
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Thanks for the replies. Sounds like everything is just fine with Jaegar. He enjoys playing tug and working on obedience, so I will keep up with my current training schedule.
Robin Clark Webboard User Reg: 11-25-2011
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One of the biggest mistakes I've made is to rush my dogs in their training. Thirty years ago, you could take a 6-8 week training class and then finish your CD the next weekend. Times have changed and standards have risen. It is much more fun to take it slow and teach the dog to love obedience. My youngest dog finished her UD before she turned 4 years old...and I did not get her until she was a year old. The next dog I get won't see the inside of an obedience ring until they are at least 4 years old. I am going to enjoy their early training more and spend much more time taking long walks and playing ball.
Reg: 10-14-2011
Posts: 66
Loc: NE Washington, the State
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I don't really have any plans for competing with him, I am just doing it to give him an outlet for his energy and so that he isn't an unruly terror. The basis for my training so far has been the Leerburg/Michael Ellis streaming videos and DVD's.
My biggest concern is his recall, but he does quite well with that even at 5 mo.
I know he is still enjoying it, because he goes crazy the second I bring out the tug and he will bring it back every time I toss it and wait for the next lesson.
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Obedience Benchmarks???
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