General training of a 5 mth puppy

Hi ive had puppies before from 8 weeks and training has gone good . This time i have taken a rescue labrador at 5 mths old . She is house trained , and she cant sit on command but gets up straight away , she has no other training , just wanted to know 2 things , she sleeps in a crate at night do i need to put water in with her , he previous owners didnt but is all night too long to go without water , also is recall training the same as if she were a small puppy as she has never been let off lead and both my other dogs were , not sure if at 5 mths this is still possible to train

Hi there,

I would say it is a good idea to leave a little bit of water for your new puppy in the crate is possible, she might not drink it but at least she will fell better in case she gets thirsty. Only leave a little bit of water so she is not desperate to wee whilst she is being trained.

Regarding the recall, a dog can learn it pretty much at any age, so this is good news : )

Hope it helps!

Hello, I have 2 newfoundland dogs both of which were crated for the night. They do not require water they are in there to sleep. As long as you toilet the dog before bed and then in the morning get up and let them out they will have a drink then and be fine.

With regards to the the recall. You treat the dog exactly as you would a younger puppy. I have always found it best to buy a long lead (training lead) and let the lead out a little and call the dog back, you need to use something that is not a usual everyday word. For example I use "Cookie what's this" in a high pitched excitable voice for my younger dog I use "puppy come" again in a high pitched excitable voice. When the dog comes back ALWAYS reward with a high value treat and lots of praise. Everytime extend the lead a little more until the dog is returning to you 100% even with distractions and then you can find a quiet place and let him off.

Whilst doing this you need to ensure that EVERYTIME you call him to come to you - you REWARD. This is important as he needs to believe that he will get that reward otherwise if the reward is hit and miss sometimes if there is another dog or some horse poo etc he may decide that it is not worth coming back to you.

Make sure that sometimes when you recall him you touch his collar and then let him go and sometimes you put him on the lead, reward and then let him go straight away as you don't want him to think that when you call him back it is because his fun has ended and he is being taken home.

I hope I haven't waffled too much - have fun

Love

Stacie

myfabdog.co.uk

I can't see the point of depriving a dog of water overnight. If they are happy and sleeping they won't want it- if they're not they might. Allowing dogs to become dehydrated can lead to kidney and bladder stones. I have to say I'm not a massive fan of crates anyway- the idea came from America, not always known for their humane attitudes to animals.

A young labrador will respond to training better than almost any other breed so now is a good time. If she's had a difficult start to life she will be anxious even if she seems calm- go a bit more slowly, expect a bit less of her and be patient. I'm sure in a year's time you'll never know you haven't had her from a pup.

The Animal welfare act of 2006 says you should provide your dog with clean fresh water at all times.

I agree that water should be available at all times. You will need a non tip bowl.

Recall can be taught at any age. First thing to realise is that your dog needs to have bonded with you and not be worried by you. This means always using positive methods to train. Never, ever call your dog to tell it off. Chastising is pointless anyway as dogs do not understand English and just regard us as unreasonable people if we get angry after the event that they have forgotten about (takes a few seconds, only, for them to have forgotten).

Good advice above. You can start in the house and garden by hiding and calling your dog and rewarding well when he comes. Difficult recalls, away from interesting smells, other dogs etc, need a five star reward such as chicken pieces given one after the other with lots of praise. Easy recalls can just have one or two tasty treats. Do make sure the dog likes the reward. Think how you would feel if your boss gave you a pat on the back instead of your wages!

Coming back to you should always be pleasurable. If he has been gone a long time and you can't say nice things then say nothing. Try to vary the recall during the walk so that he doesn't always go on lead as he will predict this and not want to come back to you. Call, reward and release.