# New Puppy ....



## Butterfly (Jun 23, 2011)

Alykai is my first puppy. I want to start training him on simple commands, such as: sit, stay, lay down, come, drop it, etc. Any advice on how to do it myself instead of taking him to a puppy training course?

My vet told me that Maltese have very short attention spans - 5-10mins.

I don't want to over do it.

Thanks!


----------



## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

He's kind of young to start that sort of training. Maybe just house training and walking on a leash is a good start. You can look for training classes locally and see what age they start with. "Sit" is a good easy command also....

Socializing him with people is helpful. After he's had all his puppy shots you can start socializing him with other dogs. Socialization is a pretty important part of training.


----------



## Butterfly (Jun 23, 2011)

The A Team said:


> He's kind of young to start that sort of training. Maybe just house training and walking on a leash is a good start. You can look for training classes locally and see what age they start with. "Sit" is a good easy command also....
> 
> Socializing him with people is helpful. After he's had all his puppy shots you can start socializing him with other dogs. Socialization is a pretty important part of training.


Thanks for the reply.

He does pretty good with the leash so far. I walk him daily with it and very seldom does he stop and just sit there looking at me. LOL Usually he walks right along. =)
He's already potty trained for pee pads! yay! that was a great success, thank GOD!


----------



## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

I agree, he's very young to expect much training wise. He's the equivalent of a toddler right now so just keep that in mind! I would start with one command, like sit and I would only give his attention span just a minute or two at this age. I have puppies this same age and their attention span is next to nothing - I don't even think they'd be still long enough to try to 'teach' them!! That's not saying it can't be done but my pups are very very busy, LOL.

The best thing is to get him in a puppy manners class, not just for training these things but to socialize him. Since he was let go so young, he has missed out on some things by not having his littermates and/or his mom there to 'teach' him (like bite inhibition). In the US, reputable breeders do not let their puppies go until 12 weeks so I'm sure you've had to do some extra work. Have you tried YouTube for some training videos? Only one of my dogs knows how to sit (my first one that I got as a pet who went to petsmart training) The others? No, lol - so I can't really help you! 

But I'd keep a socialization class in mind, esp if you are having issues with him like biting hard or he's a little scared in public. Just make sure you don't put him on the ground outside until he's had all of his shots because of parvo (minimum of 16 weeks). You run a slight risk at a facility like petsmart having your pup on the ground BUT it's one of those things where the benefit out weighs the risks.

Good luck!!! And if you teach him on your own, make sure you share how you did it!!!


----------



## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

Butterfly said:


> Thanks for the reply.
> 
> He does pretty good with the leash so far. I walk him daily with it and very seldom does he stop and just sit there looking at me. LOL Usually he walks right along. =)
> He's already potty trained for pee pads! yay! that was a great success, thank GOD!


I personally would NOT take him for walks outside because of the danger of parvo, he is not fully vaccinated yet and parvo can kill him very quickly. Sorry not trying to scare you - just don't want anything to happen to your sweet baby! Parvo virus can live in the soil for months so it's extra scary.

And WOW! I'm impressed at how well he is doing! Potty trained and leash trained? That's fantastic!


----------



## Butterfly (Jun 23, 2011)

bellaratamaltese said:


> I agree, he's very young to expect much training wise. He's the equivalent of a toddler right now so just keep that in mind! I would start with one command, like sit and I would only give his attention span just a minute or two at this age. I have puppies this same age and their attention span is next to nothing - I don't even think they'd be still long enough to try to 'teach' them!! That's not saying it can't be done but my pups are very very busy, LOL.
> 
> The best thing is to get him in a puppy manners class, not just for training these things but to socialize him. Since he was let go so young, he has missed out on some things by not having his littermates and/or his mom there to 'teach' him (like bite inhibition). In the US, reputable breeders do not let their puppies go until 12 weeks so I'm sure you've had to do some extra work. Have you tried YouTube for some training videos? Only one of my dogs knows how to sit (my first one that I got as a pet who went to petsmart training) The others? No, lol - so I can't really help you!
> 
> ...


Thank you! 

I'll keep you guys posted if I'm successful in teaching him on my own.

He does play bite a lot! I just keep telling him no bite, and give him a couple chances to stop. If he doesn't, I put him down and walk away. He's gotten better. I guess patience, patience and patience is the key. =)


----------



## Butterfly (Jun 23, 2011)

bellaratamaltese said:


> I personally would NOT take him for walks outside because of the danger of parvo, he is not fully vaccinated yet and parvo can kill him very quickly. Sorry not trying to scare you - just don't want anything to happen to your sweet baby! Parvo virus can live in the soil for months so it's extra scary.
> 
> And WOW! I'm impressed at how well he is doing! Potty trained and leash trained? That's fantastic!


I only walk him around my neighborhood on the sidewalk and on the pavement. I don't take him to the park or walk him in the grass. He should be ok, right?


----------



## Butterfly (Jun 23, 2011)

Oh, I also forgot to mention that he's had his 3rd set of vaccines already. He just got his Corono and DHHP (I think that's what they were called) yesterday.


----------



## Aarianne (Jul 22, 2005)

I would stick to very short training sessions more frequently... like less than 5 minutes even. Maybe 3 minutes max., then take a break for a while. This goes for any dog to keep the dog focused and excited to play the training games. It's really tough to train a dog whose mind is elsewhere. You want to stop before your dog gets bored.

I would use something very tasty to your pup (but healthy too)... so little pieces of chicken work great. That's something I use a lot. Yes, it's messier than a dried, packaged treat, but it's so much more enticing for most dogs and will keep your pup's attention on the task at hand.

No reprimanding during training ever! Keep it positive and fun so your dog is eager to learn and thinks you're so much fun to be around. 

Always start teaching something new in an environment where your dog will be focused on you naturally (rather than running off to chase squirrels or sniff tracks of other dogs). You want to set your pup up to succeed. :thumbsup:

Figure out how you're going to mark the desired behaviours during training. Clickers are an easy way to do it because they're so fast and make a distinct sound. I've done the best with a clicker. You could also choose to say "Yes!" with the same happy voice every time to mark the desired behaviour. Or you might be able to make a consistent, distinct clicky noise with your mouth (but that could be weird if you need to reward your dog in public. lol).

Once you pick your marking method, then "tune" your dog to it so that he understands what it means--which is that a treat is coming his way in 1 second! Try and be really quick about following up the sound with a tasty treat every single time. Later on, once your dog understands how the clicker thing works, you can be a little bit slower about getting the treat to your dog. 

I think a fun game that takes it a step further but achieves the same thing is playing the "watch me" game. I really liked this video: 




I'm sure you could do that with a fairly young pup. Just stick to short sessions and a really good treat. And I find it's best to teach my dogs before a meal so that they're really hungry and focused on earning the treats! 

I did that "watch me" game with my naturally shy dog and it helped her focus on my face instead of my feet during training sessions and made her so much more successful.

Beyond that, there are books on this sort of thing by people that know way more than I do and it would probably be best to get one of them. I recently read through The Puppy Primer by Patricia B. McConnell and thought it sounded great. I wish I had bought it before I got my pups!

If you don't want to buy a book, take a look at the training videos on youtube by kikopup. I think she does a fantastic job. Some of her videos have really helped me.

Oh, and look for info on training "puppy push-ups". That's something you can definitely start on now. I found this video on puppy push-ups but I'm at work and have no sound, so I'm not sure what she's saying (if anything): 




Visually, at least, that shows how puppy push-ups work! No pushing your dog down into the down position--your dog needs to choose the correct behaviour on his own without any handling. If he just won't get into the right position for you despite luring him with the treat, take a break and try again later. :thumbsup:

Don't expect your dog to "get it" right away or in the first session or two and don't forget to have fun yourself! You dog will enjoy training more by knowing you're having fun too!


----------



## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

Any place outdoors is not safe until he is fully immunized. Even on your own sidewalk.
Parvo can be found anywhere out there. There will be plenty of time for walks in a few more weeks or so. Just play with him and enjoy for now...and keep him safe from harm.


----------



## vjw (Dec 20, 2006)

Note: The following professional organizations recommend beginning *socialization* and training BEFORE twelve weeks and give reasons why in these articles:



The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's (veterinary behaviorists) position statement on puppy *socialization*:


http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonli...ialization.pdf



Here's a statement which is on the Animal Behavior Resources Institute's (various veterinary behavior professionals) site:

ABRI:



One from the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. (When the link opens, scroll back to page one):

http://www.apdt.com/veterinary/asset...esser_ND06.pdf 


Lastly, one from DVM360 a site for veterinarians:

Early puppy *socialization* classes: risks vs. benefits - Veterinary Medicine


----------



## Butterfly (Jun 23, 2011)

Aarianne said:


> I would stick to very short training sessions more frequently... like less than 5 minutes even. Maybe 3 minutes max., then take a break for a while. This goes for any dog to keep the dog focused and excited to play the training games. It's really tough to train a dog whose mind is elsewhere. You want to stop before your dog gets bored.
> 
> I would use something very tasty to your pup (but healthy too)... so little pieces of chicken work great. That's something I use a lot. Yes, it's messier than a dried, packaged treat, but it's so much more enticing for most dogs and will keep your pup's attention on the task at hand.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for your thorough reply. It was very informative! I'm going to give it a go! =)


----------



## Butterfly (Jun 23, 2011)

Cosy said:


> Any place outdoors is not safe until he is fully immunized. Even on your own sidewalk.
> Parvo can be found anywhere out there. There will be plenty of time for walks in a few more weeks or so. Just play with him and enjoy for now...and keep him safe from harm.


Oh Bummer! I thought it was ok to walk him. I shall keep him in for a few more weeks.

Thank you for the advice.


----------



## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

Even if he has had three vaccinations, he is not fully vaccinated. And WOW, they started them young!! I do not start vaccinations until at least 8 weeks but some vaccination schedules differ though. That seems pretty early to me though when you space them out 3 weeks.

The last vaccination needs to be given at 16 weeks and give it a week or two after that for the antibodies to kick in. Before that time, he is not fully protected against parvo and IMO, shouldn't be down on the ground outside anywhere (all it takes is someone walking in parvo infested grass and walking on the pavement) This is one of those cases where it's better to be safe than sorry!!! it's why I always lysol the soles of my shoes when walking in my house if I've been in a high risk area (usually dog shows) Parvo is not something you want to mess around with - it can kill your puppy very quickly.


----------



## Butterfly (Jun 23, 2011)

Thank you for your insight. Its so hard to not take him outside. But you guys are all right, its better to be safe than sorry.


----------

