Too young for obedience training?

[missbp]

We own a land shark who will be 12 weeks old Saturday. Is he old enough for training? I know this woman who comes highly recommended, uses the rounded prong collars. I worry that it will interfere with his "puppyhood" but we are getting eaten alive and have done everything imaginable. Any thoughts?

[xracer4844]

We start dogs with PUPPY CLASSES, this involves martingale collars and basic manners. No jumping up, no biting, no mouthing, basic obedience like sit, down, stay. You shouldn't need formal obedience classes with a prong collar to control a 12 week old puppy. Just get puppy classes in order to show you how to handle your pup I'm sure this trainer you speak of offers puppy classes.

We also do a whole bunch of theory, first aid, proper dog manners etc. for the owners. A few hours at least - in order to teach owners about proper, responsible dog ownership. People usually love this part.

[Tanya]

definately no need for a prong to train a baby.

it's NEVER to young to train. never. you start the day they come into your home. Training sessions must be short and fun (lots of rewards and praise). Short - 5 minutes, even 1-3 minutes, repeated thru the day.

I HIGHLY recommend finding and signing up for a puppy class ASAP. also known as puppy kindergarden.

If you search for puppy biting you will find lots of threads with tips on how to work on the puppy biting.

[JenC]

Look for puppy kindergarten and then beginner obedience. No need for a prong until the dog is about 6 months.

[CraftHer]

Look for puppy kindergarten and then beginner obedience. No need for a prong until the dog is about 6 months.

The classes are as much for you as for the pup. Puppy kindergarten was so much fun for Mocha and taught me so much about the cues that I was giving him. Mocha was about 6 months old when we started using the prong collar. Ask your trainer to evaluate the need for one (and when) and show you how to size it and use it. When used properly, it's a great tool.

[happy_blackbird]

I also really recommend finding if anyone in your area hosts Puppy Socials. These are free form, monitored play sessions, usually an hour long, with other puppies. We had a furious land shark (my husband looked like a junkie, he had so many punctures in his arms and hands) and within two weeks of starting the puppy socials, Ellie had learned bite inhibition from the other puppies that translated into less human mouthing/biting (we took her to at least three a week). I don't know why our corrections and training methods were so ineffective (everything we did made her MORE excited and mouthy), but the corrections she received from other puppies worked wonders. The socials also had the wonderful side benefit of wearing her out to the point where she slept through the night for the first time. YAY!

[missbp]

Oh I wish there were socials. I may have to try to initiate one. We're waiting on a 3rd round of shots this Saturday to be able to socialize. I have been working since he got to our house at 6 weeks and he knows his commands. He just cant seem to stop using as chew toys. Like yours, simple things can excite him instead, especially outside.. I will tell her to reassess the need for such a collar at this point. He is a great dog and I'm sure will love going to class just to go and will learn to not eat the furparents!

[shellbell]

I have been working since he got to our house at 6 weeks and he knows his commands. He just cant seem to stop using as chew toys.

Are you saying that you brought him home at six weeks of age? This could be a contributing factor to why his biting seems so intense. Six weeks is way too early for a puppy to leave the litter, they learn lots of important social skills those last two weeks, including bite inhibition. Yes, it is normal for puppies, especially labs, to be mouthy. But unfortunately it is often more of a challenge to work through this if they have not learned bite inhibition from their littermates.