Puppy absolutes

[SafetyChain]

My Brittany puppy is 11 weeks today. Being new to gun dogs and wanting to train him myself as much as possible, the thought has occurred to me.... What are the absolutes? What do you absoultely do or not do? For example, after reading many posts and contrary to obedience, don't teach sit. So what are other absolutes do you folks have?

[RoostersMom]

I have a few things I always try to do:

• *Crate Train
  *Socialize the heck out of the dog - they go everywhere with me from day one - absolutely everywhere
  *Don't over emphasize obedience in the field, in fact, I don't use any real commands except a very occasional "here" during the first season with the dog - I let them learn to be independent. I learned this through experience - I tended to be way too controlling and ended up hamstringing my dogs and controlling them too much. I'm a recovering controlaholic.
  *Sit is a fine command - IMO, it should come after whoa. All of my dogs know "sit" (Pointers - 2, Vizsla - 1, GSP -1, Chessies - 2) but I wouldn't teach it first, I'd teach it last.
  *Don't let them do anything you don't want repeated. Muddy paws leave an impression on dress clothes - so no jumping up ever if you don't want a full grown dog jumping up on you with muddy feet.
  *The one main thing I try to do as a trainer is to never give a command I can't enforce. If you say "here" and he's not on a checkcord and you can't make him comply - then you're just teaching him to ignore the "here" command. Same goes for any other command. Can't enforce it right then? Then don't use the command.

[orbirdhunter]

I like what was mentioned above....
The only absolutes I can think of for me is.....Crate Training, socialize...after that its all fair game.

[DonF]

The only absolute is there are no absolute's!

[cjhills]

The only absolute is there are no absolute's!

+1

[Maurice]

The only absolute is there are no absolute's!

+1

+ 2...

Mo

[ezzy333]

The only absolute is there are no absolute's!

+1

+ 2...

Mo

+3

Ezzy

[RayGubernat]

About the only absolutes I can think of with a puppy are these:

Never, ever lose your patience or temper. NEVER EVER.

Every time you mess with the puppy make darn sure both of you are having fun.

Do everything you can do to make that puppy think the sun shines out your butt and you are the greatest thing in its life since its mama's tit.


RayG

[Trekmoor]

The only absolute I have is not to think the new pup will be exactly the same to train as my previous one.

Bill T.

[DoubleBarrel GunDogs]

There are 3 absolutes in my book. All of them relate to association, and are generic to dogs in general.

1. You should never correct or reward a dog unless it knows why. If you do you will never completely get the dog's trust or respect, and risk creating confusion. Inconsistencies in training can also create a dog that is case hardened or apprehensive.

2. Dogs are place oriented. Dogs live in the here and now. Studies by the military have revealed that dogs must be corrected or rewarded within 1.3 seconds to have the maximum effect. Incidentally, if you wait longer than this amount of time, you risk correcting or rewarding the dog for the wrong behavior.

3. Things that are very positive and very negative are easily imprinted. This is especially important within the first 20 weeks of a dogs life where it learns about the world. During this highly impressionable age it may take only one repetition to develop a positive lifelong association.

Nate

[whoadog]

I have only one "absolute don't". Don't put your pup in a kennel for the next five months and forget about him until 2 weeks before bird season. Every year I hunt with guys whose dogs are "absolutely" uncontrollable. If they had only spent some time in the summer with them.....
I have only one absolute "do". Do take the time to introduce your dog to gunfire properly. You can goof about anything else up, and even gunshy can be corrected with enough time and patience, but avoiding that little conundrum can save more headaches than all the other faults combined IMO.

[big_fish]

leave everything that you and your wife would like chewed up with in pup reach and he will do the rest it just comes natural no training needed. My brit has chewed shoes,tv remotes books ect. and he only has to be out of sight for 10 seconds and it is on. good luck and enjoy the ride.
ps get a good program and follow it to a "T" even when you don't feel like it in a year you will be glad you suffered through it and remember the difference between a dog and a bird dog is "BIRDS" start a pigeon loft now while he (or she) is young and you will save a ton on training birds
again good luck