Puppy Training Log FAQ

I've been getting a lot of emails and questions about the recent training videos up on my blog. So I thought I'd put together a FAQ!

1) Is that a Lab or a Golden, or a Lab-Golden mix? She's a purebred Golden retriever. The extremely pale color is less common.

2) Do you literally train her all day long??? Not at all. We usually do three (morning, noon and night) training sessions per day. The sessions are 5-10 minutes long. So, 15-30 minutes total per day average.

3) What about socialization? You have to socialize them! You're right! We did the "100 New People Before 100 Days Old" plan made famous by vet behaviorist Ian Dunbar. We also went to lots of different places.

4) When are you going to phase out the treats? I'm starting to lay the groundwork for that already by working on handler engagement and play outside of training sessions! "Phasing out treats" can be more complicated than it sounds; you have to keep multiple things in mind such as distraction level, difficulty of work, level of engagement with handler, whether the dog actually likes the work, whether the dog actually cares if the handler is pleased, etc. 

5) I can't hear what commands you're giving. I use and teach extremely subtle, quiet handling. Lots of extraneous movements, gestures and commands often just confuses the dog. 

6) What do you do when she does it wrong? We try again! In puppy training, the sessions should be set up so that the puppy is almost always correct. This builds confidence. 

I hope this FAQ helps and that you are enjoying the puppy training logs!