Raising a pet pup the working dog way (long)

Since almost all K9 based work starts with prey drive we a VERY careful not to do anything to decrease it. Even doing strictly PR training too early can effect the amount of drive a puppy demonstrates so we do no obedience with the dogs for 8 months. People tend to rush this process starting obedience way to young with working dogs (dogs that are intended for actual work).

Interesting experiment.
Well, I have to tell you, no early obedience work so far has decreased 'hunting drive' of my field bred English Cocker... Or, maybe it has, and he would have been even crazier if I hadn't started doing obedience at 7.5 w/o. (He was asking for it! []) And here is a suggestion for the development of a new program: "Raising a working pup for the non-working environment." []

This is very interesting. Please continue to keep us posted. I'd love to know more. No pups in our near future, if ever, just curious.
 
In your description of daily activity is it limited to the one big session of play/eat/outing/play etc. or is it OK for there to be two of these fun and adventure sessions in a day?

quote:

Would pups see crate as a punishment?

No, because the crate is not punishment. When I take the pup to the crate I have a great attitude about it. The crate is only punishment if you punish him with crate. What I mean by that is if you are angry, aggression, abrupt, noisy, anxious etc. when you put him in the crate then it is a punishment.

If you play a game, he bites, you take him in the crate... calmly, with a great attitude... It's not a punishment?
(I don't know the answer, I am just asking. [])

What are you doing with your dog when you aren't home?

They are crated M-F and we don't work weekends so they are out of their crates for most of the day unless we go out somewhere.  They are both still puppies, one is 9 months old and one is 5 months old.  Which is why when we do get home we don't like to crate them any longer than they already were.  They go outside for some exercise (with more trips for potty throughout the evening), and play in the house with us until our bedtime which is pretty late, then they go back in their crates again to sleep.  Once they are both fully housebroken they will sleep upstairs with us and we hope one day they can have full run of the house when we aren't home, or at least behave themselves in a dog-proof room they can be enclosed in during the day.  Neither dog seems to mind their crates at all, in fact they happily bound into them with the "kennel" command.  They are given a stuffed Kong to play with and chew on.  But I just try to limit their time in the crates to as little as possible.  The 9 month old has been through basic obedience training and I would consider him fully housebroken (it took about 4 weeks) and he's a very well adjusted dog with good house manners.  The younger one is proving to be more of a challenge as she is the alpha-type and has her own agenda.  We've been trying to housebreak her since she was 7 weeks old with the same techniques that worked on the older one.  She's still not 100% but I think she's almost there.  Having the ideal situation of one of us at home and being able to work with the dogs all day would have sped up the process I'm sure!

These aren't my first dogs and I successfully had two previous dogs from puppies until the ripe old ages of 12 and 15 with the same training methods, household routine and setup.

In your description of daily activity is it limited to the one big session of play/eat/outing/play etc. or is it OK for there to be two of these fun and adventure sessions in a day?

 
I have it limited to 2 one hour play sessions and then one major outing, but if you can manage more sessions that is GREAT!  I was just trying to keep it to what I thought people could manage.
 

If you play a game, he bites, you take him in the crate... calmly, with a great attitude... It's not a punishment?

 
It depends on your definition of the word punishment.  In the strictly operant conditioning sense of the word it probably is, but in the traditional sense I do not think so.  I was using the word in the traditional sense, in that you are not punishing the dog for biting only seperating him from the situation.

Wow, Mic, I just noticed from your phone number you are in Cincinnati, so am I! []

[link>http://forum.dog.com/asp/showProfile.asp?memid=23801]2CrazyAussies[/link]

My intention is not that you have to work with the dogs all day, but can modify the schedule above to meet your needs.  For most of my clients that work full time the allow an hour in the morning to lay with the dog, do the outing after work, and then do the another hour of play in the evening.  I think the method can be applied to lots of different situations. 

Well, I have had Coco, a labradoodle, for nearly 5 weeks. I really appreciated your article on crate training.....though I only just read it and didnt start off the way you suggest. We do use a crate for nap-time, when I am away from the house and at night. Only a few times have I put her in her crate to seperate from the activity she was involved in when she began a " negative" behavior. I got her used to her crate for a couple of hours at a time, at first, so any whining and barking were done while I was awake....so I could get some sleep at night.  It worked well, but wasn't the three dayschedule you suggest. I have trouble with her biting/nipping, tho hard!! any thoughts?
 

Where are you at in Cincinnati?  I live downtown just behind P&G above one of our training facilities.  Do you know where The Pet Athletic Club is?  Are your dogs social?  Every Saturday from 8am-1pm we open the facility to the public for an "Indoor Dog Park".  I would love to have you stop by.

I live in northeastern Cincy, in Clarksville (out in the country), but since there's nothing for miles around we usually travel to the Maineville/Landon/Mason area for shopping, etc.  I'd love to stop by one of your open houses with my pooches.  My older one since he was through puppy obedience is very social and LOVES other dogs (which is why we got him the playmate!).  The younger one loves my other dog, but the times we've been out with her and she's met other dogs she is very apprehensive and barks at them.  I think the socialization would do her good.  I don't think she's leaning towards aggressive behavior (although she does try to be alpha towards the older dog), just insecurity and she really needs to get over that!
 
I just googled your place and found your website.  I am sure I can plug you into Mapquest and get there.  Thanks much!!

If only I had a puppy.....

If only I had a puppy.....

 
No kidding! []
 
I have a friend who raised her first puppy very similar to this.  Strict boundaries, NILIF, no free affection, and had a wonderful adult dog to show.  People thought she was nuts and cruel to treat her dog like, well, a dog!  She would ignore him until SHE was ready to attend to him and they had a great relationship. Meaning, no babytalking to him when she awoke, no petting or attention.  She followed a strict routine.
 
She fell victim to pressures around her, lack of time for constant supervision and boundaries and trained her 2nd pup differently.  He was a mess!  This guy was allowed on furniture, had run of the roost, got attention all the time, and was treated more like a human than a dog.  She totally regretted it and wished she had never strayed from her "plan". 
 
Therefore, I think your plan will work on family pet dogs as well.  They can all benefit from structure, routine and a human they trust and adore. 

[link>http://forum.dog.com/asp/showProfile.asp?memid=23801]2CrazyAussies[/link]

 
Do you know Dr. Paul LeCompt.  He is the BEST vet in the city. He lives on Edwardsville road in Clarksville assuming not far from you.
 
 

What are you doing with your dog when you aren't home?

 
From age 4 months to 9 months she was crated with a one hour break at lunch (my lunch break).
 
Now that she is reliable around the house, she has the run of the house when I'm not home.

Out of my sick curiosity (and the distinct possibility that I *will* have a puppy of a pushy, intelligent breed [because that's what I choose] in the next few years), how much will a program like this cost, long distance? The videos, email consults, whole deal?