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Permalink Reply by Juno on June 8, 2012 at 11:49am

I would say start right away since he's still a puppy, he'll probably take in things quicker and with better ease on your end. In terms of treats....Juno gets very excited over all his smelly fish treats. I give him Zukes mini naturals(Salmon flavor) *this one REALLY smells but they're tiny and soft to break into halves. Specifically for training, he gets Pet Bontanics Healthy Omega Treats for dogs(Salmon)link. I think these are better than Zukes for training since it's layered w/ flavors and you simply take a rectangle and it lasts a while. You can pull off as tiny of a piece as you'd like and its easier to pull a part than zukes & it doesn't fall apart. I use about 2-3 rectangles to last Juno an 1hr+ of training! Oh & they don't smell as bad as the Zukes salmon treats! Mine will prefer fish treats > meat but of course, he'll still a corgi so ANYTHING will do :)

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Permalink Reply by Chris West on June 8, 2012 at 11:53am

Start NOW lol!!  As soon as they have all their shots and are ready to socialize, they are ready for classes.

Frosty doesn't have any favorite treats.  He loves eating EVERYTHING (except bananas or peanut butter)

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Permalink Reply by Beth on June 8, 2012 at 12:09pm

Start now if there is a puppy class. Wait if it's going to be all adult dogs.

For treats, do be careful til he's a little older what you give; nutrient balances, esp calcium/phosphorous ratio, are super important in growing pups. I like Zuke's mini naturals or freeze-dried fish for my own, but for a growing pup only use treats that are marked for all life stages, or that DON'T say "Don't feed to puppies under six months." This is super important and something I think a lot of people ignore.

Once he's older, another great treat (besides dried fish) for high distraction is to put a little PB in a tupperware container and let him take a lick or two and then close it. Since he knows you have it he'll pay special attention. You can also break up string cheese into little bits (only 70 calories for a whole stick, so a half stick broken into 30 pieces is just over a calorie a piece).

But again, for now stick to treats that are formulated as ok for puppies.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on June 8, 2012 at 12:12pm

Hi Samantha, starting immediately is highly recommended. There are different caliber of treats, real meat is probably the highest when compared to .... say.... cheerios.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on June 8, 2012 at 1:37pm

Our faves here are string cheese quartered and cut in small chunks, Bill Jack liver snacks broken up or cheap hot dogs quartered and cut into small chunks. they have to be able to eat them fast so I have found mine chew the crunchy ones and it takes too long,

 

Start classes now:)

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Permalink Reply by Bax & Zigs & Rosie on June 8, 2012 at 2:15pm

Having a variety of treats is a good idea. That way your dog won't get bored of a particular type of treat and he will always be excited to see if he's getting his favorite or his other favorite. My corgis only treat preference is "yes please." Makes for easier shopping. ;) I like using Charlee Bear treats. They are easy to break up. Zukes are really great too. Sniffers are also really good moist treats that Baxter used to go crazy for. Smelly treats are usually the best though.

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on June 8, 2012 at 5:22pm

Get a fanny pack and use screw-cap airtight plastic containers (like prescription pill bottles) for treats, which can be match-head sized.

We should have done more socializing with Al, who has sort of a Napoleon Complex with other dogs (but this did not appear until he was 2 y.o.).

Search "Really Reliable Recall" or "Emergency Recall" on this site, it's discussed, maybe in the FAQ.  We chose "venite" (Latin/Italian for "come!") as our Magic Word, and bacon as our Magic Treat, and we had success without too much effort.  They think "venite" means "bacon, come and get it!".

I think training is mostly a matter of training YOURSELF, being very disciplined and consistent in how you communicate with your dog.  We made many mistakes.  For instance, my wife and I would use different command words -- I'd say, "Let's Go'; she'd say, "Come Along", stuff like that -- that just makes it harder.  Think of the dog as a computer:  it will do exactly what you tell it to do, but you have to use exactly the correct command.  My biggest mistake was simple sloppiness and inattention:  I'd put the dog on a Stay, then forget to release it!  BIG mistake; dog learned it had to obey until my attention wandered.

So I think writing down a Sacred Vocabulary List of all commands would be helpful:  what they mean, criteria for success, procedure for use.  This will help YOU master them.

Then keep a notebook and calendar and schedule of progress.

Don't I sound organized?  You might faint, or die laughing, if you saw my house, desk, and workbench. 

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on June 8, 2012 at 5:25pm

1) Now is the time  2) I do use treats with puppies, but not anything they go wild over, so something small and portable that he likes will do.  I don't use treats, except occasionally, when training adult dogs in obedience classes.

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Permalink Reply by Snickmom on June 9, 2012 at 12:07am

I have found that I need treats with different values. A treat with a really high value might get Snickers so focused on the treat that she doesn't pay attention to what I want. Other times I need the high value if I am competing with other distractions. Have a variety and experiment. As long as you keep the store bought treats sealed they will last forever. I like the Beggin Strips because they are smelly and I can break off what ever size I want. I don't give treats bigger than a pencil eraser. My dogs usually get kibble for treats; since they are always starving....

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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on June 9, 2012 at 10:55pm

yes, start right away! Corgis are smart and he'll learn quickly.

I just went shopping for training treats because Sidney is going to start Rally classes soon. This instructor asks for small, non-crumbly treats, so I bought a bag of Bil-Jac training treats. They are a little bigger than a pencil eraser and Sid loves them.

On our daily walks we refresh commands, and I use Charlee Bears. These are like little oyster crackers and are only 3 calories each. He's happy to go over his commands for a Charlee Bear!

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Permalink Reply by Tomi and Story on June 9, 2012 at 11:20pm

Since my Story is only 10 weeks, I'm having to wait til she has full immunity to begin her classes but I started training at home immediately. She love Charlee Bears(got mine at Trader Joe's) but they take her a little longer to chew so I use them when she comes in house (she has to sit at the entrance step and wait to be invited in, then she comes in and sits for her Charlee bear, she is so good!) and I also use them to teach her to be calm around the ferret because taking a few seconds to chew her treat distracts her from the ferret. I also use Crazy Dog Train-Me Treats (Petco). They are soft, stinky, and easy to break into tiny pieces. Initially see was not interested in treats because she was so distracted by all the new stuff (even though we restrict her to the kitchen/den area) so I found that natural peanut butter on my finger or cheese cut into tiny pieces easily got her attention. It only took about a week before she would try the other treats. I have also seen (maybe on this site) that you can put their kibble in a bag with hot dogs in the fridge overnight and then the kibble is smellier and yummier for training. Have fun!

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Permalink Reply by Jane on June 11, 2012 at 10:19am

I'd start classes now. I always use real cooked chicken for training in a group environment. Those little sausage rolls by Natural Balance are a favorite too.

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