Just got a 9 week old Bordoodle (Border Collie x Poodle)

[messiman10]

@wendysue1959 So a few stages with this one (sorry this will be long). For context, I started teaching recall early because I have a great off lead dog park near me and wanted to be able to use it - they get a lot of hate but I've only had good experiences and he loves a good run with his park friends. Mine was also a leash chomper, that goes away with more on lead experience so I wouldn't stress too much. But this is how I taught him to recall.

1. Two extra commands will make your life easier: 'Look' (get the dog to look at you - you can say 'Name, look' and reward for eye contact) and 'Stay'. There are heaps of training videos out there for these.
2. Start with pup on lead in a quiet space. Get him to sit and stay. Step away from him still holding the lead (just a step or two). Then, say 'name, come' and gently tug the lead (if pup doesnt respond to just the tugging, tug and gently jog backwards at the same). Reward when pup comes towards you - treat/praise/huge fuss.
3. When pup gets the hang of step 2, repeat with a longer distance (work up to the end of the lead). When he gets that, try removing the leash tugging prompt and just get him to respond to the verbal command. You eventually want to be able to drop the leash totally and get him to come with just the verbal command. Backyard is perfect if you have one. I got up to about 5-10m before I tried this outside.
4. See if you can find a fenced off area of a park to practice in. Repeat steps 2 and 3. If you're really worried about him running off, get a long lead (5-10m). Go at different times to maximise exposure to different distractions, or take an extra person and a squeaky toy.
5. Once you get all the above, let him off in a fenced area.
6. Keep working on it. Keep practicing in different environments, with different dogs etc. Examples of when you can practice include (and this will eventually become natural):
7. if walking with your dog off lead and he runs ahead to sniff
8. if he sees another dog (on or off lead)
9. if you see people/bikes etc etc

Couple of tips:
- keep an eye out for distractions - if you see something you think is going to be distraction, call him over to you BEFORE he even thinks going after the person/dog/bike/whatever is an option. Reward heavily when he responds.
- If he takes off (and he eventually will no matter how well you train him) DON'T PANIC. Call his name to get his attention (see 'look' above) and give the command. If he returns, great! That's what recall is for. If he does not respond after two or three calls, go get him and put him on lead - he gets a time out from being off lead. You don't want to be in a position where you're calling him over and over again without response - it dilutes the command. Remember, him obeying you is not optional. Recall is a really important skill and not to be dramatic but it can save your dog's life - it will keep him off roads, away from unfamiliar/unfriendly dogs and if you have a med/large dog, it can prevent him from hurting other people (e.g. knocking over an old person or a kid off a bike).

The command is relatively easy to teach but you have to consistently reinforce it, especially through the invariable teen phase where he will regress. I would say mine got the command consistently by about 20 weeks, had a regression phase from about 7-9mths, and was good again after that (he's now about a year and a half).

Hope this helps!

 

[alex594]

@wendysue1959 First of all, he’s still very young at 9 weeks. Does he need to be able to ‘sit’ on command yet?

When it comes to training, I like to be heavy on the rewards. How are you trying to teach commands? I like this method personally:
Hold the treat in your hand, at your dogs nose height, say the command once ‘sit’ then let your puppy work out for themselves what you are wanting. Eventually bums will hit the ground then you immediately mark the behaviour (Yes! Or a clicker etc) and reward.

I’ve never been as softly, softly with crate training as most of these comments so I won’t bother with that

 

[wendysue1959]

@alex594 It's not that he needs to be able to sit at 9 weeks. It's that when he is not food motivated I am worried about his training in general. These are dogs need a lot of stimulation and activites and training are important for them.
Yes I use a clicker and/or do a yes command. I pretty much do the food to nose thing, but funny thing is he lays down so fast from standing that I do not want to use the clicker or say yes. I can get in some reps, but sometimes I say down or sit and he just stand staring at me. Even backs up if I don't give him the food in his first attempt after licking it.
Haha yeah the crate thing is big for me. He isn't as loud and rebellious as the first 2 nights about it, but I can see that he has a great disdain for the crate and that just bothers me. I try to play around and feed him in the crate all the time too. My dog might just be a dog that hates his crate indefinitely.

 

[alex594]

@wendysue1959 Coming from someone who owns working dogs and possibly the hardest work breed you can get, honestly at 9 weeks you really don’t need to be too worried about the training and mental stimulation.
Let him settle in, let him get some confidence and find his feet and most importantly spend some time building a bond with each other.

Food drive or toy drive is easy to increase once he’s a little older. I wouldn’t be trying to increase it yet, but in a few weeks make all rewards a bit harder to get. Every time you have marked a behaviour move your hand backwards as puppy tries to get the food, that way your dog has to chase the reward a little, you can do the same with a ball too. Once they are chasing the reward, push a little on puppy’s chest as you move the food away. This will create a bit of frustration and make the reward more desirable

 

[gods_eternal_child]

@wendysue1959 Two Bordoodles here. First one now 3yrs has never been very motivated by food but balls, frisbees and squeaky toys light him up. I just changed the reward to getting a second to tug on a rope or catch a ball. He is currently a Premier class Dock Diving pup. Very Driven. The other pup, 4 months would sell his soul for a treat. Find what motivates him and use it to help him train.

I agree that it’s very early and you’ll figure each other out in time. I don’t crate my pups. From an early age, I leave them in a room where they can’t get hurt..with a “See you later” command. Start with small time frame and build up. When I come back, no fuss but each are allowed to give me a hug. It keeps it low key so they don’t feel like it’s not normal stuff.

My pups are pure joy! The best of luck to you. They are so much fun. If you look on the site below, you can find out if there are any pools or events near your location.

https://northamericadivingdogs.com/

 

[wendysue1959]

@gods_eternal_child So do you think I put the toy in my hand and say sit and play with him when he sits kind of thing? Hard to be repetitive compared to food, but it is something. I do worry because he seems to be scared of things like heights, but to reach my wife or myself he will overcome any fear. That is cool that your dog does the diving thing, but I think my location just makes it too difficult to do such an activity often for my dog. At what age did you start using balls and frisbees? My guy is a medium sized and 9 weeks old so I think those things are bit too big for him right now. We took him to Canadian Tire today, and he didn't see to be interested or even with the window opened in the car, but we'll have to keep doing it haha. Or maybe not caring is good.

 

[gods_eternal_child]

@wendysue1959 I would just enjoy him and build a positive relationship at this point. He’s pretty young. Every time he does something you like, mark it with an enthusiastic “Yes!” Balls and frisbees, especially physically demanding play should come later. Started min at 4-5 months but kept it very low and very easy. They shouldn’t be jumped hard especially on hard surfaces until they are fully developed due to developing bone and muscles structure. I’m told you can injure them if you do too much too soon. Enjoy your pup!