Puppy Kindergarten
Formal obedience training begins early. Because small dogs won't grow up to be furry bulldozers that can topple Grandma and yank you into oncoming traffic, they are not seen as often as larger canines in puppy kindergarten classes. Their doting and indulgent owners tend to overlook behavioral issues until they greatly interfere with their lives. But puppy kindergarten will provide an important learning experience for your little dog.
Some kindergarten classes, held for very young dogs from two to four months of age, could be considered puppy preschool. They stress socializing your pup while they teach you about leadership. They also introduce basic commands like “Sit,” “Stay,” and “Come"; familiarize the pup with walking on a leash; and show you how to curb naughty puppy behaviors like biting, digging, stealing, chewing, and jumping up on people. Sure, you could do all this at home, but it's more fun in a group setting. Also, the built-in structure means that you will participate regularly, guaranteeing the consistency stressed in the preceding chapter.
Most puppy kindergarten classes are for dogs three to five months of age. If your trainer offers a preliminary course for very young puppies, puppy kindergarten might be considered graduate school for your pup. Here you will sharpen the basic skills you and your pup learned at the introductory level. If this is your dog's first obedience course, it will be your formal introduction to the basic commands.
Is training a puppy with treats a good idea?
While treat-based training helps enormously in gaining your small dog's attention from way down there on the floor, most instructors will later switch to a combination of verbal praising and treat rewards. After all, you might not always have a pocket full of goodies when you want your dog to obey a command.
Beyond its obvious benefit of making life easier with your new dog, kindergarten is important because pups are most receptive to learning at three to four months of age. After this, small dogs reach adolescence. They rebel, test their owners left and right, and try to establish their independence. In other words, they act like human teenagers! By ten months or so, they will outgrow this stage, but without a solid foundation of “the rules,” it can be tough to live with a puppy that has suddenly turned into a pushy little rebel.
Only positive reinforcement techniques should be used for your little dog. That means no harsh jerking. If choke chains (more correctly known as chain collars or training collars) are used, it should be used with limited pressure. Forceful leash corrections can injure small dogs. Their necks don't have the thick musculature of the larger breeds, and they can suffer tracheal damage or serious neck injury if yanked too hard.
It takes only a light pressure on that collar, accompanied by a verbal command, to get your message across. Nylon training collars are also available, but you need the kind with a solid nylon core. Plain braided or woven ones could choke your dog because they are too limp and don't release properly.
Before you sign up, sit in on some puppy classes. Because safety is your first consideration in choosing a kindergarten class, make sure the trainer is used to working with small dogs. Does the trainer seem knowledgeable and use humane teaching methods? Is the trainer good at communicating with both dogs and people? There are some extremely authoritarian types in this field who may intimidate you as well. You and your dog can't learn if you're afraid of making mistakes. “If what you see goes against the grain, it's the wrong place for you and your dog,” says veteran trainer Caryl Crouse.
Small dogs mature much more quickly than big dogs do, so they catch on pretty fast. After all, they will be reaching young adulthood around six months of age. However, their small size means they are also more fragile, so your trainer must not let them mix and mingle with larger classmates.
After formal lessons, instructors often schedule playtime for the puppies, but your dog should only be allowed to play with friends its own size. Puppy kindergarten usually lasts for six or seven weeks. Once your dog has graduated from puppy kindergarten, you may wish to continue its training.
