Ask the French Bulldog Trainer - When to start training?
gollygear July 5th, 2008
Hi, my question is: How early should you start training your french bulldog puppy? We’re getting our french bulldog soon (next week!) and were thinking about doing some private sessions at home as well as a puppy class as well. However, we weren’t sure if 8-9 weeks was too young.
Thanks!
Hope writes -
A new puppy! Congratulations!
Puppies are sponges. Like all other babies, they start learning from the moment they’re born. When the pup becomes yours, you automatically become its teacher. Your objective is to make sure it learns what you want it to know.
When you call your pup by its name - reward it for coming. Never, ever punish your dog for coming to you. The converse is also an absolute: never call your dog to punish or correct it.
Praise your dog for appropriate behavior - when he potties outside, when he chews on a toy instead of your fingers, when he sits. Name the good behavior while you do this “good go potty,” “good sit,” etc.
A puppy class is good for socialization and fundamentals. It’s also good to have a trainer right there who will answer all your questions and give immediate feedback, knowing you and your puppy. Please do your research on the class - observe before you bring your dog and make sure that the environment is safe your your little one.
Unless this is your first dog and you’re looking for help with basics: housebreaking, chewing, jumping, socialization, etc., there’s not much point to a private trainer at this age. Puppies are notorious for being brilliant in obedience, until it all falls out of their heads when they hit adolescence.
I would let your puppy be a puppy; teach the basics, including “sit and accept praise,” “come,” “sit,” “down,” walking nicely on lead, and the all-important “leave it.” It’s enough of a lesson plan for now. Babies have a limited attention span and Frenchies aren’t crazy about repetitive drills. There are some dogs who will endlessly “practise” a behavior, Frenchies aren’t among them. Training sessions for a puppy should be a couple of minutes, a few times a day, not counting the continuous training of daily life.
You can always add on and pursue further training - no dog is too old to learn new tricks. As always, when you are researching trainers and classes, don’t be shy about checking them out. You are your puppy’s advocate. Never allow anyone to do anything with your pup that you’re not comfortable with - and don’t let them convince you to, either.
Good luck with the baby!
-Hope
