Getting confused

[RJS30]

Champ is 3 months old and I am training the basic stuff like sit, down, come, and speak. Just recently I started to train "stay". When I move in fron of him and give him the command, he sometimes goes into a down position or speaks (bark). I feel bad for him because he's really trying but he's confused. Should I just keep doing it through repitition or am I doing something wrong?

[lblax]

i prefer to teach sit means sit and down means down until they are released i dont use the stay command at all

[TrishB]

He's only 3 months, give him time! :)

A stay command, plus you moving away is a HUGE step for a young pup! Stays at this point should only be 3 seconds. Place him in a sit, stay, 3 count, GOOD PUPPY!!! :D

Until that is solid, I wouldn't step away from the little guy. The barking could be a frustration bark, in which case, means that the session has taken too long for the little guy.

At this age, keep them short and sweet. Maybe 5 - 10 minutes. If you notice him fussing, cut it short, end on a good note and give him something else to do.

Puppy-hood is too short. Don't rush it! Enjoy! :D

[Rott-Wiley]

And yes, he is confused. That's why he's offering you all those behaviors, to try and please you. Starting a pup young in training is great but they really don't have a lot of attention span at that age. Have you considered enrolling in a Puppy Training Class?

[JeanT]

You say "when I move in front of him and give him the command..." Does that mean that you are (at least at times) in a different location from in front of him when you give "sit" or "stay" and then go to a new position in front of him to tell him to "stay"? I think I'd get a little confused as to what "stay" meant at that point. When my owner moves, is that when I'm supposed to "speak" or lie down or did he like the way my ear was cocked?

What I do, from wherever I am when I give the instruction to "sit", etc, is then say "stay" with my hand open, palm toward my dog. When he starts to move, I repeat the word and gesture.

I have no idea if this is correct, but it seems to have worked.

lblax, I know a lot of people train that "sit", etc, means keep that position until release. I know that some use "stay" as a separate instruction. Why the difference?

(RJS30, I am NOT a trainer, I just described what I do. Other people here are real trainers/experienced.)

[RJS30]

Thanks for all the replies. Yes, he will start puppy training once he gets his rabies shot at the end of the month. Perhaps I need to cut the training time down or just try the sit, then release approach. I read a book and for stay, it said: Have the dog sit on your left then turn and face him and give the stay command. That's what I tried but maybe its too early or maybe I'll try one of your suggestons. Thanks again.

[Storm]

In the beginning, say if you are using food and the dog is really motivated for the food, lure him into a position eg. sit or down once in the position release the food at a point which reinforces the position combined with the command e.g. sit.......good sit and then use a release command "free" for example and at that point release the dog into food or toy. The dog is still young and sometimes their enthusiasm for the reward gears them through all the motions. Just be very consistent, consistentcy is everything to achieve success. In the beggining while teaching the puppies to drive for food I like to have the dogs driving on me in the chest area with no reservations. Some people frown upon this but once the motivation is good the positions come quickly.