Best dog breed for the 'outdoors'? (For new dog owner too)

[Pampho85]

It's all gonna depend on the individual dog. My personal dogs have been terriers. Very smart but very stubborn and can be difficult to train.

Dogs I have worked with have been all over the map. Some just don't get it, while others get it after a couple repetitions. You just need to practice. And not just in class, outside, inside, at your house, someone else's house ect. Dogs are not great at generalizing. They may know sit really well at home but while at the pet store they look at you like they have never heard the word before.

Potty Training I would say about 2 weeks, your pup should have it. As long as you have frequent potty breaks. They just can't hold it very long.

Stuff you learn in class is typically things like, Sit, Down, Stay, Leave It, Recall, Wait, Loose Leash Walking, How to greet people, Stuff like that.
Some classes teach a few extras like Stand, Go to your Place, Touch (I love this game, it helps dogs learn hands are fun. I use it when we are having to wait somewhere. My dog loves to be moving so we play Touch).

What is your experience with labs? Are they faster learners or a bit on the slow side overall?

Can they start being potty trained at 7-8 weeks of age or is it still young?

Ughhh, I'm getting really excited now haha

[HVani]

Most labs seem pretty smart, though I have met some real blockhead labs. Some just get so excited you as asking something of them that they don't focus on what you are asking. Most of those cases are young/teenage dogs that haven't had much training.

Potty training should start the day you bring them home.

[Pampho85]

Most labs seem pretty smart, though I have met some real blockhead labs. Some just get so excited you as asking something of them that they don't focus on what you are asking. Most of those cases are young/teenage dogs that haven't had much training.

Potty training should start the day you bring them home.

Well hopefully mine isn't like that! Haha.

When potty training a 7-8 week old puppy, how do you prepare them for the night? Do you stop giving them water two-three hours before you go to sleep or? And also when it comes to feeding them do you just give them the recommended amount twice, or is it three?, and then take away any leftovers they have or do you leave the leftovers there?

[HVani]

Keeping them crated at night should help reduce accidents. I haven't had a puppy in a long time but I have had a lot of rescues and for them, in the first few weeks I take them out in the middle of the night when I wake up to go pee.

Some remove water, some don't.

For food take the amount they should be getting per day and cut it into meals. For a young puppy I think a lunch is important. For example, if you puppy should have 1 cups of food, then feed 1/3 cup per meal. Once they are a little older you can switch to 2 meals a day. It's easier on their digestive system. Stay consistent with your feeding times and you should be able to time potty breaks with them.

I am a firm believer in taking food up if they don't finish it within a certain time period. Many times free feeding leads to obesity in adulthood. And like I said above it's easier to predict when they will need to potty.

[Pampho85]

Keeping them crated at night should help reduce accidents. I haven't had a puppy in a long time but I have had a lot of rescues and for them, in the first few weeks I take them out in the middle of the night when I wake up to go pee.

Some remove water, some don't.

For food take the amount they should be getting per day and cut it into meals. For a young puppy I think a lunch is important. For example, if you puppy should have 1 cups of food, then feed 1/3 cup per meal. Once they are a little older you can switch to 2 meals a day. It's easier on their digestive system. Stay consistent with your feeding times and you should be able to time potty breaks with them.

I am a firm believer in taking food up if they don't finish it within a certain time period. Many times free feeding leads to obesity in adulthood. And like I said above it's easier to predict when they will need to potty.

Thanks so much for helping me and bearing with my newbie questions!

So then taking them out in the night once should be done for the first few weeks?

Is a schedule like this good for a puppy 8 am, 12 pm and then 6 pm?

How long should you leave the food out? Around 30 min or less?

And when the dog becomes around 1 year of age, how often should you take them out to use the bathroom? Is it okay to leave them for a class day? (6-7 hours or so?)

[HVani]

You don't have to take them out in the middle of the night. I just think it can help. A full night is a long time for them to hold it.

For a puppy you will be wanted to go out way more often. Every 2 hours when they are young. As much as you can. My adult dogs go out at 6am Again 6:30am after they eat. I go home for lunch and let them out at 11:30am. They go out at 4pm when I get home and again after they eat at 5. Then 1-2 more times before bed.

I leave food down for 15 minutes. If it isn't eaten then try again at the next meal. They learn this pretty quick.

I would say you will be fine to leave your pup for that long once, he/she is old enough. My dogs could make it 8 hours if needed, but I can go home for lunch and I enjoy spending the time with them. So I do.

[Pampho85]

You don't have to take them out in the middle of the night. I just think it can help. A full night is a long time for them to hold it.

For a puppy you will be wanted to go out way more often. Every 2 hours when they are young. As much as you can. My adult dogs go out at 6am Again 6:30am after they eat. I go home for lunch and let them out at 11:30am. They go out at 4pm when I get home and again after they eat at 5. Then 1-2 more times before bed.

I leave food down for 15 minutes. If it isn't eaten then try again at the next meal. They learn this pretty quick.

I would say you will be fine to leave your pup for that long once, he/she is old enough. My dogs could make it 8 hours if needed, but I can go home for lunch and I enjoy spending the time with them. So I do.

Gotcha. I'll at least do that for the first month or until they become four months old.

Oh I meant for an eating schedule haha. I'll be following the month rule, 2 months every two hours, etc. When they get around 1 year old, I'll take them out as much as I can whenever I'm home.

Do you add in the food they didn't eat, or do you just keep it at 1/3 at every meal and not add in what they didn't eat before (for an example)

[Pampho85]

Oh and when you're training the puppy, is it okay to give treats to them when they do the command correctly? I've heard some sources say that it's not okay and that you should reinforce with petting them instead.

[GoingPostal]

You can download Ian Dunbars books for free, I believe they are just titled "before" and "after you get your new puppy" and they cover a lot of the basics for training and socializing.


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[HVani]

Treats are more rewarding than pets for most dogs. You want to use something your dogs loves as a reward during training. You need to really motivate them.

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