my puppy is 9 weeks old, is that too young to put him in obedience training?

September 4th, 2009

is there a minimum age limit?
is my puppy too young to get the most out of the classes?

Yes…that’s too young to enroll him in ACTUAL classes. But in the meantime, you can research training facilities in your area for when the time comes….and start on commands at home.

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11 Responses

  1. nymphadora Says:

    a puppy is never to young to start learning and being trained my friend.
    References :

  2. Rachel-PitPolice-Spay the Humans Says:

    Yes…that’s too young to enroll him in ACTUAL classes. But in the meantime, you can research training facilities in your area for when the time comes….and start on commands at home.
    References :

  3. dolly Says:

    Its a little too young for the typical obediance class. At this age most vets and trainers would recommend puppy kindergarten. In puppy kindergarten your dog will learn socialization along with the basics such as sit and lay down.
    References :

  4. Luca's Mom Says:

    Yes. At this point your dog has not received even half of the series of shots it will be getting over the next year. Besides, 9weeks is too young for him/her to understand things on the same level as a dog at 7mo. I would wait until round two of shots are done then start socializing it and consider obedience training at that point.
    References :

  5. *Glamorous* Says:

    no the younger, the better
    References :

  6. lostshowfan81 Says:

    Yes he has to have all his vaccinations first. Including Rabies and Bordetella. (kennel cough vaccine)

    So after your dog is spayed/neutered (thats usually when they do the rabies shot)

    Your dog should be good to go to sign up for classes

    Our dog started Obedience classes at 7 months of age
    References :

  7. eleven11 Says:

    Petsmart starts classes at 10 weeks. You should start training your pup as soon as you bring him home. It will make it easier on both of you :)
    References :

  8. Chalice Says:

    At this age, you need to get him into Puppy Socialisation Classes.

    Proper socialisation is essential for dogs, especially for 16 weeks of age because before this age they’re most susceptible to new experiences. You need to get as many positive experiences with other pups, adult dogs, children, other people etc etc packed in as possible.

    Contact your vet or look in the yellow pages to find puppy classes near you. You can start basic training with pups when they’re this age – the ‘sit’ command, toilet training, starting bite inhibition etc, most puppy classes will include this for basic training.

    Most puppy classes will require pups to be fully vaccinated before they can mix with other pups.

    Chalice
    References :
    vet nurse, feel free to email

  9. Ripp A Says:

    9 weeks is too young. You should never take your pup out into the public until it’s had it’s complete series of vaccinations.
    References :

  10. rigel Says:

    No it is the perfect time. We started our pup at 9 weeks into a puppy class. 8 weeks later he will come when called every time, heal at your side when told, sit, stay, down and is super social with all dogs. Ours was the youngest in the class when we started (others were at least 16 weeks old) but he ended up being the best one in the class.

    You only get one chance to socialize them so puppy class is great for that as well. Just make sure your trainer makes all doges current on their shots and allows for some play time. I would not take my pup to petsmart because not every dog is vaccinated before it comes in but other places like kennels do require vaccinations for every dog.
    References :

  11. kate carpenter Says:

    We breed and raise Australian Shepherds and start with basic training at around 5-6 weeks. We do it ourselves, and I have a link below that explains how we do it, plus a lot more resources. Pups are like little computers, absorbing everything, both good and bad. But they will retain this training for life when started young.
    I’m not sure about a class though. I would make an appointment with the instructor, take your pup in and let him/her decide if your pup is mature enough to be in a group setting. That’s the key, as a lot of pups will be distracted in such a new environment.
    References :
    http://tinyurl.com/PuppyCommands

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