Can a puppy be too young for training and how many trainers are too many?

[EdwardGoodell]

Our family got a 9-week old female golden doodle a week ago. We were just starting to use treats as rewards when I joined your course yesterday. I assume that it is OK to dive into it with such a young puppy but I'm wondering if my expectations, if not approach, should be adjusted for her age. For example, she is super curious and distracted by small things like a leaf blowing or a faraway sound. And unlike an adult dog eager for a treat, she's so unimpressed it makes me wonder if she needs to be older to appreciate the treat. 

I personally don't have the time to do the training on my own and am wondering if it can be shared with other members of my family? Assuming that it can be shared, how would you suggest it be done? 

[Adrienne]

Hello and welcome to the forums!

Nine-week old puppies can certainly be started on some basics such as sit and some simple brain games such as those found under the pre-school and elementary section. Occasionally, with very young puppies you may stumble on some who are a little bit unsure about treats, but i find that they tend to quickly catch on after a couple of days. If your 9-week old pup has no problems eating her food though, I wouldn't expect much of a problem. 

At 9 weeks, the attention span is very brief, so it's quite normal for pups to get distracted from something else. Sometimes they may not even notice the treat unless it's right under their noses. Training sessions at this age should be very brief, always ending before the pup grows bored or gets distracted. In general no longer than 5 minutes for now, or even less, if she seems to struggle and her attention span seems very brief. 

Something we also need to consider is possible fear. At 9 weeks, puppies undergo a fear period, so if she gets startled by things moving or distant noises, she may not be relaxed enough to pay attention to a treat. Plan to train indoors in a quiet setting, this can make a difference. Here's a read about fear periods in pups:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-periods-8-10-weeks-6-14-months/

Yes, you can certainly have other family members train her (it's actually recommended!), but make sure you are all on the same page when it comes to cues used. In other words, use the same words or gestures for cues/commands so to be consistent and avoid confusion in the puppy. You can then have your family show you the finished product and they can then coach you on what you need to do exactly (have them initially standing next to you) so then you can take over and start doing the same. 

Hope this helps,

Let me know how things go and if you have any other questions!

Best,

Adrienne