Alright- new puppy: MAVERICK! Love him to death.  He's 10 weeks as of Sat.  I've bought two training books but nowhere in them does it say how young is too young, if there's such a thing.  My boyfriend thinks I’m "over-training" him.  I use the words that I want him to know- like drop when I take my sock out of his mouth, good potty when he goes outside etc...  We're currently working on potty training (going well most days with a random OFF day), come and sit (only a few minutes a day).  My boyfriend also thinks that if you "over-train" your dog they'll end up "rebelling" (like teenagers) and won't listen to anything... Any thoughts on this would be AWESOME!! Thanks!

And I added the only picture I have on my computer and will be putting more up later!

I don't think to young exists in training. I am a dog trainer part time and we have puppy class for those little ones. The attention span is all over the place but it is great to teach them manners so soon. As long as your dog is picking it up I say go for it. The only thing to watch for is make sure Maverick understands what it is that he is to learn. For example if he is sitting only for a treat but doesn't know the actual word then make sure you start with simple commands and build on them. Does that make sense??

Okay.. I don't think i'm quite following.. When you say start with simple commands and build on them-should I not be working on sit and instead on another more simple one?  Or just try for a few and after he has those build on them?

I believe that formal training should be started around 4-5 months old. Formal training is teaching heel, down, sit, come when called, and stay. Before that time (like now) you should be building a bond with your puppy, house training him, crate training him, and teaching him to accept the leash.

All of these are important to establishing a good foundation for formal training.

So the answer to the question, when should I start training my puppy is formal training should start at 4-5 months old and the time prior to that should be spent teaching your puppy rules and respect.

hahaha, I knew I couldnt' type it right!!  I mean work on your sit, down and come and stay all the basics, then you can build on those. For example, from the down you can teach a roll over. OR from a sit you can teach give paw or sit up. My point was some dogs know if their is a treat all they need to do is put their butt on the floor and they get the treat. Now take aways the treat and just tell your dog sit and it has no clue. I have seen this so many times, the dog isn't learning the command on cue it just knows what to do to get a treat. Does that make sense now??

OHH okay.. that makes sense  thanks for the help.  We're just working on simple commands right now!  Thanks again

OHH okay.. that makes sense  thanks for the help.  We're just working on simple commands right now!  Thanks again