Well done on the training. Terriers are smart dogs and will learn really quickly if taught in a positive (reward based) way. They do also get bored easily so keep your training sessions short so he doesn't get fed up (or too tired!).

Good luck at the classes - hope they go well. One thing to watch out for - if they do 'off lead free play' (where the puppies are allowed to play with each other), please don't let him get used to being able to be a thug around the other puppies. If he is used to playing rough with a placid Labrador he may think he can do it with any other dog, and learn to be a bully. Not nice.

Val

Yeah - chicken is one of the only foods he is actually bothered about so we use that to train! And we do keep things short as his attention span isn't great ( ), but we always end on a high

Yeah I would watch out for him doing that, as I want him to get some good manners as he is a bit over confident just now!
The lab next door does tell him off and do the odd growl if he is being too rough, but not that often - so I am hoping some similar sized dogs can "put him in his place" without hurting him!

But I already know how things were done in the 50's. I have moved on, time for you to also.

As 100% of training in the 1950s was done using chokers & force & I haven't owned a choker since 1964 let alone still use one & have been using reward based hands off training ever since I reckon I must be at least several miles in front of you when moving forward in dog training is concerned

You really are an arrogant poster!

You know only one thing Labman, how to cause puppies discomfort. You are so out of date advocating people use the methods mentioned by the Monks of Skete and you suggest choke chains/mouse traps/tie downs/prolonged crating/bizarre ways of making puppies submit/depriving puppies of water among other things.

I am sure you would be much happier posting on one of the many sites you frequent designed for arrogant good old boys if you haven't already been banned from them all. In case you hadn't noticed this site is for dog lovers..

Don't forget that toys are useful for rewards as well. If he enjoys a game of tuggie (with rules in place) it can be a great reward. Takes longer to deliver than a piece of food, of course, but useful to have ready so you can mix and match on rewards.

I am sure the instructor at the classes will talk about different grades of reward, but might be worth seeing if he will work with a lower grade reward at home, so chicken (and other high grade rewards) can be used less frequently. This will make them more exciting and therefore more likely to encourage him to work in more distracting environments - like class (rather a lot of 'mores' there, apologies for the grammar but too early in the morning to trawl through my vocabulary to find alternative words )

Val

That's okay - thanks!
Yeah we have a "special" toy we play with for a reward too, which he only gets when I play with it with him, and that sometimes works - but not as well as the chicken

Just as a different point though, at 11 weeks has puppy had all his jabs so he can actually go out for walks safely?

I know there are lots of different opinions on vaccinations but 11 weeks is too early for them to have been completed isnt it?

UK Guide Dogs stick to the 5 minutes per month of age rule until 1 year old.

I can't add - he is 13 weeks now
But 1st jabs at 8 weeks, 2nd jabs at 10 weeks and out a week after that - so 11 weeks would be fine!
He was a week later so was actually 12 weeks when we went out

There are far more dogs put to sleep for behavior problems than die of disease. Poor socialization is a greater risk than disease. Do a search on puppy + socialization and you will find link after link to good sites supporting getting puppies out in the world early. Ian Dunbar says a puppy should meet 100 different people by the time it is 8 weeks old. So find a place with lots of people and few dogs and give your puppy a good walk.

Does anybody have a report of a puppy being harmed by too much walking? Not everybody follows that silly rule. Is there anything behind it but guesswork?