How often should I train my dog is one of the most common questions I get asked by clients. Whether you have a puppy, teenage or adult dog a proper training routine and plan that YOU can stick to is really important.
With everything in life if you do it half heartedly you will only get half hearted results. If you want a dog that you can be proud of and can trust on walks and will be a loving loyal companion for years for you to enjoy YOU must put in the hard work.
If your training is not consistent then it isn’t going to work, good dogs don’t just happen. There’s a lot of time and effort that goes into training a dog. In order for your dog to learn properly and correctly YOU have to do it regularly.
So the big question is HOW OFTEN SHOULD I TRAIN MY DOG?
My advice would be to train everyday. Now this doesn’t mean you have to be a sergeant major and make sure its done at the exact time everyday, no this could quite simply be that you go into town for a coffee and you get your dog to sit still and watch the world go by with you without it jumping up on people and being a nuisance.
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES ARE EVERYWHERE
Everything can be a training opportunity session for your dog, each time you feed them make sure they sit and stay before you put their bowl down. Make sure they sit down before you put their lead on or walk out of the door. Training opportunities are endless with dogs and can be fun for you and your dog.
SET YOURSELF LITTLE GOALS AND REMEMBER THE BASICS
I believe that all dogs must be able to heel on a loose lead in public, in woods and basically anywhere you take your dog. Why? Well if you can control your dog when it’s on the lead close to you and I mean properly control the dog then it’s so much easier when they are 50 yards away and you’re recalling them.
If you want your dog to heel perfectly then set a goal of how long it will take you and what you have to do to attain it. Then work on it everyday for at least 10 minutes twice a day. A big mistake novice handlers make is they move on too quickly to the next training item without completing the first.
Remember all dogs learn differently at their own pace, keep this in mind when you’re training your dog. A puppy make only take a week to learn a basic command but a rescue dog may need a little more time to learn. Each dog is different and needs to be trained differently, you’ll need to adapt your training to your dogs individuality to attain the best results.
REST AND LOTS OF IT
Once you’ve finished your training session, your dog will be drained physically but more importantly mentally. Learning new commands can really tire a dog out so give them plenty of rest afterwards. In addition to training its important for you to have time with your dog simply relaxing. It could be cuddles or tickling their tummies but find time to teach your dog how to relax and have fun too.
