It’s no secret that training your dog is an integral part of establishing a healthy and happy relationship with them. But how often should you train your dog, and what sorts of things should you be working on? In this article, Off-Leash K9 Phoenix will share their experience on the best ways to train your dog and how often you should be doing it. Let’s get started!
Before unraveling how often it’s ideal to train your dog, it’s important to understand why training is essential for your dog’s development. Training provides dogs with essential mental stimulation that reduces destructive behaviors, makes them more friendly, and strengthens the bond between you and your dog. Whether it’s for police service, hunting, or simply for obedience, training your dog is key to having a well-behaved furry friend.
Now that we understand the importance of training let’s move on to how often you should do it. But first, let’s answer the question,
Does More Frequent Training Benefit Your Dog?
Most people think that training their dogs daily is the way to go, but that’s not always the case. Training your dog too often may slow their uptake of information or even cause them to become bored. The best way to determine how often you should train your dog is by observing their behavior. However, research shows that short training sessions that are not done daily are the most effective.
A Minute Or Two For Dogs That Are Getting Started
As a new pet parent, you probably wonder how long you should spend training your dog each day. This question will depend on your dog’s age, learning level, and attention span. For puppies and even older dogs that are just getting started with training, aim for short sessions that last no more than a minute or two. You don’t want to rush the process since your furry friend’s attention span will grow naturally over time.
The take-home message here is that you’ll want to limit the training session’s length to when your dog gives you full attention. If your pup is starting to get restless or lose focus, end the session on a positive note, so it doesn’t associate training with negativity. Remember, your dog is building its training mindset, so ending the training session when your pup is still excited or interested in what’s going on is how your dog will start in the next session.
Older Dogs That Already Know The Basics
For older dogs that already know the basic commands, you can increase the length of time spent training. However, this will still vary from dog to dog as some may lose interest sooner than others. A good rule of thumb for older dogs is to aim for a few short sessions that last about 5 minutes, depending on the dog’s attention span.
How Often Should You Train Your Dog Weekly?
There are many schools of thought on how often you should train your dog per week. Some people advocate for daily training of up to five times a week. On the other hand, some believe that one or two sessions per week are ideal.
To help us support the direction to take, we reviewed findings from a study done on beagles where it was found that dogs trained once a week made the most progress in learning.
So, if you have an older dog, you can optimize your training by doing it once a week. And on each training day, give several five-minute sessions spaced out with breaks in between for your dog to take everything in.
So, as your dog grows and becomes more familiar with the commands, you can increase the frequency and duration of the training sessions. Your dog will now be able to accommodate training sessions of up to 15 minutes. Remember to watch your dog’s attention span and energy levels to ensure they’re still enjoying the process.
Some Essential Tips To Keep In Mind
Keep these tips in mind when training your dog to maximize your results.
Begin with things your dog does well – As your dog masters the commands they know; you can move on to more difficult ones. But always begin with things your dog does well to keep them motivated and excited about training.
All training sessions should be anchored on obedience – Obedience should have a central role in all training sessions as it sets the stage for more complex commands.
End on a positive note – As said earlier, always end each session on a high note, so your dog associates training with positive experiences.
The bottom line is that the frequency and duration of training sessions will vary depending on your dog’s age, learning level, and attention span. However, research shows that weekly short training sessions are the most effective. So, if you have an older dog, aim for one or two training sessions per week that last for around five minutes each. And always remember to end each session on a positive note!