How often do we train

[MeagenGagnebin]

Hi! Not sure if this has been mentioned before but how long and often do we train? Do we mix up and do different tasks or focus on one at a time? My dog is about 2.5 years old we have had some training but need to focus on coming and eye contact...any help is appreciated. Thanks!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello and welcome to the forums!

 

There is really no rule set in stone on this, as there are many variables such as the task being trained, the age of the dog (younger dogs have shorter attention spans), the dog's training history (dogs who have never had any training in their lives may be more prone to struggle or get frustrated earlier), the breed of the dog (some breeds may be more biddable), the dog's temperament (a dog who is fearful/skeptic might need more time) and other factors such as the handler's ability in communicating with the dog, the training method used, the environment, the dog/owner bond etc.

 

If your dog is fairly new to the whole idea of training, it is best to start with brief sessions, keeping them fun and upbeat and always ending them on a positive note. Watch for signs of boredom or frustration and keep an eye on displacement behaviors such as scratching an itch, sneezing or yawning. These are often signs that the task is getting too difficult or the session is too long and the dog is struggling.

 

Generally, for a dog of this age (2.5 years old) it may help doing sessions that are no longer than 10 minutes but scattered throughout the day (like 2-3 times a day). Watch your dog carefully on how he/she does and gauge accordingly. Does he/she seem eager to being trained or is he/she giving signs of struggling? (if so you want to split the exercises in easier steps and make them briefer).

 

You can initially focus on one task per session so not to confuse your dog, but the great thing about training is that once you have the basics down, you can mix and match tasks so to prevent your dog from getting bored.

 

The course has an order to follow for practical reasons, but it is not necessary to follow it to a T, it can happen that a dog owner may have some more urgent things to train and it's OK to skip through (for example, a large yard needing to train a recall, or a dog who grabs things and needs to learn how to drop or a dog who pulls too much on the leash needing to learn heel). Also, it may happen that some dog may need to start on some brain games more than training certain tasks.

 

You can surely start with the eye contact games:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/look-into-my-eyes/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/the-airplane-game/

 

And here is the recall:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/recall/

 

Worth reminding is also the fact that dogs are learning with every interaction so they are perpetually in "training." Play is training. Resting is training (because dogs retain what they learned while they sleep!). Walking is training, and even learning to be away from you is training.

 

Happy training!