Time to spend in training

[FrankWall]

Have any good rules of thumb, or general thoughts about how much time we should spend each day training a 6-month-old puppy?

[Adrienne]

Hello and welcome to the forums!

How long and how often a puppy should be trained really depends a lot on several factors such as breed, the pup's age, if any training was ever given before, the pup's energy levels, temperament etc. It's important to monitor the puppy for signs of enjoying the training and always ending the training on a positive note. Too long sessions may get boring and the dog may not build the desire to be an active participant. 

Just like us (think students who can sit in class concentrating on lessons while others are glancing out of the window daydreaming), some dogs can tolerate more training than others. So important considerations are how is the pup's attention span? Is he/she easily bored? Or does he/she seem happily engaged?  Nothing is worse for a puppy than a tedious training session that is boring or too difficult.

With a puppy of 6 months, we have a longer attention span than a younger puppy who may do 5 to 6 sessions lasting 2-3 mins each session. In general, with a pup of this age, we can start with about 20-30 minutes of training every day split in brief sessions spread throughout the day. For instance we can start with doing 5-6 sessions of 4-5 minutes each and see how it goes. This would be a good place to start, making sure you end the session on a positive note and always when the pup is still interested. This builds a strong desire to learn. As the puppy matures, the attention span sharpens, and the dog builds an eagerness to learn, it is possible to do longer and more advanced training sessions. 

Making the sessions fun will make them less likely to feel "intense" for both owner and puppy. We can also take advantage in the daily shifts in energy to train. For instance, we can take advantage of the pup's energy levels and plan what to train accordingly. For instance, most puppies wake up with lots of energy or they may get the "zoomies" after finishing an evening meal. These are good times to take advantage of these energy bursts and train some fun recalls. Then, as the puppy gets a bit tired, we can focus more on some stationary exercises such as sit, down and stay. 

Finally, consider that, from the day you bring your puppy home, your puppy will be constantly learning, and that includes both good behaviors and bad. If you keep your mind focused on this very important fact, you will be more likely to provide guidance so that your puppy will often make good choices.

Puppies are learning with every interaction so they are perpetually in "training." Play is training. Resting is training. Walking is training and even learning to be away from you is training. Embracing all these life events as training opportunities is incredibly beneficial in helping a puppy develop into the dog of your dreams. Because let's face it: by encouraging  good behaviors from the get-go, we can avoid the hassle of fixing bad habits that worsen over time and become more and more challenging to overcome. 

Consider that most dog behaviors stem from instinct and learned behaviors that have a history of reinforcement. Anything that the puppy finds rewarding will strengthen and repeat. So if your puppy finds chewing on shoes rewarding, you can bet he will be drawn to chewing on them more and more if given the opportunity. However, what happens if you keep shoes out of reach or swap them for an interactive toy that is fun to chew on and hides some goodies inside? Your puppy will likely find that far more rewarding and will forget all about the shoes. So yes, it pays in the long run to help your puppy make good choices from the get-go as you'll be rewarded too with desirable behaviors. Win-win!

Happy training!

Adrienne