10/11/2024
WHEN, WHERE AND HOW OFTEN SHOULD I TRAIN?
This is a common question I get from my friends and clients. Although it can differ from one dog to the next, my answer is usually the same: train in real-life places, create scenarios similar to those you will experience while at home as you watch TV, during both your mealtime and your dogs mealtime, waiting at the door to go out (never allowed to exit until they are invited out), on walks and while in public, generalize their environment to help build confidence in your dog. You don’t have to go for long walks with your dog while training them, in-fact, while training your puppy you should never expect them to walk next to you the entire time, it is very unfair. Leash training while in your house is a great idea to start, then expanding to a short walk up and down your driveway, then your street or in a nearby parking lot. Learning to understand leash pressure and conditioning your dog or puppy to return to you without calling their name helps them learn how to behave on a leash as well. Short and frequent sessions are a must! Don’t ask them to do something they haven’t learned yet, never move on to a greater challenge until YOU KNOW that your dog/puppy understands and can perform the task or behavior you are teaching them!
DON”T: train while your dog or puppy is overexcited or there are too many distractions. For instance, when company arrives and your dog/puppy is SO excited, asking them to perform a task they are not GREAT at is not wise. Let’s be fair to them and understand we will need to manage the dog/puppy respectfully and lure them away from what has them excited and work on the training later. Yelling at them and repeatedly asking them to do something during this time WILL NOT work, and it likely will make it worse.
If you have questions about how to train your dog or puppy, please reach out to an experienced trainer for assistance!
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