HOW FAST CAN I TRAIN MY DOG?

I feel compelled to write this blog because I am seeing more and more people that just want a quick fix with their dog training problems.... People with puppies and young dogs want them trained faster than is realistically possible. People with dogs that have problems want them fixing overnight.

DOG TRAINING TAKES TIME! Why is it that we let children start new hobbies, learning new skills, and expect them to take months and months to improve and learn (even years for some skills!), yet with dogs we don't have the same expectation?

DOG TRAINING TAKES EFFORT! Especially if you are trying to change behaviours which have become habit. If someone told you to only write with your non-writing hand from now on, could you do it overnight?......... Our dogs need to practice new behaviours a lot before their new habits stick.

Attending a dog training class once a week will do nothing to improve on the skills you want your dog to learn.

Booking some one to one training sessions with a dog trainer and listening and nodding while they are there, yet doing nothing until you see the trainer next will NOT change anything!

The good news is that dogs don't respond well to hours of training at a time. Little and often is the key. Literally five minutes here and there, ten treats here, ten treats there. It isn't a big ask is it, really?

Dogs don't arrive in our lives pre-programmed to understand what our expectations of them are. It is the responsibility of the caregiver to teach and guide their dogs and mould them into the dogs that we want them to become.

As trainers, we are more than happy to educate and advise with the training services that we provide but ultimately it is down to YOU to put the work in if you want to see a change.

And training shouldn't be a short-term thing that you do for a few months when you get a puppy! If you want your dog to remain attentive and responsive towards you with their skills intact for the long-term, you need to practice as they mature too!

If you just attend puppy classes and then stop all training thinking you've done your job, you are wrong! Without intermittent recaps throughout your dog's life, their skillset will diminish. Adolescence is a tough time for a growing puppy and without continued support from you, you will inevitably have problems.

Even with my 7 year old dog I still occasionally recall her when I don't need to, because I simply don't know when I might need to recall her in an emergency. I need the behaviour to remain strong.

We still occasionally do leave training because one day I might need her to come away from something that could kill her if she ingests it. I still occasionally treat her for walking on a nice loose lead because I don't want the behaviour to slip over time.

And, ultimately, I want her to remember that good stuff happens when I'm around!

So, make a promise to yourself to do more with your dog, to give them the support that they need, and to put the work in to develop the relationship with your dog that you truly want!