How Long Will It Take To Train My Dog?
"How long will it take to train my dog?” This is a completely reasonable question that almost every client asks me as a professional dog trainer. The answer varies depending on the people in the household, the dog(s) and the situation. What I can always say is, “to a certain extent, you never stop training.”
The truth is, training isn’t a thing we do with our dogs and then stop doing one day because they “know better.” A mature dog has roughly the mental capacity of a toddler. Not to anthropomorphize too much, but we don’t expect toddlers to remember everything we teach them in every situation, and we shouldn’t expect our dogs to always know what to do. Even a dog without special needs like behavior issues is going to need the occasional reminder of what we want in certain situations and is (hopefully) being rewarded for that behavior. Dogs are living, breathing, decision making animals and sometimes they’re going to get distracted, forget things, and want to do things you don’t want them to do.
The key is consistency. Dogs learn through repetition and they don’t generalize information, meaning it takes lots of repetition for them to understand that “sit” means “sit” no matter where you are. If you only practice "sit” in your living room and then go outside, your dog truly does forget what "sit” means at first. They need to relearn in different circumstance, over and over, before they remember what they’re supposed to do. And that’s not even taking into account that it’s harder for dogs (and humans,) to learn when there are lots of distractions or that most dogs in training are teenagers! Canine adolescence lasts from about 6 months of age to, depending on the size (bigger dogs mature more slowly, small dogs faster), about 4 years old. Canine adolescence is, in many ways, similar to human adolescence; you might notice your dog suddenly forgets how to do things you’ve practiced hundreds of times, like recall. Or that, suddenly, your dog has started whining and pulling toward other dogs on walks. Some of that is because of their brain chemistry during those months, so be patient if this describes your dog.
Dogs who look like they’re perfectly trained are reading their owner’s body language and verbal cues, even when it doesn’t look like it. It takes time and practice to get to the point that it looks like training isn’t happening. Sure, some people get lucky and get one of those “perfect” dogs who just seems to know where to be and what to do. For the rest of us though, it will be at least 6 months of bringing treats with us, asking for “sit” “down” and “stay” as needed and having to adjust walks and outings to fit our dogs’ needs. The hard part of training (teaching new skills) isn’t forever. I promise. When you see that dog walking in a flawless heel, they’re not done training, they’re just in maintenance mode.
Training is how we communicate with our dogs, in both directions. If you ask your dog to sit at street corners before crossing, you are using training in your day-to-day life. Even if you don’t have to ask your dog to sit anymore and she does it automatically, the “cue” is getting to a street corner, continuing the walk is the reward. Similarly, if you teach your puppy to sit to ask for things, then when your dog is sitting next to her water dish, you know what she is asking for and she knows how to ask you to fill the water dish.
So when you’re looking for a dog trainer in your area or you’re graduating your basic obedience class, remember that your trainer is giving you the tools to communicate with your dog. It’s up to you to use them.
Written By: Courtney Case
Courtney Case CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA has been working with dogs for over 20 years. From her early days in rescue and bathing at a grooming salon, to sitting and walking as a side hustle for a few years in New York. Finally, in 2015, she decided to pursue training as a career. Dog training and behavior consulting has been a fitting marriage of Courtney’s love of animals and her natural inclination to teach.
