Most dog owners ask “How Long Should You Train Your Dog Each Day?”. There is a simple and complex answer to that question. The complex answer is that the training never stops. Training your dog is forever. There will always be new tricks and behavior that you can teach them every day. It is, however, up to you what behaviors you want him to learn.
How Long Should You Train Your Dog Each Day?
This article discusses how long you should spend training your dog on a daily basis.
Short And Simple
The simple answer to that is that you should keep training sessions short and simple. A 15 mins session each day would suffice to teach your dog the dedicated behavior for that day. Some may want to spend more time training their dog and that is completely fine as well. Just make sure to watch out for cues that your dog is tired and maybe that is where you should end the session for the day.
Easily Distracted
Longer training sessions are generally not for beginners. Puppies and younger dogs seem to be more distracted than other dogs.
If you have a furry friend that has a short attention span, training 10-15 mins a day is enough. It may even be shorter for some.
No matter how long your training sessions are, make sure that your dog is understanding what you are teaching him.
Integration
As I said, Training your dog is not just a one-time thing. It takes forever for you to train your dog. Even if they have mastered a behavior, a reward for that good behavior is always appreciated and it will keep that behavior there all the time. It will lessen the possibility of him forgetting the behavior.
What you could do is to integrate a behavior in other activities throughout the day. For example, the command sit can be used in many daily activities of your dog. You can ask him to sit before giving his food. It will teach him to wait properly before you serve him his food. You can also train them to sit before opening the door. Say you are about to go for a walk, and your dog is overly excited. Commanding them to sit before opening the door teaches them to be patient and the door will only open when they sit.
Integrating different commands within their day will give you more time to train them. It will also allow them to “practice” the said behaviors.
Consistency
Consistency is the most important part of dog training. Try not to miss a day of training. If it is not done regularly, the behaviors that you are trying to teach your dog will not stick.
This theory is the same as other human skills and abilities. If you do not practice them, you will likely not be a master of those skills
As the old saying goes, “Practice makes perfect”. This also applies to dog training. If you want your dog to be perfect, practice every day.
A good tip for this is to always keep your treat pouch near you. Rewarding for behavior that they do even without commands will reinforce the behavior.
Training your dog is creating a line of communication with your dog so they can understand you and you can understand them.
If you need more tips on dog training, click here to check out our article on “Should You Train Dogs With Treats?“.