How Often Should I Train My Dog?

While everyone loves their dogs, sometimes they need some help with their behavior and emotions in certain situations. Whether it’s a new puppy or an older family dog, you need a good training plan that you can stick with. Randomly deciding to train your dog when you feel like it will never produce real results. In order to truly prepare your dog, you need to train them on a regular basis so they remember the things they are being taught. 

That can lead to another big question: how often should your train your dog? There are several different answers to this question. Some will say multiple days in a row while others will say only two to three times a week is optimal. Which is truly the best way? We’re here to answer that question. If you need assistance training your dog the right way, contact Alpha Buddy Dog Training can help you do that. We offer several different training options to help your dog become well-behaved in all situations. 

Dog Training Basics

A dog’s brain doesn’t work the same way that ours does. Your dog will need to adapt and become comfortable with the training. It’s not something they will automatically pick up on and go along with. Naturally, dogs have short attention spans and will go to the next thing that picks up their attention. It’s up to you to build this up over time. 

You can do this by starting with short yet frequent training sessions. The command you are trying to teach during this period of time isn’t as important. You want to encourage your dog to focus and pay attention even if it’s only for 30 seconds. 

Daily Training Vs. Weekly Training

The big question at hand is whether daily training or weekly training is better for your dog.

This question has been researched for some time and has produced real results. Studies have shown that dogs trained one to two times a week ended up picking up new commands faster than dogs that were trained daily. 

The dogs used in this study were beagles so the results can’t be applied to every breed of dog. Some breeds with naturally shorter attention spans will need more training sessions. 

The command that you are trying to teach will also change the frequency of training sessions. A simple command such as “sit” can be taught randomly throughout the day whereas more complex commands will need to be broken down across several sessions. As a result, it’s better to break training sessions up into several days. 

How Long Should Dog Training Sessions Last For?

As we mentioned above, training sessions, in the beginning, should only last 30 seconds to a minute. You want to end the session before they lose interest rather than after. You should slowly increase the session duration as training continues. 

As time goes on, you can increase training sessions to 5 to 15 minutes at a time. You should avoid going over it as it can be difficult for your dog to concentrate this long. 

Get Quality South Florida Dog Training

Training a dog is something that takes time and patience. Following these steps will help you get the results that you are looking for. If you want your dog to behave better and learn real skills, then Alpha Buddy Dog Training can help you do just that. We offer several different levels of training and will access what your dog needs the most. Visit our contact page today if you’re ready to get real dog training.