“How long of a training session should I have with my dog?” is a question I get asked a lot. While it may sound like a silly question, it is actually quite serious and has a huge bearing on how well and how fast your dog will learn what you’re asking him. The first thing to know is that dogs learn at different rates depending on their age. A young puppy can learn a lot very fast if done correctly. Older dogs can also learn, but it takes a different set of understanding than with a puppy.
For a puppy, I only work on one trait at a time and for only 1-2 minutes at a time. After the training I then let them rest for at least an hour before I do another round of training. Ideally, I try to let them get a short nap in between training sessions. The nap allows the brain to sort out what she has learned in the last training session, and then come back out with a clear head. Many times I can get 3 or more sessions in per day. In no time my puppy can move on to another skill, or build on the one he just learned. This is a good system for puppies up to 1 1/2 to 2 years old but is most effective with puppies 4 weeks to 3 months. After 3 months there are diminishing returns, but it is still a safe and effective way to train your young dog.
With dogs that have reached 1 1/2 to 2 years old, you can safely train for longer periods up to 5-6 minutes. Here you need to “read” your dog. You don’t want your dog to get bored with the exercise you’re trying to teach, so you may need to keep things varies, by doing something he already knows, then add in the new skill. This way you keep already taught skills fresh, and can then add new. Keep in mind you should never add more than one new item per training session. If you are trying to teach a skill and think of a different approach make your change one item at a time. If you change too many aspects you will not know what did or did not work. This is assuming you have had the dog since it was young and are building on her skills that you have already trained.
What if you have a rescue dog who’s older? In cases of older dogs, I always recommend starting slow, start like you have a puppy. Take the training in very small steps. 1-2 minutes at a time. You need to learn what the dog knows, and what he does not. You may find that he learns very quickly when confronted with a skill he may already know but under a different name, or tone of voice. Dogs don’t just learn commands, they get to know your tone of voice which is associated with that command. By keeping the session short and only focusing on one skill at a time the dog can learn your “style” of leadership. As he learns more skills then start to extend the training time and build on the skills.
As your dog gets older and has more skills u8nder his belt, try to avoid “One More Itis” this means, if the dog has done the skill asked of him the way you want, stop! End the session! Reward the end, by trying to do the skill again she may not understand why so she will try something different. Now you have a dog that is confused and you can get upset because she had “Just done it correctly”. Many dog trainers have been sucked into the “I’ll do it just once more” then spend the next 5 minutes trying to get a good move so they could end the session. Always try to end your session with a success, even a small one. I would rather have a 1-minute training session end on a success that a 10 minutes session end with a so-so success.
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