Photo courtesy of https://poodles2doodles.com

When to start training a puppy? Puppies are usually with their mother and littermates until 8 weeks old. Can a dog this young really understand what you are trying to teach them? Is it worth the effort to start teaching them? Will starting so early just confuse the puppy? 

What about bringing a new adult dog home? Should you wait for them to adjust before starting training and how do you really know when they understand what you’re teaching

I say, start as soon as you get the puppy or dog home. The sooner the better. Puppies have very short attention spans and new dogs may be distracted by a change in environment so keep training sessions short.

How to know if your dog truly understands the training? There are about 4 stages of learning your dog will go through. It’s important to understand the stages so you don’t try to go too fast and confuse or frustrate them.

Starting Training

There are a few things to keep in mind when starting training a puppy or new dog:

1. Short training times – Keep training anywhere from 5-15 minutes. When working with one of my puppies she couldn’t make it to 5 minutes at first.

For most people, this is great 5 minutes a few times a day is something realistic. I was upset, I was taking a dog training class and worried I was doing something wrong and would look like an idiot when my dog wouldn’t listen to a thing I said.

The trainer I was working with was great. She reassured me that 5-10 minutes at a time is normal for some dogs and a good length of time to aim for when working with a dog.

Some dogs can handle longer times and will get better with consistent training, but most of us have busy lives. Even if you only have 5-10 minutes a day to work on training with your dog don’t worry that may be enough. Once your dog starts to learn a few obedience commands it can be worked into everyday life and training continues effortlessly.

2. Use positive training – This is especially important for young puppies. Avoid any harsh corrections that may scare the puppy. With a new dog, positive training is a great way to make happy associations with their new environment.

Avoid the use of shock collars, pinch collars, or yelling at a new dog or especially a puppy under 6 months. This can create a fearful reaction in some dogs.

Types of Reinforcement

There are two types of reinforcement unconditional and conditioned.

• Unconditional is something your dog really likes with no training. This can be food, toys, praise, or petting.
• Conditional something that has no meaning to your dog in the beginning but learns to like.

A leash can become a conditional reinforcement. A leash at first means nothing to a dog but eventually, the dog can learn a leash means walks, and a leash can become something they get excited about every time they see it.

Dogs decide what their unconditional reinforcements are. Petting a dog who doesn’t like to be pet is not an unconditional reinforcement. Find out your dog’s unconditional reinforcements (food or treats work the majority of the time) to use during training.

Some people don’t like to train with treats fearing the dog will always require treats to listen. That is a valid fear but food can be a powerful motivator for a dog. I usually start out using treats and gradually reducing treats and replacing them with praise later.

Stage 1

The dog begins to understand that certain behavior is rewarded. The dog may learn through shaping, luring, or capturing.

During this stage, there is no command. The dog doesn’t understand what it means if you say a command and you run the risk of confusing the dog or desensitizing them to the word.

Example – The dog is lured with food to sit. As soon as the dog is sitting mark the behavior. I use “yes” to mark the behavior for my dogs so I’ll use that in examples but whatever you choose (word or clicker) just keep it consistent while training.

Immediately after saying yes give the dog an unconditional reinforcement (treat, toy, or praise). Remember no talking before the behavior! The only time you get to say anything is after during this stage.

When to move on. When the dog begins to anticipate your actions 90% of the time move to stage 2.

Stage 2

This is when you get to introduce the cue.

• Before luring the dog into a behavior give the command “sit”
• Now lure the dog
• Say “yes” immediately after the dog sits
• Give a treat after “yes”

Try to practice in the same environment as much as possible. For example, if you start with training in the kitchen keep training there until the dog is ready to move on to stage 3.

As soon as the dog starts to sit when given the command and without needing the food lure 90% of the time move on to stage 3.

Stage 3

The dog is starting to understand what it takes to get a reward. In stage 3 start moving around the environment that you have been training in. Some dogs understand faster than others that sit means sit no matter where you are. Start slow if you need to and work your way to different environments.

• Start by moving around the kitchen
• Work your way into another room
• Have a different person give the command (a new person should start in the same room training started in ideally)
• Give the command while sitting down
• Take your dog outside and give the cue

At any point, if the dog messes up, go back a stage 3-10 times. After that move back to the stage the dog was on when messed up but decrease the difficulty.

Again 90% rule, if the dog responds well to the command 90% of the time move on to stage 4

Stage 4

The dog understands the command and that no matter where they are the command still means the same thing. In this stage, you want to maintain the command and add distractions.

Work on sit with another person in the room, a car driving by, or another dog around. At any point, if the dog fails simply go back to an easier difficulty and practice it 3-10 times at a difficulty the dog can easily do.

Give a Command Only Once

When training if your dog doesn’t listen when given the command go back to an easier difficulty. DO NOT repeat the command over and over. Repeating the command only makes the dog desensitized to it and less likely to listen. Your dog can also learn that the command needs to be repeated many times before they do it.

Consistency is Key

Working with your dog for 10 minutes every day will be better than trying to work with your dog for an hour every two weeks. Once your dog understands and has made it to stage 4 work it into everyday life. Have your dog sit when someone rides by on a bike when out on a walk.

When in the house have your dog come to you and sit when a car drives by or people walk by (also a great way to distract them and decrease barking at someone walking by).

Every dog learns at a different pace and it is normal to have to go back a stage for a refresher don’t worry if that happens. If you find a dog consistently is having problems towards the end of training shorten the time.

Make sure to work when the dog is not overly excited or tired. When using treats make sure your dog is hungry before training.

I hope this has helped you understand how your dog learns and how soon to start training. If there any problems your having with your dog or anything you have questions on let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to help.