What can be done if my puppy is too distracted or excitable to control?
Training should begin in a quiet environment with few distractions. The chosen reward should be highly motivating so that the puppy focuses entirely on the trainer and the reward. Although a small food treat generally works best, a favorite toy or a special dog treat might be more appealing for some puppies. It might also be helpful to train the puppy just before a scheduled mealtime when he is at his hungriest.
If you feel frustrated or like the puppy is highly excitable or difficult, reach out for professional guidance. A skilled positive reinforcement trainer will help you enjoy your puppy so much more as time goes on.
Length of Time
Dog training sessions should last no more than 15 minutes. Young puppies or dogs who are easily distracted may need even shorter sessions. If you run your training session too long, dogs get distracted and bored, and theres a good chance theyll start making mistakes.
When you set aside time for a training session, plan on working on just one command. The quick, intense lessons will help your dog learn, and sticking with just one command or behavior will help the dog stay focused. You can train them on more than one command in a day but try to stick to just one for each session. An exception might be if the session is not going well and you want to get your dog to do something it knows so that the session will end on a positive note. In this case, it makes sense to switch to a simple action your dog already knows.
At what age can I start training my new puppy?
Your new puppy is learning during every waking moment! Every interaction you have with your puppy from the first time you meet will be a form of training. Housetraining, household manners, and social experiences are all forms of training you’ll be doing with your puppy from the first time they come home. In some situations, puppies will even begin some amount of formal training before they go to their new home, such as a start on housetraining, greetings, and how their actions can lead to rewards.
How Often and How Long Should you Train Your Dog?
I get messages every week (sometimes every day) asking for training schedules. They always make me happy – those messages are written by owners who cannot wait to get started in their training journey and want to have the best training structure possible for their dog.