Have you recently brought home a new puppy or even an older dog, maybe a dog you have rescued from a dog pound, rescue society, or similar? You may ask yourself “How often should I train my new puppy or dog?”
I completely understand your question as we want to give our new companions as much help as possible to make sure that they become a valued member of our household.
When I first bring home a new puppy, I first make sure that they are comfortable, so I take them outside, leash attached, to see if they need to toilet. I let them have a sniff around a small area, take them back inside, make a cuppa and let the new arrival sit close to me, still on a leash, and maybe have a rest.
I have a game with them to see how happy they are to go into a crate, getting them ready for the night’s sleep in this same crate which I place beside my bed.
The next day, once their breakfast has been prepared, I take a small piece of food from the bowl, or a yummy treat and help them sit and reward them with the treat or small treat. I may do this three to five times, just quickly and happily, and then a big reward is their breakfast.
If a new puppy they will mostly likely have another two or three meals during the day, so I continue with the same procedure. Just very small steps at a time and I make it fun… I talk to them in a sing-song voice which encourages them to respond happily.
This answers the question “How often should I train my new puppy or dog”, as in the case of a new puppy I am initially fun-training them three to four times a day with each meal.
An older dog, on the other hand, would most likely only be having two meals a day, so the older dog initially would be having the same introduction to training with these same two meals.
As the puppy becomes more accustomed to these fun training times, I will introduce the drop/down and stand cues at these same meal times.
During the day we will have training games with toys, for example, retrieving a toy and bringing it back to me. How do I do this? I keep them on a leash so that they will not run too far away, and this is then easier to coax them back to me with the toy still in their mouth.
I will also play introductory games with an older dog throughout the day.
I make sure I am consistent and offer lavish praise.
We can overtrain our dogs, and as a dog’s concentration levels do not last for long periods, it is best to have short and quick sessions.
If my dogs are going to be trained for dog sporting competitions, I will most likely train them for a short period each day, or for a short period each second day, as there may be a day or two during the week when I take my dog to training sessions with other dogs.
My dogs need to know that these training sessions can happen with a small number of other dogs about or a very large number of dogs.
These times of group training will help them to understand that they can have the same fun at home or away from home.
You also need to be mindful of your family’s routine, so sometimes, whilst you are cooking a meal you can quickly play a teaching game with your puppy or dog for a couple of minutes.
It is really a matter of being resourceful and meeting the needs of all family members.
“How often should I train my new puppy or dog?” The above outline provides you with a quick and easy way to help your new puppy or dog learn how to be a loved member of your household by learning cues of your choice.
Until next time…