Dog training is a kind of insurance whereby you can have a well-adjusted and well-behaved dog when she grows up. The most important dog-training question is when to start training. There are no set rules that define an appropriate age for dog training. Dog training is an ongoing and continuous process. Dog training begins from the day you bring her home and will continue as long as she lives with you.
The best age to train your puppy is when she is young. Research has revealed that dog’s brain develops adequately at the age of seven weeks. The age of 7 weeks is ideal for commencing dog training. By this age, the dog’s brain is capable of understanding and responding to training commands.
The age of 7 weeks until 16 weeks is the Critical Socialization or Learning stage for your dog. Habits that your dog picks up at this age are going to stay with her all though her life. This age is the cradle for basic behavior patterns in your dog.
Some breeders believe that training should commence from the moment she opens her eyes and begins to walk. However, it is not good to separate the dog from her mother and littermates before she is 6 weeks old. Therefore, the ideal age to commence dog training is from 6-12 weeks.
Considering the above-mentioned parameters, it is important that you adopt a puppy not before 6 weeks and not after 12 weeks. If you adopt a puppy after 12 weeks, you are losing the critical socialization period. Ideally, you should start training your dog after she is six-seven weeks old. This would provide you 9-10 weeks to install good habits in your dog and make her accustomed to living with humans.
It is possible to train a dog even after 16 weeks. Most of the formal dog-training sessions commence after she is six months old. However, by this age, behavioral problems that she has already acquired become deep rooted and you will have to put in extra time and effort to correct them.
Training for young puppies should include house training, fear and aggressiveness control, chew training, and basic commands like sit, come, stay, and familiarizing her with leash and collar. Begin with simple training and adopt a soft and gentle approach when your dog is young. She is going to lose attention and get frightened if you adopt a harsh training regime.
Another important consideration is the duration and timing of training sessions. Initially, begin with brief training sessions. At young age, your dog’s attention span is low. Do not bore her with lengthy and serious training sessions. Lengthy and harsh training sessions will make your dog averse to learning.
The goal should be to achieve at least 15-30 minutes of training every day. You can achieve this by small 3-5 minute sessions spread all through the day. Spread training sessions evenly throughout the day and try to incorporate training in whatever she does.
Make training fun and not a boring activity for the dog. Make her sit before she eats, before you open the door and before you take her out for a walk. Be creative and make every activity of your dog a learning experience and a precursor for establishing good habits.
