Clients often ask how many sessions it will take to achieve results. The answer really depends on you and your dog, but think about your favorite sport or hobby, or subject in school. Were you an expert in an hour? Probably not! It will take time and practice for your dog to be good at any behavior that isn't natural. (Hint: natural dog behaviors are digging, barking, scavenging food, and chewing stuff up!) There is no magic wand for dogs that will change behavior without time and effort.
Here are some factors generally affecting the success of training and speed of training results:
1. Starting point, intelligence, and trainer skill: If your dog has been practicing a behavior you don’t like for 2 years, it won’t change in 2 days. When you first start learning something new, hopefully, you would not expect perfection from yourself, and you shouldn't expect perfection from dogs, either. You would be a beginner until you have practiced for a long time, and difficulty levels would increase gradually. Everyone learns at their own pace, and your trainer should adapt instruction to suit the learning style of the dog and the people. If you are new to dog training, it may take a little longer to be clear enough that your dog catches on, too.
2. Breed propensities: Labradors carry stuff in their mouths. Terriers dig. Hounds bay. Herding dogs are “fun police.” It is quite difficult and time-consuming to change a behavior that was bred into your dog’s DNA for hundreds of years. For these issues, we often look into management techniques as well as finding "legal" outlets for their instincts, like dig boxes for the terriers and a sport like treibball for the herding dogs.
3. Age: Puppies have a similar attention span and impulse control to toddlers. Older dogs might have aches and pains that require shorter training sessions or that prevent them from doing some tricks. The trick is to customize your training sessions to meet their needs.
4. Exercise, mental and physical: If your young and/or high-energy dog is expected to sleep all night, be confined while you are at work all day, AND take a short walk on a loose leash, then be calm and quiet from 5:30 pm - 10 pm, that might not be very fair. Bored, under-exercised dogs can wreak havoc. Your dog needs 30+ minutes of aerobic exercise and some mental challenges, just like you do. I can help you find ways to fit the kind of activities your dog enjoys into your lifestyle.
5. Training: Your dog isn’t psychic and doesn’t speak English. You must teach what TO do, not reprimand what you don’t like, which can cause aggressive responses. Prevent or ignore unwanted behavior and pay for good behavior. Learn more about dog body language and communication by asking for good books and video resources, too.
a. Practice at least a few times per week in different locations, with increasing distractions, and with longer durations for behaviors like “sit” or “stay.” (If your dog was trained and suddenly stopped responding, consider medical issues or sensitivities – arthritis, weather changes, etc…)
b. Use a reinforcer your dog likes, not just one you think he should like. When all else fails, try liverwurst, tripe, or stinky cheese. Reinforcers include food, play, attention, and more.
6. Human Behavior: Consider how many people and dogs interact with the dog and practice training skills. It is so important to include everyone when possible so everyone is on the same page of the same book, but it takes longer to make sure everyone understands well and has the mechanical skills needed to work with each dog when there are more people and dogs. If you have multiple dogs, we have to train each dog alone, then together. If you have kids, we do our best to include them when appropriate.
7. Fear & Anxiety: Dogs who are worried may "shut down" or become reactive or even fool around (jump, mouth, hump). They can’t get out of that mental state to respond to training. Putting pressure on them or adding punishment can lead to aggressive responses. We must change the underlying emotions so the dog stops reacting in anxious or aggressive ways.
8. Medical Issues: Just like your doctor might sometimes refer you to a specialist, your vet, as well as trainers and behavior consultants, may refer you back to your vet or to a specialist called a veterinary behaviorist for additional medical workups. This tends to happen in cases of serious aggression and fear, as well as when we suspect pain or discomfort or an underlying medical issue. If medication is recommended, sometimes we will see our best training results after the medication has a chance to become fully effective.
The most efficient training often includes a skilled trainer who will guide you and your dog. Contact Tanzi today if you'd like private coaching.
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