One of life’s greatest joys is having a dog. As soon as you bring a puppy or dog into your home, you’ll fall in love with them, and they’ll become your closest companion before you know it.
Saying that, it’s not all fun and games, as having a puppy or dog takes a lot of time, patience and attention, and you’ll have to train them too! Training a dog can be a long process, especially if you’re not sure what to do, what commands to teach and how to reward your dog properly.
This is why some people may feel like they are constantly training their dogs for the first few years of their lives! Despite the old saying, maybe you can teach an older dog new tricks!
However, training a dog is a learning curve. The thing is, every dog is different, and some may learn faster than others. It also depends on who trains the dog and how. So, how long exactly does it take to train a dog or puppy?
How Long Does It Take To Train A Puppy?
Having a puppy is a huge commitment. It takes a lot of effort and patience to train a puppy, and you have to have an open mind, because there will be mistakes, accidents and some behavioral problems that you’ll need to fix.
You should not expect to have a fully trained puppy in a matter of weeks, as it will take a lot of consistent training and repetition to have your dog understand some of the basic commands and actions that are expected of them.
For the most part, training a puppy takes around 4-6 months, but sometimes it can take up to a year or even three years. It all depends on the time you spend training your puppy, how consistent you are, and what level of training you want to achieve.
You should be training your puppy for at least 20 minutes a day if you want to have them somewhat trained by 6 months old. However, if you cannot do this because of other commitments, then it can take between 1-2 years to fully train your puppy.
How Long Does It Take To Train A Dog?
The same sort of time frame goes for training an older dog, and teaching them new commands. For example, it takes around 6 months to housetrain a dog, with regular, frequent and consistent training sessions.
The only issue you may have with an older dog is that they could already have some bad habits that you will need to break. This means spending a little more time teaching them good behaviors and making them forget about other bad behaviors and habits.
That being said, as long as you take the time and put the effort in, there’s no reason why you should not be able to train your dog within 6 months to a year.
What Basic Commands Do I Need To Train My Dog?
To have a great bond and relationship with your dog, you’ll need to ensure that you train them and teach them some basic commands. This will not only ensure that you have a great, happy life together, but it can also keep you and your dog safe from harm.
For instance, if your dog does not come to you when called, they could be at risk of running into the road or into other dogs and animals that could put them in danger.
So, training your dog is essential to both of your wellbeing. Therefore, you’ll need to be aware of the best, but basic commands that your dog should know.
Sit
The first command and one of the easiest to teach your dog is to sit. This can make them wait or focus their attention on you until you release them and tell them to go.
Come
Come is an essential command as your dog will run to you when called to keep them out of trouble and under your control. You can also use this command in conjunction with your dog’s name to get them to go towards you in any situation.
Down
Down is another command that every dog should know.
This will ensure that your dog does not display poor manners by jumping up on furniture when they shouldn’t, or start leaping and clambering onto guests and strangers when out and about.
This will ensure that your dog is not climbing dangerous objects or things that could get damaged, and not being overly friendly when you have people in your home.
Stay
Stay is also essential, as it will teach your dog to wait and stay in one place if you need them to.
This is good for crossing the street, as you do not want your dog to dart after things which could get them hurt or in trouble. It’s also a great command to take control and leadership over your dog.
Place
Place is a command that you can use to make your dog go to their place or marker such as a bed or cozy spot.
For instance, if you have a dog that likes to run out of the front door whenever you open it, or one that wants to jump all over guests when they come over, then you can teach them to go to their place and remain calm when you command them to.
You won’t feel like you’re being pulled and your dog will no longer lunge forwards and drag you around on your walks for a much better, calmer and stress free walk-time. Instead, your dog will walk safely and gently by your side.
Leave It
Teaching your dog to leave things is a great trick. This is so your dog will not pick up unidentified items, or food left on the ground that could potentially be dangerous for them.
Drop It
In a similar way, you also need to teach your dog to drop items from their mouth.
This is in case they have picked up something that they shouldn’t have and it could pose a risk to them, or in case they’ve found your brand new shoes and think that it’s playtime!
You can of course teach your dogs any commands and tricks that work for you, these are just some examples of basic yet essential commands that our dog should know.
How Long Does It Take To Housetrain A Dog?
It only takes a short while to housetrain a dog as long as you are consistent with your training, and you keep at it.
If your training sessions are spotty, or infrequent, then your dog will likely forget what you taught, or may become confused and have some accidents.
For the most part, housetraining a dog only takes around 4-6 months, but even after you think that you have fully trained them, you will have to be constantly reinforcing those skills until your dog is fully fledged and confident in their behavior.
Summary
To summarize, it does not take that long to train a dog or puppy. Typically speaking, it can take anywhere from 4-6 months or up to a year or two to train a dog.
It depends on who trains the dog, and how frequently you train and reinforce some of the skills.
For most dedicated dog owners, all it really takes is a little bit of patience, consistency, frequent sessions and a lot of treats and praise, and your dog will be well behaved in no time!
Hi, my name is Daniel Johnson, and I am a professional dog trainer that specializes in positive training methods. I have worked with many dogs over the years, and have provided fantastic and improved results for both the owner and the dog.
When it comes to dog training, it is important for the owner to be taught the simple but correct techniques, and the way in which you communicate with your dog is vital to this process. I recently decided to set up this blog to share my knowledge and skills with a wider audience.
