The Beginner’s Guide To Dog Training: The Basics

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Did you recently bring a new dog home? Whether it’s a puppy or an older rescue dog, teaching it how to obey commands and get into a routine starts right away. The thought of it may be nerve-wracking at first, but we’re going to help you with the basics of how to train a dog. Once you start practicing, it’s easier than you may think. 

Let’s jump in! 

Can Anyone Train a Dog? 

Anyone can train a dog, but it takes time, patience, and consistency. It’s important to be clear about what you want your pet to do and be consistent with the training method you choose. Some dogs take longer to train than others, especially if they’re older. But it’s possible to teach an old dog new tricks, so keep it up with lots of breaks and you’re likely to get positive results. With time and effort, you can train your pup to be a well-behaved member of the family.

Dog Training 101: How to Train ANY DOG the Basics

How Long Does It Take To Train a Dog?

The amount of time it takes to train a dog depends on a number of factors, including the dog’s age and personality. However, in general, it takes about four to six weeks to teach a dog basic commands like sit, stay, and come to the point that they are reliably obeying those commands. Some dogs can learn the basics in two weeks or less, but realistically give yourself up to six weeks. More complex commands, such as how to walk nicely on a leash or how to do tricks, may take a couple of months to master. 

We can’t stress enough the importance of patience and consistency when training a dog. Training sessions should be short and fun and repeated daily or even multiple times per day. We recommend trying to remove a timeline from your training regimen and instead setting frequency goals. Without a deadline, you’re more likely to relax during training sessions and your dog will pick up on that. No person or dog wants to be anxious when learning new things. Allowing your dog to come to the task at their own pace will help it solidify more.

Positive reinforcements, such as treats and praise, are among the best ways to motivate a canine to learn. Clicker training is also a proven method. We use it with our dogs and have experienced successful results.

What Are the 7 Basic Dog Commands?

The seven basic dog commands are sit, down, stay, come, off, heel, and leave it. Sit should be taught first because it’s a natural behavior for dogs. Therefore, learning the command comes quickly. Down is the next most instinctual behavior. Teaching your dog to lie down also helps set a foundation for other more complex tricks like rollover.

Next, teach recall, also known as come. It typically takes dogs longer to learn this one than sit and down. Start this one on-leash, but as you progress, practicing it somewhere your pup can be off-leash with minimal distractions is best. The opposite of come is stay, and this one may take a while as well. But, it is extremely useful when you want your dog to remain in place.

The heel command is instructing your dog to walk calmly by your side. Practicing it on leashed walks consistently is vital to learning the behavior. 

The off command refers to getting paws off something or stopping your dog from jumping on someone. Whereas leave it is more of an all-purpose command for getting your pup to quit doing something or leave something alone.

What Are the Basics of Dog Training?

Implementing the basics of training can be accomplished by anyone, even new dog owners. So, don’t be afraid to get started. Let’s learn how to train a dog with these seven practices.

Take Obedience Classes

Taking your dog to an obedience class to learn the basics is an excellent opportunity for new pet parents or pups with strong personalities. Working with a professional can give you (the at-home trainer) a foundation for techniques to use. It can also help point out areas in which you might need to improve as the trainer.

In addition, there are many online dog trainers who offer free videos, webinars, etc., if taking your dog to a physical location is too much.

Use Positive Reinforcement

Always use positive reinforcement when training a dog to encourage desired behaviors. It’s the most effective way to train canines based on the principles of learning and motivation. When a dog is rewarded for a desired behavior, it’s more likely to repeat that behavior in the future. 

Find a reward that your dog responds well to, like treats or a toy. If you use treats, be sure to use small portions to regulate how many calories your pup is getting. 

Negative reinforcement like yelling, shouting, or striking your dog will only create negative memories and distrust between you and your dog. Furthermore, it is usually pretty ineffective at creating lasting desired behavior changes, as dogs don’t associate the punishment with the exact behavior. In fact, they often will associate it with a different behavior. For example, scolding your dog that didn’t come when called only teaches them that they shouldn’t come back to you when you’re angry.

Say a Cue Word Once

When giving your dog a cue word, say it once. Cues are a way to share information. Karen Pryor, animal trainer and behavior expert, describes a cue as the green light that tells the dog to do a behavior. Then, if it responds, positive reinforcement is its reward. So, the goal is to teach your dog it gets the reward after it does the behavior the first time the cue word is spoken. Do your best to not wear out a cue word. If your dog doesn’t respond right away, go back to the last solid behavior or back up and reteach the cue.

Keep Training Sessions Short and Consistent

Keep training sessions short and consistent. Build up the complexity of sessions in stages. For example, if you’re working on a complex trick, keep the session short and focus on only that trick. Don’t add in other new behaviors that will make the session too long or tire out or confuse your pup when learning something more complex. Take breaks and observe your dog to figure out when a training session is too long. If they seem to get frustrated, fall back on easy cues that they for sure know and love to do to re-excite them.

Make Dog Training Fun

Making dog training fun is the best way to motivate you and your fur baby. Implement games and keep things interesting. A bored dog is more likely to resist learning new behaviors or find distractions.

Some games you can try include fetch or tug-of-war. Or try hiding treats or toys around the house and have your dog find them. Also change up your rewards, like sneaking in a bit of cheese or hot dog as a surprise. We like to occasionally reward with a “treat shower” where they get several treats dropped on their head all at once to change things up. If you make it fun, most dogs will learn to love training time!

Work Training Into Daily Life

Work training sessions into your daily routine. For example, do a session right before mealtime. Or train while on a morning walks. We recommend doing about three short sessions per day at home. If you take your dog to obedience classes, those are typically once a week. So, work in your home training around that. 

Train When There Are No Distractions

Train new behaviors without distractions. Puppies, in particular, can get off track when there are other things going on in the room or if you’re at a busy park. Also, refrain from training a puppy when it’s not in the mood. You won’t accomplish much when the dog isn’t focused.

Is Training a Puppy or Older Dog Easier? 

Training a puppy can be easier than an older dog, but it depends on their personality and habits. Adult dogs may have learned bad behaviors that require more time to correct. While training any age canine is possible, most puppies learn faster than older dogs.

What Is the Easiest Dog to Train? 

Border Collies are known to be the easiest dog to train. Now, that doesn’t mean they’re all easy. But, in general, the breed is intelligent, athletic, obedient, adaptable, and trainable. They also make good service dogs.

Get In the Routine of Training Your Dog Today

Get into a consistent training routine with your dog and look forward to positive results. Training is a way to form good behaviors and also an opportunity to bond with your pup. Take advantage of the time to teach and get to know each other. 

Are you in the midst of training a dog? Share your experiences in the comments below.