If you wait until your puppy is six months of age or older to begin training, you will have lost valuable time. At an early age, puppies learn more quickly. Using positive reinforcement methods, training can start as early as 8 weeks of age.
According to experts, the ideal time to train a dog is when they are around 7 to 8 weeks old. This is a great time as they are still new to the world to start to understand commands and what is expected of them.
The most challenging time of raising a puppy is the adolescent period. Dogs become “teenagers” and seem to forget everything they have ever been taught. This period is individual to each dog, but it may begin when he's about eight months old and continue until he's two years old.
One of the most important things you can do for your puppy (and yourself) is provide them with proper training early! Puppies are most receptive to learning and forming habits between 8-16 weeks of age, making this the ideal time to start your puppy training schedule.
There's no such thing as a dog too old to train and with reward based training methods, you can really enrich their life. It's a common misconception that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Modern dog training methods are suitable for canine companions at any stage of their life.
In fact, adult dogs can sometimes be easier to train than puppies because they have a longer attention span and more self control. Puppies can sometimes pick things up faster than older dogs, and older dogs can be a little more set in their ways, but you can absolutely train a dog of any age.
It's never too late to train a dog. Whether you are bringing home an older dog from a shelter (or rescue), or you'd like to work with your own older dog, there's no reason to delay doing some training with an older dog. There are actually some advantages to working with an older dog.
Most puppies start to calm down as they approach their maturity age, which is usually around 12 months, but for larger breeds it can be more likely to occur between 18 months and 2 years.
Dog training can have a great impact on the life you live with your dog. It's great for your dog's mental and physical stimulation, creates a calmer, more obedient dog, and helps manage or stop unwanted or dangerous behaviors. Training should be a part of every dog's life, as it results in a happier, more balanced dog.
Growth stage: between 8–16 weeks
At this critical socialization period that ends by 16 weeks, puppies are students of life, Naito explains. They're curious—and should be learning—about how the world around them works, specifically what things look like and sound like.
Female dogs tend to be easier to housebreak, easier to train, and more connected with their owners—but in certain circumstances they can be more demanding of attention. Aggression can be a problem in any dog of any breed, however it is usually more apparent in non-neutered males.
Undesirable behaviours such as barking, chewing, counter surfing, house-soiling and jumping up commonly begin to occur at around 3-6 months of age.
From 6 -12 Months
While your puppy may now look like a full-grown adult dog, he's still a puppy. At this age you might see a burst of puppy energy and continued boundary testing. That's why it's important to make sure your puppy still gets plenty of structured play and exercise.
You may be asking yourself, “Is my dog too old to train?” Despite popular belief, you can teach an old dog new tricks. If you're wondering when it's too late to train a dog, the answer is never! Training a dog as an adult can be beneficial in some ways — he may be less distractible and energetic than he was as a puppy.
Although some adult dogs might learn more slowly, it's never too late to teach an older dog to listen and obey. Some adult dogs might even learn better because they're less easily distracted than when they were puppies.
Not at all! It's never too early or too late to begin building positive associations and using reward-based methods to teach your puppy new skills and behaviors.
Dogs instinctually crave leadership and are keenly attuned to the discipline associated with it. However, if dogs don't sense leadership from owners, their instinct compels them to try to take charge, which can lead to behavior issues such as barking, pulling on the leash, jumping or even worse behaviors.
The “Winner” is
The hardest part of dog training is doing nothing. It's standing like a statue, not saying anything, not doing anything, while your dog acts a fool. She's barking, jumping, biting at the leash. If you're in public, it's embarrassing and you want to make her stop.
Punishment should never be used to train a pet. Pets should be taught what we want them to learn through reinforcement and shaping rather than attempting to train them what we don't want them to do. It is illogical to wait until the pet misbehaves and then administer something unpleasant.
Like humans, dogs go through a rebellious “teenager” phase (around 5 months to 18 months). During this time, they'll often test their owners, seeing what they can get away with. Being firm and consistent with your training will help establish boundaries.
Overall, the researchers found that the dogs' attentiveness and ability to solve problems changed a lot during life, improving up until about 6 years of age and then remaining stable.
In conclusion, one can learn things about a puppy's temperament as early as 4-5 weeks, although the older they get the more you can learn and the more reliable a temperament test. By 6-8 weeks, a breeder should be able to tell you many details about your pup's personality.
The first two months are the most difficult and the following months also bring their challenges. So the answer is, it will get easier and easier, depending on how much effort you put into educating your dog. You should therefore remain hopeful in the process during the first year.
For pet dogs, training once or twice a day, a couple of days a week in 5-15 minute training intervals is probably more than enough to achieve good results. If you take your dog to one hour training classes, make sure you give the dog several breaks during the class.