How long should dog training session last?

Total training time is probably only an 45 minutes a day. We are spending about 3.5 hours a day between taking him out, exercising, and training. Then two 10 minute training sessions on whatever we’re working on that week.

People are usually shocked when I tell them their training sessions should be 5-10 minutes long, on average. Separation anxiety training and some other desensitization training is slightly different but for basic skills, resource guarding and many other training tasks, 5-10 minutes is really the sweet spot for most dogs. Of course, if you are training a cat, your sessions will be significantly shorter, or if you have a teeny tiny dog, their stomach may just not be able to train for even 5-10 minutes. Food crazy labs or high drive working dogs like malinois, might be able to go for a slightly longer period of time without filling up or losing interest. Not only do we want training sessions to be short because of your dog’s stomach size and motivation but I want training sessions for my clients to be fun. 2 minutes is better than 0 minutes of training. Shorter training sessions are effective and efficient. Long training sessions often result in frustration and then quitting because the dog has lost motivation or doesn’t understand what you’re asking him to do. Clients who constantly push – maybe they do 10 minutes of training one day, then 12 the next, then 15 – are often the same clients that experience regressions.

Some dogs thrive with short, focused training sessions once or multiple times daily. Others do best with longer sessions that might only happen a few times a week. The key to effective training lies in your ability to read and understand your dog. After just twenty minutes of training, my Labrador retriever, would be done. I realized that sometimes ending a session early—or finding a way to finish on a positive note—was the best course of action. When enthusiasm is high, with a wagging tail and focused attention, it’s probably okay to keep pushing forward. After twenty minutes, he would just lie down—that was my cue that he was done for the day. Puppies Definitely Need Shorter Sessions. In my experience, it’s better to do five or six short training sessions a day than to try and power through a marathon hour-long session with a young pup. Your dog will tell you when it’s time to be done. You just have to pay attention to the signs. Over time, you’ll learn the ideal session length for different types of training and be able to plan accordingly.

For most dogs, short bursts of training are far more suitable. Keep Your Training Sessions Short Although training classes are often one hour long, that’s not the goal for at-home sessions. Five minutes per session is more than enough. Anything longer, and you risk having your dog become bored or frustrated. If you keep things fun and stop before your dog loses interest, it will help build enthusiasm for future training sessions. Short training sessions are far easier to fit in during the day.