What is the rule of 3 in dog training?

The Three-Second Rule: -Three seconds is the maximum amount of time an initial greeting should last. Three seconds is ‘one elephant, two elephants, three’ then space apart or walk away. If either of the dogs is showing signs that they are not comfortable during the three seconds, turn and walk away earlier. Do not force them to stay in that situation for the full three seconds. After several little meets using the three-second rule, both owners are better equipped with the information whether or not each other’s dogs are suitable to have a play with each other or not. These three-second meets are invaluable to the amount of information both dogs are giving each owner to help make the best decision for all involved. In an ideal world, all greetings should take place like this, not just first time greets with new dogs. So remember you have three seconds. Use those three seconds to watch what your dog is trying to tell you.

The Rules of Three include THREE DAYS, during which your dog should start warming up to you. During the first three days, provide a quiet environment. Keep to a regular schedule for eating, sleeping and walks. THREE WEEKS is when your dog is beginning to fit in and is learning the daily routine, this is when to reinforce good behaviors on a regular basis. Consistency and repetition are key. THREE MONTHS is when the dog is at home in your household, by this time, most dogs know they are “home.”

The Rules of Three helps puppies learn at their own rate. What are the Rules of Three? The Three D’s Consider these three aspects of the pup’s environment to better set them up for success during training. Duration: how long a puppy is asked to maintain a behavior Distance: how close the puppy can be to a distraction or novel object -OR- how far the puppy can be from the handler to maintain a behavior Distraction: how challenging a distraction is. The Rules of Three include Three Chances and Three’s a Charm. Three Chances If a puppy is unsuccessful too many times while learning a new behavior, they can get frustrated and disengaged. Three’s a Charm This helps identify when a pup is ready to level up the difficulty when learning a new behavior. If they complete a task perfectly three times in a row, they are ready for the next level of difficulty.