When should I start training my dog?
So many people tell us that they wish they had called us sooner.
– Furry Logic Home Dog Training

We often get asked when is the best time to start dog training? The best time is now!
We recognize 3 major developmental stages when you and your dog may need help and in-home dog training. (For a more in-depth description of canine developmental stages go to https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/puppy-information/puppy-growth-timeline-transitions-puppyhood/ )
- Puppyhood – ages birth to 6 months
- Adolescence/Teenager – 6 months to 1 year
- Adulthood – 1 year plus
People new to owning a dog and even those who have had dogs all their lives often ask us “When should I start training my dog?”
Should I take my puppy to puppy training class or wait until he’s a little older?
Do I need behavioural training only when I see issues such as problem barking, jumping up, aggression, or separation anxiety?
The simplest answer is dog training should start as soon as you bring your pup or adult dog home. It will be vital to show him or her where they are supposed to go to the bathroom. We covered basic potty training in a previous article.
In the beginning, most dogs take about 2 weeks to acclimatize to their new surroundings. Because they’re not sure about their new environment you may not see their true selves until they become more comfortable with you and their new surroundings. The quiet unsure dog that you see on Day 1 will blossom into their real personality as they start to test the rules and boundaries of your household. So it’s important to know your rules and boundaries and set these up early in your relationship. That’s what professional dog training can do for you.
Puppyhood
Puppies have a lot to learn, and it is your job to teach them what behaviours are acceptable and encouraged, and what behaviours are not acceptable and discouraged. They’ve just left their mom whose job it was to show them how to survive. Now it’s your job to take up that challenge.
Until puppies are fully vaccinated, it is a real concern that they not be exposed to potential sources of Parvovirus. This is where in-home training can be a huge benefit. You can get started early rather than having to wait for full immunity and then eligibility for a classroom situation.
Remember that dogs grow and mature in a matter of months and the things you don’t want them to do as an adult, such as jumping up or putting their teeth on people, must be worked on early so your dog is not seen as a nuisance when he is bigger.
Adolescence/Teenager
So you’ve worked hard on curbing all the “bad” behaviours and suddenly around 4 to 6 months, depending on the breed of the dog,( large breeds mature more slowly than small breeds), your puppy starts to defy you! Maybe he has a potty “accident” in the house when he’s been potty trained for weeks. Or maybe his barking starts to escalate when he seemed to be a quiet character before. Well congratulations! You’ve reached your dog’s teenage period.
Lesson Learned
We had started early training with a beautiful white Labrador retriever puppy and were called a few months later to work on leashwork. The client’s apartment had no yard so we worked on-leash in the empty parking lot. With the lesson over we returned to the apartment entrance and before we got inside, the client took the puppy’s leash off. I started to say that he should wait but he assured me that he’d never had a problem because Puppy always went straight inside.
Well wouldn’t you know it? Puppy turned around and took off right across the street to the dog park (so lucky that there was no traffic at the time) and he ran to the far side of the park. The stars were in alignment for us though because two women and their dog were walking straight towards us and our wild puppy had run to their older dog. They were kind enough to walk their dog towards us bringing Puppy along and so we were able lure him in with lots of praise and put his leash back on. Take Note: Never, ever punish a dog for coming. It will defeat the purpose of the “Come” command.
And guess what? He had just celebrated his 6-month milestone the day before.
As in human teenagers, adult hormones are starting to kick in and where before you had a compliant, rule abiding pooch before, now your dog seems to be more disobedient. Has your dog forgotten his training? No. As in nature, the young dog is testing to see if he can become Leader of the Pack. It is important to the survival of the pack that there be strong leadership. If the existing leader is ill, weak, injured or just getting too old to protect the pack’s integrity, it is important for a new leader to emerge.
What may seem like disobedience, is your cue to go back to the exercises we coached you on when your dog was younger. It is normal for people to slack off when we have a well-behaved dog but this new challenge just requires us to step up exercises like Door Control and Follow the Leader. Be a little more picky with your expectations. Your dog will remember and realize that you’ve still “got game”.
Adulthood
This whole process may repeat itself when your dog reaches adulthood, around 1 year old for the average breed. Around this time, your dog has reached full size, his or her raging hormones have settled down and you might be challenged again for your worthiness as Pack Leader.
Some clients during our 20-year career have told us that their dog was no trouble until it turned 1 year old.
They had done the classic “Come”, “Sit”, “Stay” and things were alright. But now recall at the dog park had become a nightmare. If he’s busy playing with another dog he won’t come. He might start playing games with you like coming close and darting away.
Or maybe now a client may realize that they need help with leash walking because they don’t have the strength or inclination to be dragged down the sidewalk by their full-grown dog.
Lesson Learned
One memorable scene burned into our memory was of a client with 2 Golden Retrievers who wanted to show us how a walk starts for him and his dogs. He was not a small man so when he stood behind his leashed dogs, wrapped a leash around each wrist, leaned back and then signaled his wife to open the front door, it was quite amusing and a little terrifying to watch him try to be an anchor weight to all that canine power.
We didn’t let him get dragged too far before we each grabbed a leash to show him and the dogs the proper way to exit a door. Managing front door behaviour sets everyone up for a win. We’ll talk about technique in a future post.
Other Times You May Need Help
Above, we have focused on canine developmental stages to recognize when behaviour changes may occur. It is also valuable to recognize that changes in their human’s living dynamics can change their behaviour; most notably the arrival of a new family member, the loss of a family member, moving to a new home, prolonged illness of a family member, changing from work at home to back to the office, etc.
One may think that there is no time for dog training under these profound circumstances but once the dust has settled and a new schedule has been established, it often helps to devote a few minutes a day to dog training. It can bring more order to canine and human alike. More connection too.
So many people tell us that they wish they had called us sooner.
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