Why I Don't Believe in "Quick Fixes" in Dog Training

“How long will it take to train my dog?”

As a trainer, I hear this question often.

With training methods that communicate clearly to your dog, you will see results very quickly, often during an initial training session. But, it’s important to understand the difference between a behaviour and a habit.

A behaviour is displayed in the moment.

A habit exists indefinitely in the subconscious mind.

Behaviour change can often be instant - when you communicate clearly to your dog what you want them to do, they’ll do it. A dog that was reactive, or pulled on leash, can quickly stop doing those things. A dog learning to sit can start displaying the desired behaviour in a single training session.

However, this does not mean that the new behaviour is now reliable, because a habit takes time to change via repetition of training consequences, and consistency in applying these.

Based on a Google search I just did, apparently it takes an average of 21-66 days for humans to change a habit.

When it comes to the dogs I work with, I usually notice a change within weeks.

Ultimately I have a 2 part answer to how long it takes to train a dog. The first is that you should be seeing significant improvement within a month, and the second is that this will only be true if you keep up with meeting your dog’s needs, training and communicating with your dog by providing consistent consequences.