How to Make Training Your Dog More Efficient

Are you and your new pup starting out the process of training together? Are you wondering how to make training your dog more efficient? This is a super fun and exciting time for pet owners and it can be a great way to bond with your furry friend. But training is a lot of work, and it takes time and energy to properly train a dog. Here are some tips from Rover-Time on how to make the most of your time and train smarter, not harder. 

Train for short sessions a couple of times a day

Dogs live in the moment which means that the most efficient way to train is to do it in shorter sessions a couple of times a day. If you have a puppy try starting with 5-minute sessions and building up to 15 minutes of training. The most important part of training is consistency, it’s better to focus on shorter sessions rather than risking burnout for you and your pup. 

One trick at a time! 

One way to use your training sessions wisely is to focus just on one trick. Let Spot nail ‘sit’ before working up to having them rescue Timmy from the well. It will also be easier for your dog to focus if you are training in an area with few distractions from the task at hand. 

Recall 

Keep coming back to tricks and behavior that your dog has learned. Even the most well-behaved dog can benefit from a training session to help them remember what they’ve learned. Plus it is really good for dogs to be mentally stimulated. Is it cold outside? Raining? That’s a great time to work on already learned skills! 

It’s all ‘bout those treats

Plan ahead! It’s a great idea to have some higher value treats reserved for training. The smellier the better! When those treats come out, your dog will know it’s time to pay attention. It’s also possible that your dog will be motivated more by toys or positive attention/praise. Switch up the rewards that you give to your dog and see what works best. 

Out and about

Walks are a great time to sneak in some training. There is no better way to work on leash reactivity, prey drive, or learning how to heel. You can also spend the time getting your dog acclimated to the world around them by socializing, which is a really big part of dog training! 

We hope that these tips will help you train more efficiently! Want to learn more about training? Check out our blog post about how to pick the right training method for you and your dog. The most important thing to remember is to HAVE FUN!