4 Levels of Dog Training

 A common question that I get asked, as a dog trainer is "How long will it take to get my dog trained to do XYZ?"  That question does not have any concrete answer, and of course it depends on a variety of factors.  Age, temperament, owner commitment, behavioral challenges, and increasing distractions all change this answer.   When I am training a dog here, I feel that I need at least 21 days of consistently working the dog on training commands and behavioral exercises to get a dog owner on their way to picking up where I left off easily (or easier).  Training does not just happen in one day or in one environment.   Dog training, as dog trainers understand it, is when you have reliability of a command (and very dependent on whether you are talking about an adult dog or a puppy) without the need of going through much effort other than the verbal command at least four out of five times in various environments and distractions.  That actually takes much more than three weeks if you want a full set of commands that can be worked in that way.  It also depends on the goals of a family for their pet dog, or this is a working dog, or if this is a sports and competing dog. 

 
I don't know if most of the dog owning public is aware of the levels that we pass through when teaching a dog a certain command. Here are the four levels that I usually think of; 
 
1) The teaching phase where you show the dog what you want them to learn.You can do this by positioning or luring your dog into position. Dogs need to be shown what to do, because they don’t naturally know the things we take for granted that older dogs have already been taught. Obviously they don't understand our verbal cues, and need to be shown what they will correspond to in the future. In the Demonstration phase, the command is verbalized in conjunction with the luring or placing the dog into correct position.  In this phase, we might only give the command a name once they can complete it themselves. 
  

2) The practicing stage where you are working with your dog towards a goal (consistency and repetition). Let them know this is not a one-time command performance. There are rewards for the correct completion of a task be consistent. Don’t tell your dog to “sit” unless you are ready to help him/her into a sit if they don’t quite understand it yet. This is still the teaching phase, and they need to know that this word isn’t one of the streams of sounds they hear from you each day. Don’t converse (too much except commands, markers, and praise) with your dog during training time They need to know that these command words and marker words have a meaning, and that is what we are teaching them. Other sounds in the day may not have a meaning, but our commands and markers do.  Once the teaching phase is done and certain indicators are present, this is the time you start to say the command BEFORE they go into position. 
 
 
3) The proofing stage is normally where you are practicing in different environments and with different distraction with the expectation of being able to complete your goal. You may see your dog analyzing their choices (this is your dog actively thinking and deciding which they will choose0. Those choices can be non-compliance, flee, aggression, or comply. You want to give them a few seconds to contemplate their choice once you get beyond the teaching phase. Only compliance will allow them to be rewarded, and you want to do it as soon as the correct performance happens. As the exercises go on the three Ds will be marked as well (distance, duration, and distraction To end the session on a good note, you want to have the dog succeed at least four times in a row. If it takes way too many reps to get that four times in a row, you have most likely rushed the dog forward past their threshold. Now is the time to back up to where their performance was more reliable, and move in a slower fashion forward. 
 
You will need to be patient. In dog training frustration or impatience on the handler’s part will not get you and your companion where you need to go. If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a deep breath and imagine where the training will take you if done correctly. Then begin the exercises again. Allow your dog to be successful, and remember you may need to redefine what that is. Do not try to add things too early. The dog should fully understand the beginning of every exercise before being pushed on to the three Ds. 
 
4) Maintenance is the most forgotten step. I can say this simply by "if you don't use it, you loose it". Also, if you become inconsistent, then you will start losing it. The best way to maintain is make sure you use all commands in real life situations everyday with consistency. Most of us slip at this though. Keeping up a working schedule with your dog of a few minutes going over things on a consistent basis is also helpful. Remember, it's as easy to undo your dog’s training as it is to train your dog. We all vary on where we need our dogs to be, so this is largely up to what the owner wants and needs in their life. 
 
If life gets in the way, just go back on your steps and build your training up again.   It is a great bonding time with your dog, and training plus being involved with your dog is never a waste of time.  Enjoy this time together, because it is very valuable and fulfilling.   It provides for a much richer relationship with your dog.