One of the most common questions many owners ask us is: “When should we begin training?”
When it comes to training, timing is critical and getting a head start early on makes a world of difference.
A common misunderstanding among many dog owners is that training can wait until a dog is older or begins to display undesirable behaviors. The truth? The most successful, stable, well behaved dogs are the ones who begin training early in life, before bad habits have a chance to set in.
Early training allows for you to shape behaviors, build structure, and set your dog’s toolbox up with the tools to thrive in daily life.
Between 8-16 weeks of age, puppies are in a crucial developmental period. During these weeks, their brains are rapidly developing and they are constantly learning and absorbing information like little sponges. The question isn’t a matter of if your puppy is learning at this time but rather what they are learning.
Without proper guidance and structure, puppies begin to learn how to entertain themselves, test boundaries, and what behaviors work to their benefit whether they’re behaviors we agree with or not. When we implement early training, our puppies learn how to look to us for guidance, how to self regulate, and how to respect the boundaries and structure we have put in place. Early training foundations drastically decrease the possibility of behavioral issues later on in life.
When training is put off, puppies grow into young adult dogs who have already learned to make their own decisions. By that point, undesirable behaviors have often been practiced and gone unchecked hundreds of times.
Bottom line? The best time to start training your dog is as soon as they join your family. Early training sets the stage for your dog’s life. Strong foundations create confident, happy dogs.
