When you have a dog in the home, you want to ensure that they are fitting in with the family well and one way to do so is to train them properly. Basic obedience training should be a regular part of your dog’s life and it can benefit both you and the animal in multiple ways. In fact, some people who enjoy training end up doing it so much that they wonder if they are doing it too frequently.
First of all, let me put your mind at ease. It is highly unlikely that you are training a dog so much that they are getting frustrated over it. It is much more likely for you to get frustrated over the situation and to give up before they do. That being said, there are certain circumstances where you may want to take it easy and they may give you signals that show they are ready for a break.
When we first bring a puppy into the home, we are likely eager to teach them some basic obedience. A puppy has a limited attention span, however, and they will enjoy training but they also need some playtime as well. Make sure that you keep things balanced. A similar situation is also seen with an older dog. It can be a real pleasure to train an older dog or to have an ongoing training program but they also tend to tire out easily, so you may want to limit it to shorter time periods.
As a general guide, you can train a dog until you begin to see some results that are positive. When you first start out, it might be a major breakthrough to get your dog to sit on command and once that occurs, it might be a good idea to stop for the day and allow it to sink in. This serves the purpose of allowing the dog to feel as if they have accomplished something and it also allows you to feel as if you have accomplished something as well.
One mistake that many dog owners make is trying to push their dog through obedience training. Although some dogs are highly intelligent and they may be able to pick up on new commands quickly, you don’t want to rush them too much to the point where they are overwhelmed with it. At that point, it will be counterproductive. It is better to teach them a few commands at one time or perhaps even focus on one command and then move on from there.
Something else that you may want to consider is the way that the dog is reacting to the training process. When you first begin training them for the day, they may be quite eager to please but as the day goes on, you may find that they are getting somewhat bored with it. At that point, you really have trained them as much as you should for that particular day and it is best to take a break and come back tomorrow.
