When people inquire about dog training (especially board and trains) I often times use an analogy to help the bigger picture make more sense.
If I have a world champion reining or cutting horse who has everything going for him — athletic with a good build for the job, sound-minded, hard-working, technical, with a history of winning and being the best possible horse he could be (he obviously had a very knowledgeable person train him who was well-educated, passionate, with lots of practice who was able to evaluate and assess his talents)…you name it…the horse is “finished” (after years of training) but it is only going to perform its best for those who know how to ride. We need someone equally as dedicated, talented, athletic, technical, educated, who has an understanding of how to extract the potential out of this animal. The teachings someone else who was educated and talented gave this horse (because the horse itself possessed the capability) — is what we need to translate to the new rider. If you have never been on a horse before (despite this horse absolutely knowing its job) 1) you are with certainty going to fall off when that horse cuts back and forth 2) you will not know how to work with or ask this animal how to do its job 3) eventually that horse is going to get frustrated with you and show behavior changes and come down to your level (and you likely will be just as frustrated assuming it is all about the horse). Put simply, dog training is human training. If you lack technical skill…so will your dog.
You see, horse training — or dog training is a partnership. It is a partnership in which one party complements the other. This first starts with initial education and an understanding as to what you are looking for BEFORE you bring home a puppy or a dog. If you are looking for the Michael Jordan of dogs — you first must really research and understand what that entails in assessing and evaluating a puppy or dog. Not all dogs are created equal. Not all breeds are created equal. Not all upbringings are created equal. And, to be honest, most people should not be seeking the Michael Jordan of dogs because unfortunately they will never possess the skill it takes to handle that dog. If you want to extract every ounce of potential from your dog you need to put in the work.
When you ask me how long it will take to train your puppy or dog my answer is I have no idea. 1) I know nothing about your dog and the talents or skills it possesses. 2) I have no idea its history or challenges (confidence, adaptability, drive, fears, history of handling, overall allowances and management. 3) I know nothing about the talents or knowledge you possess 4) What I consider a trained dog vs. what you consider a trained dog may be entirely different. What I do know is that it will not be reliably trained and faded from lures in 10, 20, or 30 days. There are simply way too many elements and circumstances to address to try to cram into days of training.
In summer 2022 I started studying a new methodology of training. I started this new set of ideas on a seven year old Dalmatian who had seven years of opinions already created. He moved a certain way. He was conditioned a certain way. He expected reinforcement a certain way. But despite this seven year old “already being fully trained” — which by the way there is no such thing, we continue to train anyway. If I want to keep what I had, it takes maintenance. MJ did not come out of the womb being great. He did not stay great because he sat around eating donuts playing video games. There is room for growth, always. My Dalmatian is now eight years of age. Five to seven days per week he trains three to four times PER DAY. Our sessions are kept mostly under ten minutes and are split between: movement, scent work, agility, ball work, & recall. I would say there are days I do not really feel like training, but truthfully, I thoroughly enjoy the relationship I have with my dog. He is way beyond the things pet people struggle with (and to be honest they were so well managed when he was younger I don’t really recall many challenges) — so the sooner you address the little things, the faster you can move on to the bigger things.
So, what next? Well what is next is I find most people simply do not know where to start. I also find you can tell someone exactly what they need to do, yet execution is a completely different story. There are those who just want to exist with their dog and there are those who breath fire. While I certainly seek out those who breath fire and possess the drive and creativity to demand more from themselves and their dog….most people really need to focus on the basics. In order to focus on the basics my recommendation is to seek assistance from someone who has your dog’s best interests (in the long term especially) and is not seeking an instantly gratifying results. Find someone willing to develop handler skills and skills for your dog. Work with them consistently and put a little bit of time in each day. Celebrate the little victories.