How Many Lessons To Train A Dog?

A common question from a new student is to ask how many lessons it will take to get their dog trained. Obviously, that is a reasonable inquiry. Now... onto the reality. 

Let's start with you. Pick any human skill... driving, short story writing, piano, shoe repair, engine tune ups, watch repair, video editing, writing in cursive, making a lemon meringue pie... what expectations do you have? How many times do you need to practice that skill to master it? What if you don't want mastery, you just want a few basics you can use? Some of that is going to depend upon 1.) you, such as your physical abilities; 2.) your motivation; 3.) what else you can bring to the table, such as your other skills and background; 4.) what resources you can apply to the work, from hours of effort to finances; 5.) the amount of repetitions/ work you do; 6.) probably your understanding of what you are doing and your goals; 7.) the teacher you have; and 8.) unknown limiting influences from peer influences to any number of other things. 

Much of the same is true for training any given dog. Give me an easy dog, and some easy goals, and things will go along swiftly and efficiently. Give me a more difficult dog and some lofty goals, and it might take a very long time (and you might never get what you set out to accomplish). Thus, if you want a few things cleaned up, that usually can happen relatively quickly. If you want a competitive working dog, it isn't going to happen with a 2 week program.

What about behavioral problems... fears, anxiety, fighting, etc.? I have had a number of psychiatrists and psychologists as students over the years. Their general consensus is that they look at progress with humans in 4 month intervals. You can assume the same with dogs. The more deeply rooted the issue, the longer it will take. For example, you can't make dogs like strangers and other dogs in 2 weeks. 

I am concerned with the number of advertisements promising quick fix dog training solutions, generally using some kind of harsh suppression, or fairy tale methods that require little to no work or commitment. People who really work dogs every day know it isn't that easy or quick. The more complicated the situation, the more temperament problems the dog has, the less foundation the dog has, the more dogs in the home, the more chaos in the past and present, and factoring in family or friends who might slow down the progress, the longer it is going to take. Sorry, that is the reality. 

Plan accordingly.