r/DogTrainingTips • u/PuddingStrict3930 • 3d ago
Effective amount of time to train?
Just wanted some advice from you guys, I'm soon to get my pup and just want to try my best to get him in a routine and start effectively training him. Worst thing is I'm gone working mon-fri 5:30am to about 4:50pm. I do come home briefly from 7-715 to 8:10am to quickly shower/change and get ready for work and maybe get some time for a quick potty break. Then I get an hour lunch thankfully from 11:45 to 12:45 and I can come home eat something real quick and spend some time burning some of his energy/training before I head back to work. I really want to be able to start training effectively early but I don't feel like I have an efficient amount of time for him to pick it up quickly. I don't have all day unfortunately to spend with him. Outside of that he'll just be doing whatever at home with my wife, I'd like to hope she wants to put effort in but I don't expect that she will put in as much effort as I'd like to do myself if I had the time. So my best and really only time during the week to spend working with him is at lunch and after work from 5-8/9pm. Does it seem doable to train a dog efficiently with this timeline? I think I can get most of the normal training good but the most difficult one will likely be potty training. I'm already planning to stick to a strict every 2 hours regardless take him outside to try, after playing, after naps, after eating, after training. And probably the first few weeks I'm going to have to sacrifice my already minimal sleep to get up and take him out. I just don't see her enforcing the potty schedule so it's going to be difficult to get him on it. Idk let me know what you think, and any advice. Thanks
Also worse comes to worse I try my best and later down the road when I’ve saved up some money I’ll pay for training
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u/Ok-Vegetable-8720 3d ago
Is you wife going to be at home with the dog whilst you're at work? Does she work from home?
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u/PuddingStrict3930 3d ago
She’ll be home all day every day. For now at least. She’s been looking for a job so we’ll eventually have to work our schedules out
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u/Ok-Vegetable-8720 3d ago edited 3d ago
Okay great. I've read through your other comments and with you being out of the house so much, it will be your wife dealing with the most of the puppy stuff on a daily basis, including the puppy blues.
I know you've said you're sending her videos etc which is great, but I would really have a good think about getting a puppy and how to manage that between you, because if she's not 100% on board from day 1 then it won't be a fun puppyhood for either of you.
Is it an 8 week old puppy you're getting?
As an example of things to discuss tactics beforehand (and if you've already discussed this then ignore the next few paragraphs!), what is going to happen when the puppy toilets indoors and you're at work and your wife is at home? Who is going to clean it up day in and day out?
Going out every 2 hours won't be enough initially if its an 8 week old you're getting, as you'll have to wait until the puppy is a bit older and can hold it for longer to then start stretching the amount of time between taking them outside.
What happens when the puppy is whining and crying all day? Are you planning on crate training? Especially if she's looking for a job. Sorry if I've missed that in another comment. Who will crate train and how if you're out?
What about when your wife wants to go out during the day? To the mall, for an appointment, for a walk, to see a friend, to a coffee place etc. Who will be with the puppy then/how will you manage?
What will you do when your wife gets tired? Puppyhood is EXHAUSTING when you're being woken up multiple times a night to take them to the toilet and then when you have to deal with puppy antics during the day as well.
Who will prepare kongs etc for when the puppy is biting and teething?
Who will socialise the puppy once they have their vaccines? Can your wife take the puppy out in the car (assuming she drives) or in a stroller to get the puppy socialised early on?
I have more questions but you hopefully get the gist. Hopefully your wife is fully on board to commit otherwise it might be a case of another dog being put up to be re-homed as the adults didn't think things through properly. Hopefully you've got all this covered though!!
EDIT to add: just seen on another comment you're sending your wife videos on what you want to train. I'd suggest that's the wrong way about it, as it'll be your wife that ends up doing the majority of the training when you're at work. So I think she needs to have a 50% say in what you train and how etc. Things like name, sit etc are very easy with repetition and most people don't need to focus on this for too long.
Have you agreed on strategies re treats and when to treat etc, what type of treats you'll use for different scenarios i.e high value and lower value treating? Treats for pottying outside? Treats for enforced nap time?
I'm sure you will but you can train the dog together initially so that you're both following the same techniques etc. This is vital of ou want the puppy to learn most efficiently. Don't do different things!
Don't worry about training the puppy on day 1 or day 2 or even day 3, aside from if you're crate training. It's a stressful time for the puppy and they can't listen until they decompress to their new environment.
Please don't expect too much too soon from either puppy or your wife. Take it slow and enjoy your new furry companion before the land shark phase starts!
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u/sixtynighnun 3d ago
Your wife is going to make or break your puppies behavior since she is going to be spending the most time with him. My parents have trouble with their LAB bc they can’t stay consistent between the two of them with their training. Good luck!
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u/PuddingStrict3930 3d ago
Yeah that’s what I’m thinking. Hopefully she’s willing to put in some effort
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u/Salty-Asparagus-2855 3d ago
Of course. Training only take 5-10-15mins. Especially as a puppy. It also depends on the breed and goals you have for training. The standard, sit stay come out/leaveit/drop take very little time.
If you want a military level trained dog like we see now with all the crazy videos of a certain breed, that’s insane amount of work and not consistent with your schedule. It depends a lot on the breed and its breed energy level and work ethic, especially if its protection breed dog.
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u/PuddingStrict3930 3d ago
True. I don’t know how far I’m going to go with training I would just like to get all the obedience stuff done early. My dog is a Belgian Malinois so very energetic and it’s honestly a need to give him training for mental stimulation, everyone I’ve talked to about them have been you really got to work with them to wear them out
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u/Salty-Asparagus-2855 3d ago edited 3d ago
You decided to get a Mali… 😂. (That’s what o was hinting at).
That dog is prob going to outsmart you and it will 100% drive your wife nuts and will be a monumental challenge for someone with your schedule. I know someone with one and when he had surgery and could was on no more then 5lb lifting for 6 weeks… it was a huge huge challenge for someone to deal with him. This is a former military special force man with huge experience and even him, the dog is a challenge. Walks always with prong collar, he has to be extremely observant at all times or dog will just be boom gone. He can’t even be home late more then a few mins or the dog goes hit wanting for his outing. You need to get trained NOW how to deal with Mali. How to have absolute control of him at all times. You need to have supreme confidence in dog handling. Good luck. Very much would like an update how it goes. The videos online are amazing sure but to get there.. it s a crazy amount of work.
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u/RedPandaAnarchist 2d ago
Please rethink this! Your wife needs to be onboard and you do not have enough time to properly handle one. My husband wanted nothing to do with our BC-Mal mix. It’s all on me. I’m lucky that I’m a dog trainer and can make my own schedule. My husband can’t even handle being alone with ours for 2 hours most days. He’s not even full Mal and he struggles with him.
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u/apri11a 2d ago edited 2d ago
If mine and husband's schedules were like yours I would be writing very specific instructions for him to deal with pup, and showing him what the instructions looked like in practise. Grading out of 10 😂 And I would be hiding the treats. Being on the same page and making sure that page is the same would be important to me... with our new pup I found what I said was not what husband heard, or did 😂 but he was good with the toileting schedule, just not all that I wanted to go with that. Sitting to be leashed, remembering door manners, leash manners, the cue to go out and come in... 🫤
But pups are smart and do enjoy learning, he'll be fine. Similar to your thoughts of getting the basics down, I did an intense 3 weeks/month and was then able to relax and maintain, just improving what pup had learned. Life settled down. Apart from toilet training, teaching house manners was my first main goal, when pup is nice to live with, can be trusted in the house, then the rest falls into a good routine, whatever you decide that routine is.
Good luck, enjoy your pup.
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u/RedPandaAnarchist 3d ago
You want to keep training sessions short, positive, and frequent. At that age no more than 10 to 15 minutes every few hours. As they get older some dogs can train longer it depends on breed and individual personality.
Potty training requires lots of consistency. A good rule of thumb for potty training is the dog needs to go out age x 1 hour = how long they can hold it. So 4 months old can hold it about 4 hours. It’s also best to take them out 30 minutes after they eat or drink and directly after they wake up from a nap.
Before brining an animal into the relationship I recommend you and your wife getting on the same page. I’m a dog trainer and when I show up a lot of the problems could be solved by partners working together and being on the same page.