Q & A

Answers to commonly asked questions from the experts on Thumbtack.

How old should a puppy be for training?

Dog training shouldn’t wait until you’re having behavior problems. If you get a new puppy, start from the beginning with professional training to give both you and your puppy the tools you need for a healthy relationship. Dog training is as much about teaching the owner how to interact with their new dog as it is about the dog learning to behave. Puppy training can start as early as eight weeks old. Trainers who offer puppy training programs may works specifically with dogs between the ages of 8 and 18 weeks old. Trainers can teach owners about potty training and how to deal with accidents, working with separation anxiety, and training your pooch out of destructive behaviors like chewing, biting and demand barking. Puppies will start to learn to walk on-leash and other basic skills.

In addition to behavior training, socializing your puppy is an important part of dog training. Socializing your dog means they become comfortable and confident in a variety of settings and have a great foundation for becoming a well-adjusted adult dog. After your puppy has had the proper vaccinations, you can start to introduce it to a variety of different dogs and people in safe settings.

Which dog training method is best?

The best type of dog training for both you and your dog depends on the outcomes you hope to achieve. If you want your dog to learn agility training, go to someone who specializes in those techniques. Regardless of whether you want your dog to learn basic behavior or competitive-level tricks, the majority of dog training is actually about training the owner how to communicate with their dog. Most professional dog trainers agree that a model of training based on positive reinforcement breeds a happy, healthy, well-adjusted dog. The alternative to positive reinforcement training is using force or aggression techniques like physical punishment or shock-collar training to get the dog to do (or not do) a behavior. While the dog may learn how to behavior as you direct, it is also learning to communicate with force and aggression, and will in turn use those behaviors on other dogs (or people) that are smaller or weaker than it is. Before signing up with a dog trainer, meet with the trainer and ask for references. Watch the trainer interact with your dog, and make sure they treat your dog with patience and firm kindness. Ask them questions about their training methods:

What type of training methods do you use?
What is your background and training, and how did you become a dog trainer?
How long do you expect that we will work together before we achieve the results I’m after?

How long does it take to train a puppy?

Dog training depends on the dog and how much homework the dog owner is willing to put in. Puppy training is similar to dog training in that the onus of the work depends on the owner learning new ways to interact with their dog. For a quick crash course, you can opt for a single, two hour smart-start puppy training consultation to teach you the ins and outs of being a new dog parent. You can learn how to manage potty training and what to do if the puppy experiences separation anxiety. As long as you’re willing to work on dog training a little bit each day, your puppy will quickly learn these new behaviors. If you’re not confident about training your puppy yourself, you can enroll in a 6- to 8-week puppy training course, with weekly lessons touching on everything from bite control to obedience. Puppies usually need to be at least three months old for group training classes. If you want more intensive one-on-one work, you can opt for private lessons. Some behavior problems can be resolved in one session if the dog owner learns and can implement new skills. In the case of more serious issues, 3 to 10 private sessions can typically correct challenges.

Ryan S.

Verified review

Joel did a great job with our rescue pug and I would hire him again. In just 6 short 20-30 minute sessions, he provided general obedience training and our dog has been very well behaved since then. He is efficient with his time, sticking to the dog's attention span of 20-30 minutes, and provides positive reinforcement, thus avoiding the things like choke or shock collars. He also provided guidance to my family on what we should or shouldn't do. Joel was very affordable compared to the various options out there but I felt like we sacrificed nothing. Lessons were private and in my house or neighborhood. Quality was excellent and you can tell Joel cares about you individually and not as just another client. He also follows up after the sessions are done to check in and make sure all is okay. Top notch!

Michelle B.

Tina got in touch with us very quickly and sent us pictures of my cat and dog while we were away. I felt better leaving them knowing that Tina was spending the day with them. She truly loves animals. I would definitely ask her to come back and watch them again.

Megan H.

We have had only one session with Lena and have already seen amazing results with our 1 y.o. dog. Lena gives hands-on training to you and your dog. We are training our pup to be a therapy dog, and he is already well on his way to having the skills needed to pass the test. Well done Lena Skov! Glad we found you on Thumbtack!!!

Becky M.

Kevin provided a crash course in training for my older dog, who needed the basics. He was very insightful and helpful with information on the best way to train work with him and have him be successful. We will definitely be having more sessions.

Laura P.

I have worked with Holland K9 services for 3.5 years and I would whole heartedly recommend him to anyone. When we adopted our dog Buddy, he was so high energy that we had to let him run off leash to burn that energy off and be a happy dog. However he was completely unresponsive to commands off leash, and would charge (friendly and excited, but still) any dog or person he spotted. After a bad experience with another dog training group, we found John. He helped us to transition to using an E-collar (shock collar) in order to enforce off-leash commands. I was initially nervous about that type of training due to our prior experience but with John it went great. Buddy was never fearful like he was with the other trainers. Our dog became wonderful and basically 100% reliable off-leash, and all of us were so much happier. We hired him again when we got our second dog, and he helped us train her as well as brush up Buddy on his skills again. Training with him is definitely worth every cent.

Tonya B.

I was very impressed with the training my dog received. Kacey was the most difficult dog I have ever owned. We could not have anyone over to our home or take her out in public. After her training, she Is a different dog. She listens and we can now take her out anywhere. I can’t say enough good things about this company!! Definitely would recommend to anyone!!!

Joe B.

I can't say enough about Jarod Hutton and Dog Gone Good K9 Training. At this point my dog is smarter than I am. Super well behaved and socialized. Jarod's techniques don't require punishment or treats, just affection and trust me THIS WORKS!

Bill and Barb B.

We were in a real delima when a newly adopted dog attacked our dog. Our Vet highly recommended Katie at Top Dog. A quick call luckily resulted with an appointment the following day. Katie's professional experience with behavioral issues quickly revealed the root cause of the attack. Additionally, her observations moved her to advise us that more trouble would be in store for us if we tried to keep these two dogs together. We were thankful for her expertise and honesty for the sake of the dogs and for our family. Shortly after Katie left as we were considering our situation, her observations were almost played out again when another instance of anger and agitation occured. End of story is that we found another home where the new dog was the only pet in the house. If and when we need a trainer Katie at Top Dog will be only call we make.

Rhonda C.

We were so pleased with how things went when we left our dogs in Laura's care! I appreciated how she visited beforehand to meet them, and how she took detailed notes on everything. One of our dogs tends to be very anxious and I could tell that he felt totally comfortable and safe while in Laura's care. She really is a compassionate professional who listens - I highly recommend her services!

Heather T.

Henry is a lifesaver! My boyfriends dog isn’t a fan of other dogs so when he moved in we had Henry take the dogs for a week long camp to get them used to each other and learn boundaries. After the week, Henry felt a few more days would so the dogs good, so he kept them extra, free of charge, to ensure that he gave them back in the best scenario possible. He is always so willing to help and answers any questions! We will def be using him again in the future!

Doug L.

Nick with Alpha Moves Dog Training was very the very thing Penny my Leonberger and I needed. Penny is very stubborn and i was at my end for at home training. Nick did a great job teaching Penny and my self the Communication need for a great man/ dog relationship. You will not be disappointed with Alpha Moves Dog Training.

Jean H.

After the passing of our Black lab, last year it was so hard for us to get another dog but we knew we were ready. We seeked out Aaron and he found us the most beautiful chocolate lab puppy!! The kept him for the first few weeks and started him potty training and some basic commands and then they delivered him to us all the way to Virginia from Charlotte!! This company obviously really loves animals and has their best interest at heart. Thank you so much for our good boy!!! He will be continuing his puppy education here soon and we are looking forward to working with them again!

David B.

We had a great experience. It was very apparent our 6 month-old little beagle did too. He came home so happy. He had learned many things needed to become a good family pet. Now, if we, the humans, can follow our instructions to keep reinforcing the learning. You know, it's hard to teach an old dog (human) new tricks. Heather was great with Shylo and we would recommend her to anyone looking for super dog training.

Lauren A.

We had a great overall experience with Glenn as he trained our dog and us. :) Glenn was patient, well-informed and friendly. He answered all of our follow-up questions throroughly and made sure we felt comfortable throughout the training process. The one caveat I would suggest is to establish a communication plan upfront with him. Once we addressed that email was his preferred channel, things went more smoothly. We would recommend Glenn and his family to anyone looking for an educated dog trainer!

Cindi V.

Liz (and Meritt) did an awesome job of training Spartacus - our cockapoo - and us! What they do at CCT is everything a dog owner would want - they truly love what they do and it shows in how they help dogs be such great family members and how Spartacus loves going there for socializing and training with other dogs. I could not imagine having a dog without them.

Alyssa B.

Stephanie is without a doubt the perfect pet sitter!! She’s responsible, friendly, loves dogs and her background as a vet technician is a major plus! She’s a great dog mom and will treat yours as if they were her own!

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