Training session structure: how long, how often, and where

• Session length: 3–5 minutes for puppies, 5–10 minutes for adults, several times a day.
• Plan one or two goals per session and know what "a win" looks like before you start.
• Aim for about 80% success. If your dog is getting it wrong more than 2 in 10 times, make it easier.
• End on a success and while your dog is still keen.

Dogs learn well with spaced practice — short sessions with breaks in between. Several studies of dogs learning new tasks found that dogs trained once or a few times a week in short sessions learned at least as well as dogs trained daily in longer sessions. The takeaway is not that daily training is bad, but that more minutes don't equal faster progress. Quality and consistency matter more than volume.

• Pick one or two behaviors to work on, and decide what counts as success today.
• Prepare 20–40 tiny treats (count them — it doubles as a way to measure the session).
• Choose the easiest possible location for new behaviors: a quiet room, no other pets, no food on the counter.
• Check your dog is ready: not just eaten a huge meal, not exhausted, has had a toilet break.

Warm up (30 seconds): Start with something your dog already knows well, like a sit or a hand target, to get into "training mode" and earn a few easy wins.

Work (a few minutes): Practice the new skill in quick reps — ideally one every few seconds. Track success roughly: if your dog gets 8 out of 10 right, make it slightly harder. If it gets fewer than 5 right, make it easier. Change one variable at a time: duration, distance, or distraction.

Finish (30 seconds): End with an easy rep your dog can nail, a jackpot of treats or a short game, and a clear "all done" signal so your dog knows the session is over.

Teach new behaviors indoors in a quiet room. Once a behavior is reliable there, move to a different room, then the garden, then a quiet street, then busier places. Each step is a new challenge for your dog, so expect a dip in performance and make the task easier when you move.

Formal sessions teach new skills. Everyday life is where they become habits. A few easy ways to fit in extra practice:

• A sit or wait before the food bowl goes down.
• A wait at every door and car door.
• A few recalls on each walk, rewarded and followed by more freedom.
• Place during your own meals.
• Hand target in the ad breaks.