Training Session Recommendations

How long is the ideal training session for your dog? There is no one answer. The following considerations can help you decide how long you should spend on your training session.

1. How old is your dog?
Just like young children, puppies have much shorter attention spans than mature dogs. I typically recommend keeping training sessions to 5 minutes or less for puppies under a  year old. You are much better off doing 2-3 short sessions per day with a young dog.
As your dog becomes physically and mentally mature, you can slowly increase the length of time of your session if needed.

2. Are you practicing by yourself at home, in a class, or in a private lesson?
If you are practicing by yourself, keep the session short. This one-on-one makes for an intense training session.
If you are in a group class, even young dogs can last 30-45 minutes. Most older puppies or adult dogs can handle a 1 hour group class. In a group your dog has down time to relax between turns. This makes it easier for the dog to work during its turns for the whole class time.
Private lessons tend to be high in intensity. For this reason, younger dogs may do better limiting their lesson time to 30 minutes instead of the typical hour. Discuss with your trainer how much time is appropriate for your dog. My general rule is puppies under a year get 30 minute session. Dogs 1-2 years are decided on a case-by-case basis. Adult dogs get 1 hour sessions.

3. What is your training plan for this session?
If you are working on something that requires intense concentration and precision from the dog, a shorter session may be a good choice. Teaching a brand new behavior is often a good indication for a short session.
If you are mixing up the behaviors you are working on and have your dog moving around (say working on heeling, then a jump, then fronts), you may be able to extend your session longer.
Will you be having  your dog wait on a stay or in a crate while you adjust your agility equipment for the next sequence? This down time means your session can be longer.

4. Stop while you are ahead. Always end on a good note.
If your dog did something absolutely incredible, feel free to reward them and end on that note.
If you are having trouble during your session, back off the behavior you were working on. Ask your dog to do something you know they will be successful at. End on the successful behavior. Your training session should always end with you and your dog pleased.

5. What if I find myself always working for longer than I planned?
Set a timer. No matter what you are doing, end when the timer goes off.
Set aside a certain number of rewards. Once those are done, end your session.

6. Work up to increased time.
Don't jump from 5 minutes to 15. Slowly increase the time. I would take approximately a week to add 5 minutes to my training session.

When in doubt, keep your sessions short, sweet, and successful!