Hmm - how long is a piece of string?!
How long did it take to train your child, your spouse, yourself?
The answer is surely that the training never ends. It’s an ongoing daily process.
As we change, and as our dogs change, we need to modify and re-apply our teaching to accommodate the new situation.
Your child was pointing to letters when very small. Then they began to read words, then sentences, then - huzzah! - whole books!
But it didn’t stop there.
Once they could read a book for a six-year-old, they had to keep on learning, to be able to read a book for a twelve-year-old, a twenty-year-old, a university graduate, a PhD …
They had to learn how to read a book which needed careful study, and they also learned how to read a light beach-read. Both have their place, and both need a different approach. One that we develop with experience.
The learning never ends!
So will it take more than a week to grasp a new skill?
You bet!
And if you’re thinking about teaching your dog a new skill, have a heart.
Do remember that they are from a different species.
They do not have verbal communication.
They see everything through the lens of “will this work for me?”
In the Brilliant Family Dog Academy, the lessons are laid out in weeks. This is not so that you can complete a week, sign off, and never re-visit that teaching!
Rather it’s to ensure that people work through the learning in the right order. The dog has to learn to “point to the letters” before he can read a book for a twelve-year-old!
A Quick Fix
Training your dog is not about finding a quick fix.
It’s about developing a bond between you that encompasses understanding, love, surprise, and mutual respect.
And that, as we know, takes a lifetime.
