ASK DQ

Q: What’s the ideal length of a training session at home?

Effectively training your dog at home involves short and frequent sessions to maintain interest. It is vital to keep your dog engaged and eager to learn. Dogs have a limited attention span, so avoid long sessions where they may become disinterested or even frustrated.

Instead, we would advise aiming for several three-minute training sessions throughout the day. You don’t need to get your stopwatch out and become too regimented about this, but three minutes definitely serves as a reasonable guide.

Q: Do I need to teach my puppy to play and how important is play for him? My three-month old doesn’t seem to have any interest in toys. He doesn’t chase balls or interact with the toys at all, although he does sleep with a soft dog toy. Does this matter and, if so, how can I encourage him to play?

A: Play is beneficial as it teaches balance, coordination, safe interactions with others, and learning to use the mouth safely around humans.

Dogs are generally lifelong players so your situation is unusual, especially for such a young dog.

Our first priority would be to get your vet to check for any medical reason, such as pain, that your dog does not feel like engaging with play.

If your vet confirms that your dog is happy and healthy, it may just be that your dog is young and his playfulness should develop as his confidence grows. Be careful not to overwhelm him with over-encouragement. Let him watch you quietly playing with his toys yourself; curiosity may lead him to want to join in.

You can also try rewarding good behaviours with games, e.g. playing when he has come when called. Fun, physical activity together strengthens relationships! Yet, just as some people love active sports while others are more jigsaw types, finding the ‘right’ game is key. If you get stuck, we would recommend chatting to a puppy trainer. Accredited instructors generally have a compendium of games to entice your pup to play with you, as well as recommendations for a variety of good toys including those with different textures, those that release food and those that make different noises.