Is my dog too young?

A dog's brain is ready to learn at seven to eight weeks old. He's an eager sponge, ready to be filled with pleasing behaviors such as sit, down and come or with undesirable activities such as chewing on your couch. Even if your dog isn't fully capable of mastering a behavior -- he probably doesn't have complete bladder control at eight weeks, for example -- he can certainly be learning good foundations.

A puppy does have a shorter attention span than an adult; that's why puppy classes are designed with play breaks and socialization time. Older dogs can build up to a much longer period of concentration.

Occasionally people ask why some trainers do not begin training until about six months old. It's true that young puppies cannot be trained with traditional modeling and choke chains; their undeveloped structure is subject to injury from collar pops and pressuring handling, and they cannot maintain focus for the long periods of block heeling common in many traditional classes. But they do quite well with inducive shaping methods and classes designed for their young brains.

To use a rough analogy, a four-year-old child will not do well in boot camp, but he might thrive in a Montessori school.