I get a version of this question a lot from people picking their dog up after a program: “So we’re all set now, right?” And I get why they ask it. They just paid for training, their dog just finished training, it feels like a completed transaction. But a trained dog isn’t a finished product, it’s more like a fitness level. You can absolutely lose it if you stop using it.
Think about it like anything else you’ve ever gotten good at. You don’t graduate from being in shape. You don’t graduate from speaking a language fluently and then never need to speak it again. The skills stay sharp because you keep using them, and the second you stop, they start to fade, not overnight, but gradually, in ways you might not even notice until you’re wondering why your dog “used to be so good at this.”
Puppyhood is where the foundation gets built, and it matters, but I’ve watched plenty of well-socialized, beautifully behaved puppies turn into anxious or pushy adolescents because the training stopped once the cute phase wore off. Adolescence in dogs is a lot like it is in people. They get bigger, more independent, occasionally more of a pain, and they need more guidance during that stretch, not less, even though it’s exactly when a lot of owners start to ease off because the hard puppy stuff feels done.
This is actually why I built our Jumpstart Board and Train program the way I did. It’s a five week program, but I split it into two phases on purpose instead of running it straight through. Three weeks now, while your puppy is young and building the foundation, and then a second two week phase later, timed for right around eight to ten months old. That second phase isn’t a separate booking or an add-on, it’s baked into the program from day one, because eight to ten months is almost exactly when adolescence hits and all that early training starts to feel like it’s wearing off, the same sit-stay that was rock solid at four months suddenly falls apart the second a squirrel shows up. Catching that window instead of waiting to see how bad it gets is the difference between a quick tune-up and starting over from scratch.
The dogs who stay solid their whole lives are the ones whose owners kept training a normal part of life, the same way you’d keep exercising or keep practicing an instrument. Not necessarily formal sessions every day, sometimes it’s as simple as asking for a sit before dinner or a solid down-stay while you answer the door. Dogs, like us, need mental stimulation or they get bored, and a bored dog finds their own hobbies, usually ones you don’t love, like your couch cushions or the trash can.
It’s also just good for the relationship. Every training moment, big or small, is a rep in the same muscle, you communicating clearly, your dog trusting that you’ll follow through. That trust is what gets you through the actual hard moments, a move, a new baby, a health scare, a scary vet visit, because a dog who’s used to looking to you for guidance handles change a lot better than one who’s never had to.
And it doesn’t stop when your dog gets older, either. Senior dogs still need mental engagement, sometimes more than ever, since their bodies are slowing down before their brains are ready to. Adjusting cues for a dog with hearing loss, keeping a stiff-jointed dog’s brain sharp with easier games, that’s still training, it just looks different than it did at six months old.
So no, you’re never really “all set.” That’s actually the whole idea behind building the adolescent phase into Jumpstart from the start, instead of hoping the foundation holds on its own.
Written by Ivan Rios, CDT
If your puppy is getting close to that eight to ten month mark, or you want to talk through how the five week Jumpstart program works, reach out and we’ll figure out the right timing for your dog.
