July 23, 2025
My 15 month old dog is no longer interested in training, would there be a benefit in taking a break from structured activities for a couple of weeks?
Full Question:
15 months, Aussie, intact male. Hard Natured, stoic but sensitive.
training since 9 weeks.
In our training my dog no longer is as interested or driven to work with anyone, he still has a desire and seeks things to do but has no interest in the training and his body language is flat. I get some motivation but he will disengage and seems to act begrudgingly.
I included more game-based but still seems bored.
Trained with +reinforcement and limited corrections, herding weekly, trick and obedience daily.
training sessions were short and he has a really big prey drive. We go on one to two longer hikes a week.
I see lots of opinions on breaks mid-session, but nothing about extended training breaks.
He has a toy and food drive and I interchange these and keep his sessions as engaging as possible.
Could there be benefit for a couple of weeks of rolling back letting him mature a bit and focus on him finding value in our time together. I am not sure what the right call is here?


I find that my dogs almost always benefit from a break in training, especially as they are hitting different developmental phases. At 15 months your dog is an adolescent, much like an 18 year old kid.
It's never a bad idea to give breaks and just do "nothing" By nothing, I mean free time, maybe walks with no end goal, just to let him sniff and be a dog. Even something that is fun loses value if it's done constantly. If you have an area fenced in that he can safely hang out in, that's always an option too.
It's never a bad idea to give breaks and just do "nothing" By nothing, I mean free time, maybe walks with no end goal, just to let him sniff and be a dog. Even something that is fun loses value if it's done constantly. If you have an area fenced in that he can safely hang out in, that's always an option too.
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