A year of Houston dog seasons: the calendar in one post.

Houston does not have the four seasons a training book assumes. It has a long heat, a short cool, a storm season and a fireworks season, and a dog's year runs on those. This is the calendar we plan the training home around.

September to November

The training season. Pavement is safe all day by late September, trails reopen, and the holidays are the deadline. Book the fall program in August, fix the door before Thanksgiving, and use every cool morning for the long structured walk.

December to February

Fireworks from Christmas week through New Year's, holiday guests and travel, the rare freeze, rodeo trail rides in late February, and the fall puppies hitting adolescence. Indoor work, crate calm and neutrality are the themes.

March to May

Storm season opens, alligators return to the bayous, spring litters come home, pools open and the first 90-degree week arrives. Recall near water, thunder plans and the eight-week puppy checklist.

June to August

Hurricane season, July 4 fireworks, peak heat and road trips. Dawn and dusk outdoors, store aisles at noon, the go-bag packed, and the fall dates booked before the calendar fills.

• Outdoor training window: late September to mid May
• Book the fall program: August
• Fix the door: October
• Crate calm for fireworks and storms: two weeks before each season
• The pavement test: every walk from May to September

How the training home runs the year

The programs do not change with the calendar; the days inside them do. A Platinum stay in October is three weeks of long walks, trails and patios. The same stay in July is dawn heel work, store aisles at noon and the lake after dark. Both dogs come home with the same skills, because the skills are built by repetition in real places, and Houston offers real places in every season if you know when to use them. Field trips are chosen by the month: the trail rides in February, the hardware store on a hundred-degree afternoon, the boardwalk at Towne Lake on a November evening when every family in Cypress is out on it.

Using the calendar as a family

Put four things in your own calendar now. The August booking call, so the fall dates are yours. The October door work, two weeks before the first holiday guest. The crate-and-sound work in mid-December and again in mid-June, for the fireworks weeks. And the pavement test as a daily habit from the first 90-degree day. A family that does those four things with a dog that has a foundation rarely needs us again except for a refresher; a family that does none of them usually does. The seasonal posts on this page cover each one in detail, and the free phone consultation is where our team helps you decide which season is the right one to start.

Written by

Best Dog University Team

Board and train trainers in Cypress, Houston. 16+ years, 900+ dogs. About our team