Snowball is getting better at this!

I have been trying for about 3 years for Snowball to walk next to me without me holding the leash. When I lived in the trailer park down the road i taught Snowball how to walk next to me and when I said, "Good bye, Snowball" she would turn around and walk next to me. I am now trying to teach her how to walk next to me without her leash on my new land. It is very hard. We get over 100 feet and than she runs off. The only way she comes back is if the car door is open (she runs in and sits down, ready for a ride).
The old saying, "You can teach an old dog new tricks" really works. lol. Snowball is 5 years old and it is very hard to teach her stuff. I finally taught her how to stay on command. She would never stay, just sit. She is such a good dog, just sometimes I wish that she would be more well trained. You know?
How long does it usually take to train a dog? In average.

what breed is snowball?:o

To train a dog what? Basic commands? sit, stay, come, takes about a few days or less, if you train every day, Tricks, like roll over, shake, dance even, can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, i could be wrong though, Daisy took a few days, and Molly took a few weeks to be trained:)

depends on your dog. Border collies...will pick something up really fast...same w/gsd's poodles...etc. It took kai about 5 minutes for spin and bang. But other stuff like, shake, other paw, sit, down, come...took a while. For stay, kai just knew it automatically...weird dog. Kai knows all the stuff..but it's really hard to get him to focus and actually do it...

Snowball is an english springer spaniel. i taught her how to stay, come, and basically thats it. im still new at it. she knew audimatically to sit on command.

ohh i see...it doesn't take long to teach your dog..its the focusing that might be a problem. I'm thinking...kai will be more focused and better at it by the time he's about 2 or 3...he's still a pup...

Have you and Snowball ever taken classes?? They are of great help in learning the basics in a structured setting and as well, amidst a lot of distractions. And you get to pick the brains of the trainer!:) A dog is never to old to learn. And, the key is consistency! Just keep at it, every day, even if it's only for 10-15 minutes! And make it fun!