Dog Training Mistakes
May 2010
Not being consistent within the family ~ Everyone in the family wants to be involved in the dog training process. Each and everyone come out with its own commands and methods. While this is understandable, this kind of training will confuse your dog. Proper planning such as specific routine, methods, responsibilities and rules should be discuss among your family members before the dog or puppy arrives home. In this way, everyone will understand their own role and the importance of consistency.
Training too much, too fast ~ Are you ever guilty of introducing too many new commands or tricks to your dog in one to two training session? Unfortunately, this is happening frequently among many dog owners and will usually cause your dog to be more confuse. Instead, you need to work on one new training exercise or command per training session. Dogs have a shorter attention span. Train your dog 15 minutes per session each, twice per day. Having patience will also set up your dog to comprehend each command better and be more successful in the training process.
Not praising or rewarding immediately ~ If your dog has performed a desire action and you delay giving out immediate rewards, you will find it tough training your dog well. A dog will fail to understand what it is doing right unless you associate it with praise or food immediately after each action. Rewarding immediately also ensure you are rewarding the correct behavior. You should only withhold rewarding in the event when your timing is late so that you won't unintentionally reward the wrong behaviors
Unintentional Approval ~ Your dog jumps up on you enthusiastically every time on your homecoming or you see your dog cower into a corner from the sound of thunder, have you ever reach out by petting it? Then you are telling your pet you approve of its behavior. Though it may seem harmless, these kind of unintentional approvals may lead to more serious behavior problems when they figure out that it results in increased direct attention from you. Once a dog has learned a bad behavior or developed a phobia, more time and effort will be needed to correct and retrain your pet again. Therefore, always be mindful of your actions and plan ahead on how you want to train your dog.
Giving Commands With Unpleasant Actions ~ Never give out a command or call your dog's name, only to be disciplined by you. Once it perceive any command or recall with an unpleasant experience, it will start to ignore and run away from you whenever you use that particular command. Always greet your dog positively for each command and action. Do not yell but use a stern voice when you catch him make mistakes.
Training your dog when you are in a bad mood ~ If you are having a bad day, do not train your dog. Your tone of voice will be different and you are most likely to get frustrated and display anger more easily. Neither should you continue to train if either you or your dogs are finding it difficult to concentrate. Your dog is less likely to have problems and enjoy the training if he/she can experience more things positively.
Giving Too Much Attention And Affection ~ Many dog owners start showering too much physical affection the moment a puppy arrives to its new home. This constant attention can cause your dog unable to cope, causing him/her to whine and cry whenever you need to leave the house. Help your dog to earn for your affection by not petting or praising him for no apparent reasons. Train him to relax alone by leaving him in a separate room with its favorite toy.
Not Playing With Your Dog ~ A lot of dog owners forget to play with their dog after each training session. All dogs deserve a good game with you after each training. Playing games with your dog will boost your dog's interest in learning and it will also allow your dog to look forward to its next training session with you. At the same time, it can also alleviate boredom, burn out excessive energy and provide your dog with the much needed mental and physical stimulation.
Not Seeking Professional Help ~ One of the big mistakes in dog training is dog owners not seeking professional help when required. Professional can save you from many hours of frustration. Do not assume that you have fail in your dog training just because you seek professional trainers. Just like a student asking the teacher for advice and help, seeking professional help on the other hand is the best sign of commitment to your dog.
Check Collars Check your pet's neck at least once a week to make sure the collar is not too loose or too tight ... and that it's still there