6 Common Dog Training Mistakes To Avoid
Sometimes when training a dog we get frustrated and think that it is the dog who has the problem. But the truth is, you are likely making one of these common mistakes and it is this which is causing the problem and preventing your dog from progressing with training.
Are you sure about your training technique? Training your dog means more than just feeding it, taking care of it and playing with it. Educating a dog goes much further, and it is essential to do it well to ensure a good living situation and close bonding with your pet. So here at OneHowTo, we are going to explain what are the most common dog training mistakes and how you can avoid committing any of these canine cardinal sins!
Steps to follow:
Punishment vs positive reinforcement: Punishment is always unpleasant, and positive reinforcement will get better results. Forget reprimands or punishments and instead focus on the reward when your dog does something right.
Severe orders: Sometimes when a dog misbehaves you want to stop this behaviour immediately, rather than properly teaching it how to behave. For example with a "stop" or "no" accompanied by a sudden movement. However any strong orders will generate stress and anxiety, so when you want your dog to stop behaving in a way, always train using positive reinforcement.
Physical punishment: Using force with your dog is a serious mistake This is cruel and can have negative and very undesirable consequences. Why? Because your dog will also have the same feeling: fear. And fear will generate frustration, and frustration is always accompanied by aggression.
If you use aggression with your dog, it will also be aggressive with you. So forget about these types of punishment and treat your dog as it deserves: with love and respect.
Giving complicated orders: You must be patient so that your dog can learn properly. Rushing the dog training process is impossible, as each individual dog will go at its own pace. Patience and perseverance will be your allies. So forget about complicated commands and training exercises as they will only confuse your dog. Simple training techniques with positive reinforcement is what works.
Blaming your dog for mistakes: Are you sure that is your dog who is to blame for not behaving properly? If you fail with a lack of patience, the blame will always be yours and never your dog's. But you should not get angry or frustrated on your part either, you only need to apply yourself and get more involved in training and understanding of your dog.
Punishing the dog after bad behavior has already occurred: As well as taking into account what we have already said, punishing your dog after bad behavior has occurred will only confuse your dog. If they do not understand straight away, it is no good telling them later as they will not associate the crime with the punishment.
If you found these tips useful then we have plenty more specialized articles on dog training and puppy training such as how to stop your dog attacking a cat and how to stop it from running away.
If you want to read similar articles to 6 Common Dog Training Mistakes To Avoid, we recommend you visit our Pets category.
