Five Common Dog Training Mistakes to Avoid

Everyone wants their dog to behave and do what they are told. It makes life for the dog safer and happier, and makes dog ownership more pleasurable for the human, too. Many people can find a class near their home that teaches obedience. Other people may have to get a book and figure things out for themselves. Whichever way you proceed, here are some common mistakes owners make when training their dog.

Use current best practices to train your dog. Some books from thirty or forty years ago are still out there. If you read one, you will be appalled at the harshness of training back then. Instead, get a book on training that teaches you to positively motivate your dog so that you work as a team. Many scientific studies have found that dogs can understand and feel things that were once thought to be the exclusive territory of humans. In fact, a well socialized, well trained dog has the mental capacity of a two to three your old child. Don’t punish your dog in ways you would not punish a child that age.
Use the right kind of rewards for your dog. Many people fear that if they start using food as a reward that the dog will never obey unless he is given the food. This is not true. Food rewards are an excellent way to acknowledge the dog’s obedience to a command. After the dog clearly understands the command, then you slowly wean him off of the treats and only give them to him occasionally.
Don’t expect too much too soon. Dogs are funny creatures. If they learn to obey a command in, say, your living room, they may not understand or obey it in the back yard. The dog isn’t being disobedient. He just doesn’t associate the word with the action in a new location. To solve this problem, you need to practice your obedience in as many places as possible so your dog generalizes the meaning of the command and obeys it everywhere.
Stop problems before they get too big. A lot of people allow their puppies to do something because it is “cute.” Unfortunately, what was cute in a puppy isn’t so cute in a big dog. For example, you allow a puppy to jump up on you for attention. When your dog is mature and weighs a good bit, that behavior is no longer so cute. It is much harder to train the dog not to do it now because he doesn’t understand why it was permitted up to now, and is suddenly a bad thing to do. Nip problems in the bud by eliminating them as they come up.
Training never ends. Just as you cannot remember how to do something that you never practice, your dog gets rusty about obedience, too. You will always have to practice the obedience you taught your dog. The payoff is a well mannered dog who has a solid relationship with you.

Training your dog is an obligation to him or her that you should fulfill throughout the dog’s life. In return, you will have a companion who can accompany you through life without embarrassing you or causing a problem.