Have You Made These Common Dog Training Mistakes?

How is your dog training going? When it comes to training your dog, how would you rate your progress?

If it isn’t going as well as you’d like it to, remember….it takes time, patience, and a lot of treats!

Sometimes, if things don’t seem to be going how you had hoped, you may need to evaluate your techniques to determine if you’re making mistakes that will keep you from success.

These mistakes may seem insignificant, but can lead to frustration for both you and your furry friend.

Correct these dog training mistakes…

1. Waiting too long to begin training – Your pup can start to be trained the moment you bring him/her home. The longer you wait, the more opportunity you give for bad habits to begin. You can begin small, like learning his name, and as time goes on the efforts can increase.
2. Repeating yourself – If your dog isn’t responding to a command that he already knows, do not repeat the command over and over until he finally responds. What you’re doing is teaching him that it isn’t necessary to pay attention until you have repeated yourself 5 or 6 times. Say your command just once, and if he doesn’t appear to be listening to you, stop, get his attention and then give your command. The key here, is to make sure he his paying attention to you.
3. Using the wrong technique – If your dog doesn’t seem to be picking up on a particular training method, it’s time to re-evaluate and try something different. Remember: the definition of “crazy” is trying the same thing over and over again and thinking you’ll get a different outcome.
4. Your bad attitude – If you are in a bad mood or you’re feeling frustrated…Fido is aware, and your mood can rub off on him. If you can’t seem to change your mood, stop the training and just spend time relaxing together and bonding with each other.
5. Shorten your training time – For an effective training session, you should only spend a couple of minutes, multiple times a day. If you have gone too long…your pup will become disinterested, bored or just plain tired, and so will you.
6. Being inconsistent – Whether it’s during a training session or just throughout the day, be consistent with commands and with expectations. Otherwise you are confusing your dog and slowing down the effectiveness of your training efforts.
7. Punishing during training – Rewarding your dog for desired behavior rather than disciplining when he doesn’t perform as you wanted him to is much more effective. Remember, your dog wants to please you, and earning a reward is an indication to him that he is doing so.
8. Calling Fido for something he won’t want to do – If you’re calling your dog to come for something he doesn’t like, such as baths, getting his nails trimmed, or because you’re irritated, you’re teaching him that “coming” may not be such a good idea. If you need your dog at such a time, go get him instead.
9. Training just at home – Unless you want your dog to only be trained while at home, practice his training skills at different places and in different circumstances. He will learn to follow your commands while having different distractions going on around him.

Training a dog isn’t for everyone…if it’s not for you, maybe it would be better to hire a professional trainer. At BowWow Fun Towne we offer Puppy Socialization and Private as well as Family Friendly classes.

We are experts in dog day care, and we care about your dog and take their health and well-being seriously – We have a Puppy Preschool that would be great to enroll your pup in! Our facility features a full size swimming pool for fun and exercise.

Contact us today