Dog Training Tips

Are you making these common dog training mistakes? Does your dog exhibit undesirable behavior? Having a trained dog makes life easier for everyone and keeps your furry companion safer. However, sometimes training just doesn’t seem to take, despite following expert guidelines. Use these tips to make dog training easier.

This article discusses common dog training mistakes that dog owners make. It applies to new dog owners and those who have had dogs for a long time, whether they engage in dog training exercises or not. It explains why some dog training regimens can fail. It also addresses how some owners instill undesirable behavior patterns subconsciously, how to recognize and how to overcome this pattern.

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Use Treats Correctly

Dogs reportedly love food, but some turn their nose up at certain types. When using tasty rewards as a dog training tool for your companion, choose kibbles that he actually enjoys. Soft, chewy treats make the best rewards because dogs find them more exciting than hard, crunchy ones.

Always produce the treat after the desired behavior, not as a bribe. Use food only as a reward in the early training stages and always in conjunction with praise and affection. In time, substitute more affection and use less edible treats. This reinforces your bond and makes him more likely to obey when an unexpected situation arises. It will also keep him from becoming overweight.

Show Consistency and Set Boundaries

Repeat all the steps for the training maneuvers until the dog has mastered them. Each dog will learn at his own pace. Make sure that family members use the same commands and that they don’t unwittingly reward undesirable behavior. This can be particularly difficult with children around, especially when they try to sneak your dog food at mealtime. If you can’t control a given situation, keep your dog away from it to maintain its disciplined behavior around temptation.

Don’t hesitate to use gates or crates. When used only part-time so that your dog still gets plenty of social interaction throughout the day, these make valuable dog training tools.

Avoid Reinforcing Undesirable Behavior

Even when you’re not consciously teaching commands to a dog, you’re still training him. This applies when you fail to redirect undesirable behavior, or when you unknowingly reinforce traits that at first seem playful or humorous.

For example, your puppy barks after he brings you a toy because he wants you to throw it. You playfully comply, and he has now learned that when he wants something, he just needs to bark. After the fifth time, it starts to get annoying and you say “no.” He increases his noisy efforts, thinking you’re not understanding him, so you give in to stop the racket. This reinforces him even more, and now he will bark for food, walks and other types of attention. Before you know it, you’ll be “that” neighbor with the constantly yapping dog.

Have Realistic Expectations

Puppies and energetic breeds are generally harder to train. However, despite common dog training misconceptions, old dogs can learn new tricks. It just takes them longer. Behaviors, like digging, jumping and barking, are typical dog activities and take longer to redirect than teaching actual commands such as sit, come, stay and heel.

It will also take time to stop acquired patterns. For example, if you allowed your small puppy to jump up to greet people because it was cute but now want him to stop because he weighs more than a small child, don’t expect immediate results. Even if your dog stays small, this behavior should be redirected because it’s not practical when you try to take him out for socializing.

Understand Different Breed Requirements

Families often opt for smaller dogs because they think that they will be easier to manage. Many owners of small dogs suffer from the common misconception that their companions don’t need dog training because of their portability. However, small breeds especially need the safety that obedience brings.

Small dogs have an unjustified reputation for being hard to train, but they respond to positive reinforcement just like their bigger relatives. Owners just need to modify the training regimen to adapt to the dog’s criteria. Since small dogs tend to feel more vulnerable, get down to their level, use a softer voice, and turn slightly to the side to reduce the intimidation factor.

Give Specific Commands

The word “no” doesn’t give a dog enough information. When he performs an undesirable behavior such as jumping when greeting a person, this word will just make him substitute one unwanted action for another. For example, he simply might jump lower, higher or run around in excitement. Instead, redirect him with a basic command. “Sit” works especially well in this case because it’s one of the easier commands for dogs to learn.

Final Thoughts

Considering all these factors and common dog training mistakes, successful dog training relies on a canine’s desire to please and his affinity for food. However, each dog comes with individual personality traits. Some have less desire to please and not all go equally crazy for food. Their training regimen needs tweaking and requires more effort, so you might benefit from enlisting a canine-training professional.

Dog training can be tough. The number of professionals that advertise their services in dog training is proof of this. Dog training requires lots of patience and lots of expertise. Still, dog training isn’t something that you will necessarily need a professional for. With a little bit of understanding, a lot of patience and some preparation, even a beginner can train their dog just as good as a professional.

Common Dog Training Mistakes

5 Dog Training Tips

Here are 5 tips for anyone looking to train a dog for the first time. This article illustrates some of the common mistakes that new dog owners make when trying to train their dogs. It gives advice and solutions for many of the problems that can complicate training for new dog owners. It encourages patience and understanding when dealing with your new pet.

Maintain consistent boundaries

This is probably the most important aspect of dog training. You need to know exactly what you’re training the dog to do and stay consistent about it. If you don’t want your dog sitting on your favorite chair, you have to keep this rule and maintain it. You can’t say “oh, but he looks so cute in it”, take a few pictures, pet him, and then continue on trying to train him to keep off. You can never give in and you have to establish truly solid boundaries.

Dogs are smart but they aren’t smart enough to understand inconsistent teachings. You need to constantly reinforce boundaries and drill them in so that they are solidly communicated to your new friend.

Give dogs treats, love, and lots of positive reinforcement

If the only reinforcement that your dog gets during training is negative, then your dog might turn against you. If they feel that there is no incentive to listen and that they aren’t being loved and cared for, what reason do they have to listen to you in the first place? You have to treat your dog with respect and love and give lots of positive reinforcement whenever your dog listens and does what you want them to.

Buying some good dog treats to give your new pet when they do what is expected of them is a traditional go-to for dog training. Be sure to try out many different treats and maybe even take your dog to the pet store and let them pick out some treats for themselves.

Not all dogs like the same treats and you’re going to get a lot farther in dog training if your dog really loves the treats that you give them. Usually, dogs prefer more natural treats to artificial ones like flavored dog biscuits, but that isn’t always the case. Hides and bones are some of the best things you can give a dog. Dogs love bones!

Don’t push it, have realistic expectations

Your dog isn’t going to load and unload the dishwasher. Your dog isn’t going to turn the television on for you and change the channel if the remote control has run out of batteries. Your dog will likely never be able to make your bed. Beyond this, your dog isn’t going to instantly learn how to poop outside.

Dogs understand body language but they aren’t psychic. It is important that you have realistic expectations and don’t push your dog too far. Not only will this make your dog upset and confused and less likely to listen in the future, but it will also decrease your own morale and consistency in training going forward. Know what you are trying to get from your dog in training, establish the boundaries, and make sure all of your expectations are 100% realistic.

Basic training is the foundation on which your dog may be able to learn more complicated tricks and protocols in the future. When you first start out training, keep your expectations realistic and stay consistent.

Don’t get frustrated with dog training

It’s not only important that your dog doesn’t get frustrated and confused during training but it’s also important that you, the trainer, don’t get frustrated. Dog training is going to require nearly unlimited amounts of patience from the trainer. As we’ve said, dogs are smart and they are able to learn but they aren’t telepathic.

The whole point of dog training is that dogs require lots of guidance and lots of reinforcement, consistency, and boundaries in order to be properly trained. There are going to be a lot of mistakes and accidents. If you get too frustrated early on because things aren’t going totally your way, then that is going to create lots of problems going forward.

Don’t let your dog see you get upset and frustrated because this will just confuse them. As well, getting frustrated can put a huge dent in your attitude and patience going forward. Stay calm and collected and if you feel yourself getting a little hot under the collar, step back and take a break from training. Go get a snack and recoup and come up with a new plan. Remind yourself that patience and understanding are key and not everything is going to go your way immediately.

Pay attention and listen to your dog

Just like with love, affection, and positive reinforcement, understanding your dog and their own unique form of communication is integral to smooth and proper training. Your dog needs to be given total respect before they can be expected to give you total respect and you will need to make a strong effort to understand their unique wants and needs. Dogs are all individuals and there is not always a go-to solution for how to understand and train your dog specifically.

Dogs always have their own way of communicating, so watching and paying close attention to your dog will give you a firmer understanding of your dog that will help you with training. You will want to make a strong effort to understand telltale signs your dog needs to go to the bathroom, for instance; that way you can let your dog out so they can go in the yard.

You will want to understand when your dog is hungry, when your dog is scared, when your dog is upset, and when your dog is getting a little too tired for training. Respect your dog and they will respect you. Treat your dog with dignity, patience, and understanding, and training them will be a breeze.