5 Common Dog Training Errors and How to Avoid Them
Nearly 40% of American households own dogs.
We all love our furry friends, but they can be tricky to deal with when they haven’t had the proper training. If you’re going to be able to do healthy dog activities like taking them to the dog park or going on off-leash hikes, you need to take training seriously.
In this post, we’re going to help you avoid common dog training errors. The more you know about what not to do, the better chance your pooch has of being the sweet angel you want them to be.
Dog behavior management isn’t easy, but when you know what mistakes to avoid, in-house dog training pays off in a big way.
1. Waiting Too Long
When you bring home a puppy, you want to enjoy those fleeting baby months while they last. If your cute little puppy is going to turn into a well-behaved dog, you’ve got to start training almost right away. Waiting too long is a mistake that could cause problems far down the road.
House dog training is something you can learn a lot about by doing your own research, but nothing replaces professional puppy training classes. These will lay the groundwork for you to train your dog in the comfort of your home later on.
2. Inconsistency
Busy professionals and families often have a difficult time staying consistent with dog training. Once you start training your pooch, you’ve got to keep at it until those behaviors become deeply ingrained.
If you enroll in training, make sure to keep practicing in between classes. Going for training once a week with no training in between just isn’t enough to properly train a puppy.
3. Harsh Discipline
It’s easy to become frustrated when your dog isn’t listening to you. Everyone’s had those moments when they lose their cool on a pet, but consistently harsh discipline gets you nowhere and it really does hurt your pet. There are ways to humanely discipline your dog.
Things like leash jerking, yelling, or whacking will make your dog fearful of you. It could potentially lead to more dangerous behavior in your dog down the road as well. If they’re afraid, they’re more likely to mistrust humans and lash out regularly.
4. Cue Nagging
Cue nagging is when you repeat the same command over and over to little effect. The best example of this is when you’re telling your dog to “come” when they’re off leash. When they don’t listen, most dog owners tend to keep repeating the command.
Basically, what this tells your dog is that they don’t have to listen to the first command. If you can see that your dog is distracted, it’s better not to use the command at all until you’ve got their attention.
5. Inconsistent Command Names
If we haven’t made it clear yet, consistency is the most important aspect of dog training. This goes with command names for dogs as well.
You’re only going to confuse your pup if you suddenly start using a command they’re not used to. If you say “come” to get them to come over to you, don’t start saying “here, girl” and expect them to know what you mean. Eventually, multiple command names could work, but not while you’re training.
Avoid Common Dog Training Errors for Doggy Success
These are a few of the most common dog training errors that you should avoid. If you’re unsure of how to properly train your dog, it’s in both of your best interests to go to a class and get the basics from a professional. A lot of the time, dog trainers end up training the owners more than the dogs.
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