Dog Training - Common Mistakes

For most people, buying a puppy is an exciting event. Puppies are cute and fun to be around. However, without proper training, your cute, fun puppy can turn into a dog that you wish you didn’t have. Puppies that have not been taught manners and basic commands can be very difficult to manage as they grow into adult dogs that have no respect for you or anyone in your family.

I believe that most dogs want to make their owners happy and that even some of the most unruly dogs can be turned out with a lot of patience and proper training. I’m not talking about dogs that are truly dangerous for one reason or another. Most dogs that are considered unruly or unmanageable have never had any type of training whatsoever. A little training in basic sit, stay, down and leave it can do wonders for many dogs.

Before you decide that today is the day that you start training your dog, there are a few things you should keep in mind before you start. I personally believe that only training methods based on positive reinforcement should be used. Hitting your dog or causing him pain while “training” him doesn’t work. You end up with a dog that is resentful and has no desire to listen to you or respect you. Hitting your dog can actually backfire and make your dog very aggressive and prone to attacking you. Dogs that are prone to being submissive may begin to pee any time you get near them as a sign of submission.

If your dog is behaving in an unacceptable manner, don’t just ignore the behavior because he will only continue to act in this manner. If you catch your dog doing something you don’t want him to do get his attention and tell him no. Then try to redirect his attention to a more acceptable behavior. For example, call him to you and reward him when he comes to you.

Get in the habit of rewarding positive behaviors when you see them. For example, if your dog barks at every noise he hears, get his attention and tell him quiet the next time he begins to bark. If he listens, tell him good dog. The more you can find good behaviors to reward, the more your dog will try to get your attention with his good behavior.

Remember to not ever punish your dog when he comes to you. The fact that your dog will come to you is positive and you want to keep it that way. If you call your dog to you and then punish him when he comes or you always do something unpleasant when he comes, like administer medicine or clip his toenails, he will stop coming to you at all! This could be a serious safety issue if your dog ever gets away from you or you need him to come to you quickly in an emergency.

Remember, the most effective way to train your dog is to reward him for good behavior. Punishing your dog rarely works and can lead to a dog that won’t listen to you and doesn’t want to interact with you.