Common Mistakes in Dog Training and How to Fix Them
If you want to train your dog, understanding common mistakes that people make is key. Dog training can be difficult, but understanding these few wrongs will get you one step closer to a well-behaved pup.
These are the common mistakes that we may have gone through, and ways to fix them!
WAITING TOO LONG TO START TRAINING
The Mistake: Waiting until the pups is a little bit older or ‘mature’ to start training their dog, sometimes even as late as 6 months old.
How to Fix It: Puppies can start learning simple skills as soon as they are brought into their new home. Focus on teaching them simple skills in brief, positive sessions.
NOT TRAINING ENOUGH
The Mistake: Most obedience classes only gather to formally train once a week, and this is often the only time people train their dog. Some people think that once a week a lengthy session will do the trick.
How to Fix It: Dogs should be trained every single day. The more a behavior is repeated, the better chance it has to become a habit. If you train your dog for at least five minutes every day, you will build habits faster than if you train your dog for longer periods of time less often.
Read Signs That Your Dog Needs Extra Training
THINKING ONE APPROACH IS RIGHT FOR EVERY DOG
The Mistake: People often make the mistake of assuming that one technique will work for any type of dog.
How to Fix It: Different dogs have different needs and react differently to each different technique. Some don’t find treats as satisfying but fall in love with praise.
INCONSISTENCY
The Mistake: Treating different behaviors with different responses can be challenging and often causes inconsistencies in life.
When praised and disciplined inconsistently, your dog can grow confused about what you want them to do. Punishing them and then rewarding them will make it harder for your dog to follow obedience.
How to Fix It: Strive to be fully consistent with your responses to your dog. Make it a habit that, every time you come home your four-legged friend doesn’t get any attention until they sit. Instead of sometimes requesting this but other times letting them jump on you, attempt to be very firm in the behavior you desire from your pup.
Setting ground rules with other humans in the household is important, like when you have children. We recommend creating a list of “house rules” and writing them on the fridge so that everyone can be held accountable.
The bottom line is: praise the good or correct the bad behaviors the same way every single time.
Read: How to be consistent in training your dog? How to make the time?
IMPATIENCE WITH YOUR DOG’S PROGRESSION
The Mistake: Expecting your dog to learn “difficult” behaviors or seemingly “easy” ones instantly.
How to Fix It: New, and difficult, behaviors will often take months of consistent practice.
With patience and training, we can see great results. Be patient with your pup and remember that they are just like a small child who is learning to ride a bike.
HARSH DISCIPLINE
The Mistake: Using forceful, bullying, or dominance-style discipline methods to get a dog to behave.
How to Fix It: The best long-term solution for training your pup. Positive-reinforcement methods are hands-off, reward-based, and effective in all situations. Takes lots of patience and practice but it’s worth it in the long run.
INCORRECT TIMING WITH REWARDS/PRAISE
The Mistake: Reward your dog too quickly or too late when they do something you want them to do and have trouble communicating what you want.
How to Fix It: To teach your pup new behaviors, be sure to repeat them and praise them immediately afterward.
If you praise your dog immediately after they divert their attention from a treat on the ground, then they will quickly understand the behavior that is being rewarded.
Read: Training Your Dog To Meet Strangers
USING YOUR DOG’S NAME IN A NEGATIVE CONTEXT
The Mistake: Using their name as a punishment.
How to Fix It: When your dog is doing something wrong, say “NO” instead of their name.
When your dog is with you, take the time to say their name in a positive tone in order to create positive associations. This could mean making eye contact, or teaching them to “come” and “sit.” “Scout come here”.
Once your dog gets to you, give them a treat and other praise. With repetition, your dog will associate their name with positivity and be much more likely to respond and be attentive to its name.
Read: 101 Puppy Training: Top Training Tips For Your New Dog
REWARDING NEGATIVE BEHAVIOR
The Mistake: Giving your dog attention can affect their behavior. For example, if your dog barks, granting them attention will change how they perceive barking and jumping. Actually, even saying their name with attention is already considered a reward.
How to Fix It: Dogs reward the person who pays attention to them. This is why you should ignore bad behavior and redirect their bad behavior.
NOT “PROOFING” A BEHAVIOR OR SKILL
The Mistake: Thinking your dogs knows how to react inside without distractions, they will also know how to react when there is a dog running by outside.
How to Fix It: Dogs need to practice skills in different situations. When they learn a skill inside, you should then take them outside to see how they react. They will need more time and experience before they can handle more difficult tasks.
Read: Dog training essentials guide
BRIBING INSTEAD OF TRAINING
The Mistake: Giving treats or praise as a bribe instead of a reward.
How to Fix It: This mistake is both common and difficult to recognize. The key to success in avoiding a dog that only reacts to bribes is to keep your dog guessing about treats.
GETTING AHEAD OF YOURSELF
The Mistake: Trying to move to difficult behaviors too quickly.
How to Fix It: In order to master a new skill, focus on the simplest tasks first and the more advanced skills later. For example, your dog should learn how to lay down before it can rollover.
YELLING AT YOUR DOG
The Mistake: Using a louder voice, yelling, or getting angry at your pup when they are distracted or not responding to requests.
How to Fix It: Train your dog in positive, enjoyable sessions. Dogs are skilled at reading our body language, so talking to them calmly is much better than shouting and screaming in anger.
NOT ENOUGH AWARENESS OF FEAR AND ANXIETY SIGNALS
The Mistake: Not understanding or recognizing when your dog might show signs of fear or anxiety. These signs tend to be things such as tucking their tail between their legs, pinning their ears back, and cowering away from you.
How to Fix It: Positive reinforcement-based dog training ensures your dog doesn’t come to fear training sessions. However, it’s important to remember that each dog learns at different paces and if signs of anxiety are being shown it may be a sign to step back and give your dog a small break. I’ve found it best to take a break from training and play a 5 minute game of fetch when my dogs start to become anxious or overwhelmed during training sessions.
Read: Dog Trick Training: 3 Unexpected Benefits
LEAVING FOOD OPENLY
The Mistake: Leaving food within reach of your dog and expecting them to not get into it while not yet fully trained.
How to Fix It: Dogs chew up shoes and get into food on occasion because they are not being trained to control their environment. To stop your dog from seizing messes, be sure to keep food off of counters and cabinets and put them in places where they cannot get them. Remember to supervise your dog when they are in the house!
REPETITIVE REQUESTS
The Mistake: Repeating a verbal request more than once conditioning your dog to believe that not performing a skill on the first ask is okay. For example, “Buddy sit, sit, sit, SIT”.
How to Fix It: Don’t ask your dog to perform a task twice. If they refuse, use a treat to guide them into the desired position. A good example of this is to lure them into a sit.
Read: House Training vs Training Facility for Dogs
LONG TRAINING SESSIONS
The Mistake: Not knowing when your dog’s attention is waning in training sessions, and how best to keep their attention.
How to Fix It: Dogs and dog breeds are different, so it’s important to monitor their attention spans during training sessions. Typically, the younger your dog is, the shorter its attention span will be.
Read: Dog Group Training Classes in Dubai
DEPENDENT ON TREATS
The Mistake: Too reliant on treats which creates a “dependence”.
How to Fix It: With phase one of training completed, you will need to switch over to a high-value currency. Any treats that are given should be well-received, at this point in the training process your dog should have an understanding of how exercise leads to rewards. In phase two, there is intermittent rewarding which helps your dog stay alert and motivated during training. Dogs like games as well!
BEING OVERLY EMOTIONAL
The Mistake: Allowing frustration or anger to spill over into your training sessions.
How to Fix It: You need to maintain a calm demeanor when training your dog, as dogs are able to sense our emotions. When you act disappointed with your pup when they disobey you, this can actually help them understand what you want from them.
When you’re angry or frustrated with your pup, our communication line is broken. Keep your emotions in check and use them to communicate your pup’s needs.
Read: Dog potty training at home
BEING REACTIVE, NOT PROACTIVE
The Mistake: Instead of preventing bad behaviors from happening, some people only react to them
How to Fix It: Parents must be responsible for training their dogs, and should also help them avoid negative situations.
If you find that your dog is chewing up your shoes, don’t just clean up the shoes, but put him on a leash and actively train him to walk. Keep an eye out for signs he’s about to pull and do something before he does it.
LACKING CONFIDENCE
The Mistake: Not being in charge and letting your dog control the situation during training sessions.
How to Fix It: Alpha isn’t what I’m referring to. What I am referring to is showing your pet leadership and giving them clear instruction.
Just like with kids, it often means controlling the environment rather than having power. This can involve letting them have some of their favorite things, but not all the time or in large amounts.
You need to be consistent with what you teach your dog. When you have a strong relationship with your pup, you can have a deep and strong bond.
They are solutions to treating your pup better. It builds a stronger and healthier relationship with your dog. So when training, keep in mind that the victory is just as important as the love you show them throughout their whole journey.
Remember to be patient and do all you can to train your pup. They will have new skills they need to learn.
These dog training mistakes happen too often. We need to fix them so that our dogs are happier, healthier, and better behaved.
Read our guide on how to find the best dog trainer in Dubai
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