10 Dog Training Mistakes

Training your dog can become a burden and stressful process. 

However, it is important to invest the time and effort if you want to have the most ideal dog possible.

Most dog owners are guilty of making these 10 common mistakes during training sessions.

Mistake #1: Not taking the time to understand about how dogs learn

Knowing how dogs learn will help you to better understand how to train your own dog.

Dogs learn through association and repetition of behaviors, so if you want your dog to learn a new behavior, then you should repeat it until it becomes a habit for them.

Mistake #2: Not getting your puppy used to the idea of being touched and handled.

Puppies often have a difficult time with this, so you need to start early. You can do this by gently rubbing the puppy's tummy and scratching the back of their neck.

You should also pet your puppy while they eat and when they are sleeping.

Mistake #3: Not training your dog in a quiet place, where there are no distractions.

It's important that you train your dog when there are no distractions around (e.g., other people and animals).

If you don't train your dog in a quiet place, then it will be harder for them to learn new commands later on.

Mistake #4: Not Using Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is a technique that, when properly applied, can be used to train dogs quickly and effectively.

It's the opposite of punishment-based training. Instead of punishing a dog for misbehaving, you reward him for good behavior.

Mistake #5: Not Training Your Dog From Puppyhood

Dogs that are trained from puppyhood are much easier to train than adult dogs because they learn faster and are more eager to please their owners.

In addition, dogs that are trained from a young age will be less likely to develop bad habits.

Mistake #6: Not Setting Boundaries With Your Dog

Training doesn't just mean teaching your dog how to obey commands.

It also means establishing boundaries within which your dog must behave.

Mistake #7: Dogs are pack animals, so they want to be dominant over their humans.

Dogs don't think like people, so it's not helpful to try to relate to them by using human terms like "dominant" or "alpha".

Dogs simply do not have the capacity for abstract thought in the way that humans do, so you'll never figure out why your dog is behaving in a certain way if you're trying to interpret it in human terms.

Mistake #8: Ignoring bad behavior

People sometimes assume that if they don't say anything about a problem, it'll go away on its own.

That's not how dogs (or kids) work. If you ignore bad behavior, it will only get worse.

Mistake #9: Using treats too much or not enough

Treats are useful in the beginning, but there comes a point when using them is just spoiling your dog.

If you're having trouble with a certain activity or command, try taking away the treats for a week or so to see if he'll improve without them.

Mistake #10: Expecting too much from your puppy

Your dog won't be perfect from the start. The most important thing to remember is that no puppy is perfect.

Even if you have a dog with an excellent temperament and he comes from a long line of champions, he's still going to have his moments of confusion and stubbornness.

He's a baby, he needs time to develop physically as well as mentally.