Have you ever overhead a fellow pet owner lamenting the fact that their pet just isn’t responding well to dog training? It’s a common complaint. But how much of these all-too-common laments are the fault of the pet and how much are the fault of the owner?
Although training a dog to do basic, necessary commands is a relatively simple process, there are many dog training mistakes that can get in the way of the dog’s learning process. We will talk about three common dog training mistakes: not training your pet often enough, which leads to a deterioration of the pet’s learned behaviors; repeating commands, which leads to a lazy response; and keeping training sessions too long or too short, which can cut down on the benefits of a training session.
Next, we’ll talk about two other common and damaging dog training mistakes.
Common Dog Training Mistakes
- Training your dog under limited conditions
- Relying on treats
- Letting Their Size Create Indulgence
- Long Training Sessions
- Being Aggressive or Domineering
Mistake #1: Training your dog under limited conditions.
Dogs need to learn under various conditions. Some pet owners make the mistake of believing that their dog only needs to learn commands once they have learned a command, they will respond to it no matter the situation or circumstances. This is simply not true.
For example, if you train your dog to sit in a calm, quiet room and only in a calm, quiet room, the dog is not learning to obey with any level of distraction. If you attempted to have your dog sit down in a crowded, noisy room, they would be likely to ignore your command altogether or only respond slowly or halfheartedly.
It is important to gradually train your dog under a variety of circumstances, especially ones that they will encounter during their daily lives. Train them in quiet rooms but also train them in living rooms with running children or distracting relatives; train them outside with animals and other people as distractions, and so on.
It is important to start training in a room with limited distractions: but remember, don’t limit the way that your dog learns.
Mistake #2: Relying on treats.
Everyone knows that all you need to do to keep a dog well-trained is a bag of treats, right? Wrong. Although treats are a helpful way to begin the initial process of training your dog, they are not a viable or helpful way to keep a dog well-trained.
Think about it: do you see police dogs or disabled-assistance dogs being given treats every time they obey a command? Of course not! Treats would only be a distraction and, in many cases, could cause health issues if given excessively.
The key to keeping your dog well-trained without treats is using praise, affection and other types of non-edible positive reinforcement. When you are first teaching your dog, using treats can be helpful but once they have gotten the hang of things, put away the treat bag and focus on using positive attention instead. Petting your dog, praising your dog, and otherwise making your dog feel special for having done the behavior is a much better way to reinforce training in the long term.
Small dog breeds have been popular companions for hundreds of years Marie Antoinette was a fashion of small dogs and pugs, which she doted on in her palace. While some smaller breeds of dogs are considered to be work dogs, most small dogs are bred in order to be family pets and home companions. The term lap dog comes from the fact that many of these smaller breeds enjoy snuggling into their owner’s lap.
Small dog breeds are very popular. However, they are also considered to be at a higher risk for behavioral problems, largely due in part to mistakes made by their owners. Among all of the dog breeds, small dogs are usually those who are the least trained or poorly trained, which can result in injuries, undesirable behavior and “attitude†problems in the dog. The following are the most common dog training mistakes that owners of small dogs often make.
Mistake #3: Letting Their Size Create Indulgence
Would you let a massive German shepherd jump up on a houseguest when they walk through the door? No. Likewise, you should not like your small Chihuahua or other small dog breed jump up on your houseguest, even though they likely won’t reach your houseguests knees on their hind legs.
Unfortunately, far too many small dog owners indulge their small dogs because of their size. Behavior which would be absolutely unacceptable in a medium or large sized dog is suddenly cute or adorable in a small dog. This mistake can result in a number of behavioral problems, including aggression, over-protection, and even safety hazards to the dog or people who interact with the dog.
To avoid this mistake, small dog owners should ensure that they train their small dog just as well as they would larger sized dogs. Basic commands and dog etiquette should be taught regardless of size.
Mistake #4: Long Training Sessions
For dog owners who do train their small dogs, there are still mistakes to avoid. The most common mistake made by small dog owners who do strive to train their small dogs is having training sessions which are too long and arduous.
Most dog breeds are not patient enough for very long training sessions. Small dogs are especially prone to quick boredom or inattention due to their generally lower attention span. Dog owners may mistakenly believe they should train their small dog until they get it perfectly this method, however, may cause the dog to become frustrated, bored and annoyed with the process.
To avoid this mistake, plan micro training sessions instead of longer ones. This will allow the dog enough time to learn and practice new tricks without making them bored or listless.
Mistake #5: Being Aggressive or Domineering
An all too common mistake made by small dog owners is being too aggressive or domineering with the dog. Small dogs are easy to frighten, and a human looming over them or yelling loudly may cause them to become nervous, skittish or even aggressively defensive.
If you do need to take control of a situation, get down on the dog’s level and use a dominant stare until the dog looks submissively to the ground then reward the dog for its behavior. Never shout, hit or physically threaten your dog.
