Top 8 Mistakes To Avoid When Training Your Dog
Welcoming a new puppy to a home is one of the greatest experiences for a pet owner. However, puppies can be very difficult to train!
Thanks to our friends at Willowood Acres Training, they have come up with some tips to avoid when training your young pup! Check out the Top 8 Mistakes to Avoid below, and your dog will be well behaved in no time!
1) Not using a crate for a puppy.
Most people will not crate their puppies. Crating your puppy is a good thing as long as you make it positive! Extra yummy treats, keeping the crate next to you so the pup knows you are there. Puppies will not mess where they sleep unless its is an absolute emergency or there is too much room in the crate. It just makes sense to crate. The crate helps a dog learn how to hold it in! Otherwise a puppy will just relieve himself where ever they are and not learn self control.
2) Not being consistent.
Most people do not stick to the rules. If you don't want your dog on the couch, you cannot let him on the couch "Just this one time"....A dog will then learn that rules are made to be broken.
3) Not seeking professional help when necessary.
Some dogs have more problems than can be handled by yourself. If there is a serious issue, like house training, or separation anxiety, then let a professional help. Usually, all it takes is one visit, and then consistency on the part of the dog owner.
4) Asking for trouble.
Do you want your dog chewing your socks, or climbing on counters? Then why leave socks on the floor? Why leave a platter of chicken on the counter? A puppy soon learns to not go after these things.
5) Not rewarding or praising the dog for the correct behavior.
Everyone is very quick to correct a bad dog. But how about when your dog is quietly chewing on his own chew toy? Do you tell him "What a good boy" in a soft spoken manner? A dog must learn the correct way to behave.
7) Expecting too much of your dog.
For example, dogs do not know that a car can hit them and do a lot of damage. Dogs do not realize a street is a dangerous place. Don't take these things for granted with a new puppy or dog.
8) Not weaning a dog off treats.
If you do not stop using treats once the dog has learned a command, then your dog will never do anything you tell him to do unless there is a treat involved! Not good!
Dogs are social creatures. They want to be with us and enjoy our company. They do not want to be tied up in a yard all by themselves. Bored and lonely dogs become barkers or escape artists. A dog is a member of your family and will always love you for that!