No doubt, training a dog is an exhausting but also a wholesome experience. The bonding with your furry friend establishes trust, good behavior, and easy adjustment into the family.
It doesn’t matter if your dog is a rebellious mischief-maker or prefers to give you the silent treatment.
While you’re training, there are few mistakes that are generally common and must be avoided:
1. Unclear Instructions = Tilted Heads
One of the most common mistakes in training occurs when the commands keep changing. One day you’re telling your dog, “down”; and the other day, you’re telling them to “lie down”.
This inconsistency leaves the puppy tilting its head in utter confusion. Dogs are good learners, but they have to be consistent.
Using exactly the same words, tones, and hand signals can literally help them relate to your commands and help them understand your instructions better.
It is very similar to teaching a toddler the alphabet. You don’t go switching the letters every day, do you?
The best way to fix this issue is to always use the same command for the same action.
And make sure your other family members in the house do the same too. As if they give different commands and you give different commands, that would turn out to be more confusing for the dog.
2. Lengthy Conversations While Training
While it’s a fact that dogs are the best listeners to have around you, lengthy conversations during their training can just confuse them all over.
While in most aspects, dogs do not really process human language very well, especially while they are puppies.
So when we convert a straightforward instruction to something very wordy, our dogs do not hear the signal among the words.
Teach your dog to sit? Instead of the simple command “Sit”, using lengthy commands like “Max, sweetheart, can you come over here and sit down nicely for me, please?” would sound just polite and cute to us, but your dog will just avoid it, thinking you’re ranting again.
Dogs learn best with clear and consistent signs. Short commands such as “sit”, “stay”, or “come” are easier for a dog to understand and follow. Although, repeating the command can also dilute it.
3. Make your Pup Socialise with Other Pets and People
A dog must be allowed to meet other dogs, people, and new environments early in life to grow up into being happy and confident.
If a dog never sees or hears different things in the critical socialising period (during the puppy phase), he/she might get shy, scared, or unnaturally excited in new situations.
In order to fix this, go out with your pup for little adventures, be it a stroll in the park, a short car ride, or a quick playdate with another dog or cat.
4. Scolding or Punishing
Kindness is a precious trait. If your dog has done something wrong, it might seem that punishing them is the only way out, but you’re absolutely wrong.
Scolding, yelling, or using a harsh tone scares the animal, as fear can never lead to learning; it can only lead to mistrust and distant behavior.
Dogs will stop responding to punishments simply out of nervousness because they do not really understand.
In order to avoid any such situation, reward them with things whenever they do something good.
If they chew up the charger, stop keeping such things around them and give them a chew toy. Redirect with kindness or ignore the unwanted behavior outright.
5. Skipping the “Hooray!” Moments
Training is just so busy sometimes that we forget to celebrate the good work our dogs do. But those little moments mean so much!
Dogs love knowing they have made you happy and are often sad when they do not get treats or belly rubs.
Whenever they follow your command, always praise them immediately. This helps boost up confidence and makes them stick to the lessons being taught.
6. Wishing for Instant Magic
The temptation to want instant results really kicks in when shoes are being chewed or commands are ignored.
But training really is hard-won, and every dog will learn at his own pace. Keep calm and be patient.
Repeat lessons gently and stay consistent. Your calmness supports your dog through learning.
7. Forgetting That Every Dog Different (One-of-a-Kind)
Similar to human beings, dogs too have their personalities and are very different from each other (and it really doesn’t matter if they’re from the same breed).
One approach might work wonders for one dog but not for another. To understand your dog better, watch for cues closely.
If something is not feeling right for your dog, then intuitively make changes to your approach with love and creativity
8. Inconsistent Practice
Training your fur baby once in a while cannot build good habits in the dogs. Given their short-term memory, dogs need frequent yet quick sessions to remember what they’ve learnt.
Add simple training moments into everyday life, before meals or during play. Repetition builds strong, lasting habits.
9. Over-Reliance on Treats
Treats are great for teaching, but your dog should learn to understand too, and that should not be for the temptation of snacks.
As they grow, try to slowly replace treats with praise, cuddles, or more playtimes, so your pup learns the behavior, not just the bribe.
10. Not Tracking Progress
Without keeping a track for the training progress, it’s hard to tell if the way you’re teaching your dog is working or not.
Reflect regularly or keep a small training diary. Adjust plans gently as your dog grows.
Conclusion
Training your puppy should always be a simple and basic process.
Think of commands or cues that are short, clear, and to the point.
All the cuddly chitchat can be saved for playtime and snuggle-time, but during training, be clear, patient, and consistent.
The slightest tweak in how we speak to our dogs can help them learn faster and bring down confusion levels during their training.
