Planning to have a dog is an exciting venture. But without clear and realistic expectations of what training will mean, frustration and disappointment are pretty much guaranteed.
People watch movies, social media, or other stuff on the internet and gain misinformation, and training starts on the wrong path.
Some dog parent think of one week to house-train their puppy or expect their adopted dog to get used to habits overnight.
When reality hits, the blame easily falls on the dog, on the trainer, or on oneself.
Should the dog parents’ expectations be realistic from the start, then everything falls into the right place, feels rewarding, and positive experience in training.
Understanding the Canine Mind
We cherish the companionship and view them as members of our family.
However, seeing them from a human perspective and putting human motivations, emotions, and comprehension on them leads to a major downfall in training.
Dogs simply do not learn like people.
For example, your dog was chewing on your treasured pair of shoes, which is, of course, no act of disobedience.
It is exploring its environment, and chewing relieves teething pain or anxiety might be other reasons.
Setting unrealistically high expectations for your dog’s compliance is another way. That is not fair, though.
Dogs are not machines, and they certainly have their instincts, preferences, and learning pace.
Invest Proper Time in Training
Yet another common mismatch of expectations concerns how long training is supposed to take.
Most people think of perhaps a few very intense weeks of training, after which the dog is going to be perfectly trained.
The truth is that dog training is an ongoing process that requires consistent work during the lifetime of the dog.
Think about house training a puppy. House training is not one thing, as it’s not just an easy process where you point at the door and the puppy just knows.
It requires constant trips outdoors and keeping a close eye on them at home, all the while.
Accidents will happen, and each accident is an opportunity to evaluate whether to continue with the current approach or to make some changes.
This can take anywhere from weeks to months, depending on different factors involving the individual puppy and how consistent the owner is.
The Role of the Dog Parent
Perhaps the most important part of managing expectations is understanding your real, vital role in the training process.
You are the trainer. Even if you choose to enlist the services of a professional, you are ultimately the trainer.
You should stick to a patient and positive reinforcement mentality impacts more than whichever method or tool ever could.
Consistency is most important. You need to apply those rules strictly, if you expect your dog to follow them, whereby everyone in the household would be required to apply them at all times.
Patience is critical, too. Punishing or scolding your dog every time it errs will only tear down your trust and destroy the dog’s willingness to learn. Try to manage situations with calmness.
Also, remember that your training strategy should rely on positive reinforcement.
This means rewarding good behavior with whatever your dog considers valuable, such as treats, praise, toys, or some playtime.
Dealing with Setbacks
At one point, your dog will, for some reason, forget almost everything it has learned, or new behavioural problems will present themselves.
Whenever these setbacks come about, it is easy to lose hope and consider all the efforts to have been in vain.
But an important mindset change to consider is seeing these steps from the side as not failures but learning opportunities.
If a setback occurs, its meaning could be that you are moving too fast, your training environment is too distracting, or your dog is not quite understanding what you are asking of it.
It is a chance to ask yourself what you can do differently, how you can make the task less difficult, or whether a professional trainer could be a worthy investment.
Maybe the dog has hit a growth spurt and is more distractible than before, or there’s been a shift in its routine that has precipitated anxiety.
Approaching these situations with curiosity and a problem-solving attitude rather than irritation will direct you to better remedies.
Conclusion
The above detail describes that having realistic expectations from the beginning will help you go through a smoother training process.
These expectations such as understanding dog behavior, having enough time to work with the dog, recognizing individual differences, embracing your role as a consistent and positive leader, and seeing challenges as lessons.
However, the trainers will tell you that the glory lies in the irrevocable bond shared with dogs through hard work and unwavering patience.
