Review The 5 Common Puppy Training Mistakes: Avoid These Puppy Training Mistakes!
Puppy training mistakes to avoid while you are trying to train your new puppy. When I go for walks, I see plenty of well-behaved dogs and my first thought is, “I’ve got to go play with them right this second,” and so I try to run. Trouble is, I forget that I’m on a leash attached to my collar so I’m getting air cut off and my owner is dragged along for the ride while at the same time trying to stop me. Stop me? Why? I want to play! What’s wrong with playing? I just want to have fun and show love to my family, not get tugged, and yelled at all the time.
I know my owners get mad at me a lot (pretty much from all of the yelling and scolding). And I know we’ve talked about it before, but I’m just a puppy and unless you hire a Los Angeles puppy trainer, you need to learn up on how to work with me and reinforce the behaviors you want, this is why you need to not make these puppy training mistakes when teaching. I’m your furry friend, but I’m still too young to know right from wrong. Not to mention, if you’re having trouble training your puppy, you’re likely making some of the same common puppy training mistakes my owners are making. So, in an effort to help your pet get a leg up in the world with their behavior, I’m going to list out the usual errors owners make when training their puppy.
Avoid These Puppy Training Mistakes From The Start
Harsh Punishments
Dogs don’t really react well to being yelled at and tossed into their crates; as a matter of fact, if you use your dog’s crate as a punishment, they’ll likely never want to go into it because they’ll associate it with being in trouble and unhappy. By constantly yelling at your dog, or tapping them with a rolled-up magazine, will cause them to become fearful and anxious, which you should know is a bad thing. Using a light spray bottle filled with water can be a good deterrent, but it’s better to reward the behavior you want and help put your dog in a position to successfully perform that positive action.
Late Timing
Similarly to yelling too much, owners often scold their dogs long after they’ve committed a bad act, such as relieving themselves in the house. Your puppy won’t understand why you’re yelling if you didn’t catch them in the act; you need to correct the bad behavior in real-time, or else it’ll all a waste and you’re only instilling fear.
Training Too Late
Speaking of timing, many owners don’t start training their puppy until it’s too late. They let little bad behaviors slip by and develop because they think the pup is too young to learn, but that’s the exact opposite of how they should approach puppy training. You need to weed out bad behaviors immediately so you can help your dog build good behaviors and habits early on.
Not Taking Training Seriously
Puppy training isn’t a one and done experience — you need to constantly train your pup so that they learn good behaviors and reinforce them multiple times a day. It’s like learning new tasks at a job, you have to do it a few times before you get the hang of it. Sure, you can write it down, but your dog can’t. They’re operating solely off memory. Keep at it!
Not training in different conditions
Similar to the above mistake, owners don’t introduce their pups to new people and surroundings to continue to build and reinforce good behaviors. Just because they sit and stay for you in the house doesn’t mean that they will when you’re in a park with tons of additional stimulants. You need to expose your dog to the world so they can continue to learn!
Puppy training can be tough, but it doesn’t need to be. All you need to do is avoid these common mistakes and you’ll be in a great position to teach your pet all of the behaviors and tricks they need to know. If you need a little additional help, don’t hesitate to call us to speak with a professional Los Angeles puppy trainer so we can help you form the right bond and habits with your pup for a lifetime of fun and cherished memories!