Common Training Mistakes

According to dog trainer Marisa Bellis, a common mistake that people make is actually waiting too long to start training. Ideally, training should begin the moment your dog comes home with you, regardless of his age. Don’t wait until he gets older and develops bad habits! In dog training, the goal is to shape your dog’s behavior and teach them how to respond to specific phrases. Young puppies might not be ready to learn advanced actions, but you should begin to work on house training and basic commands. Over time, this will help you form a deeper bond with your dog.
Training is not something you can do once and be done. You will get the best results if you train your dog regularly. Find fun, new things to teach your dog, but occasionally revisit an old action that your dog already does well. Ideally you will always be training your dog, even as he ages and ongoing training can help keep your dog’s skills sharp. Training sessions are fun for your dog and are a great way for you two to bond! You want to make sure you stay very consistent, as consistent responses are essential to dog training on every level. When you are inconsistent, you confuse your dog and may find yourself accidentally reinforcing unwanted behaviors. If you have a rule to not allow your dog on the bed, and you find yourself making exceptions, it’s very confusing to your dog as to why he’s allowed up sometimes and not others.
Training takes time, and each dog learns at a different pace. Getting stressed out and frustrated because your dog isn’t catching on is not going to help the situation, and in fact, it makes things worse because your dog will also become stressed. If your dog is struggling to learn something, consider whether or not it’s a good time to train. Remember to keep your training sessions short and always end on a positive note! If you want to learn more, consider signing up for obedience classes! Email questions to familypet@comcast.net or call (508) 231-1223 for more information!