You are to be commended for deciding to train your dog in some basic commands. Not only will your bond be stronger but your dog will also trust and respect you in the owner-dog relationship. The problem with dog training is that most people either do not do enough research into some fundamentals which would help them. In addition, some people pardon the pun; bite off a little more than they can chew. In other words, they take for granted that the "dog training thing" will be a breeze. All it takes is a few treats in their pocket and they are all set right? Wrong!
There are at least five mistakes that most dog owners commit before breaking down for professional advice or at least do more thorough research. If you are planning to train your dog, try and do it right the first time. Read and learn from the five mistakes below:
1. Not being committed to the training. No, this does not have anything to do with an insane asylum. Although, if you don't learn from the mistakes listed here, you might want to be committed! No, being committed means not giving up. Too often owners get disgusted that progress is not made quickly enough and they quit. If you find that adequate progress is not being made, then it is time to research your dog breed. Perhaps the breed of your dog is known for being hyper or has a herding or rescue instinct. Try and find those traits and make them work for you rather than against you.
2. Not keeping a regular routine. You must follow the same procedures over and over in order for your dog to pick up the training. Don't start with anything elaborate. Keep things simple and only teach one command at a time. Once they master that command, build on it and add another. Part of the failure problem is that many people try and do too much at one time. By being consistent with your dog during training, they will grasp the commands more quickly. In addition, be sure to implement several short training sessions a day rather than one or two lengthy ones. After a while, your dog may tend to get tired or bored.
3. Not partnering with your dog. What this means is that do not use negative reinforcement to get your dog to do what you want it to. No spanking, kicking or yelling is allowed. By taking a proactive approach through the use of rewards when your dog masters a command, you are building a positive relationship with your dog. In turn, your dog will soon want to please you more and more, thus making the training process a lot easier for the both of you.
4. Being close-minded. Don't get stuck in a rut or believe that any one particular method is appropriate for your dog's training. Just like each human is different, each dog is different. They have different temperaments. You have to tailor your dog's training regiment to their specific behavior. Most of the books that you might read or the videos you watch should be used as guidelines. You know your dog better than a book or video does. Just be sure that any ideas you incorporate be used consistently.
5. Being dull and boring. Spice things up a bit. Training your dog should be fun. While being consistent is important, you can at least change the venue a bit. If you always train in the back yard in the afternoon, try going to a neighborhood park in the morning. Once you are done with your dog training session, you and your pooch can go play. If you are teaching your dog to go fetch, start changing the items being fetched around. One day it could be a newspaper and the next day it could be a Frisbee.
