You may encounter a number of major challenges during dog training. Knowing what they are allows you to avoid them and make better progress. The number one danger new dog trainers face, is expecting too much from their dogs too soon.
Dogs are intelligent animals and it’s easy to expect too much of them from day one. Don’t expect your dog to behave as well as the others in the park if you haven’t taken the time it takes to train it properly. Results like this just won’t happen. This expectation sets you and your dog up for failure.
The second mistake that is very common amongst dog owners is to lose control and yell or even hit the dog. Physical abuse of dogs is extremely detrimental (not to mention illegal) and hampers training big time. Yelling is also counter productive to getting good results. Make a mental note never to yell or abuse your dog and you will get good training results much more quickly.
The 3rd big mistake made by inexperienced dog owners is to allow their dogs to take control, and to in fact be the “leader” of the household. This is a danger to everyone around, and indeed to the dog itself. Make life easier for everyone and cement your place as the Alpha Dog from day one.
The 4th major mistake made that many dog owners make is to give up. When things aren’t working out, giving up is a very easy option to take. Just remember that dogs love to learn, they are very intelligent and able to learn many things, and that learning (or mentally challenging your dog) is very important to your dogs health.
The 5th and final common mistake that many dog owners tend to make is to become too inconsistent. Consistency in training is very important so make sure you always use the same commands and are as repetitive as possible.
Now that you know some of the biggest mistakes dog owners make, ensure that you don’t fall into these common traps.
