Puppy Training Mistakes To Avoid: Set Him Up For Success

  Posted on January 13, 2020  by joyofliving  No comments

For those families welcoming a puppy to the household, it’s important to start training early so the puppy will grow into a well-mannered dog. Without realizing it, owners can reinforce their puppy's bad behavior #puppytraining Click To Tweet

Following are some puppy training mistakes to avoid:

Puppy Training Mistake #1: Focus On Negative Behaviors

Owners often wait for a puppy to do something wrong and correct him rather than direct him toward a positive behavior from the beginning.  Puppies often like to chew on anything they can reach, so work on directing them to chew on appropriate chew toys instead of only chasing him when he starts chewing on something he shouldn’t.

#2: Giving Mixed Signals

Dog owners often allow puppies to sit with them on the couch or in a chair.  That’s fine what the dog is young…and small. Once he starts growing and doesn’t fit as a lap dog any longer, it’s confusing to him if he’s no longer allowed on the furniture.  If you’re going to allow your dog on the furniture going forward, teach him as a puppy to only climb up on the furniture when invited.

Puppy Training Mistake #3: Incorrect Timing

Often, a dog owner will not correct an inappropriate behavior at the right time.  When a puppy exhibits inappropriate behavior, correct immediately.  If not done immediately, your puppy will not understand why he’s being reprimanded and will become fearful.

#4: Giving Freebies

A puppy should learn that he needs to work to get rewards.  For example, puppies should learn to sit before eating their meal, or before going outside for a walk.  Failure to enforce this rule is wasting the good behavior reinforcements. Don’t always give the same number of treats for a specific action.  Puppies learn quickly what they need to do for a reward, so gradually cut back on the number of treats given.

Puppy Training Mistake #5:  Miscues With Socialization

For a puppy enrolled in puppy training class that is cautious or shy, don’t force him to interact.  Doing this may cause him to become more fearful.  Puppies will often join in given a little time, so allow him to watch the class for a while to help him relax.

# 6: Lack of Manners Training

Dog owners may give their puppy treats from the table or counter.  Once he gets big enough to reach the counter, it’s time to reprimand that behavior.  To prevent your dog from getting confused, give treats in a room other than the the kitchen, beginning when he’s a puppy.

Dogs want to please their people. It’s up to us to provide them with clear direction on what we want from them.  Avoiding these puppy training mistakes will help your dog be the best he can be!