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When attempting to raise and train a dog on their own, people can make mistakes. Listed below are the most common mistakes that are made when acquiring a new dog or training a dog without proper instruction. |
The Most Common Dog Training Mistake: |
If you don't have time for a dog, don't get a dog. |
Other Common Dog Training Mistakes: |
Dogs don't need a friend to play with, they need companionship and leadership from you. A dog will grow up healthier bonding with a human leader rather than a companion dog. |
Don't get a second dog just to keep the first dog company. |
It's possible that this won't cause any problems, but we've seen many instances of littermates paying more attention to each other than their new owners. You want your new dog to bond with you. This will happen easier and faster with one puppy rather than two puppies from the same litter. Also, if the dog is focusing on you rather than it's littermate it will learn and socialize quicker. |
You shouldn't take two dogs from the same litter. |
Are you a jogger? Do you live in an apartment? Do you have a large yard? Do you work full-time? These are all questions that need to be considered when you are choosing the breed of dog that want. If you look online, you'll find that there are many sites that have breed selector quizzes that you can use to help you choose the proper breed for your lifestyle. Our favorite is at the Animal Planet site. Click here to take their quiz. |
Make sure you are choosing the correct breed for the type of life that you lead. |
This move can break down the bond between you and your dog and lead to aggression. It can also cause a trickle-down affect where your dog learns that it is o.k. to use physical violence on lesser pack members and outsiders. |
Don't ever try to show dominance over your dog with the Alpha Rollover technique. |
If you don't catch them in the act during a housebreaking accident, you've missed your opportunity to correct them. Don't ever take your dog back to an accident and stick his nose in it. |
When housebreaking, don't ever put your dog's nose in the accident. |
This will actually slow down the housebreaking process. You want your dog to learn that it is never acceptable to eliminate in the house. Teach them where the door is early and often. |
Don't use puppy pads or newspapers for housebreaking. |
This creates many more problems than it resolves. An effective pack leader never needs to resort to violence. |
There is never a reason to hit your dog. |
Some of the most difficult cases we face are with puppies that were removed from their litter too young. There are many things that puppies learn in the litter including den cleanliness, bite inhibition and how to look to the leader for behavioral cues. Most puppies should stay in their litter until they are at least 7 weeks old. Even longer for the smaller, or toy, breeds. If a breeder tells you that he is breaking up the litter at five or six weeks because it is easier on the mother, it could be a sign of a problem. |
Don't take a puppy from it's litter at too young an age. |
We have all had times when we wanted to yell at our dog. But it works against you in the long run. A dog should be trained to respond to commands given in a normal tone of voice. Shouting to startle or scare your dog might get their attention but it is not affecting their long term behavior unless you are training your dog to be afraid of you. |
You never need to shout at your dog. |
Yes, it's funny and yes, it's very entertaining for you and your dog, but the long-term effects of having your dog chase a light can be very serious. Many dogs can develop obsessive-compulsive behaviors such as tail chasing, severe reactions to reflected light and excessive searching because of this game. There are many better ways to keep your dog amused. |
Don't use a laser pointer or flashlight to play with your dog. |
We run into people all the time who have gotten a dog, or even worse, two dogs and they don't have the ability to make time for them. There are many problems that can happen with a dog if you are not giving them the proper attention. People tend to underestimate how much time and attention a dog really needs. Then they initiate bad habits like allowing the dog to free-graze on food, locking the dog in a room where it becomes destructive or installing a doggy door to try and make up for their lack of time spent with the dog. If a dog's social and developmental needs aren't met, behavioral problems such as housebreaking, excessive barking, digging, fence jumping, destructiveness or anti-social behavior can develop. You can also find yourself raising a dog that is under-exercised, shy, fearful or even aggressive. Make sure you have the time for a dog before you take the dog on. |
Second Email: "Dudley and I just got back from a great walk. We met three women, mother, daughter, grandmother. We were heeling along, we stopped, Dudley sat, waited while they passed and went on. The mother commented on how well mannered Dudley was and the grandmother thanked us for stopping to let them pass. IT WAS FREAKIN GREAT!!!!!!!!" |
Tim and Kate Chandler, Arizona |
"Thanks for the timely follow up. I was going to write last night to tell you that Dudley and I had two of the best walks yesterday. They were in fact the best walks I have ever had with a dog companion. Dudley was well mannered and focused the entire time. He responded well to "heel" and we worked on his "sit " when I stopped. We need more work on that!" |
"You would not believe the peace and tranquility and JOY and RESPECT around my house after only a few days of consistent and persistent training and correction. Boojum is no longer yelling at me, Joops is about the same (just a silly boy eager to please), and Holly is much calmer and more focused. It appears that I am becoming recognized as leader of this cowdog pack!!! The leadership methods that you showed me are working already. Holly is submitting and Boojum and Joops are sending me thank you vibes. I think this will also help bring my cat Gu back into the mix. Hopefully Gu will soon realize that Holly is not in control and my kitty can come around more. Once she is again milling about with the pack, then I can correct Holly whenever she goes into cat attack or pursuit mode. While working the techniques that we discussed will take some getting used to, I am willing to put in the time. THANKS!" |
Kathleen Ahwatukee, Arizona |
Home Dog Training |
(c) copyright 2003-2010 Phoenix Valley Dog Training, LLC. - AZ Dog Trainers and Puppy Trainers. All Rights Reserved. |
All of the photos on our site are provided by Melissa Johnson Pet Photography in Phoenix, Arizona. We'd like to say thank you to Melissa for allowing us to use her dog photos. She did a wonderful job capturing Steve's dog Tigger and we highly recommend her services! |