Do You Make These 7 Common Dog or Puppy Training Mistakes?

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Do you make these 7 dog training mistakes? Find out the 7 common mistakes most people make which lead to dog training failure - an untrained dog who won't listen to your commands or learn any manners. These dogs are a pain to live with, but it's NOT their fault! It is simply because their owners weren't ever told about these 7 dog training mistakes. Don't let it be you, find out these 7 dog training mistakes now...

1. Failing to reinforce the behavior you want

   Dogs do what works for them. If they don't get something out of it, they won't do it. So it makes sense to make what works for them, also work for you! When you see behavior you like, reward it! That way, it works for your dog and works for you. It's a win-win situation.

2. Relying solely on punishment to stop behavior you don't want

   Punishment is defined by a decrease in behavior. Sounds good, right? If you have a behavior you don't want, then the theory suggests that you can simply punish it and it will go away. But, what do you get instead? You see, dogs do what works for them. They need outlets for their energy and drives. By simply removing one outlet, you are really just encouraging them to find some other outlet and you have very little control over what they find to do instead. Instead, try thinking of alternative behaviors and rewarding them for those behaviors instead. Remember, dogs do what works for them (see mistake #1).

3. Repeating commands

   Want to know how to teach your dog to ignore commands or cues? Simply keep repeating them! If your dog doesn't respond to a cue, it's because there are too many distractions in the environment for the level of training you are at, or what you are asking is too difficult right now. It's not the dog's fault - it's the laws of learning. By repeating the cue, you simply attach no meaning to it. Even when there are no distractions, your dog is less likely to respond to that command.

4. Not setting your dog up to succeed

   In order to get more of a behavior, it needs to be reinforced. In order to reinforce behavior, you need to get it in the first place. In order to get it in the first place, you need to set your dog up to succeed. If your dog is failing to respond to a command, you can either:

   • lower your expectations, e.g a shorter stay, or come when called on leash rather than off leash

   • remove distractions from the environment, e.g if you have two puppies, take one puppy out of the room.

   • move your dog to a less distracting environment, e.g move from the busiest area of the dog park to a quieter area at the other end of the park.

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   ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Aidan Bindoff is Editor of www.PositivePetzine.com, a free ezine for people training their own dogs. Each edition has easy to use training advice based on positive reinforcement methods. Subscribers have access to a large archive of back-issues they can consult for just about any behavior or behavior problem.
   
   
   
   Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aidan_Bindoff http://EzineArticles.com/?Do-You-Make-These-7-Common-Dog-or-Puppy-Training-Mistakes?&id=242440
   
   

   This document last modified Saturday, 01-Mar-2008 22:03:35 EST

Tidbits & Stuff was born on Thursday, March 9, 2006
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