How To Train A Puppy: 7 Common Mistakes To Avoid1

By Jason Turnbull
The web is filled with tips on how to train a puppy and no doubt you have found many contradict one another. However, there are some things which you will find most dog trainers and behaviorists agree upon and that is the many mistakes you can make training your puppy. All your time spent teaching your best friend to follow your commands can come undone by making a few mistakes. Hopefully this list can guide you against making some common mistakes as you learn how to train a puppy.

1. Being Inconsistent With Commands

No doubt you have found many command words in your search for how to train a puppy. There are the common ones such as sit, stay, fetch etc. However which word you use doesn’t matter as much as how you say it and what you associate the word to. A common problem is that people don’t continue to use the same word and tone of voice with a command. If you teach your dog to sit using the word "sit" and use a low tone of voice, it is not a good idea to then try to get your puppy to sit by saying "sit down" in a high tone of voice. This is likely to confuse your pooch and create unwanted results. If you train your puppy to sit by saying sit, stay consistent with the word and how you say it.

2. Using Food As A Reward Every Time They Follow Your Command

Sometimes it is extremely difficult to resist those big wide eyes staring at you when your puppy wants a treat. However rewarding your dog for every correct command followed is a sure way to make your puppy training harder. There was a study a while ago where researchers trained monkeys in two groups to follow commands. The first group received a treat as a reward every time they followed a command and the second group was rewarded randomly with treats for following a command. The researchers found that the first group became dependent upon the reward and only would follow a command if a treat was offered for doing so. The second group however would follow the command every time because they didn’t know whether they would get a treat or not. How does this relate to training your puppy you ask? The same thing can be found with your pooch. Instead of giving a treat for every correct command followed, only reward them with food some times. Of course this doesn’t mean that you can’t always praise them with a pat for following your command.

3. Don’t Ignore Bad Behaviors

You may have found information informing you to ignore bad behavior and reward good behavior when you learn how to train a puppy. This is poor advice as your puppy needs to know right from wrong. Should you never correct them, the bad behavior will become an acceptable behavior to them. By all means this does not mean to hit or use any harsh punishment on your dog for a bad behavior. Simply telling your dog "no" and showing them the correct behavior is a simple way to remove bad behaviors. Things such as chewing your favorite shoes or barking unnecessarily can become a large problem should you leave it go without correction.

Shelley Davies and Jason Turnbull, passionate dog lovers and creators of http://www.suitable-puppies.com/how-to-train-a-puppy.html, are striving to educate people on the keys to owning a puppy. Knowing how to train a puppy, how to take care of your dog and how to have fun is essential for your new best friend.

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