Author: Carolyn McEwan 24 March 2023

Common Mistakes Pet Parents Make During Dog Training

Training a dog requires lots of research, patience and perseverance, to ensure your beloved pup is trained in the best and most effective way possible.

Whether you’re training an energetic new puppy or an older pooch, there’s a lot to consider.

You may ask yourself ‘what are the best dog training methods?’ or even ‘what are the biggest dog training mistakes?’

And that’s great. Asking questions shows that you are eager to train correctly and have your dog’s best interests at heart.

Dog training is a great opportunity to bond with your pooch and incredibly rewarding too. In fact, positive training may even help to bridge the communication gap between the two of you, while also building trust and developing cooperation.

So, whether you’re brand new to training or want to refine your existing skills, we’re on hand to give you the lowdown on what to avoid when training your dog, so you can proceed with complete confidence.

What happens if you don’t train your dog?

Did you know that many dogs never receive formal training?

Interestingly, a recent study of over 1000 dog owners revealed that only 46.9% of people had attended a dog training class with their pooch, whereas only 33.2% of dogs were formally socialised as puppies.

However, there’s good news. Around 94% of respondents reported that they attempt some training at home, with 99.5% of people believing that rewarding a dog for good behaviour is an acceptable training method.

Training a dog - whether a puppy or senior - is important.

Dogs that aren’t trained typically don’t understand basic commands and can’t be recalled, which can make it hard to keep them under control. This could lead to dangerous or stressful encounters, particularly in public places.

Dogs are pack animals and it is believed that they instinctively crave leadership from their human parents.

If training doesn’t take place or dog parents make common dog training errors, this can cause unwanted behaviours, such as excessive barking, jumping, lead pulling or destructive tendencies.

Just like humans, all dogs are different. This means that some will require minimal training, whereas others will need a lot of training to obtain positive results.

You’ll often find that this is dependent on a number of factors, such as:

Breed
Energy levels
Age, and
Previous background

Dog training: positive reinforcement vs punishment

Common Mistakes Pet Parents Make During Dog Training While there are many different training methods you can attempt with your pup, the biggest and most long-standing debate typically centres around positive reinforcement vs punishment (sometimes referred to as aversion tactics).

According to the Australian Veterinarian Association, punishment and negative reinforcement should not be used in an attempt to change the behaviour of your dog.

Instead, training is best achieved through the use of positive reinforcement.

Inflicting fear, pain or discomfort upon a dog:

Reduces their welfare
Increases stress levels
Impairs their ability to learn
Causes future behavioural problems, and
Increases the risk of aggression

On the flipside, positive reinforcement is:

Linked with a reduction in behavioural problems
Less stressful for your dog
Increases bonding
An effective way to provide mental stimulation, and
Generally improves their quality of life

The reason positive reinforcement tends to work so well is because your dog is motivated to learn and change, as it’s receiving something it desires in exchange for following a command.

What else should you avoid?

Common Mistakes Pet Parents Make During Dog Training Ranking high on the list of most common dog training errors is making training sessions too long.

Dogs have much shorter attention spans than humans, so it’s a good idea to train in short bite-sized chunks, rather than attempting extended sessions. This could be as short as a minute or two, depending on your dog’s tolerance.

Other common mistakes include:

Bribing with treats instead of using them for rewarding positive behaviour
Using inconsistent commands (such as interchanging ‘come’ with ‘come here’ and ‘come now’)
Setting inconsistent rules (such as allowing your dog on the sofa at certain times but not others)
Not producing rewards quick enough. It’s important to produce a treat or reward as soon as your dog displays a positive behaviour. This helps to cement the correlation between the specific behaviour and the reward. You could even include a clicker or the word ‘yes’ to confirm desired results
Calling your dog’s name for something they deem unpleasant, such as a bath or nail clip. This can feel like a punishment to a dog and may interfere with their recall, so it’s best to simply go and fetch them in these situations

Last but not least, remember patience is key. It may take your dog a while to learn, but with lots of love, consistency and positive reinforcement, you’re well on the way to success.

How can PittaPatta help with dog training?

When it comes to training your pup, we have everything you need!

Our signature 4Pooch harnesses and multi-function leads, provide ultimate customisation and control, whatever your style.

In fact, they were specially designed and developed because we struggled to find a harness and lead that didn’t interrupt the progress of our training or cause our pooches discomfort.

4Pooch harnesses and leads prevent twisting, keep your dog safe and secure outdoors, and are versatile for easy training.

We also stock a range of irresistible training treats in a number of flavours, such as chicken, beef and kangaroo. Love’em treats are Australian made with quality ingredients that are sure to delight your doggo’s taste buds, while helping to build positive associations.

Meanwhile, you might find your new favourite training accessory in our ‘travel and training’ section.

Training highlights include a wide range of treat bags and pouches for complete hands-free convenience, as well as a great selection of popular clickers, whistles and target sticks.

We’ve got you covered.

Happy training!