7 Hidden Dog Training Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Training a dog can be one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences for any owner. On our journey with Nico, we learned a lot about dog training and common mistakes. In this article, I will share some of these lessons and how to avoid typical “pitfalls” to ensure successful and positive training.

1. Lack of Consistency

Trying to teach Nico the commands “sit” and “lie down,” I realized that my inconsistency confused him. The key to success turned out to be synchronizing my actions and commands.

2. Using Punishment Instead of Reward

On the journey of training Nico, I made many mistakes, but I always tried to learn from them. I want to be completely honest and share an incident with my dog that I am still ashamed of. For my 17th birthday, my family gave me a new phone. Within a week of receiving the gift, Nico decided it might taste interesting. When I saw the now unusable new phone, I felt sick. I scolded him and smacked him on the snout. In that moment, I saw his confused look and the amazement in his eyes. I immediately realized how foolish I was. What exactly was I scolding him for? It was my fault. I hadn’t taken him for a walk, and I didn’t keep the phone away from his curiosity. Nico couldn’t understand why I was angry, as time had passed since he made the mess.

This incident made me rethink my approach. Punishment was replaced with love and understanding, transforming our relationship.

How to avoid it: Always choose reward over punishment. Rewards and praise are powerful tools for motivation and building trust.

• Victoria Stilwell Positively: How to train your dog

Training Sessions That Are Too Long

From my experience, I quickly learned that long training sessions only tired and distracted Nico. Short and fun sessions turned out to be much more effective.

How to avoid it: Limit training sessions to 5-10 minutes. This will maintain your dog’s attention and interest.

The phone incident made me think about patience, a quality I lacked. I quickly realized that if I wanted my dog to be happy and calm, no matter how difficult it was for me, I had to learn patience. After all, training requires time and persistence.

How to avoid it: Accept that each training process is individual. Be patient and give your dog the time it needs to learn.

I remember how worried I was when Nico went for his first walk in the park. How anxious I was when he sniffed his first butt… My heart was pounding… But I’m very glad that despite my fear of a dog fight, I didn’t let it prevent new acquaintances.

I remember once I missed Nico’s long walk. He was full of energy, and because he hadn’t used it up, he tore up a few of his toys. There was no way he could follow any command. And this is how Nico showed me the hard way that, no matter what happens, I should never skip the long walk.

How to avoid it: Provide enough physical activity for your dog every day. Exercise helps expend excess energy and prevents behavioural problems.

Here, I can say it took me some time to discover two important aspects of rewards.

• First, I learned that dogs make a positive association immediately after performing the command. If you give a treat 5 minutes after performing the command, your dog will surely not understand why it’s getting the treat.

• Second, it is very important that the treats are specifically for training. This way, the dog builds an association and enters training mode with the right motivation.