Picture this: you, a dog owner, are trying to teach your dog something new. Perhaps you’re trying to eradicate a problematic behavior, or maybe you’re attempting to train them to perform a new skill. Despite your best efforts, your dog simply doesn’t ‘get it’. Your enthusiasm for training your dog wanes, and you give up. It seems that your dog will never understand what you’re trying to teach them. It just wasn’t meant to be.
But what if the problem doesn’t lie with your dog? In fact, it is far more likely that something in the training process is resulting in them struggling to grasp the behavior you’re trying to train. Dog training isn’t easy, and there are subtle mistakes that can stall training progress. These are things that you can fix – and resolving them will help contribute to more successful training outcomes.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the more common mistakes that people make when training their dog.
1) Not using a high-value motivator
A motivator is simply the reward you give your dog in the early stages of teaching them to perform a new behavior. Dogs can be motivated by a variety of items, from food to toys. Finding out what motivates your dog is key to understanding how to extract the best from them in a training environment – and ensuring that it is sufficiently high-value to motivate them is just as important. For example, if you feed your dog a steady diet of kibble at mealtimes, a couple of pieces of kibble are unlikely to motivate them when teaching new behaviors; however, something they rarely receive (ex: rotisserie chicken) will push them to work for the reward. This is particularly vital when training more challenging behaviors or skills.
2) Missing the timing cues
Dog training is all about timing. You have to study your dog and make sure that you reinforce the correct behavior at the correct time. When you instruct your dog to perform an obedience command, rewarding too early may mean that your dog didn’t actually perform the behavior correctly; on the other hand, rewarding too late might mean that your dog doesn’t make the connection between the behavior and the reward. This is all about practice, but is where the experience of a professional dog trainer can be beneficial as their day-to-day work is based around understanding how crucial timing is when working with dogs.
3) Unsuccessfully managing distractions
Working your dog around distractions is essential for proofing a behavior, and is a great way to ensure your dog is focused on you. The problem comes when the distractions are so overwhelming that your dog is unable to resist engaging with them. This frequently happens when a dog is taken out to a public park, with lots of distractions present – other dogs, people walking, cyclists, you name it and your dog will be interested in it. Trying to work in a controlled environment first where you can control the distractions – consider working on obedience while a friend walks their well-mannered dog nearby – can help you gradually build up to the point where your dog won’t be distracted when you do take them to a busier setting.
4) Repeating the cue
When you give a command to your dog, in an ideal world, they should perform it when you ask them the first time. However, if you’re impatient – or if your dog doesn’t respond immediately – it can be tempting to simply repeat the cue over and over until they listen. The problem here is that it devalues the cue – your dog doesn’t believe they have to respond when they are asked the first time, not to mention they may actually think the “Sit” command is actually “Sit, Sit, Sit, Sit”. Avoid repeating the cue. If your dog doesn’t respond to you, simply take a moment, reset, and then try again – perhaps with a higher motivator or in a new environment.
5) Inconsistency in responses
It is imperative that you provide clear instructions to your dog when teaching them a new behavior – and that you don’t change your expectations halfway through a session. This inconsistency can make it difficult for your dog to learn the behavior. You should also consider how small changes like inflections in your voice can alter your dog’s understanding of what you are trying to teach. Using a marker like a clicker (which provides a consistent noise) can help to maintain consistency in your sessions.
6) Training sessions that are too long
Have you ever tried to study an unfamiliar subject and found that the words simply don’t sink in after a while? Well, it’s a similar story in dog training – your dog’s attention span and concentration is limited. As sessions progress, you may find your dog becomes bored or uses displacement behavior to bring a session to an end prematurely. We generally find that shorter bursts of training (in 15/20 minute increments) on a regular basis are more effective at teaching behaviors than attempting to grind out hours and hours of training in one hit.
7) Behavior isn’t generalized
Sometimes, dogs are able to respond to behavioral cues in a familiar environment (like the home), but struggle when taken out in public. Dogs are contextual learners; when you change the context (such as taking them to a busy public place), they need time to be able to practice and perform the behavior. This is why working on a recall in your backyard is different from trying it at a park surrounded by numerous distractions. The best way to generalize behavior is to work your dog around different dogs, different people, and in different environments until they understand that they should respond to the command irrespective of what is happening around them.
8) Owner gets frustrated
We get it – dog training can be frustrating! We have found that one factor of success in dog training is that it is just as important to teach the owner as it is to teach the dog. Remaining calm and patient when your dog seems determined to disobey your commands is undoubtedly frustrating – but giving in to that frustration will only prolong the training process. Your mindset and approach is one of the most important components, and it is something that you have complete control over. Don’t let this mistake scupper your dog training efforts – try to exude positivity.
In conclusion
There are so many things that can go wrong when it comes to training your dog – and this article only highlights some of the more common mistakes. If you’re running into roadblocks with your dog training endeavors, our team at Greenside Canine can help! We offer Board and Train programs, private lessons, and other dog training services. Please reach out to us at train@greensidecanine.com or call (317) 558-9145 for more information.