President and Training Director of American Canine Academy, Sean Miller, has more than 30 years of professional dog training experience to guide his team. He’s excited to share his expertise on the most common mistakes owners make when training their dogs.

Lack of Follow Through 

Dog owners will often shout multiple commands at a time to their dog and not follow through with proper responses or next steps, which can lead the dog to either give up as a result of non-compliance or resort to bribing with treats. American Canine Academy employs a simple 3-step process to eliminate this confusion when dog training. The process includes:

• Verbal Command
  Give the verbal command to the dog, such as “Sit, Place, Stay,” etc. In the event of non-compliance, move to step #2.
• Verbal Follow Through
  Rather than repeating the initial command, speak the verbal correction “No.”
• Physical Follow Through
  In the event of non-compliance, use your leash or training equipment to follow through in order to create compliance. For example, take your dog’s leash and walk them to the “Place” bed and use it to follow through physically.

Being Unprepared 

Another common training mistake is when owners inadvertently set their dogs up for failure by not having their training tools at the ready. Use your training tools! Whether it be a reward item, a leash, or a properly adjusted training collar, it is imperative to set you and your dog up for success by being prepared at all times. This preparation promotes consistency, and consistency promotes success. 

Making Inopportune Physical Contact

Contact is a reward. Much like offering a treat to your dog for a “Sit” before your dog actually sits, touching them at inopportune times can promote inappropriate behavior. For example, dogs will often lean into you or touch you with their paw when you request the “Down” command. You’ll notice that the moment they make contact with you, they’ll blow off your command. Make sure to only touch or pet them when you like the way they are acting during training times.

Neglecting the “Train As You Live” Strategy

A great goal to work toward is incorporating your dog’s commands into your daily life. Owners often complain that they struggle to find the time for training sessions during their busy schedules. For this reason, American Canine Academy tells our clients to train as you live.

When you are about to get in the car, put your dog in a sit-stay position, which means having them patiently wait while you slowly open the car door. When they demonstrate compliance, release them into your vehicle to go for a ride. Practice the same process before you let them into the backyard, or before you take them out the front door to go for a walk. You can also practice a sit-stay while your dog is waiting for you to feed them. Remember to use your leash to maintain the “Stay” command until you release them to their food dish.

Ignoring Your Individual Dog’s Natural Motivations

Due to the popularity of positive reinforcement training, people tend to make assumptions that all dogs are motivated only by food. Do not make the common dog training mistake of neglecting other things as rewards like a ball to chase as a reward, a toy to tug, or simply calmly petting your dog for affection. Knowing your dog’s natural motivations is a key part of the personalized training process, and at American Canine Academy, we get to know your dog and structure their training curriculum accordingly to ensure the best possible training experience with a lifetime guarantee. 

We hope this outline of the five most common mistakes when dog training is informative and prepares you for what not to do when it comes to training your dog. If you have any further questions or concerns, we’d love to hear from you! Contact us at https://www.americancanineacademy.com/contact/.