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Do we expect too much from our dogs? Sometimes we think that dogs should jump to obey our orders, and many dog owners soon find out that perhaps we’re not viewing dogs and how we train them in the right way.
Pet website ZooToo has an overview of how the dog training process works, explaining why many of us might be going about training in the wrong way. What’s always important to remember, especially when bringing a new dog home, is that there will be a honeymoon period but that period will end.
New dogs, especially ones from shelters, brought into a home are often so overjoyed to be with their family that they are on their best behavior at first. They have few accidents and are great at following commands (obviously this is more common with adult dogs. New puppies might try to be good but might not succeed as well).
Then the honeymoon period ends. This is most noticeable with housebreaking, and I’ve seen it especially with my friends who adopted adult dogs. A dog that already knew to do its business outside of the house and was successful at that for a little while suddenly starts having accidents.
Once the glow of adoption wears off the dog needs to adjust to its new home. The problem is most of us humans don’t understand that. We’d expect the adjustment period to come first, but that’s not how canines work and it’s often reversed.
Either way, whether the dog suddenly has housebreaking or command-learning problems after previous good behavior, this often confuses owners. They thought their dog was being “good,” and now all of a sudden it seems like the dog is being “bad.”
Although it’s human nature to think in this way, canine nature works a bit differently. Dogs are following impulses that make sense and thus seem “good” to them, and we need to learn to accept that before we can effectively train our dogs. That’s why positive reinforcement, rewarding the dog for behavior we want, often works better than punishing a dog for undesired behavior.
That’s the trick most professional trainers understand and one of the reasons why they’re better at the job than the average pet owner. If your dog is having problems with the command “come,” for example, try teaching it inside at first. There are so many distracting scents and stimuli outside that it’s hard for a dog to stay focused, so it’ll learn the command better inside first.
The other key thing to remember is that although it seems like dogs understand spoken language, what they really understand much better is body language. If your pet is having trouble learning a command try making a motion or gesture to go with the command. You’re likely to see an improvement if you do.
The bottom line is that yes, dog training is frustrating. Our mental image of the best-friend dog is that it hangs upon our every word, and while it certainly wants little more than to have our love and approval, it’s still a very different type of creature.
If you’re having difficulties with your dog and are becoming frustrated, consider a professional trainer. I understand; I don’t want to spend money on something I think I can do for myself. But that’s the thing: I can’t do all that a professional can. Trainers have devoted intense study to learning how dogs think, and that’s why they’re better at training than I am. Hopefully these tips will still help make it easier at home.
Related Articles:
How to Keep Pets Off Furniture
The Dog Whisperer: The Latest Craze in Doggie Discipline
*(This image by skycaptaintwo is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
