Even if you’ve had a dog before, the process of training can be intimidating. When your dog is still young, they are the most susceptible to learning habits that will stay with them for the rest of your life. It is crucial that puppies learn the right habits during the first few months of their life, which is where private dog training in Chicago comes into play.
Keep the following training mistakes in mind so that you can avoid them moving forward!
Keeping Sessions Too Long
Both you and your dog will benefit from keeping training sessions short as opposed to hours on end. Puppies don’t have a very long attention span, so trying to get them to focus for long periods of time won’t end well for either of you. Your dog will quickly get tired of focusing and become impatient. In return, you will likely become frustrated as well. To avoid this, try to make training sessions 10-15 minutes and complete them multiple times throughout the day.
Training When You're in a Bad Mood.
Training your dog when you are in a bad mood is a recipe for disaster. You will likely take out your anger on him or her rather than being patient. Skip training sessions when you aren’t feeling like yourself and opt for a cuddle session instead!
Mixing Correction & Positive Reinforcement
Your training methods shouldn’t include both correction and positive reinforcement, as it will result in even more confusion for your dog. Think about your own behavior: would you want to complete a task if you knew you wouldn’t get a reward? Stay patient and opt for positive reinforcement.
If you are not having success training your dog on your own, take advantage of our private dog training at Chicago Canine Academy!
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