Training with your pet is a great idea for spending time together! Not only do we strengthen our bond and train our dog mentally, but we can also teach him many useful skills. However, in order for the joint activity to have the desired effect, we should make sure that we make as few mistakes as possible. Frequent misunderstandings can lead to frustration, which can then turn into a mutual dislike of the activity! So what should we be sensitive to? What should we avoid and what should we pay attention to in order to make sure that training actually produces the desired and satisfactory results?
Failure to plan
One of the most common mistakes is not planning a training session. When we want to develop a particular skill, we want to achieve a given effect as quickly as possible. We expect more and more and raise the bar faster and faster. We don’t plan small goals and we don’t break down an exercise into stages. All this leads to misunderstanding, frustration for the dog, which in turn also brings our discouragement.
Therefore, if we want to teach our dog something new, we should divide the exercise into stages. Let’s plan step by step how we want to achieve a given exercise. And when we encounter a difficulty, let us be flexible and adapt our plan to our dog’s current capabilities.
Lack of consistency
Sometimes an idea and a plan are not enough, because we lack consistency. There are times when a task is done well, but once in a while there are also slip-ups and the task is not done as we would like it to be. For example, when we teach a dog the word “sit”, we introduce this word by repeating it five times. With four repetitions the dog will do the sit perfectly, but with the fifth repetition he will lie down and we reward him for that as well. This is a mistake because we teach the dog that the word “sit” does not mean a sitting position, but different behaviours, so the lack of consistency makes it difficult for us to work through the successive stages of the exercise.
Therefore, it is very important to be able to “zero” the exercise. If we happen to make a non-ideal attempt, so we repeat the activity once again – to the effect, so that each time the dog performs the exercise correctly.
Adding passwords too quickly
Another mistake is to introduce verbal commands straight away, when the pooch doesn’t yet know what he is supposed to do and we have already called it. Our word then means everything and nothing. This is a quick way to misunderstanding and to negate the learning of the verbal command.
If we want to add a password, we must first work out the pet’s behaviour by guiding, shaping or imitating. Only when we have repetition at a high level – do we add a word that names the action. As a rule of thumb – we only name learned and desired behaviour!
Training sessions that are too long
Skilful planning also means adjusting the length of the training session and the number of repetitions of a particular exercise. There is no golden advice here, every dog is different, everyone needs a different training time. One can do dozens of repetitions of one exercise and he will still not have enough, another after five will be bored and want something new.
To eliminate this problem, a good observation is extremely important. If we see that the dog starts to get bored with training and does the repetitions more and more slowly – it is a sign that the session is taking too long. It is then worth taking a break and trying to change the exercise, and if motivation is still low – simply end the training at this point. Remember this and next time do fewer repetitions and a shorter session.
Poorly chosen rewards
It is important not to work with a dog that is full or, on the contrary, very hungry. Yes, a hungry pooch has increased motivation because he wants to get food, but we must also remember the concept of demotivation. A dog that is too hungry can become more frustrated and less focused on the exercise, which will cause a disruption in training.
This is where we need to observe our pet. There is no one good recipe, we need to work out the best training scenario by trial and error.
We must remember that the more difficult or longer the exercise, the better the reward should be and the longer it should last. This will make even more demanding activities more fun for the dog.
Summary
The training mistakes described are some of the most common ones that occur in training with a pet. However, keepers should remember that mistakes are not made by those who do nothing. Mistakes do happen, so remember that each one is a development not only for our pet, but also for ourselves.
