Teaching your dog basic commands and behaviors is vitally important to help them thrive. This makes an impact on how they handle everyday tasks like grooming, walking, and playing. Obedience training is best started at a young age, but even older dogs can learn.
Here are four common myths we hear all the time about obedience training (and why they are not true):
- It’s too early/late to try obedience training. It’s always a good time to start! You can set your puppy up for success by starting from the first day you bring them home, making it part of their everyday routine. Since they’re young, you just need to manage your expectations of what they’ll learn! Older dogs can still learn too—they just might take a little more time to learn new things and forget old habits.
- If I use treats to motivate my dog, they’ll only listen when I have treats. It’s important to remember with obedience training that your dog wants to understand what you want them to do and why. Treats are a great motivating factor to help them learn, but you can also use other rewards like toys or petting. Treats don’t have to be used forever, and your dog won’t become dependent on them to follow your direction.
- I should rub my dog’s nose in their mess to teach them it’s wrong. This is not very nice, and it’s an old-fashioned approach that truly doesn’t work. Positive reinforcement is much more effective in obedience training. Punishment will actually tell your dog that they shouldn’t go at all or that they need to hide it, which is not the behavior we are trying to teach. Don’t use punishments as part of their training.
If you are working on obedience training with your dog, we’re here to help! We can work with you to develop successful habits and practices that will let you and your dog thrive. Contact our team today to find out more.