March 20, 2025 • 36 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Have you ever wondered why your dog listens
sometimes but not always, or whythey behave perfectly at home
but act out in public?
These issues often come fromsimple but common mistakes in
training.
(00:21):
Today, I'll be breaking downthe 10 biggest mistakes pet
parents make, explaining whythey happen, how they affect
your dog's learning and, mostimportantly, how to fix them.
Don't go anywhere.
All that and more, in 60seconds.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Raised by wolves with canine DNA in his blood.
Having trained more than 24,000pets, helping you and your fur
babies thrive, live in studiowith Will Bangura answering your
pet behavior and trainingquestions.
Ladies and gentlemen, pleasewelcome your host and favorite
pet behavior expert, willMangura.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Would you like to go on.
You're all ready for this.
Good day, dog lovers.
Hey, welcome back to anotherepisode of Dog Training Today,
(01:34):
your go-to podcast forscience-based, force-free and
evidence-backed dog trainingadvice.
I'm your host, will Bangora,canine behaviorist and certified
dog behavior consultant.
Today we're diving deep into the10 biggest mistakes that pet
parents make when training theirdog and, most importantly, how
to fix them.
But before we get started, I'vegot a quick favor to ask If
you've been enjoying thispodcast.
(01:55):
Do me a huge favor Hit thatsubscribe button and leave a
five-star review.
It helps us reach more petparents who need and really are
looking for good, science-based,evidence-based help.
I'd really appreciate that.
All right, let's get intotoday's podcast.
(02:17):
Like I said, I'm going to betalking about the 10 biggest
training mistakes that petparents make, and the first
mistake that I want to cover isinconsistency in training.
One of the biggest trainingmistakes that I see pet parents
make is inconsistency.
(02:37):
One day they allow their dog onthe couch and then say the next
day they scold them for it.
Or sometimes, when their dogjumps up on guests, they laugh
and give them attention.
Or even when they jump onthemselves, and other times they
push them off and say no.
(02:58):
Well, that inconsistencyconfuses your dog because they
don't know what's expected ofthem.
Dogs thrive.
They thrive on structure andpredictability.
If a rule exists, it has to bethe rule 100% of the time.
(03:24):
The rule 100% of the time.
When pet parents change therules, the dog learns that
sometimes the behavior is okay,which is going to make your
training ineffective and, inaddition to that, it also can
really cause a lot of anxietyand stress in your dogs.
(03:48):
All right, so let's talk abouthow to fix it.
The biggest thing that needs tohappen is you've got to set
clear and consistent house rules.
If the rule is no jumping onpeople, then every single family
member and every single guestshould enforce that rule.
Use the same words for cues.
(04:12):
If one person says down andanother says off for getting off
the couch, the dog won'tunderstand what's expected.
So make sure that you're usingthe same cue words, the same
command words.
Again, consistency.
Reinforce consistency bysetting up a simple training
(04:37):
plan that everyone in thehousehold follows.
Now, the second biggest mistakethat pet parents make in
training their dogs are usingpunishment-based methods.
This is a big one.
Many pet parents still believein outdated training techniques
(04:59):
that rely on punishment likeyelling or leash corrections or
even shock collars or prongcollars.
They assume that punishing badbehavior will make the dog stop,
but research shows thatpunishment-based training
actually increases anxiety,stress and even aggression.
(05:21):
You can find that study by ZIVZ-I-V.
That was a 2017 study.
Imagine if you were learning anew language and every time you
mispronounced a word, someoneyelled at you or gave you a
shock.
Would that help you learn, orwould you become nervous and
(05:45):
hesitant to even try speaking?
Dogs learn best throughpositive reinforcement, not fear
.
So how do you fix that?
Well, instead of punishingmistakes, reward the behavior
you want to see more of.
You want to see more of.
(06:08):
If your dog jumps on guests,don't yell.
Teach them that sittingpolitely gets them the attention
they crave.
If they pull on the leash,don't jerk them back.
Stop walking and only moveforward when they loosen the
leash.
The goal is to teach your dogwhat to do instead of just
stopping what you don't wantthem to do Now.
(06:33):
The third biggest mistake thatpet parents make in training
their dogs is expectingimmediate results.
Training is a process, not anevent.
Too many pet parents expecttheir dog to be fully trained in
a week or two, and when theydon't see immediate results,
(06:55):
they assume the dog isn'tcapable of learning.
But here's the reality.
Just like humans take time tolearn new skills, dogs do too.
Some behaviors take weeks oreven months of reinforcement to
become solid habits, and,depending on your dog's breed,
(07:16):
its temperament and pastexperiences, learning speeds can
vary and they can vary greatly.
All right, how do we fix that,though?
Well, the first thing is bepatient.
Be patient, set small,achievable goals and celebrate
(07:38):
the progress.
If your dog holds a sit for twoseconds today, aim for three
seconds tomorrow.
Remember progress is key.
Expecting overnight successwill only lead to frustration.
Now, the fourth biggest mistakethat pet parents make in
training their dogs isreinforcing the wrong behaviors.
(08:00):
Did you know that you might beaccidentally reinforcing the
behaviors that you want to stop?
Here's an example If your dogjumps up on you and you push
them off while saying no, stopthat, well, you've just rewarded
the jumping.
Why?
(08:20):
Because, to your dog, anyattention, even negative
attention, is still attention.
Dogs repeat behaviors that workfor them.
If barking at the window makesthe mailman go away, they'll
keep barking.
If jumping up earns a reaction,they'll keep jumping up.
(08:43):
So how do you fix this Well,ignore unwanted behavior and
reward only the behaviors youlike.
If your dog jumps, turn yourback and wait until they sit,
then reward them with attention.
Timing is crucial.
(09:04):
Then reward them with attention.
Timing is crucial.
Make sure that you reinforcethe right behavior at the right
time.
And if you want to even takethis another step further, you
begin teaching them a very solid, reliable sit and every time
they come towards you, or everytime your dog comes towards a
guest, you give the sit cue orcommand and reward that.
(09:29):
And over time again, we talkedabout earlier being patient,
right, not expecting immediateresults.
Over time, your dog is going tocome and sit, because that's
what gets attention, that's whatgets a reward.
And if they jump, you turnaround and you ignore them.
Soon they're going to besitting rather than jumping, all
(09:50):
right.
Mistake number five.
Mistake number five is allabout not using high value food
rewards.
Would you work hard at your jobif you were only paid in
pennies?
Probably not.
Well, the same logic applies toyour dog when it comes to
(10:12):
training rewards.
Not all treats are createdequal, and some pet parents make
the mistake of using low valuerewards when trying to teach
their dogs very difficultbehaviors.
Think of it like this If youwere in a room full of
distractions like your favoriteTV show, a plate of your
(10:35):
favorite food, a friend callingyour name what would make you
leave all of that behind to payattention to someone giving you
a task to do?
The reward needs to be worthyour while.
If your dog is outside, wherethere are exciting smells,
moving squirrels and other dogs,then dry biscuits or kibble
(11:01):
simply isn't enough to grabtheir attention.
So how do you fix this?
Well, use high-value rewardslike cooked chicken, small
pieces of cheese, freeze-driedliver or peanut butter for
difficult training sessions,particularly when distractions
are really high.
Understand the reward hierarchy.
(11:24):
A boring piece of kibble mightwork in a quiet living room, but
outside at the park you'regoing to need something more
exciting, like beef jerky ortheir absolute favorite toy.
The other thing don't phase outtreats too soon.
Many pet parents stop rewardingway too early, which can lead
(11:47):
to a decline in the behaviorthat you're trying to teach and
the reliability of that behavior.
Slowly, very slowly, reducetreat frequency only after the
behavior is truly solid, in lotsof different environments, in
lots of different locations andsituations.
(12:09):
Then you can incorporate liferewards too, if your dog loves
going outside, make them sitcalmly before opening the door.
If they love playing fetch, usethe ball as a reward for a good
sit or a good stay, all right.
(12:30):
Mistake number six poor timingof rewards.
Poor timing of rewards.
Timing is everything.
Let me say that again.
Timing is everything in dogtraining.
(12:58):
Let me say that again Timing iseverything in dog training and
that's why I believe it'simportant to using markers in
training.
Well, do a search, find outwhat marker training is.
Conditioning a marker.
You can go to my website atdogbehavioristcom and go to the
articles and look for my articleon clicker training, which will
(13:20):
also discuss that.
But the fact of the matter isdogs live in the moment and they
associate consequences, whetherrewards or corrections, with
what they're doing at that exactmoment.
This means that if you rewardeven a few seconds too late,
(13:43):
your dog is not going to connectthe dots.
Your dog will not connect theconsequences with the behavior
that you intended.
For example, if your dogfinally sits after you've said
sit five times, and you rewardthem three seconds later when
they're already standing upagain, you've just reinforced
(14:05):
standing up, not sitting.
Or let's say that your dogcomes when called, but by the
time they reach you, you scoldthem for taking too long.
Now they associate coming toyou with something negative.
Yeah, this is one of the biggestreasons why some pet parents
(14:27):
struggle with training.
Their dog isn't stubborn.
I hear that all the time.
My dog is stubborn.
No, your dog isn't stubborn,they're just confused by your
poor timing.
So how do you fix that?
Reward immediately, within oneto two seconds of the desired
behavior happening?
I already talked about using amarker, a marker word like yes,
(14:50):
or a clicker to bridge the gapbetween the behavior and the
reward.
This tells your dog exactlywhat they did right at the exact
moment that it happens.
All right Now, be mindful ofaccidental reinforcement.
If your dog barks and you givethem attention, even to tell
(15:11):
them no, you might bereinforcing the barking.
If your dog does something thatyou don't like, redirect that
behavior immediately.
For example, if they chew onfurniture and you redirect them
10 seconds later, they're notgoing to understand what they
(15:32):
did wrong and they're not goingto start connecting the new
behavior that you're rewardingas a replacement behavior.
Until you have good timing, allright.
Another this is so big mistake.
Number seven skippingsocialization.
Or hear me, hear me hear medoing it incorrectly.
(15:55):
Look, socialization is morethan just exposing your dog to
new people or dogs and differentenvironments.
It's about making sure thoseexperiences are positive and
making sure that thoseexperiences are controlled.
A common mistake that petparents make is either skipping
(16:18):
socialization altogether ordoing it the wrong way, which
can actually actually make fearor aggression worse.
Some people think just exposingtheir puppy to strangers or
loud noises or other dogs isenough, but if those experiences
are negative or overwhelming,your dog may become fearful
(16:43):
instead of confident.
Socialization is not just aboutexposure.
It's about teaching your dogthat new experiences are safe
and that new experiences areenjoyable and that they're
positive.
So how do you fix that?
Well, start socialization early, ideally before 16 weeks of age
(17:04):
.
You know that criticalsocialization window is actually
when the puppy is between threeweeks and 13 weeks of age.
If you're waiting to socialize,if you're waiting to expose
your puppy until they receivedall of their vaccinations, until
(17:27):
after, say, their 16 weeks,you've missed that window and
chances are that puppy is goingto be fearful of a lot of things
because you've missed thatwindow.
Now You've missed that window.
Now the veterinary behavioristshave a position statement on
(17:48):
socialization and what they'lltell you is that it's wrong to
wait until your dog iscompletely vaccinated.
If your dog has one or two setsof shots and listen, if they
were nursing on mom, all right.
If they were nursing on mom,they already have some
antibodies Now.
We don't want your puppy to getsick.
(18:09):
We certainly don't want them toget parvo and distemper, but
there's a lot of regular vetsscaring the heck out of you.
Listen.
You get your dog out everywhere, but stay away from heavily
soiled areas.
Don't take your puppy to placesother dogs are peeing or where
other dogs are pooping.
(18:30):
And when you bring your dogaround other dogs, make sure
that they're vaccinated.
Also, make sure that they'recalm, all right.
But you got to start it earlyNow.
When you're doing socialization,when you're doing exposure,
you've got to do it at yourdog's pace.
If your puppy is scared ofsomething, don't force them.
(18:54):
Let them explore that at theirown comfort level, while
rewarding calm behavior.
It's so important.
Use treats and positivereinforcement when exposing your
dog to new things.
For example, if they see askateboard for the first time,
(19:15):
reward them for looking at itcalmly.
Reward them for looking at itcalmly.
This will start to build apositive association instead of
fear.
Now you've got to be careful.
You need to avoid flooding.
If your dog is nervous aroundother dogs, don't throw them
(19:38):
into a dog park thinking they'llget used to it.
This can backfire and this cancause more fear or reactivity in
your dog.
Socialization isn't just aboutother dogs also, it includes
things like new sounds, textures, people with hats, people in
wheelchairs, even differentsurfaces like tile and grass.
(20:02):
Get your dog socialized, getthem exposed to everything.
Pair those new experiences withhigh value food rewards.
Make it a positive experience.
Watch your puppy's reaction inthese new situations.
If your puppy is scared,nervous or anxious or stressed,
hey, back away.
Dial it back.
Reward them at a distance wherethey're calm.
(20:26):
But you've got to do that, allright.
Mistake number eight onlytraining at home, not in
different environments.
That is a huge problem.
There's a lot of pet parentsthat are only training at home.
You're not training in lots ofdifferent environments.
That is a huge problem.
There's a lot of pet parentsthat are only training at home.
You're not training in lots ofdifferent environments.
(20:47):
Listen, your dog may know howto sit perfectly in your quiet
living room, but what happenswhen you ask them to sit at the
park with squirrels runningaround, all right.
Many pet parents assume theirdog knows a behavior, but in
reality dogs don't generalizewell, meaning they struggle to
(21:08):
apply training in differentenvironments.
If you only practice your cuesor commands at home, your dog
won't be reliable in real worldsituations.
Training in various places iscrucial to ensuring that your
dog listens, no matter where youare.
So how do you fix that?
(21:29):
Well, once your dog hasmastered a cue or command, once
your dog has mastered a behaviorat home, practice it in new
locations your backyard, a quietpark, a busy sidewalk.
Gradually, gradually andsystematically increase
distractions.
Start in a quiet place but thenadd slight distractions, then
(21:54):
more challenging ones.
But you got to go at the dog'space.
If your dog can't do it, dialback those distractions.
Spend more time at lower leveldistractions before you move up
to higher level distractions Allright.
Use a leash to maintain controlwhile reinforcing your cues and
(22:14):
commands in new environments.
Remember, just because your dogknows a cue at home doesn't
mean that they'll automaticallyunderstand it somewhere else.
Practice, practice, practice.
You know that old sayingpractice makes perfect.
No, that's not accurate.
What practice practice?
Practice means?
(22:35):
Practice means that it bringsabout more permanence and more
reliability.
So the more you practice, themore permanence, the more
reliability you're going to havewith those behaviors.
All right.
Mistake number nineOver-reliance on verbal cues and
commands.
Listen, dogs?
(22:56):
They don't speak English.
Many pet parents make themistake of saying commands over
and over and over again withoutfirst teaching the dog what the
word actually means.
If you say sit, sit, sit, sit,but your dog hasn't been taught
(23:19):
the meaning of sit, then they'rejust hearing the noise.
And what does that mean To thedog?
It means it's optional, right?
Dogs respond better to bodylanguage than words.
That's why some dogs will sitwhen you motion with your hand,
but not when you say sit,because they understand the
(23:39):
physical cue better.
So how do you fix that?
Well, teach the behavior first.
Don't assume that you can justspeak a word and your dog's
going to do it.
Teach the behavior first then,add the verbal cue later.
Use hand signals in combinationwith words to help your dog
(23:59):
learn more effectively.
Say the command once, thenguide them into the position if
needed.
Don't repeat it over and overand over.
All right, mistake number 10.
Ignoring your dog's emotionalstate.
Ignoring your dog's emotionalstate Listen.
(24:29):
A dog who is stressed, fearfulor overly excited is not in the
right mindset to learn.
If your dog's trembling at thevet's office or lunging at
another dog, they're tooemotionally overwhelmed to
process any kind of training.
So how do you fix this?
Well, work on relaxationtechniques before training
sessions.
A calm dog learns a lot better.
(24:52):
If your dog, if you've got adog that has a lot of anxiety,
if you've got a dog thatexperiences a lot of stress, if
you've got a dog that's reactiveor fearful or aggressive, you
(25:13):
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emotional well-being.
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(25:35):
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I created calm dogs to helpdogs that have noise
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(25:58):
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(26:19):
at calmdogscom or DogAnxietycom.
All right, we were talking aboutignoring your dog's emotional
state.
We're talking about a dog whois stressed or fearful or overly
excited.
Hey, they're not in the rightmindset to learn.
To learn, you have got togradually and systematically
(26:44):
learn little by little, in tinylittle slices.
Get them used to the thingsthat cause them to be anxious,
nervous, fearful, stressed.
Did you know that reactivitymost all reactivity, most all
aggression is based in anxiety,based in fear, based in stress
(27:06):
or based in frustration?
You need to use counterconditioning.
You need to pair stressfulsituations with positive
reinforcement to change theiremotional response.
But again, if they're toooverwhelmed, they're not going
to learn anything.
You need to expose them tothese new, scary things.
(27:29):
But, for example, if they haveanxiety or fear of people or
dogs, you start at a distancewhere they're calm.
You start at a distance wherethey're relaxed and you pair
that with positive reinforcement, gradually, slowly,
systematically, only at thedog's pace.
(27:49):
Only as fast as your dog canlearn and handle things do you
move closer, and you always usethe feedback of how your dog is
responding emotionally to letyou know if you're working too
quickly.
Okay, so anyway, those are thetop 10 mistakes in training dogs
(28:12):
that pet parents make.
All right, perfect, so I wantto do.
I've got some listenerquestions.
I want to go through a few ofthose before we wrap up.
So the first question is fromStacy and Stacy's in Iowa, is
from Stacy and Stacy's in Iowa,and Stacy says why does my dog
(28:33):
listen to my spouse but not me?
Wow, you know that is supercommon.
Dogs respond best to the personwho's the most consistent.
We talked about consistency asone of the mistakes that are
made, but again, dogs are goingto respond best to the person
who's most consistent with theirstructure, with their cues,
(28:57):
their commands, their rewards,with their boundaries, the rules
, the structure.
If your spouse alwaysreinforces commands the same way
and you're more lenient orinconsistent, your dog will
naturally listen to them more.
So let's talk about how you fixthat.
Both of you should be on thesame page, with the same
(29:21):
training cues and the same rules.
You need to practice simpleobedience exercises together so
your dog learns to listen toboth of you.
Make sure that you're bothusing the same tone, the same
words, the same body languagewhen giving those cues.
(29:43):
That also is very, veryimportant.
But usually why this happens?
One person in the house holdsthe heavy, the other person is
more lenient, and so you've gotto get on the same page.
When you do that, you're goingto see that change.
All right.
The next question is for Josh.
Josh is in Delaware.
(30:03):
Josh says how do I stop my dogfrom pulling on the leash?
Well, here's the thing Pullinghappens because it works.
When your dog pulls, they moveforward.
Yeah, they want to move forward.
So to stop it, you need toteach them that pulling stops
(30:23):
the walk.
So try this the moment your dogpulls, stop walking.
Don't yank them back, don'tcorrect them, don't cause them
to experience discomfort, justfreeze.
Wait until they loosen theleash even slightly.
The moment they do say yes, orgive a click, give a reward.
(30:46):
Then move forward.
Make sure that you're using highvalue treats to reward them
when they're walking on a looseleash.
Over time, they're going tolearn that pulling equals no
movement, while loose leashwalking equals rewards and your
problem will be resolved.
(31:07):
But you got to be patient.
You can't expect immediateresults and if you're in too
high of a distractingenvironment too soon and you
haven't done that gradually fromno distractions, low
distractions, moderatedistractions, then high
distractions, and if you're notworking at your dog's pace, yeah
(31:28):
, you're going to be strugglingwith this.
We also talked earlier aboutmistakes.
Using the right kind of foodrewards, your food rewards, and
you need to be more interestingthan whatever's going on in the
dog's environment.
Okay, all right.
The next question is from Diana.
Diana is from Hawaii.
She says my dog barksconstantly at the window.
(31:51):
How do I stop it?
Well, your dog barks because inyour dog's mind they believe
that they're chasing awaythreats.
So, instead of scolding, teachthe quiet cue.
All right, when your dog startsbarking, wait for a brief pause
(32:13):
in their barking.
When they offer that briefpause, say quiet and reward them
with a high value treat.
Gradually increase the durationthat your dog has to be quiet
before rewarding.
If your dog continues barking,try blocking their view or
(32:37):
redirecting them with adifferent activity.
You're going to need to set upcontrolled situations so you
could have a friend, anotherwell, usually a family member is
not going to work a stranger, afriend, somebody that your
dog's not used to come walkingup to the front of the house.
(32:59):
There you can go ahead and takedown the visual barrier.
But here's the problem.
If, let's say, your dog can seepeople walking by the house,
again in your dog's mind they'relooking oh, there's a scary
person.
Ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff,ruff, ruff, ruff.
They're barking like crazy.
That person leaves.
(33:21):
Now you and I know they're not.
That person's not going to besticking around.
But in your dog's mind it'slike oh, there's a scary person,
I bark.
That scary person leaves.
Mission accomplished, mybarking works.
They're not going to want togive that up.
It's a natural, reinforcedbehavior.
So if you're gone runningerrands for a long time, if
(33:45):
you're gone at work for severalhours and your dog is practicing
and rehearsing that behaviorover and over and over again.
It's just constantly beingreinforced.
So it's at those times, whileyou're doing the work, while
you're doing the training notforever you need to block your
dog's view.
(34:06):
You need to block your dog'sview because it's no longer a
teaching moment, because you'renot there.
You're not there to wait forthat quiet, to then be able to
label that absence of barkingwith quiet and rewarding that.
But it'll go a lot faster ifevery day, you have somebody
(34:31):
come and act as the stranger andyou practice that with your dog
.
Okay, practice, practice,practice makes perfect.
Now remember what I saidearlier it's not about
perfection, it's about the moreyou practice, the more
permanence, the more reliabilityyou're going to have.
(34:52):
Well, folks, that music means weare out of time again.
If you haven't subscribed, makesure that you hit that
subscribe button so you nevermiss an episode of Dog Training
Today.
And if you love what we do,please give us a five-star
review Again.
That just helps more petparents get great training
information and have morewell-behaved dogs.
(35:15):
Thanks for listening.
Make sure to check back foranother episode of Dog Training
today.
Train, train, train, practice,practice, practice.
I promise you it'll bring aboutpermanence and reliability.
Be patient with your dog.
Use high value food rewards andgive your doggies a hug and a
(35:37):
kiss from me.
Have a great day, everybody.
Have a great week.
I'm out of here Bye.
Have you ever wondered why your dog listens
sometimes but not always, or whythey behave perfectly at home
but act out in public?
These issues often come fromsimple but common mistakes in
training.
(00:21):
Today, I'll be breaking downthe 10 biggest mistakes pet
parents make, explaining whythey happen, how they affect
your dog's learning and, mostimportantly, how to fix them.
Don't go anywhere.
All that and more, in 60seconds.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Raised by wolves with canine DNA in his blood.
Having trained more than 24,000pets, helping you and your fur
babies thrive, live in studiowith Will Bangura answering your
pet behavior and trainingquestions.
Ladies and gentlemen, pleasewelcome your host and favorite
pet behavior expert, willMangura.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Would you like to go on.
You're all ready for this.
Good day, dog lovers.
Hey, welcome back to anotherepisode of Dog Training Today,
(01:34):
your go-to podcast forscience-based, force-free and
evidence-backed dog trainingadvice.
I'm your host, will Bangora,canine behaviorist and certified
dog behavior consultant.
Today we're diving deep into the10 biggest mistakes that pet
parents make when training theirdog and, most importantly, how
to fix them.
But before we get started, I'vegot a quick favor to ask If
you've been enjoying thispodcast.
(01:55):
Do me a huge favor Hit thatsubscribe button and leave a
five-star review.
It helps us reach more petparents who need and really are
looking for good, science-based,evidence-based help.
I'd really appreciate that.
All right, let's get intotoday's podcast.
(02:17):
Like I said, I'm going to betalking about the 10 biggest
training mistakes that petparents make, and the first
mistake that I want to cover isinconsistency in training.
One of the biggest trainingmistakes that I see pet parents
make is inconsistency.
(02:37):
One day they allow their dog onthe couch and then say the next
day they scold them for it.
Or sometimes, when their dogjumps up on guests, they laugh
and give them attention.
Or even when they jump onthemselves, and other times they
push them off and say no.
(02:58):
Well, that inconsistencyconfuses your dog because they
don't know what's expected ofthem.
Dogs thrive.
They thrive on structure andpredictability.
If a rule exists, it has to bethe rule 100% of the time.
(03:24):
The rule 100% of the time.
When pet parents change therules, the dog learns that
sometimes the behavior is okay,which is going to make your
training ineffective and, inaddition to that, it also can
really cause a lot of anxietyand stress in your dogs.
(03:48):
All right, so let's talk abouthow to fix it.
The biggest thing that needs tohappen is you've got to set
clear and consistent house rules.
If the rule is no jumping onpeople, then every single family
member and every single guestshould enforce that rule.
Use the same words for cues.
(04:12):
If one person says down andanother says off for getting off
the couch, the dog won'tunderstand what's expected.
So make sure that you're usingthe same cue words, the same
command words.
Again, consistency.
Reinforce consistency bysetting up a simple training
(04:37):
plan that everyone in thehousehold follows.
Now, the second biggest mistakethat pet parents make in
training their dogs are usingpunishment-based methods.
This is a big one.
Many pet parents still believein outdated training techniques
(04:59):
that rely on punishment likeyelling or leash corrections or
even shock collars or prongcollars.
They assume that punishing badbehavior will make the dog stop,
but research shows thatpunishment-based training
actually increases anxiety,stress and even aggression.
(05:21):
You can find that study by ZIVZ-I-V.
That was a 2017 study.
Imagine if you were learning anew language and every time you
mispronounced a word, someoneyelled at you or gave you a
shock.
Would that help you learn, orwould you become nervous and
(05:45):
hesitant to even try speaking?
Dogs learn best throughpositive reinforcement, not fear
.
So how do you fix that?
Well, instead of punishingmistakes, reward the behavior
you want to see more of.
You want to see more of.
(06:08):
If your dog jumps on guests,don't yell.
Teach them that sittingpolitely gets them the attention
they crave.
If they pull on the leash,don't jerk them back.
Stop walking and only moveforward when they loosen the
leash.
The goal is to teach your dogwhat to do instead of just
stopping what you don't wantthem to do Now.
(06:33):
The third biggest mistake thatpet parents make in training
their dogs is expectingimmediate results.
Training is a process, not anevent.
Too many pet parents expecttheir dog to be fully trained in
a week or two, and when theydon't see immediate results,
(06:55):
they assume the dog isn'tcapable of learning.
But here's the reality.
Just like humans take time tolearn new skills, dogs do too.
Some behaviors take weeks oreven months of reinforcement to
become solid habits, and,depending on your dog's breed,
(07:16):
its temperament and pastexperiences, learning speeds can
vary and they can vary greatly.
All right, how do we fix that,though?
Well, the first thing is bepatient.
Be patient, set small,achievable goals and celebrate
(07:38):
the progress.
If your dog holds a sit for twoseconds today, aim for three
seconds tomorrow.
Remember progress is key.
Expecting overnight successwill only lead to frustration.
Now, the fourth biggest mistakethat pet parents make in
training their dogs isreinforcing the wrong behaviors.
(08:00):
Did you know that you might beaccidentally reinforcing the
behaviors that you want to stop?
Here's an example If your dogjumps up on you and you push
them off while saying no, stopthat, well, you've just rewarded
the jumping.
Why?
(08:20):
Because, to your dog, anyattention, even negative
attention, is still attention.
Dogs repeat behaviors that workfor them.
If barking at the window makesthe mailman go away, they'll
keep barking.
If jumping up earns a reaction,they'll keep jumping up.
(08:43):
So how do you fix this Well,ignore unwanted behavior and
reward only the behaviors youlike.
If your dog jumps, turn yourback and wait until they sit,
then reward them with attention.
Timing is crucial.
(09:04):
Then reward them with attention.
Timing is crucial.
Make sure that you reinforcethe right behavior at the right
time.
And if you want to even takethis another step further, you
begin teaching them a very solid, reliable sit and every time
they come towards you, or everytime your dog comes towards a
guest, you give the sit cue orcommand and reward that.
(09:29):
And over time again, we talkedabout earlier being patient,
right, not expecting immediateresults.
Over time, your dog is going tocome and sit, because that's
what gets attention, that's whatgets a reward.
And if they jump, you turnaround and you ignore them.
Soon they're going to besitting rather than jumping, all
(09:50):
right.
Mistake number five.
Mistake number five is allabout not using high value food
rewards.
Would you work hard at your jobif you were only paid in
pennies?
Probably not.
Well, the same logic applies toyour dog when it comes to
(10:12):
training rewards.
Not all treats are createdequal, and some pet parents make
the mistake of using low valuerewards when trying to teach
their dogs very difficultbehaviors.
Think of it like this If youwere in a room full of
distractions like your favoriteTV show, a plate of your
(10:35):
favorite food, a friend callingyour name what would make you
leave all of that behind to payattention to someone giving you
a task to do?
The reward needs to be worthyour while.
If your dog is outside, wherethere are exciting smells,
moving squirrels and other dogs,then dry biscuits or kibble
(11:01):
simply isn't enough to grabtheir attention.
So how do you fix this?
Well, use high-value rewardslike cooked chicken, small
pieces of cheese, freeze-driedliver or peanut butter for
difficult training sessions,particularly when distractions
are really high.
Understand the reward hierarchy.
(11:24):
A boring piece of kibble mightwork in a quiet living room, but
outside at the park you'regoing to need something more
exciting, like beef jerky ortheir absolute favorite toy.
The other thing don't phase outtreats too soon.
Many pet parents stop rewardingway too early, which can lead
(11:47):
to a decline in the behaviorthat you're trying to teach and
the reliability of that behavior.
Slowly, very slowly, reducetreat frequency only after the
behavior is truly solid, in lotsof different environments, in
lots of different locations andsituations.
(12:09):
Then you can incorporate liferewards too, if your dog loves
going outside, make them sitcalmly before opening the door.
If they love playing fetch, usethe ball as a reward for a good
sit or a good stay, all right.
(12:30):
Mistake number six poor timingof rewards.
Poor timing of rewards.
Timing is everything.
Let me say that again.
Timing is everything in dogtraining.
(12:58):
Let me say that again Timing iseverything in dog training and
that's why I believe it'simportant to using markers in
training.
Well, do a search, find outwhat marker training is.
Conditioning a marker.
You can go to my website atdogbehavioristcom and go to the
articles and look for my articleon clicker training, which will
(13:20):
also discuss that.
But the fact of the matter isdogs live in the moment and they
associate consequences, whetherrewards or corrections, with
what they're doing at that exactmoment.
This means that if you rewardeven a few seconds too late,
(13:43):
your dog is not going to connectthe dots.
Your dog will not connect theconsequences with the behavior
that you intended.
For example, if your dogfinally sits after you've said
sit five times, and you rewardthem three seconds later when
they're already standing upagain, you've just reinforced
(14:05):
standing up, not sitting.
Or let's say that your dogcomes when called, but by the
time they reach you, you scoldthem for taking too long.
Now they associate coming toyou with something negative.
Yeah, this is one of the biggestreasons why some pet parents
(14:27):
struggle with training.
Their dog isn't stubborn.
I hear that all the time.
My dog is stubborn.
No, your dog isn't stubborn,they're just confused by your
poor timing.
So how do you fix that?
Reward immediately, within oneto two seconds of the desired
behavior happening?
I already talked about using amarker, a marker word like yes,
(14:50):
or a clicker to bridge the gapbetween the behavior and the
reward.
This tells your dog exactlywhat they did right at the exact
moment that it happens.
All right Now, be mindful ofaccidental reinforcement.
If your dog barks and you givethem attention, even to tell
(15:11):
them no, you might bereinforcing the barking.
If your dog does something thatyou don't like, redirect that
behavior immediately.
For example, if they chew onfurniture and you redirect them
10 seconds later, they're notgoing to understand what they
(15:32):
did wrong and they're not goingto start connecting the new
behavior that you're rewardingas a replacement behavior.
Until you have good timing, allright.
Another this is so big mistake.
Number seven skippingsocialization.
Or hear me, hear me hear medoing it incorrectly.
(15:55):
Look, socialization is morethan just exposing your dog to
new people or dogs and differentenvironments.
It's about making sure thoseexperiences are positive and
making sure that thoseexperiences are controlled.
A common mistake that petparents make is either skipping
(16:18):
socialization altogether ordoing it the wrong way, which
can actually actually make fearor aggression worse.
Some people think just exposingtheir puppy to strangers or
loud noises or other dogs isenough, but if those experiences
are negative or overwhelming,your dog may become fearful
(16:43):
instead of confident.
Socialization is not just aboutexposure.
It's about teaching your dogthat new experiences are safe
and that new experiences areenjoyable and that they're
positive.
So how do you fix that?
Well, start socialization early, ideally before 16 weeks of age
(17:04):
.
You know that criticalsocialization window is actually
when the puppy is between threeweeks and 13 weeks of age.
If you're waiting to socialize,if you're waiting to expose
your puppy until they receivedall of their vaccinations, until
(17:27):
after, say, their 16 weeks,you've missed that window and
chances are that puppy is goingto be fearful of a lot of things
because you've missed thatwindow.
Now You've missed that window.
Now the veterinary behavioristshave a position statement on
(17:48):
socialization and what they'lltell you is that it's wrong to
wait until your dog iscompletely vaccinated.
If your dog has one or two setsof shots and listen, if they
were nursing on mom, all right.
If they were nursing on mom,they already have some
antibodies Now.
We don't want your puppy to getsick.
(18:09):
We certainly don't want them toget parvo and distemper, but
there's a lot of regular vetsscaring the heck out of you.
Listen.
You get your dog out everywhere, but stay away from heavily
soiled areas.
Don't take your puppy to placesother dogs are peeing or where
other dogs are pooping.
(18:30):
And when you bring your dogaround other dogs, make sure
that they're vaccinated.
Also, make sure that they'recalm, all right.
But you got to start it earlyNow.
When you're doing socialization,when you're doing exposure,
you've got to do it at yourdog's pace.
If your puppy is scared ofsomething, don't force them.
(18:54):
Let them explore that at theirown comfort level, while
rewarding calm behavior.
It's so important.
Use treats and positivereinforcement when exposing your
dog to new things.
For example, if they see askateboard for the first time,
(19:15):
reward them for looking at itcalmly.
Reward them for looking at itcalmly.
This will start to build apositive association instead of
fear.
Now you've got to be careful.
You need to avoid flooding.
If your dog is nervous aroundother dogs, don't throw them
(19:38):
into a dog park thinking they'llget used to it.
This can backfire and this cancause more fear or reactivity in
your dog.
Socialization isn't just aboutother dogs also, it includes
things like new sounds, textures, people with hats, people in
wheelchairs, even differentsurfaces like tile and grass.
(20:02):
Get your dog socialized, getthem exposed to everything.
Pair those new experiences withhigh value food rewards.
Make it a positive experience.
Watch your puppy's reaction inthese new situations.
If your puppy is scared,nervous or anxious or stressed,
hey, back away.
Dial it back.
Reward them at a distance wherethey're calm.
(20:26):
But you've got to do that, allright.
Mistake number eight onlytraining at home, not in
different environments.
That is a huge problem.
There's a lot of pet parentsthat are only training at home.
You're not training in lots ofdifferent environments.
That is a huge problem.
There's a lot of pet parentsthat are only training at home.
You're not training in lots ofdifferent environments.
(20:47):
Listen, your dog may know howto sit perfectly in your quiet
living room, but what happenswhen you ask them to sit at the
park with squirrels runningaround, all right.
Many pet parents assume theirdog knows a behavior, but in
reality dogs don't generalizewell, meaning they struggle to
(21:08):
apply training in differentenvironments.
If you only practice your cuesor commands at home, your dog
won't be reliable in real worldsituations.
Training in various places iscrucial to ensuring that your
dog listens, no matter where youare.
So how do you fix that?
(21:29):
Well, once your dog hasmastered a cue or command, once
your dog has mastered a behaviorat home, practice it in new
locations your backyard, a quietpark, a busy sidewalk.
Gradually, gradually andsystematically increase
distractions.
Start in a quiet place but thenadd slight distractions, then
(21:54):
more challenging ones.
But you got to go at the dog'space.
If your dog can't do it, dialback those distractions.
Spend more time at lower leveldistractions before you move up
to higher level distractions Allright.
Use a leash to maintain controlwhile reinforcing your cues and
(22:14):
commands in new environments.
Remember, just because your dogknows a cue at home doesn't
mean that they'll automaticallyunderstand it somewhere else.
Practice, practice, practice.
You know that old sayingpractice makes perfect.
No, that's not accurate.
What practice practice?
Practice means?
(22:35):
Practice means that it bringsabout more permanence and more
reliability.
So the more you practice, themore permanence, the more
reliability you're going to havewith those behaviors.
All right.
Mistake number nineOver-reliance on verbal cues and
commands.
Listen, dogs?
(22:56):
They don't speak English.
Many pet parents make themistake of saying commands over
and over and over again withoutfirst teaching the dog what the
word actually means.
If you say sit, sit, sit, sit,but your dog hasn't been taught
(23:19):
the meaning of sit, then they'rejust hearing the noise.
And what does that mean To thedog?
It means it's optional, right?
Dogs respond better to bodylanguage than words.
That's why some dogs will sitwhen you motion with your hand,
but not when you say sit,because they understand the
(23:39):
physical cue better.
So how do you fix that?
Well, teach the behavior first.
Don't assume that you can justspeak a word and your dog's
going to do it.
Teach the behavior first then,add the verbal cue later.
Use hand signals in combinationwith words to help your dog
(23:59):
learn more effectively.
Say the command once, thenguide them into the position if
needed.
Don't repeat it over and overand over.
All right, mistake number 10.
Ignoring your dog's emotionalstate.
Ignoring your dog's emotionalstate Listen.
(24:29):
A dog who is stressed, fearfulor overly excited is not in the
right mindset to learn.
If your dog's trembling at thevet's office or lunging at
another dog, they're tooemotionally overwhelmed to
process any kind of training.
So how do you fix this?
Well, work on relaxationtechniques before training
sessions.
A calm dog learns a lot better.
(24:52):
If your dog, if you've got adog that has a lot of anxiety,
if you've got a dog thatexperiences a lot of stress, if
you've got a dog that's reactiveor fearful or aggressive, you
(25:13):
might want to try a naturalcalming aid to support their
emotional well-being.
Calm dogs I want to take a quicksecond to talk to you about
calm dogs.
Calm dogs is a natural calmingaid that I spent five years
researching and developing.
That's right.
Calm dogs is my creation.
I developed calm dogs for dogswith anxiety, fears, phobias,
(25:35):
reactivity and even aggression.
I created calm dogs to helpdogs that have noise
sensitivities, like a fear ofthunderstorms or fireworks.
Calm Dogs also works great fordogs with separation anxiety, a
fear of car rides and travel.
Calm Dogs even helps those dogswith a fear of vet visits or
grooming.
In fact, I'm so confident thatCalm Dogs will help your dog
(25:58):
that I make it absolutelyrisk-free.
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My promise to you is verysimple Calm Dogs works for your
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(26:19):
at calmdogscom or DogAnxietycom.
All right, we were talking aboutignoring your dog's emotional
state.
We're talking about a dog whois stressed or fearful or overly
excited.
Hey, they're not in the rightmindset to learn.
To learn, you have got togradually and systematically
(26:44):
learn little by little, in tinylittle slices.
Get them used to the thingsthat cause them to be anxious,
nervous, fearful, stressed.
Did you know that reactivitymost all reactivity, most all
aggression is based in anxiety,based in fear, based in stress
(27:06):
or based in frustration?
You need to use counterconditioning.
You need to pair stressfulsituations with positive
reinforcement to change theiremotional response.
But again, if they're toooverwhelmed, they're not going
to learn anything.
You need to expose them tothese new, scary things.
(27:29):
But, for example, if they haveanxiety or fear of people or
dogs, you start at a distancewhere they're calm.
You start at a distance wherethey're relaxed and you pair
that with positive reinforcement, gradually, slowly,
systematically, only at thedog's pace.
(27:49):
Only as fast as your dog canlearn and handle things do you
move closer, and you always usethe feedback of how your dog is
responding emotionally to letyou know if you're working too
quickly.
Okay, so anyway, those are thetop 10 mistakes in training dogs
(28:12):
that pet parents make.
All right, perfect, so I wantto do.
I've got some listenerquestions.
I want to go through a few ofthose before we wrap up.
So the first question is fromStacy and Stacy's in Iowa, is
from Stacy and Stacy's in Iowa,and Stacy says why does my dog
(28:33):
listen to my spouse but not me?
Wow, you know that is supercommon.
Dogs respond best to the personwho's the most consistent.
We talked about consistency asone of the mistakes that are
made, but again, dogs are goingto respond best to the person
who's most consistent with theirstructure, with their cues,
(28:57):
their commands, their rewards,with their boundaries, the rules
, the structure.
If your spouse alwaysreinforces commands the same way
and you're more lenient orinconsistent, your dog will
naturally listen to them more.
So let's talk about how you fixthat.
Both of you should be on thesame page, with the same
(29:21):
training cues and the same rules.
You need to practice simpleobedience exercises together so
your dog learns to listen toboth of you.
Make sure that you're bothusing the same tone, the same
words, the same body languagewhen giving those cues.
(29:43):
That also is very, veryimportant.
But usually why this happens?
One person in the house holdsthe heavy, the other person is
more lenient, and so you've gotto get on the same page.
When you do that, you're goingto see that change.
All right.
The next question is for Josh.
Josh is in Delaware.
(30:03):
Josh says how do I stop my dogfrom pulling on the leash?
Well, here's the thing Pullinghappens because it works.
When your dog pulls, they moveforward.
Yeah, they want to move forward.
So to stop it, you need toteach them that pulling stops
(30:23):
the walk.
So try this the moment your dogpulls, stop walking.
Don't yank them back, don'tcorrect them, don't cause them
to experience discomfort, justfreeze.
Wait until they loosen theleash even slightly.
The moment they do say yes, orgive a click, give a reward.
(30:46):
Then move forward.
Make sure that you're using highvalue treats to reward them
when they're walking on a looseleash.
Over time, they're going tolearn that pulling equals no
movement, while loose leashwalking equals rewards and your
problem will be resolved.
(31:07):
But you got to be patient.
You can't expect immediateresults and if you're in too
high of a distractingenvironment too soon and you
haven't done that gradually fromno distractions, low
distractions, moderatedistractions, then high
distractions, and if you're notworking at your dog's pace, yeah
(31:28):
, you're going to be strugglingwith this.
We also talked earlier aboutmistakes.
Using the right kind of foodrewards, your food rewards, and
you need to be more interestingthan whatever's going on in the
dog's environment.
Okay, all right.
The next question is from Diana.
Diana is from Hawaii.
She says my dog barksconstantly at the window.
(31:51):
How do I stop it?
Well, your dog barks because inyour dog's mind they believe
that they're chasing awaythreats.
So, instead of scolding, teachthe quiet cue.
All right, when your dog startsbarking, wait for a brief pause
(32:13):
in their barking.
When they offer that briefpause, say quiet and reward them
with a high value treat.
Gradually increase the durationthat your dog has to be quiet
before rewarding.
If your dog continues barking,try blocking their view or
(32:37):
redirecting them with adifferent activity.
You're going to need to set upcontrolled situations so you
could have a friend, anotherwell, usually a family member is
not going to work a stranger, afriend, somebody that your
dog's not used to come walkingup to the front of the house.
(32:59):
There you can go ahead and takedown the visual barrier.
But here's the problem.
If, let's say, your dog can seepeople walking by the house,
again in your dog's mind they'relooking oh, there's a scary
person.
Ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff,ruff, ruff, ruff.
They're barking like crazy.
That person leaves.
(33:21):
Now you and I know they're not.
That person's not going to besticking around.
But in your dog's mind it'slike oh, there's a scary person,
I bark.
That scary person leaves.
Mission accomplished, mybarking works.
They're not going to want togive that up.
It's a natural, reinforcedbehavior.
So if you're gone runningerrands for a long time, if
(33:45):
you're gone at work for severalhours and your dog is practicing
and rehearsing that behaviorover and over and over again.
It's just constantly beingreinforced.
So it's at those times, whileyou're doing the work, while
you're doing the training notforever you need to block your
dog's view.
(34:06):
You need to block your dog'sview because it's no longer a
teaching moment, because you'renot there.
You're not there to wait forthat quiet, to then be able to
label that absence of barkingwith quiet and rewarding that.
But it'll go a lot faster ifevery day, you have somebody
(34:31):
come and act as the stranger andyou practice that with your dog
.
Okay, practice, practice,practice makes perfect.
Now remember what I saidearlier it's not about
perfection, it's about the moreyou practice, the more
permanence, the more reliabilityyou're going to have.
(34:52):
Well, folks, that music means weare out of time again.
If you haven't subscribed, makesure that you hit that
subscribe button so you nevermiss an episode of Dog Training
Today.
And if you love what we do,please give us a five-star
review Again.
That just helps more petparents get great training
information and have morewell-behaved dogs.
(35:15):
Thanks for listening.
Make sure to check back foranother episode of Dog Training
today.
Train, train, train, practice,practice, practice.
I promise you it'll bring aboutpermanence and reliability.
Be patient with your dog.
Use high value food rewards andgive your doggies a hug and a
(35:37):
kiss from me.
Have a great day, everybody.
Have a great week.
I'm out of here Bye.
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