The Myths And Realities About Puppy Training
Unfortunately, there are a lot of errors and misrepresentations about puppy training that are found on blogs, articles, and even how-to videos on dog and puppy training. There are also common myths about working with puppies that are shared by friends, neighbors, and even relatives, which may make it difficult to know what to do and what to avoid doing when training your puppy.
To help sort through all the information, here are some of the common myths about puppy training as well as the reality you can use in working with your puppy:
Myth: Puppies can’t learn.
It is not uncommon for people to assume that puppies that are only a few months old cannot learn. In fact, pairing the natural behavior of the puppy with a command even at 8 to 12 weeks of age can help them to learn the basics of their name as well as to come on command.
Puppies can also learn negative behaviors as well. It is important never to allow the puppy to do anything you don’t want them to do as an adult dog. Good examples of this include biting or chewing at your fingers, jumping up on you, or chewing on your clothing or household items that are not dog toys.
Walking away when the puppy is engaging in negative behaviors and pay attention when they stop the negative behavior reinforces what you want the puppy to do.
Myth: All puppies develop at the same age and can be taught at the same rate.
Every puppy has his or her own speed of developing both physically as well as socially. Puppies also have different rates at which they learn, just like children develop differently and learn some things faster than others.
Working with your puppy and training to his or her abilities and attention span is a critical factor in creating a positive bond with the puppy while also adding to their training.
Myth: Some dogs are just impossible to train.
Some puppies and dogs require different training considerations, but all breeds and mixed breed puppies are trainable in the basic commands. Specific types of training, such as fetching or advanced command training is a factor of the dog’s natural behaviors or instincts, as well as how much time, effort, and patience the owner has to work with the dog.
Other factors, such as limiting repetition of tricks to avoid boredom for the puppy, and providing exercise and play time before and after, but not during your training sessions, also helps to focus the puppy.
Professional Training Services at Dogizone
One of the many services we offer dog owners in the Rockville, MD area, is our professional dog training service. All of our trainers are fully certified by our owner and certified dog trainer, Andrew Fraser.
Using positive reinforcement training and your dog’s natural behavior, our team of trainers can provide a customized approach to helping you work with your dog. We also offer Overnight Camps, which are a terrific option to train both puppies and adult dogs.