He’s not listening to you. He does things you never taught him. It surprises you with its behavior. Although the prevailing opinion is that we can still manage the dog’s upbringing, be sure not to stick to it. We will advise you on what you make the biggest mistakes in raising and caring for a dog.
1. Leave him more freedom
We often keep the dog as if in cotton, away from external influences, so that it does not harm the “poor thing”. However, the expert advises that the basic phase of socialization must be completed by the 5th month. “Then the dog should get to know the world, people, environment and other dogs. Socialization must not be violent, but more or less voluntary. A more timid dog sometimes needs to be helped to overcome an obstacle, for example by gently pulling on the lead.
Socialization with dogs should take place with calmer dogs, the group of dogs does not have to be large. You should get used to driving, I recommend in the transport box. It needs to be taught on slippery surfaces, benches across a stream, bridges, narrow spaces, an elevator, stairs and the like, ”says trainer Thomas Schvartz, who has 13 years of experience with dogs.
2. We believe in the myth of feeding
When dosing feed, we should take into account the weight and breed. The choice of feed is also important. “A big and common mistake is that people think that raw meat causes aggression in dogs. It is one of the biggest mistakes. Raw food for a dog is more natural, more nutritious and cheaper than from a hypermarket, ”advises expert Thomas Schvartz.
According to him, the mistake is that we give food to dogs for free and therefore they do not have to do anything. “Making yourself a source of food is the basis of dog education and training. So let the dog deserve that food. He needs to be trained, let him sit down, lie down, join his foot, let him walk at the foot for food, let him go to the place for food and the like, “he adds.
3. We confuse him with irregular activities
The dog can better orient and understand our requirements when his life has a regular rhythm. This means that we should do everything regularly – walking, feeding, play, walking, training, sports with the dog and time to relax.
4. We teach him bad hygienic habits
We should not allow a dog to walk in the area where we live. “I often come across the fact that we teach a dog to urinate on diapers in a house or apartment. However, he will explain it in his own way, so that he can do it in the whole apartment and not only in the diaper, “points out the trainer.
5. He doesn’t know his name
The correct reaction should be that the dog responds to its name, or turns around. He needs to be taught from a puppy.
6. We don’t teach him to last alone for a while
He closes up, destroys furniture and annoys neighbors. He needs to be prepared for solitude. “I will return to the age when the puppy is still old. He needs to be gradually taught to stay in the crate and I gradually extend the time.
7. We don’t teach him to play
We should look for fun for the dog, otherwise he will look for it himself and we may not like it. “We do not deepen our relationship with him through the game, we do not make ourselves a source of entertainment. We do not develop a predatory instinct in dogs, chasing toys, balls, cloths, “says Thomas Schvartz.
8. We use the wrong toys
Old shoes, old towels or old socks are not a good idea. “The dog does not know the value of things and often explains that the new shoes are like the toy you played with recently,” advises the trainer. As he goes on to say, we often use low-quality and harmful toys, such as foam balls, for adult dogs.
9. We do not raise children how to treat a dog
People think that a dog should be able to treat a child and do so automatically. But the truth is that it is the child we should learn how to behave towards a dog. “Children are insensitive to the dog, they pull it by the fur, ears, roll over it, go to its food, do not give it a rest,” the trainer warns of bad behavior.
10. We do not use what applies to the dog to our advantage
If we were interested in what a dog really is, we would be able to use everything. However, we try to educate him with human logic. “The dog is first and foremost an egoist and an excellent observer. He strives for two things in his life.
Reproduce pleasant things, such as food, chasing prey, reproduction, play, sleep and unpleasant wants to avoid, this includes traffic, punishment, danger to life. Next, the dog knows exactly when to take the lead that he is going for a walk. We do not use all these natural things for our dog to our advantage, “the trainer pointed out.
11. We praise or rebuke him incorrectly
“The fact that we can’t handle a dog, some will find out after half a year, others only when it grows up and shows its dominance by growling or biting the owner. It is also a mistake that we do not teach him to respond to the first command, but maybe only to the eighth.
We create incorrect reflective arcs. The dog will very quickly learn that after the command Sitni, followed by the command Lie, and then reward and praise. The dog therefore shortens it after a few repetitions and, at the command of Sadni, lies down straight away, waits for the reward, eats it and runs away or jumps up and waits for another.
The correct procedure is a command, we guide the dog to the desired position, mark the correctness of the exercise, for example with a clicker, praise it verbally, reward him with a treat and release him from the exercise, “explained Thomas Schvartz.
People also do not know that the reaction time is 0.5 to 2 seconds. “This means that I have a maximum of 2 seconds to reward the dog for performing the exercise correctly and also 2 seconds to reprimand the dog for performing the need for the middle of the kitchen …,” he adds.
12. We use bad leads to guide the dog
We should use leather or fabric collars with a width of 0.5 to 3 centimeters, which are the most suitable. “The harness was developed for towing. A dog that tends to pull on the lead will not learn this on the harness, but will pull more. Very wide fashion collars allow the dog to comfortably close and pull the owner.
We only use flexi guides to give the dog at least 5 meters of freedom, but we do not use them to practice summoning, ”advises the trainer. It also does not recommend the use of electronic and barbed training collars, which are especially suitable for professionals. Preparation for the use of the electronic collar or spigot should take at least 3 months and should be done correctly and especially thoroughly.
13. We lose his confidence, we undermine his self-confidence
Although fetching looks simple, you also need to know it. “We want to teach the puppy to fetch, and when he brings us the thrown ball for the first time, we will take it from him, assuming that we will throw it to him again and he will bring it again.
However, the puppy evaluates it by taking his toy and he won’t bring it to us a second time, because he knows that we will take it from him again. The puppy should be directed to the ball verbally or with the help of a lead, praise him and not touch him with a toy. Then exchange the toy for a mistletoe with the command Let go and throw it to the puppy again, “advises Thomas Schvartz.
However, it is often encountered that we take a small dog on our hands if a large dog walks by. “Then I will let the dog know that I share his fear with him and we are afraid of a big” bad “dog. If the dog stays on the ground and I show him that nothing is happening, I will teach my dog ​​not to be afraid of big hairs, “he adds.
14. We do not build respect
The dog must be shown at the right time and to the right extent that the toy is not his prey and that we can take it back. What is important here is the right measure to keep the dog’s own self, but to respect us at the same time.
15. We are not good dog handlers
We look at many when we look at the puppy, but we need to realize that if we want to have a good and healthy relationship with the dog, we must learn a lot.
“We are not able to provide our dog with quality and intensive education and training with a feeling of joy from a job well done and with a feeling of satisfaction for our master. We are not ready for education and training, either mentally, many times or materially. We are not sensitive enough to dogs, we are not fair, we are not educated and we are not skilled. All this needs to be learned, “adds trainer Thomas Schvartz.
