When raising a puppy, there are 4 common mistakes that we see:
- The consequence or correction needs to go with the intensity of the behavior BUT has to match the puppy. If the puppy is just learning and young, the correction needs to be soft and gentle.
- Frequently the puppy thinks its name is “No” because everything the puppy does, it hears, “no”. Overcorrecting can be a huge detriment to the puppy. Don’t over correct. Distraction and prevention are much better avenues when training a puppy.
- It is common for a household to have inconsistent rules and boundaries in the house. The commands need to be the same and the rules/boundaries need to be consistent among all family members. We have also observed that sometimes the children are “in charge” of the puppy. That is frequently problematic. The adults need to set the rules and standards for the puppy and the behavior needs to be followed by the children. (Read the blog on biting…it will save you some heartache.)
- If correcting and working with the puppy is done poorly, the behaviors of the puppy will get worse. For example: A puppy sees a child as a liter mates. If the child runs from the puppy, the puppy will chase them. Correcting the behavior of a dog won’t work by a child running away from the puppy. If a child will freeze like a tree with hands under their armpits (so hands can’t bee reached by the puppy) and turn their back to the dog.
