5 Common Puppy Training Mistakes

Bringing home a new puppy is an exciting time filled with many adorable moments for new pup parents. However, bringing home a new puppy does come with its many challenges. A new puppy needs a lot of training which can be fun but will take a lot of hard work. Puppy training can be made much easier and enjoyable for new owners if they avoid these 5 common puppy training mistakes:

1. Too Much Time Alone

Young pups need a lot of attention and care, having your pup spend too much time alone can make training more difficult. Although it is important to ensure your puppy gets used to being alone from a young age too much alone time can cause them to act out. It will be more common for your puppy to have accidents in the home or find an unwanted chew toy if left in the house alone for too long.

2. Rushing the Process

Many new puppy parents think they are doing something wrong if their puppy isn’t training at record speed. It is important to stay patient and not rush the process out of frustration or doubt. Coming into a new home can be a big adjustment for a new pup and it is important to be patient as they learn their new surroundings and boundaries. Try focusing on only a couple of important commands at a time and enjoy the small wins as they come.

3. Table Scraps & Jumping

There is no doubt that saying “No” to those big brown puppy dog eyes is a near impossible task and yet, it is one of the most important tasks. Puppies learn behaviors early on that can lead to much bigger problems down the line. Once you start feeding your puppy food scraps from the dinner table it will be extremely difficult to have them unlearn this behavior. Although a puppy begging for food may be cute it will not always feel this way when you can no longer have dinner without them begging. Similarly, many people love having a little puppy greet them with excitement but allowing your puppy to jump on guests will teach them they can do this when they are full grown and it is no longer enjoyable. 

4. No Down Time

All play and no sleep can be really hard on a young puppy. Being over tired can cause a young pup to act out. Ensuring your pup has an early bedtime and is getting multiple naps throughout the day is an important part of their training. Many families want to spend all day playing and getting to know their new pup but they do need some breaks. If your pup doesn’t get rest they will become a little bit cranky and harder to train. 

5. Repeating Commands

One of the common puppy training mistakes made by new puppy parents make when training their puppy is repeating commands. Many puppy parents repeat the command they want their pup to perform until they perform the act. When teaching your puppy a new command you should say it only once, if they do not perform the act do not reward them and try again after a short break. By saying “Sit” repeatedly when they don’t perform the task and then rewarding them when they finally do sit you are teaching them to wait until you say “Sit” multiple times before they perform the task.