Every puppy parent is blessed with a bundle of joy. They bring happiness to their owners, who treat them as their own children. At times, it is possible to transcend certain unmarked boundaries and call harm upon the puppy. Owing to a lack of scientific understanding among the parents, the puppy may be pushed into lifelong ill habits and behavioral or health concerns.
This article prevents you from making such mistakes. Here is a comprehensive list to enable healthy training for your puppies, without adversely harming them.
Getting your puppy soon
This is one of the most common mistakes most enthusiastic dog-parents tend to make. Puppies require the nurturing of their mother just like humans do. Separating a puppy from its mother soon after its birth can be dangerous. No matter how well you nurture a puppy, their mother’s touch and smell are mandatory for their growth. Furthermore, separating the pup from its mother can also cause several psychological issues.
Thus, make sure you do not get your puppy home right after its birth and only after a few weeks when they are ready to sustain on their own. However, even at this point, you need to take care of a puppy in a number of ways. Remember to consult a vet and get suitable food and medicines prescribed for the well-being of your puppy.
Beating your dog for following commands
Dog-parents should remember never to hit their pets. Such behavior can result in your dog being depressed or even afraid of you. Remember, you do not want to scare that cuddle ball as it fails to obey commands. Dog parents should know the difference between being strict and abusive.
You can simply be firm in your actions and not entertain the mischief of your dog. This would help your dog to understand what you like and what you don’t. If you try to be abusive, there are chances that your dog will retaliate and make things worse. However, if you do not have a ferocious species, they will mostly start distancing themselves from you.
Not starting training too soon
Most dog parents wait for their pets to grow older before they start training them. However, this is a precarious mistake they make. A dog will be used to the way you treat them at the beginning. Thus, if you do not train your dog as a puppy, it will be difficult to train later. This is because they get accustomed to a particular lifestyle, specific habits and unacceptable behavior, and the like.
While on the one hand, training them at an older age is difficult, it might also cause several issues in your dog, owing to the sudden change in your behavior.
It is always better to start training your dog as soon as you get them. However, make sure not to be very rigid with the training at first and start bit-by-bit.
Bribing dogs with food
Dog-owners often believe they can bribe their dogs with food and train them better. However, they are doing greater harm to their pets by inculcating this habit. Your dog might like eating several things like cakes and ice-creams but they are poisonous for your dog’s liver. Feeding with such items might make your dog obey your commands for the time being but they are at a greater health risk.
Thus, make sure you do not adopt this method for training your dog and feed them only those food items that are healthy. You can provide occasional treats to your dogs after he wins a competition, or listen to you on a regular basis.
Dog Food Suggestions:
- Happy Dog Food Review and Recommendations for 2021
- Platinum Dog Food Reviews and Recommendations [Updated 2021]
- Hills Dog Food Review and Recommendations For 2021
Being impatient
One of the keys to ensuring a well-trained pet is patience. You cannot lose patience while training your puppy. They will be mischievous at the beginning and you need to understand their psychology. No puppy wants to be under a rigid regime and is always playful. Thus, they require enough time to learn and obey your commands. Thus, you should not hurry with the training process. You should neither lose hope. Your puppy will learn slowly with sufficient love and care.
Training your puppy all-day
Do not burden your puppy with commands the entire day. They need some time to rest, play, and do whatever they like unless that is some unacceptable behavior. Training your puppy all day can cause an adverse impact on their behavior and they can become resistant to your commands. It is best to set a specific time for training your puppy every day so that they feel it is like another fun activity.
It is crucial for dog owners to know when to begin the training process and when to call it a day. Remember, while too much freedom can be harmful to your puppy, training them all day and all night does not do any good either.
Conclusion
Puppies require similar care and training as kids. Just like you need to teach your kid the correct behavior, you need to do the same with your puppy. Thus, make sure you think of training your pup as soon as you get them. However, first-time dog-owners should learn the basics of training their dogs.
The points mentioned above are sure to help you as a dog parent and avoid the mistakes most dog-owners make. Remember, it is crucial to both love your dog and be strict with them. Thus, make sure you do not let them indulge in mischievous activities too much but also let them have a fun time.