Are You Making These 5 Common Dog Behaviour Mistakes?

Are You Making These 5 Common Dog Behaviour Mistakes?

Hi, Craig here. If you're reading this, chances are you want to understand your dog’s behaviour, and improve your success rate when sticking to a training plan.

As an experienced dog behaviourist, I wanted to shed some light on common mistakes that might be having a negative effect on your dog’s training.

Here are 5 common mistakes and some practical solutions to help develop a happier and well-behaved dog.

Mistake 1: Inconsistent Training and Lack of Structure

One of the most common mistakes I see dog owners make is inconsistency in training and a lack of structure. Dogs thrive on routine and clear expectations. Inconsistency can confuse them and impede on your training success. To address this, establish a consistent training regimen and set clear rules and boundaries, if it helps, create a written daily training plan.

For example, if you're teaching your dog not to jump on guests coming into the home, everyone in the household must be consistent in reinforcing the behaviour training you’ve set in place. Remember, dogs are quick learners, but they need clear guidance from us.

I often work with clients where everyone in the household used different commands or cues for the same purpose. For example, ‘come’, ‘here’, ‘click click’, ‘whistle’, ‘c’mere’, ‘wha’s this!’, ‘dogs name’, all meaning the same thing. 

Their dogs had a hard time understanding what they were asking it to do because each family member had different expectations, or the same expectation from a different command prompt.

Once everyone committed to consistent training and agreed on what words to use, their dog's behaviour and understanding of that aspect of its training improved dramatically.

Mistake 2: Lack of Mental Stimulation and Enrichment

Dogs are very intelligent creatures (some more than others I’ll admit lol) that require mental stimulation to stay happy, content, fulfilled and as a result well-behaved.

Sadly, many dog owners overlook this aspect of their life. Boredom can lead to a range of behavioural issues, including excessive chewing, barking, demands for attention. Make sure you provide mentally stimulating activities like puzzle toys, scent games, dog sports, or obedience training sessions to engage your dog's mind. This will not only help prevent unwanted behaviours but also strengthens your human – dog bond.

High energy dogs with a seemingly never-ending need for stimulation like some Border Collies, Springer Spaniels, etc. can often engage in destructive behaviours due to boredom. I’ve worked with many of these dogs, and it can be heartbreaking to see once you realise the reasons behind why the dog is exhibiting these behaviours, and not just being a destructive pest for the sake of it.

By introducing mentally stimulating activities and teaching new tricks, the dog's destructive tendencies will often decreased significantly.

Mistake 3: Lack of Socialization and Exposure to New Environments

Socialisation is essential for dogs to develop proper behaviour and adaptability.

I’ve found that either due to underestimating the importance of this or outside influences stopping us provide socialisation (covid lock downs springing to mind) some owners can miss out this important step in a dog’s development.

Insufficient socialisation can often but not always, lead to fearfulness or aggression towards other dogs or people. Make it a priority to expose your dog to new environments, people, noises, and other animals from an early age. Gradually introduce them to various stimuli, using positive experiences to create positive associations. Proper socialisation helps dogs become confident and well-adjusted members of society and in the family home.

I once worked with a dog who was extremely fearful of its new environment, the family had moved from a rural setting to the city. Through slow, gradual exposure and creating a positive experience when exposed to the new sights, sounds and smells of the city, the dog gained confidence and now happily explores new places with its owners.

Mistake 4: Poor Communication Techniques and Misinterpretation of Canine Body Language

Effective communication is essential for establishing and building a strong bond with your dog. Unfortunately, misinterpreting canine body language is a common mistake people make.

Dogs communicate primarily through body signals, and understanding this can prevent misunderstandings and enhance your interactions. Learn to recognise signs of stress, fear, and relaxation, pay closer attention to tail position, ear posture, and facial expressions.

By observing and interpreting your dog's body language accurately, you can respond appropriately in a way the dog understands and help strengthen your relationship.

Often I see people repeating commands over and over, their voice getting louder and louder in the hope that if they say it repeatedly the dog will perform the expected behaviour. It won’t, it’ll just get confused or nervous.

By educating the owners about the dog's body language and how they read our body language they were all able to modify their approach and establish better communication, resulting in improved responses and behaviour from their dogs.

Mistake 5: Using Punishment-Based Techniques

Using punishment as the primary method to correct dog behaviour is a mistake that can often have serious consequences. Punishment-based techniques can instil fear, anxiety, and I’ve seen all to often that it can elicit aggression in dogs.

It’s more effective, ethical, and kind, to use a more positive approach and understand your dog’s behaviour before establishing a training program that calmly ‘teaches’ your dog what you would ‘like’ it to do rather than ‘telling’ it what you ‘want’ it to do.

You can reward your dog to motivate them to repeat a desired behaviour. Dogs, and animals in general respond much more effectively to kindness and encouragement than to punishment.

I worked with a client whose rescue dog had (we were told) experienced punishment, neglect, and malnutrition from its previous owner and was exhibiting fear and avoidance behaviours as a result.

By establishing a calm and positive training programme, we were able to rebuild the dog's trust in humans and improve its behaviour significantly.

By recognising these common dog behaviour mistakes, you'll find very quickly that consistency, mental stimulation, socialisation, effective communication, and positive engagement are the keys to developing a well-behaved and happy dog.

Every dog is different so do remember your new canine friend will have different needs to your last dog so change your training methods to suit them.

Your training journey will almost certainly have its ups and downs and you will get frustrated at times, but with dedication, consistency, and affection, you will create the strongest of bonds with your dog.