06/13/2025
š¶ Here are 5 bad habits we see in dog owners all the time, and if you relate Iāll share what you should do instead. š¶
š¾Shouting at the dog or telling them off using their name! (I am guilty of this one time to time)
What to do instead - Your dogs name is your way to get their attention, that's what it should be used for. Its not a way to tell them off and its not a recall cue either.
š¾ Focusing on all the bad stuff their dog does.
What to do instead - Our human brains are hard wired to remember bad things in high definition, this is how we end up focusing all the ānaughtyā behaviours our dogs do. When your dog is good - which I bet is more often than the bad - give yourself 12 seconds to think about it and remember it.
š¾ Repeating cues over and over. for example say sit, sit, siitttā¦.SIT. This teaches your dog to forget what Sit means and turns the sound into white noise aka something to ignore.
What to do instead - Say your cue once and clearly. You may repeat it a second after several moments. But if you need to do it a 3rd time forget it. Your dog either isnāt listening (say their name to get their attention) or they donāt understand what you are asking. So have a think about what it is you are asking.
š¾ Assuming because their dog has done something right several times in a row that they donāt need to keep practicing it or using it.
What to do instead - ALWAYS be reminding you dog of the skills youāve taught them, so they donāt forget and then when you need them to do that skill they can complete it without any problem.
š¾ Forget to praise. We get so busy thinking about the bad stuff we stop seeing the good behaviours.
What to do instead - A dog hearing Good Boy/Girl/Dog can achieve so a lot. So try to praise any and all good behaviours. Hearing the praise from their human is a great reward.
We all can turn a bad habit into a good one with a little time and patience.
