Many owners can train their dogs without the one-on-one guidance of a dog trainer. If you plan to train your own dog, there are a few dog training problems you should be aware of that could undermine everything you are trying to do.

First of all, do not assume that your dog understands everything you are saying. They may recognize a few words from repetition but it is the overall tone of your voice as well as your mood they actually pick up on.  If you find that your dog is not receptive or following commands as you have previously practiced, check your tone and mood.  If you had a bad day at the office or a fender bender on the way home, your mood is affected which in turn affects tone and even body language. Just imagine the dog’s perspective – a large human looming large over them with bad body language and harsh tone of voice … it can be scary!

Dog training problems often stem from the actions of you, the owner, not the dog. They are willing and often eager to please so they take their cues from you. Therefore, if you have a hot date and are trying to rush the training lesson along, the dog will sense this and likely not be quite as willing to learn. You have to take your time, creating goals for each lesson, without rushing.

Intimidation or scare tactics definitely do not work on dogs. This actually reduces your authority and does not inspire owner loyalty with the dog. In addition, you have to work on using the same tone of voice when training your dog. Among the many dog training problems, the tone of voice is a major issue. You cannot use monotone for every command as the dog will be confused and not recognize it. However, if you inject some deep sadness in your voice for reprimands and a happy, perky voice for commands you want followed, your dog is more likely to recognize the commands.

Going solo with the dog training may take you a little longer than if you had help but it is manageable. If you need a little boost in any dog training problems you might be having, you might consider an online training course you can download off the internet like Dove Cresswell’s Dog Training Online. With full audio and video, you will have up close and somewhat personal help to get you over your problem areas (continued)