A lot of dog owners believe that they can train their dogs without the help of a professional. After a while, pet parents get frustrated, thinking that it’s the dog that has a problem. But most of the time, they commit some mistakes along the way, which prevents them from progressing with the training and causes their pets to develop some behavior issues.

In this blog post, we listed down 3 of the biggest training mistakes dog owners make. Avoid these mistakes and you’re off to a great start.

You are inconsistent

Consistency is crucial when training your dog. If you decide to put off training this week because you’re busy, and then continue next week when you’re not too loaded, then it will only to confuse your dog. Make it a point to train your dog every day, even for just a few minutes a day.

Expecting too much too soon

This is one of the biggest mistakes that often frustrate dog owners. Training a dog takes time. It may take a few weeks to a few months before you consider a command to be truly understood. Just because your dog comes to you when you call on him, that doesn’t mean that he understand the command. To help your dog master the command, you’ll need to practice it every day in as many different locations as possible.

Accentuating the negative

The best way to raise a well-mannered dog is to use positive reinforcement training. When your dog does something good, then you should praise her or give her a treat. A lot of pet owners, however, would shout or lash out when their dog misbehaves. While can’t blame you for getting angry when you discover that your dog has torn apart the couch, punishing your dog for the behavior will only instill fear.