Truly a blessing that in this depressive world, we have a glimmer of sunshine in the form of dogs. After all, when can you ever really stay mad at them? Well, maybe sometimes, if they chew up your favorite sneakers, but even then, not for long.
Unless you’re a dog owner who massively underestimated how much work goes into taking care of a pet and didn’t prepare properly. Then, understandably, you’d end up upset pretty often.
And it turns out, there are quite a few people like that out there. One study from Forbes Advisor found that nearly three in ten (29%) dog owners in the UK regret their decision to get a dog.
Of those who regret it, nearly a third (32%) say they find caring for a dog too restrictive. Over a quarter (29%) mention the difficulty of going on holidays and having to arrange care. And nearly a quarter (24%) say they simply don’t want to walk their dog every day.
Many of these are basic aspects of dog ownership, not even counting the financial responsibility or the effort it takes to raise a well-behaved, safe companion.
That includes proper training, which can sound like an intimidating task. So, Bored Panda got in touch with experts in the field to clear up some common myths and offer helpful advice.
According to dog trainer and behaviorist Ross Macnamara, training your dog doesn’t have to be long or difficult at all.
“Dogs learn best in short bursts. So even something as simple as a couple of 5–10 minute training sessions each day can be the difference between a dog who constantly ignores you and a dog that is happy and motivated,” he explained.
But if your dog struggles to follow commands, chances are you might only be practicing them in one place—and haven’t even realized it.
“The most common misconception people have, in my opinion, is that dogs are able to generalize well,” dog trainer Steven O’ Hagan told Bored Panda.
“Just because your dog clearly understands a ‘sit’ command in the kitchen does not mean that this automatically translates to another environment. An important part of training is helping our dogs generalize commands in a multitude of environments to allow them to truly understand the command,” he said.
You may also want to reconsider which commands you’re using in certain situations. It’s not always as straightforward as it seems.
Macnamara notes that owners overuse the word “stay,” for example.
“They will often use this to keep their dog in a certain position—like saying ‘sit’ or ‘lie down’ followed by ‘staaaay… staaaayyyy… staaaaayyyy.’ This can be a problem because if you forget to say it or get distracted, the dog might break the position early,” he explained.
To avoid this, he simply gives the original command (like “sit”), then makes sure the dog understands they’re meant to stay there until they hear a release word (“break!”).
“This means my dog knows to stay in the position until he hears the word ‘break!’ and I don’t have to repeat ‘stay! stay! stay!’” said Macnamara.
And just because you have a little pup doesn’t mean they’re too young to train. Giving too much freedom too early in life is one of O’ Hagan’s biggest pet peeves.
“Freedom is earned through a clear understanding of rules and boundaries,” he said.
“It is unlikely your puppy will be in the next room practicing their obedience commands while you cook dinner. It is very important at a young age that we are always monitoring our dogs so they are unable to practice bad behaviors that will eventually become ingrained habits that are hard to break.”
In this case, tools like a crate or a house line can help until your dog is ready for more freedom, once they understand the rules.
