A dog trainer shared the common mistakes owners make when training their pets – and says it’s why they’re constantly frustrated with their animals.
Apex Dog Training has taken to social media to teach owners the dos and don’ts of communicating with your dog’, saying: “These are some things I would do, and some I would avoid.”
To start, he says you need to ask your dog for a particular behaviour – such as ‘down’ – and show them what this means with a visual command – for example, pointing your finger downwards while saying the word.
He acknowledges this will be easier for those who started teaching their dogs from their puppyhood – but it can be learned later in their lives too.
Sharing another point, he says: “Do no walk around your dog in your own house. This is a great thing to do if you want your dog guarding your own house from you.
“Rather, move your dog out of your way (with a command). You need to show them that this is your space.”
When it comes to walking your dog on a lead, he says you should only apply a little bit of pressure when you want them to perform a command – such as stop or sit.
He says walking with them constantly under pressure will only make them want to break free – and in turn, they will not be listening to you.
Commenting on his post, one user said: “Great video! Good reminders for everyone.” Another user said: “Need to hear this today.” A third user said: “Mate. I love your vids and interactions with Ollie. Huge respect here.”
It comes after a study discovered “dogs can learn 165 words, including signals, and the ‘super dogs’ (those in the top 20% of dog intelligence) can learn 250 words”.
Speaking at the American Psychological Association’s 117th Annual Convention about the topic “How Dogs Think”, Coren shared how dogs have similar mental abilities to a human child aged between two and two-and-a-half.
A statement on American Psychological Association reads: “Dogs can also count up to four or five, said Coren. And they have a basic understanding of arithmetic and will notice errors in simple computations, such as 1+1=1 or 1+1=3.
“Four studies he examined looked how dogs solve spatial problems by modelling human or other dogs’ behaviour using a barrier type problem.
“Through observation, Coren said, dogs can learn the location of valued items (treats), better routes in the environment (the fastest way to a favourite chair), how to operate mechanisms (such as latches and simple machines) and the meaning of words and symbolic concepts (sometimes by simply listening to people speak and watching their actions).”