The Most Common Puppy Training Mistakes

The first six months of a puppy’s life set the tone for the next ten-plus years. That’s why it’s so important to get things right early. Unfortunately, I see the same mistakes over and over that lead owners straight into the “regret phase” when their cute little puppy turns into a full-grown dog.

The top puppy training mistakes I see are:

• Using puppy pads inside the house

• Letting the puppy get away with problem behaviors because they’re cute (it won’t be cute when they’re 70 pounds)

• Not crate training at all

Just like with kids, it’s much easier to establish a solid routine with rules, boundaries, and limitations early on than to wait until problems develop and then try to fix them. Starting without enough structure early on creates bigger issues down the road.

The order Exercise, Discipline, Affection is just as important with puppies. You want to establish that structure and routine right from the start so you avoid ever having those problems later.

I always remind new puppy owners that puppies grow up into full-grown adult dogs. You don’t want your adult dog still biting, jumping, or chewing everything in sight. Those “cute” puppy behaviors become serious problems when the dog is bigger and stronger.

Using puppy pads is a classic example. They teach your dog that it’s perfectly okay to go potty inside the house. That habit is very hard to break once it’s formed.