Debunking Puppy Training Myths
One of the hardest parts of our job is encountering dogs who could have lived a very different, less stressful, more fulfilling life if their humans just had the right training information from the start.
We recently wrote a puppy handbook that is aimed at setting your puppy up for success from the moment you bring them home. It has information I could not find elsewhere in other puppy books. It is also short, easy to read, and gets right to the point. It’s on our website in our “Online Resources” section.
Here are 4 myths about puppy training and the reality behind them with information from our puppy book.
Myth:
A well socialized puppy is one that is happy to greet everyone.
Reality:
A well socialized puppy is one that is brave, resilient, and content in a variety of different environments and social situations. Socialization is much more complex and nuanced than just the dog enjoying social interactions.
Frequent, poorly curated social interactions are typically detrimental to developing proper social skills. They can result in reactivity, over stimulation, and bullying behavior.
Well curated, age appropriate social interactions along with building environmental stability, bravery, resilience, problem solving skills, and neutrality to other people and dogs will lead to a well socialized adult dog.
Myth:
Group puppy training classes are the best way to train my puppy.
Reality:
For many puppies group puppy training classes are overwhelming and frustrating. At best many puppies don’t actually learn many life skills beyond sit and paw. At worst it sets the puppy up for lifelong reactivity issues.
The best environment to learn new skills is a familiar, calm environment where the puppy can really focus on the new skills. Learning social skills happens best in mindfully curated one on one interactions, not in a group of puppies.
Myth:
My puppy should be learning obedience commands when they are young and then should be able to do those commands the rest of their life.
Reality:
Just like humans, puppies go through developmental stages as they grow. What they learn needs to be age appropriate. Obedience commands like sit, stay, come, heel, etc. are complex skills that require a solid foundation in order to maintain their functionality around distractions in the long run. Puppy training should focus on foundation skills like engagement games, windows of opportunity, teaching leash pressure, tether/crate training, cooperative care skills, etc and hold off on obedience until the puppy has strong foundation skills.
Many times it will seem like a 3-4 month old puppy is a master of obedience, but it all falls apart when they go through developmental changes around 6-9 months. Focusing on the foundation skills will make the chaos of their teenage months easier to manage.
Myth: If my puppy cries in the crate they have separation anxiety.
Reality:
Actually this one is true, but not in the way people think. All social animals are born with separation anxiety. It is necessary for the survival of young social animals to feel strongly about being with their parents. However, as they grow and experience more separation from their parents, the part of the brain responsible for the separation anxiety starts to become less sensitive.
When you get a puppy it is your responsibility to change that part of the brain with regular moments of separation. Yes, your puppy may cry and be fussy in the crate and it is a normal and necessary part of their development. If you prevent your puppy from having regular moments of separation you will cause them to have lifelong separation anxiety because that part of their brain will never be able to properly develop.