Reddit Reflections is a series where we dive into advice from Reddit’s dog training discussions and provide honest feedback about it. Through this series, we hope to provide some insight to the good and bad advice that Reddit and its users has to offer about dog training.
Ever think you’d find top-notch dog training advice on Reddit? It turns out that among the sea of threads, you can uncover some surprisingly effective tips and strategies shared by fellow dog owners and trainers. Let's explore a few of our favorite words of wisdom from dog training Reddit threads.
Be Consistent
If you have read any of our other blog content or viewed any videos on our social media, consistency is mentioned A LOT when we talk about dog training. It also comes up a lot in the Reddit threads, too! This dog owner talks about more than just being consistent with training sessions. They talk about maintaining consistency in the rules and boundaries you set for your dog. This is really great advice, because if you don't enforce your own rules, your dog may think it is optional to follow commands.
Socialization
We were very excited when we saw this comment. Did you know that the word "socializing" in the context of your dog does not mean having a playdate with the neighbor's dog or meeting the other dogs on the walking trail? Socializing your dog is exactly what this commenter said: it is about teaching your dog how to be neutral in many different environments. That is different locations, different smells, distractions and sounds, etc.
Training is a Lifestyle
We constantly tell clients that you have to make training a lifestyle. This does NOT mean training has to be your 24/7 grind. However, you should be trying to implement training opportunities into your daily routines. Like this Reddit commenter suggests, if you are sitting down for a meal or eating a snack, take that as an opportunity to enforce a rule or boundary that your dog is not allowed to beg for food or needs to give you space.
Proof Your Commands
"Proofing" is a word in dog training used to describe the process of providing different distractions to convince your dog to break a command. Some people may call this teasing and think it is rude, but we would prefer our dogs and our clients' dogs to have a true understanding of a command. That way, they are able to listen to you in any environment. After we know a dog has learned a command, we will take them to the dog-friendly parks, to dog-friendly businesses and other places with many distractions and continue the training there. Our expectations never change because the environment has changed.
Patience, Patience, Patience
We couldn't have said it better ourselves. True learning happens when you allow the dog to think for itself. Once you say a command, wait for the dog to process and make a decision about what it is going to do. Based on the way your dog responds, then you can either apply a correction or a reward.
It Doesn't Hurt to Ask for Help
We may be biased, but asking for some help from a professional, even if it is just a little, never hurts. At Good Woofer K9, we offer FREE 15-minute consultations to help you start your training journey or to help you through some challenges you are facing.