10 Things You Wish You Knew Earlier

We work with a lot of dogs, and certainly a lot of their humans. There have been many occasions where  the human’s finish off a lesson and say: ‘there’s just so much we didn’t know!’

Well, they’re not wrong. There is a lot to know about owning dogs and training them. We’ve made careers revolving around that fact - and we’re still learning new things every day.

We are going to point out 10 Things you wish you knew earlier when getting a dog, and this is by no means an exhaustive list. But it’s a start for some important things to keep in mind. We’ll try not to write a whole novella for you.


1. Teaching Life Skills can be just as Fun as Teaching Tricks

While it can be really awesome to be able to show off your dog doing something cool and creative - skills that mean your dog can succeed in the human environment are often more helpful in the day to day living. It can also be a whole heap of fun!

• Recall practice can be done by encouraging your dog to zoom between two people, or by practising a full retrieve.
• Lead training can be integrated into play sessions - have your dog follow you for a few paces, and then play again.
• Practise a sit stay on a walk so you can capture a cute pic on every adventure, while also teaching some impulse control in the process.

Following on from that, some tricks are actually helpful to teach, because they come in handy for other situations!

• Tidy up Toys - so you don’t have to do it for them
• Fetch - they can bring their lead to you
• Paw - helps you file their nails (or you can even teach your dog to file their nails on a scratchboard themselves!) 
• Ring a Bell to Go Outside - great for toilet training
• Chin Rest - perfect for handling if they need ears inspected for a health check 
• Bed Training - pair it with the doorbell and you have a dog who has great manners when visitors turn up

So think about how you can incorporate the skills we are teaching our dogs - how it will help both of you work more in harmony, rather than just thinking it’s for the look of ‘obedience’.


2. Target Training is Awesome

The versatility of target training means we recommend it as an integral skill to teach your dog. Teaching your dog to come to your hand, a set target item like a stick or go to a location like a mat can really increase the way you communicate more clearly with your pup. The willingness of movement means that there is a great reduction in manhandling, coercion, or stress to your dog.

Things that Target Training can be applied to:

• Recall
• Stay Training
• Toilet Training
• A way to Focus on you when there are distractions

Just think of it like this… 

‘One skill done really well can be more valuable than many things done poorly’. 


3. Street Walking is Hard Work

As much as meeting our dog’s physical needs has to be a priority - for some dogs street walking is not something we would recommend. It is stressful for so many dogs. 

You barely get to the end of the street and: 

• Your dog gets a fright from a bin lid slamming 
• Suddenly a garage door opens
• A dog races out and begins barking behind a fence
• A child screams
• A door slams
• Another dog comes around the corner and is coming head on at you
• A loud car goes past
• A bus degasses right next to you… the list goes on! 

Many of us, if we were dogs, would have no chance of coping. Without proper resilience, socialisation to, or skills to handle these instances, street walking is not something we think should be the regular routine for many dogs. 

Instead, look into the green spaces that are available for your pups, or have a search around to see if there is training or classes in your community that could help you ensure your dog is getting their needs appropriately met.


4. Dogs Communicate Differently than We Do

Humans and dogs have different ways of expressing all the range of intentions and feelings they experience. That much is obvious - we don’t have tails or walk on all fours or have ears on top of our heads. It’s really important that we educate ourselves on some of the complex ways dog’s try to tell us things. 

If any of the following bullet points contain new information for you, think about doing some extra research to get up to speed (or get in touch with our team - we might be able to expand on some points in a follow up blog!)

• A wagging tail doesn’t always mean they are happy
• Dogs do not feel emotions like guilt 
• A growl is an important form of communication
• You have to look at the dog and their whole body to understand how they are feeling in the moment
• Some breeds have physical characteristics that make them unintentionally more intimidating to other dogs

 
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5. It’s OK to put your Dog First

We know our dog’s best, and we can know more about what they need more than someone else (especially those who think that all dogs want to be their friend). 
If you think your dog doesn’t want to say hello to someone new, it’s okay to let that person know. 

• ‘Sorry, my dog doesn’t really want to meet new people today’. 
• ‘I have to put my dog away now because they are uncomfortable.’
• ‘Back off, my dog doesn’t like that.’

And a variety of other phrases can be used to represent your dog’s voice. 
In the end, offending someone slightly for a short period of time, but ensuring your dog feels more safe and secure is a trade off that can easily be made.


6. Dogs have Good Days and Bad Days

Training is never a linear process, and the abilities of your dog wax and wane in the same way our abilities do in different settings, at different times.
Ever just woken up on the wrong side of the bed and known you would have to take on less of a workload? Or eaten something that didn’t agree with you so you feel a bit unwell?

Our dog’s can switch on some days, and at other times they can feel overwhelmed or stressed and they just need to take it easy. A training set back may not be due to anything you’ve done at all - and you just need to train the dog you have in front of you at the time.


7. Dogs can be Introverted or Extroverted

There is a widespread understanding that all dogs love people and want to be everyone’s best friend. But even the most social human being might need a break at times.

On top of that, our dogs exist on a spectrum of introvert to extrovert, just like people. Not every dog wants to have one million friends, human or dog kind. It is important to recognise what kind of behaviour your dog shows when they are keen to make a new friend, and what behaviour tells you they are actually happy just hanging out with you, and a small close knit group of buddies.


8. Your Dog is an Individual

Following on from the above point, where we look at how dogs have friend preferences… This can be said regarding every aspect of your dog! Each dog is a very special individual, with likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses in different skills, and it’s super important to recognise that (especially if you’ve had dogs before).

You may have had the same breed, or have dogs that come from the same breeder. They may have the same colouring, or be the same size as a previous dog, but it doesn’t mean they will act the same. Just like human siblings who can be total polar opposites, trying to fit your dog in a preconceived box of personality is a disservice to them and their unique needs. 


9. You Get Out What you Put In

If you want your dog to be able to settle at a cafe, come reliably at the park, hang out at family gatherings - or anything else for that matter, you are going to have to invest a little (or a lot) of time to make sure your dog understands that expectation. 

The final goal may sometimes be more complicated than you first think - because dogs can’t immediately learn the final act. There are usually different skills you have to combine, so make sure you are prepared to break down what you want into manageable training chunks. 

If you don’t put in the work to start off with, your dog won’t know what you expect of them, and are likely to make mistakes. Keep consistent, have clarity, and you may actually have to set some considerable time aside to achieve what you want - but it definitely pays off! Without investment, you might find yourself up the hiking track without a poobag (is that how the saying goes?)


10. Training is for their Whole Life

And to finish off… Training doesn’t have to stop!

Just as we can learn something new every day, all the way into retirement, don’t attend one puppy course at the start of your dog’s life and never do anything else.

If you are super consistent at the start of training and then reduce your reinforcement or expectations, you may find problem behaviour arises - one day you’ll wake up and wonder what happened to the perfect little pup who followed your every beck and call.

On top of that, your dog will have many different stages in their life that need different kinds of support, stimulation, and skills. Teenagerdom can sometimes almost be harder than the puppy period - and mature dogs are in their prime to learn new games and solidify what you’ve taught earlier on. Even into their golden years, dogs continue to enjoy the teamwork that comes with being able to go out with you and explore, try something new, and be present in the moment with you.


So there we have it. 10 things you wish you knew a little bit earlier - and now you know them! Is there anything here that truly surprised you? Dog training, and learning about our companions is an exciting and complicated process - but so extremely rewarding at the same time.

Take a moment to pop us a message if there’s anything you want to know more about, and we’ll be happy to help you learn even more! 

Authored by:

Sarah Endres
Dog Trainer and Behaviour Advisor
Brooke Rapira
Prime Pups Educator & Dog Sport Instructor

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