Hello, dog owners: These three training rules are particularly important

Created: 2022-01-28Updated: 2022-01-28 07:01

By: Julia Cuprakova

For many people, a dog is considered a member of the family and is therefore often poorly trained.

Dog owners make three mistakes in particular when training them.

Dog training is an issue that concerns every dog ​​owner.

Certain rules are necessary to ensure that two- and four-legged friends get along well and that living together works, as

* reports.

Many people want and buy a dog and when the animal is there, you don't know exactly how to deal with it.

As a result, new dog owners often feel overwhelmed and not up to the task of dog training.

And in fact, dog training is not as easy as initially assumed.

Because according to Martin Rütter, probably the best-known dog trainer in Germany, many dog ​​owners make three big mistakes when training their four-legged friends.

Tips for dog owners: Many don't follow these rules of upbringing

Dog trainer Martin Rütter tells

what the three biggest mistakes made by mums and dads are and how they harm the four-legged friends.

1st mistake - humanization of dogs:

For many dog ​​owners, the dog is their best friend and sometimes family member.

There is nothing wrong with that, but the animals should not be humanized too much.

“It raises expectations that the dog can never live up to.

A dog cannot think and act like a human,” explains Rütter.

In fact, it is a common mistake in dog training that the owners project human emotions onto the dog and therefore misinterpret them.

For example, a 2009 study suggests that the supposed guilty look dogs give when their master scolds them is much more fear.

Contrary to human expectations, dogs don't necessarily feel guilty when they've done something humans didn't want them to do.

Tips for dog owners: Mistake number two - dogs need consistent rules

Dog training is a controversial subject and experts often disagree on different methods.

For example, the trainers of police protection dogs in Germany have often relied on violence*.

But exactly these training methods have been banned since January 1, 2022.

The tightened Animal Welfare Act* prohibits the use of force to educate dogs – at least in theory.

Other dog owners, on the other hand, spoil their darling too much and do not set the dog any rules or are inconsistent in observing them.

This brings us to the second big mistake that many owners make when training their dogs.

2. Mistake - Inconsistency in dealing with dogs:

The dog only gets food twice a day, but because it's Christmas, he's exceptionally allowed to eat a third time.

What the master sees as a gift could, in the worst case, ruin years of training.

"People set rules, but then treat them too laxly," says Rütter.

What the dog doesn't know is that it's Christmas today — and that the third meal is an exception.

Therefore, it can happen that the dog begs for food again the next day.

This behavior could cause trouble for the owner, because he assumes that the dog has long since broken the habit.

Attention dog owners: This training rule is even required by law

Anyone who gets a dog should be aware of the responsibility that comes with it.

Because the dog has to be walked several times a day.

While some make their four-legged friends an absolute priority and walk their pets for several hours a day*, other owners clearly neglect their dogs.

In order to reduce such grievances in the future, the federal government has adapted the Animal Welfare Dog Ordinance.

3rd mistake - lack of activity of the dogs:

The dog must be walked several times a day, properly fed and playfully occupied.

"Dogs need physical and mental exercise," says Rütter.

How much exercise and mental activity a dog needs also depends strongly on the breed.

Even the well-known dog trainer Rütter cannot emphasize enough how good it is for dogs and their owners to go for a walk regularly.

A study by Uppsala University even suggests that dog owners have a longer life expectancy than people without a pet.

"We know that dog owners are generally more active from previous studies, which could explain these results," says Tove Fall from Uppsala University.

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