Keeping Your Dog Forever Naughty: Top Habits

We all need some tough love to help us get back on track from time to time. I know I certainly do. That’s why I’ve put this list together. 

While it may be uncomfortable to hear, it’s important to admit we can often be our own worst enemy.

I want to stress that this list is not meant to shame or criticize anyone. In fact, I’ve made every single one of these mistakes myself many times. So, please take what I’m saying with a grain of salt and know that I’m right there with you.

With that said, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. If you want your dog’s behavior to improve, you need to be willing to take a hard look at yourself and your daily habits.

I hope this will be a helpful reminder to focus on what really matters: helping your dog. If you prioritize their well-being and training, good behavior will naturally follow.

Here’s how to guarantee your dog’s behavior stays as it is and gets worse over time:

1. Procrastinate – why start changing your habits or learning new skills today when you can always push it off until tomorrow? And then do the same thing tomorrow.
2. Ignore expert advice – read books, pay for training, but don’t follow this advice. Instead, trust the information your friends, family, and neighbors give you.
3. Give up at the first sign of failure – if you try something once and it doesn’t work, assume it won’t work, and give up forever.
4. Blame your dog – don’t admit you might be doing something wrong. Instead, assume your dog is incapable of change.
5. Complain without taking action – vent your frustrations about your dog’s behavior, but don’t bother doing anything to address the issue. Repeat tomorrow.
6. Hope the problem will solve itself – assume that your dog’s behavioral issues will magically disappear on their own without any effort on your part.
7. Break promises to yourself and your dog – make commitments to work on your dog’s behavior, but then fail to follow through with them consistently.
8. Wait for the perfect conditions to start – postpone taking action until your work and family life are perfectly balanced. This will ensure you don’t start today, and once you start you’ll have a great reason to stop because conditions rarely stay perfect for long.
9. Avoid focusing on what really matters – stick to easy exercises your dog already knows how to do, instead of challenging yourself and your dog with new ones.
10. Follow the crowd – assume what everyone else is doing is the best approach for your dog.
11. Repeat the same mistakes – even if your current approach hasn’t worked, keep trying it over and over again instead of seeking professional help.
12.  Don’t invest in training –  wait and hope the situation will resolve itself. Improving your dog’s behavior will require a significant investment of time, money, and energy, but you will be able to find an easier or cheaper way to get the job done.

Ouch right? I’m sure you’ve made at least one of those mistakes, I’ve made them all at least twice. When I don’t make these mistakes I see fast progress, and I know you will too. 

We can help your dog become the best version of themselves through our comprehensive dog boarding and training program in Salt Lake City. Don’t wait any longer to unlock your dog’s capabilities. When you’re ready, please tell us about your dog.