6 Ways You're Indirectly Encouraging Bad Behavior In Your Dog

No one intends to make their dogs act badly, but you may be encouraging this without meaning to. Here are 6 ways you may be causing bad behavior in your dog.

1. Insufficient Exercise

A dog who doesn’t get enough exercise is likely to have a lot of pent-up energy inside them, which can cause them to act out in restlessness.

2. Inconsistent Rules

You let your dog on the sofa today, but yesterday you yelled at them for hopping on. You used the “sit” command today, but the “wait” command yesterday while expecting the same response. Inconsistency is confusing and frightening to dogs, and it can cause them to ignore all possible rules because they never know what’s coming.

3. You Only Use Negative Reinforcement

If you only scold your dog when they do bad things but never give them praise when they do good things, they learn that the best way to get attention from you is by misbehaving.

4. Not Training Frequently Enough

You don’t get to just train a dog once – you have to keep up that training every day for the rest of their life.

5. Letting Others Ignore Rules

Every guest in your home should know the rules surrounding your dog, and they need to enforce them as much as you do.

6. Positive Reinforcement For Bad Behavior

Can you not resist giving your dog a pat on the head when they jump up on you? You’re encouraging them to do it more!

Feature Image Source: Pixabay