Dogs are one of the most trainable animals around. They are highly intelligent which helps them learn new things, from following commands to helping people cope with their emotional and mental difficulties such as Depression. The emotional support animal (ESA) such as the pet dog, is designated as a support animal through an ESA letter. The letter is provided by a mental health specialist after deeming that the pet animal can help the patient deal with his/her emotional and mental problems.

For the support animals to help their pet parents, they need to be trained for obedience, socializing, home training, etc. This helps the owner make sure that s/he can benefit from the various provisions provided to the ESA and the esa owner under the federal law. One can avail of these provisions once they have the ESA letterfor housing and traveling. Presenting the letter to the airline carriers, these pet owners can travel with their pet animals in-flight, in the passenger cabin. They also can override any unfair, ‘no-pet’ policies that might not allow their pet to occupy a rental property. 

Most of the pet owners decide to train the pet animal on their own, while some opt to have their pet dog trained by a professional. If you have the resource and the chance to have your dog professionally trained then you should do so. The emotional support dog certification for being professionally trained will help others have confidence in the good behavior of your pet.

Here are some of the mistakes that you should avoid while training your pet animal. 

Starting the training late

Considering that you have brought a pet dog home as an ESA using the emotional support letter, you shouldn’t delay the training of your pet dog or Cat breeds. When you bring home your pet dog, you should immediately put down a schedule and routine for its training. This is important as once the dog gets accustomed to having no training and complete freedom it might develop bad behaviors. These behaviors can get cemented into the dog’s character if left ignored; behaviors that take lots of time and effort to overwrite.

Essential training such as house training and crate training should start very early, as it will save you from dealing with accidents around the house. Through the process, you should gradually move on to teaching your pup commands early on. You, shouldn’t, however, expect your pup to learn the advanced commands and tricks at the start, but train it to associate basic commands with certain basic actions. 

Inadequate training

The training should be an ongoing process that shouldn’t stop through the dog’s lifetime, especially for a designated ESA through a support animal letter. At the start, however, you will have to be persistent in providing your pet such as a Norwegian forest cat with the training. Make sure to have a schedule and a routine, that you and your pet settle into. The training should be focused on specific tasks, and you should move from one thing to the next overtime. Once your dog has mastered something— a habit or command, for example— you should still touch upon the training, just like your academic revision.

At times, the training tips and programs that you can access online or from trainers might not work for your pet. This is normal, every dog has its unique character and requires tweaks in the training methods. Try out different things with your dog to know what works well with your pet pooch.

Try to keep your training fun, engaging your pet dog in new things and activities. You should also make sure that you provide your dog with lots of appreciation and treats during and at the end of the session.

Inconsistency in your training

You don’t want your dog to get confused over your training. Be consistent with your training and the rules around the house. Your dog will try to meddle along the boundaries of the desired behavior, so there should be a distinct line and no gray area. If you have made up rules in your house that you are training your dog to obey, then make sure that the rest of the household members are in it with you. If you stop your dog from behaving in a particular way or occupying a particular space, then you should remain consistent with your decision. Wavering once in a while even will confuse your dog, which can instill unwanted behavior.

Being harsh and chastising your pet dog

While training your dog, try to be patient and avoid reacting badly when your hypoallergenic dogs pet doesn’t follow your commands or when the training doesn’t go well. This also applies to times when your dog damages something or breaks a house rule. 

The best results of training are found when the pet and the pet owner develop a strong bond. To maintain this strong bond and to make it even stronger, make sure that you stick to enforcing the training and habits into your dog through positive affirmation and rewards, such as treats. Training through fear can do the opposite and make your dog depressed and at times aggressive. 

With good training and patience, you won’t ever have to use strict measures and punishments to help your pet dog learn new things and correct its behavior.

Maintain your pet’s behavior in various settings

Training your pet dog to develop a habit or perform an action on cue, in the comfort of your home, doesn’t necessarily mean that it will perform the action in other settings. To make sure that your dog does so, you need to practice and train the same habits and actions in other environments. Find locations with distractions such as dog parks and take some time out to help train your dog in that environment, rewarding it when it bats away the distractions and performs the action.

Related Resources :

Dog Breeds Suitable To Become Emotional Support Animals

Registration And Other Information Of An ESA

Dog Breeds With Long Lifespans

Getting Fit And Healthy With Your Emotional Support Dog