People have a lot of different ideas about how to raise a dog, but many of those ideas may be outdated or inappropriate. To prevent the negative consequences of dog parenting mistakes, it’s important to understand the basics of how care for, train and emotionally support (or rehabilitate) a puppy or an older dog. Otherwise, you may run into both health and behavior issues.
Here are the top six parenting mistakes according to veterinarian Andrea Tu, a veternarian and the medical director of Behavior Vets in New York City.
1. Consulting with someone who is not a vet for medical advice
If your dog is acting strange or experiencing a medical problem, many dog parents will turn to Google. “But anybody can write something on Google and tell you they’re an expert,” says Dr. Tu. Even breeders, she notes, have been known to get their “expertise” through Google.
