Good communication is necessary in order to train your dog.

Myths about dog training (in bold), and alternatives that actually work, are the topic of this helpful post on online pet medicine and product retailer PetCareRX:

1. Old (or young) dogs can't learn. Just like people, some dogs learn more easily than others. It may take many more tries for an old dog to learn than an eager youngster. Remember that old dogs lose their sense of smell, so treat rewards must be stinkier. Puppies have a shorter attention span, so don't make training sessions too long. The key to training is finding what motivates the dog, and youngsters may be motivated by different things than old dogs.

2. Dogs won't learn unless punished. Punishment reduces the chance of an unwanted behavior being repeated, but it doesn't teach a dog what you want him to do. Rather than bullying, deny your dog "good stuff" as an effective yet humane way to discipline. Harsh punishment can emotionally or physically injure your dog.

3. One size fits all. Every dog learns differently. Bloodhounds, for instance, may prefer stinky rewards because of their sniffing heritage, while a terrier prefers a game of tug as a training incentive. Dogs that have hearing impairment can learn to understand hand signals. Smart dogs may take longer to train because they want to outthink their owners, yet a people-pleasing dog never questions commands and nails each training exercise like a champ.

4. Trained dogs don't make mistakes. All dogs and people learn from mistakes. You can turn a dog's tendency to make mistakes into learning lessons. For instance, canines that surge ahead on leash can learn to walk nicely by using a "no pull" harness or head halter that won't allow them to move forward unless they don't pull.

5. Dogs should be alpha-rolled like wolves. Dogs and wolves have a lot in common in terms of evolution and some behaviors, but not even wolves alpha roll each other. This discipline technique forces the dog onto his back in a submissive posture supposedly to show the dog the human is boss. Submission isn't a forced behavior in wolves, it's a deference display willingly offered by lower-ranking wolves. An owner that forces a dog onto their back may frighten the dog or even get bitten.

To read the full post on PetCareRX click here.