Often dog training is just too serious, and the dogs pick up on that and that interferes with motivation and adds stress.
Are your dog lessons enjoyable for you and your dog? If not, then you are probably doing it wrong. If the focus of the lessons is always making the dog not do this or that, then you are probably doing it wrong. I “test” students at times to see if they are enjoying the work and working to make the dog enjoy the work. The test might just be watching them go through the type of lesson they are giving their dog. Many times, I know, people are trying to really focus on what I’m trying to teach. I get that. But I will interject something silly to see if I can lighten up the mood.
So, do you want an advanced dog training secret? Have a great time together when you’re training your dog.
Plan accordingly.