Do you own a dog? Or are you considering owning a dog?
If so, you may want to consider obedience training for your pet. Obedience training has many positive benefits for both you and your dog, and is well worth the investment. There are many reasons to enroll your dog in obedience training, such as to regain control and character development.
Click Here to learn about Brain Training for Dogs
There are several training methods available, and you can learn about some of them here. But before you get started …
Here are the top five reasons obedience training makes sense.
It establishes good communication: Obedience training provides a language foundation that both you and your dog understand. You learn several commands, such as “sit” and “stay,” and your dog will learn to respond to them appropriately. As part of the training, you will learn to read your dog’s body language. He will appreciate knowing you can communicate effectively with him and it will help to avoid confusions.
It exercises your dog’s mind: Dogs need plenty of physical activity, but they also need their minds to be exercised. Obedience training is one way to provide them with a mental challenge. The task of figuring out what behavior you expect out of them when you give a command is a way to get their minds to work. Most dogs enjoy this activity, and readily want to engage in more learning activities. This makes training a joy for the both of you since an eager learner is a fast learner.
It gives your dog a sense of purpose: If you own a dog from one of the working breeds, obedience training will teach your dog his job. Working dogs have a lot of intelligence and energy, and if not trained properly, they will not know how to channel their energies appropriately. This tends to lead to destructive and obnoxious behaviors. These dogs need a sense of purpose, so it would be wise to invest in obedience training for the sanity of you both.
It puts you in the leadership role: Dogs love to belong to a pack, and your family becomes a pack for your dog. Each member within that pack needs to have a role, preferably with the humans as the leaders. Some dogs have a hard time accepting their owners as leaders, and obedience training is one way to establish that fact.
A good dog trainer will teach you how to exert yourself in a gentle but authoritative way that your dog will understand. As long as you remember that training, and maintain it, you should have no problem with your dog remembering his role in the pack.
It creates mutual respect: As in any relationship, you and your dog need to respect one another. When you engage in obedience training together, that respect begins to grow. The two of you learn to communicate not only with words but with body language. This respect will help build a lifelong friendship that is rewarding for both you and your dog. You will find that if your dog respects you, he will obey your commands and will submit to you as his superior. If you respect him, you will be sensitive to his needs and will take care of him the way he wants to be taken care of.
Obedience training can take on many forms, and you will find a style that fits your needs and personality. What works for one owner and dog will not necessarily work for another. It may take a couple of tries to find the perfect one, but it is worth the time and energy. You may find your dog responds better to a whistle or a clicker than to verbal commands. Or you may find that a dog whisperer will work wonders for the two of you. Some dogs do well in a group setting and others like one-on-one training better. Observe your dog closely and you will soon understand his learning style.
A properly trained dog is a joy to be around. Your guests will be more comfortable around your dog, as they won’t be jumped on or barked at. You will have more peace of mind knowing that your dog will listen to your commands when you issue them. Your dog will be happier and so will you.