The Importance of Training Your Dog
Whether you already have a dog of your own or are considering getting one, it is important to know that one of the biggest responsibilities a dog owner has is to train their dog. Training helps you form a strong bond with your dog by practicing and perfecting communication, positive behavior, and commands. With our new training programs in development, we wanted to share some of our training research with our community to show just how important training your pup is!
Socialization: One of Training’s Biggest Benefits
When you bring your dog in for training, whether the class is in a group or private, the skill they start learning the second they walk through the door is socialization! Socialization is so important for dogs; aggression derives from fear, and fear is eased through the repetition of being around other people and animals. Also, the more your dog is socialized, the more your chance of conflict with other owners and dogs decreases!
Mental and Physical Stimulation for Your Dog
Dogs need stimulation just like people do, and training provides both mental and physical stimulation for our pets. The active work on communication for commands and behavior challenges dogs to focus on their owner’s wishes and teaches them concepts like rewards and praise. These are things that quickly become essential to successfully training your dog!
It Strengthens Your Bond with Your Dog
The best relationships are built off of communication and trust, and that is no different for your dog! Spending time working together on training has multiple benefits such as bonding, creating your own language and key phrases for commands, and familiarity with your rewards and praise. Do not worry though, this will not make them overly dependent on you. It will make the dogs more independent when left alone or staying elsewhere for short periods! Establishing familiarity with commands and routines eases your dog’s anxiety, as well. Remember, aggression comes from fear, so dogs are less likely to act aggressively towards others if they’re comfortable with the language being used and expectations of them.
Positive Reinforcement Training is the Highest-Recommended Way to Train
There are many ways to effectively train your dog, but the most popular and highest-recommended way is what we like to call “positive reinforcement training,” or in your dog’s mind, treats and love! This is when your dog does something right, whether it’s a command or a good habit like going potty on the grass. Your dog learns to look forward and expect these rewards and praises, encouraging them to follow your commands while building great habits.
Picking the Right Type of Training
A common misconception is that your dog can only be trained when they are a puppy, but that’s not true! Any dog at any age can be trained. Selecting the type of training class is very important. The most common types of training are puppy, obedience, and socialization. Obedience training is great for working out bad habits or teaching skills like no pulling, jumping or biting. Socialization classes can be used to improve your dog’s comfortability around other dogs and owners, or to encourage positive interactions with other dogs.
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