Dog Obedience Training: A Necessity
Your new puppy belongs to a breed recognized for its intelligence. Don't be foolish and assume it will be more prone to follow your commands. This intelligence simply refers to how quickly your dog can learn and what final level of dog training it can attain. Puppies aren't born pre-programmed to follow your every order. It is required that it undergoes a phase of puppy training if you truly expect obedience out of your dog. Furthermore, this training should be administered by you, the owner, with the best results being seen when training your dog begins early in a dog's life. Knowledge of training a dog starts with knowledge of why a dog should be trained. Below are three common reasons your dog must undergo obedience training.
First off, obedience training is mandatory if you want a healthy relationship between you and your dog. Despite what many may believe, this relationship is not one based on friendship. Your dog doesn't visualize you as a friend or think about himself in terms of a friend for you. Your dog is an animal; it only understands the concept of master and follower. Be careful not to give your four-legged friend the false impression that he is the pack-leader or the alpha. You, as the owner, must remain the dominant of the two. When given the command to "sit", your dog should be sitting to please you and for no other reason.
Secondly, dog obedience training will help to assure your companion acts appropriately when in public. You shouldn't be surprised that not everyone enjoys dogs. Many people fear them and some simply dislike them. There could be any number of reasons for this, but many people avoid dogs for things such as barking, jumping, and licking. All of these behaviors are unacceptable. Obedience training classes will provide your dog with a guide to its actions, informing it of which behaviors are accepted and in what situations. You won't have to avoid bringing your dog around relatives or small children for fear of it barking or leaping on someone. Your dog will also understand how to behave when it is around other dogs and animals.
Lastly, dog obedience training will enhance your pet's mental and physical development. Your dog's mind needs to be stimulated. As a dog trainer, you are the primary source for this. This is one big reason why owners communicate with their dogs through speech. If your dog is left ignored, there will be insufficient mental stimulation and he will begin to make explorations of his own. Don't be surprised when you find a hole in your carpet or your favorite football chewed to bits.
A dog's physical development is enhanced by training. Dogs are naturally energetic, so with training, you are providing your dog with a way to release his energy. Dogs are happy to jump, run and fetch. Without training, your dog's excess energy will find ways of exposing itself at the worst of times. That stored energy will be redirected somewhere, and the behaviors it leads to are usually unwanted. Using obedience training tips will showcase to your dog its special role in society. Your dog will also gain confidence about what it should do to please you.
Again, for best results, training should begin early. Start as soon as possible. Even puppies can end up running your household. As the owner, this is never acceptable. If you initially find it difficult to know where to start the puppy training, you might want to consider taking the dog to dog obedience school or to take dog obedience classes. This will give you a jump start by allowing you learn the dog training techniques a lot faster than just reading a dog training book or watching a dog training DVD.
Have a great "dog training" day,
Dr. Alfonso
