The Significance of Training Your Dog
Dog training is important not only to show-off to your friends and other people how great a pooch you have. A properly trained dog is also a happy, confident dog, and well-trained dogs are most likely to behave well in public and not be easily stressed out by the sight of cats or other animals or even by strange, unfamiliar sights or sounds.
A well-trained dog is also more approachable. You won't have to banish your well-behaved dog to your room each time you have company. In fact, dogs that are trained properly may be more lovable and more approachable that your friends might show him more attention than they do you every time they come over.
Dogs that are well-trained and well-behaved are also better candidates for adoption, if this is an option for you.
Another reason why training your dog is the best way to go is that it establishes who the master is: YOU. Training not only forges a special bond between you and your dog. It teaches your dog that you are its master. When you train your dog you have to exert dominance and establish that you are the 'alpha' male in his pack. This is the only way for the dog to know that he should obey you, and not the other way around. This is particularly important if your dog is large, rowdy, and difficult to reign in. It is usually better if you start training your dog when he's still a puppy. Training is especially important during the first four months of the dog's life since these are the formative months and the habits learned by you dog will stay with him as he grows older. You can still teach old dogs new tricks, but you'll definitely have a harder time than if you were teaching a much younger pooch.
A well-trained dog is also a safer dog in so many aspects. Not only is a well-trained dog a better pet when you need a little bit of life- saving; a well-trained dog is also more capable of keeping himself safe especially during emergency situations. An obedient dog will more likely respond to your command to come back if the door of his cage accidentally opens and he slips out, or when he manages to run out of your car and into oncoming traffic. These are not pretty scenarios, but if you have a well-trained dog, his chances of survival are definitely a lot better than a dog who has had no form of training whatsoever.
More importantly, a well-trained dog just might save your life. Dogs have saved countless lives during emergency situations because they have been properly trained. Your dog may not be a police or specialized search and rescue dog, but even simple tricks like "Sit", "Heel", or "Stay" might still come in handy when you or your dog is facing emergency situations.
These are just a few of the many reasons why you should train your dog. Dog training will not only benefit you, the owner, but your dog as well.
Have a great "dog training" day,
Dr. Alfonso
