Does your dog pull you down the street, jump on people who come to visit, or behave in other embarrassing ways? No matter how educated or successful we may be in our life we can sometimes come up short when it comes to understanding how to train our dog. You are not alone! Luckily there is a lot of information out there today that can help us learn to understand our dogs better.
Training your dog on your own may seem like a big task but it can be a very rewarding one. There are a lot of benefits to doing it yourself too, one of the most important being that your dog will respect YOU and listen to YOU, not just the dog trainer. The process of teaching your dog obedience can bond your relationship even tighter. And, you will feel a great sense of accomplishment if you do-it-yourself!
Obedience training is a way to communicate to your dog what you expect of them in a way they understand. It gives you the tools to do so and it replaces behavior you don't want with behavior you like! So, for example your dog is jumping on your newly arrived guests; you instead train them to sit quietly to receive attention. They really do want to please you and when they don't it is usually a result of one of two reasons; either they don't understand your needs, or you have not met their physical and mental needs first.
The keys to having a well-trained, happier dog include:
- Meeting your dog's physical and mental needs first; through exercise, obedience, play and affection.
- Decide on what your goals are and stay consistent with your expectations of your dog. Your dog will be as consistent as you are.
A well-trained dog is a happier dog because they get to spend more time with you!
