Ever wonder what your dog needs from you? Think a trainer will solve all your canine’s behavioural issues? To understand your furry friend, you need to know that many of the dog’s behaviour may arise from body language ques your dog is picking up on but you are not aware that you are projecting. Read on to find out what your job is when giving your dog a job too!
All canines big and small benefit from obedience training classes. It is best to start basic obedience training as soon you can with a new dog or puppy.
Think of obedience classes as polite manners and socialization for your canine. Teaching your dog effectively to “sit” and “stay”, and “go” when you need them to is giving your fury friend a set of manners and coping skills. Having such a strong rapport with your dog helps him or her stay safe as they will listen to you when they most need to be focused.
Dogs do not learn everything in half an hour – You need to practice daily outside of class time. Effectively socialize your canine and teach obedience by making time to practice every day in a variety of environments.
Dogs respond better to the trainers because they project confidence & are someone new. The dog already knows your limitations. So starting over takes more time. You both have to undo the negative behaviours you have created together, to improve your communication with each other.
Dogs live for the moment, they don’t dwell on any negative past experience. Open your mind and live for the moment to help your dog overcome any fear & anxiety. It is true that a dog may have negative coping skills from previous experiences as we see in some adult dog adoptions or sheltered dog adoptions. But it can be corrected. Correcting negative fear based behaviour takes time and assertiveness and awareness to make sure that you are not indirectly reinforcing the fear.
Different trainers use different techniques, find out what you’re comfortable with. A good trainer, builds a supportive relationship with you and your dog. They should be flexible and accommodating and provide you with the skills you need to train your dog well.
Dogs are trainable at any age. Older animals take more time to learn and have shorter attention spans, but are only limited physically due to pain or chronic illness.
Practicing your obedience training in different environments helps socialize your dog and decreases your dog’s anxiety and chances of getting distracted when you need him/her most focused.
If your fury friend looks up at you occasionally while walking it is a sign of respect, you are confident and this makes your canine feel safe with you! Congratulations you are on your way to success!
Yes, training your dog properly takes a lot of hard work and time from the whole family. Successful dog training is an investment. A dog with great manners builds a positive public reputation and brings everlasting enjoyment to the family.