Why is it important to train
your dog?
You just acquired a new dog or puppy. Your know that
you must provide him with food and water but did you know
the dog's third greatest need is Companionship? In order
for your dog to get this companionship throughout her life
you must train her. In order to explain this further let
me list some myths or ideas that some people have when
they first get their dog.
Myth #1:
"WE SHOULD JUST LET A DOG BE A DOG.
TRAINING IS CRUEL AND UNNATURAL."
There
are some people that feel this way, but I have a strong
argument for training your dog. We cannot invite a dog
into our homes and let him "be a dog" without teaching him
some human rules. Otherwise, why not let him
eliminate and defecate all over the house. After all, this
a dog being a dog. Or how about letting him chew your new
chair leg or bite your neighbor? These are all normal dog
behaviors, yet we call them behavior problems because they
are happening in our homes. Without proper training, a dog
will do all these things and more! Besides, training no
longer has to be cruel or abusive in it's methods. Our
methods are very gentle and we teach you to use your
voice, body postures, praise and food to get your dog to
do what you want him to do.
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Myth #2:
"OUR PUPPY IS SO CUTE THAT HE
CAN GET AWAY WITH JUMPING AND SLEEPING ON THE COUCH FOR
NOW."
Remember, these puppies are going to grow. They are
learning from us whether we are intentionally teaching
them or not. That 15 pound puppy will expect to be allowed
on the couch and on your bed even after he grows up. A 70
pound dog jumping on visitors is not usually welcome by
your friends and neighbors. However, unless we train our
dogs not to jump, they are going to do it. This is an
excellent example of a behavior that will get a dog banned
to the backyard and tied to the doghouse. You must decide
early what the rules are going to be and stick with them.
A dog does not understand "sometimes." He understands
"always" or "never."
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Myth #3:
"THERE
IS NO NEED TO SOCIALIZE MY DOG. HE NEVER GOES ANYWHERE AND
NEVER SEES OTHER DOGS"
Group training classes are a great way to introduce
your dog to people and other dogs and most people just
don't realize the importance of socializing a dog.
However, if you don't train during the first year of her
life, you could have a real behavior problem on your hands
called aggression. Aggression is the number one behavior
problem in dogs and many lose their lives through
euthanization. Often, this can be prevented if the dog is
properly socialized.
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Myth #4:
"YOU
CAN'T TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS."
For those of you reading this that have adult dogs, it
is never too late to begin training. I have many dogs that
come to be trained beyond the age of 5 years old. Yes,
some learned behaviors may be hard to change, but the
owners will see some major differences once training has
begun.
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Dogs are meant to be man's best friend and they are very
content in that position. If you don't make a commitment
to train you could be risking your dog's third greatest
need . . . to be with you!
