Obedience training is one of the most important and most effective things any owner can do for their dog.An untrained dog can be destructive and sometimes dangerous, while a properly trained dog is a productive and happy member of the family.
Dogs are designed by nature to follow leaders, and to look for that leadership. As pack animals, dogs naturally follow the directions of their pack leader. The dog might assume this role without the presence of a strong pack leader.If your dog places itself as leader of the human pack it can become destructive, uncooperative and sometimes even dangerous.
Proper obedience training opens up key lines of communication between owner and dog.With any successful obedience training it is the foundation to obtain the respect and cooperation of the dog.Gaining respect from your dog cannot be obtained through mistreatment or rough training methods.Through proper leadership and dog training methods it must be earned.
Basic obedience training consists of teaching the dog what to do and what not to do. When it comes to desired behaviors, it is important for the dog to learn and respond to basic dog commands, such as heeling when walking, stopping on command, sitting when directed, coming when called and staying where the handler directs.
The list of what not to do is also important when it comes to obedience training. Some of the don’ts of obedience training include – not jumping up on people, not forging ahead when walking and, not chewing the furniture or your property, and not getting out of control when exposed to unusual situations.
Essentially, obedience training involves establishing the social hierarchy that is so important to dogs as pack animals. When your dog follows your obedience dog commands, such as – come, stay, sit, heel, etc., he or she is showing compliance and submissiveness. This is the same type of behavior a submissive member of a wild dog pack would show to the alpha dog in that pack.
As with any type of dog training, it is important that obedience training sessions be fun and rewarding for both dog and owner.Having a healthy, happy dog can succeed in learning best, and keeping the dog happy during the training sessions will make life easier for both your dog and yourself.The dog and owner can benefit from obedience training in may ways. A well trained, obedient dog can be permitted a larger amount of freedom than an untrained dog. For instance, a dog that has been properly trained to come when called can safely enjoy some off leash play time at the local dog park.
There is always a debate over whether it is easier to obedience train puppies or older dogs.Both older dogs and puppies can be very successfully trained to be obedient and willing companions. If can be more difficult to retain dogs that have developed bad behaviors than to train young dogs and puppies. Even problem dogs, however, can be successfully retrained using basic obedience training and control concepts.
When obedience trainingpuppies, however, it is important to remember that puppies generally have a shorter attention span than to do full grown dogs.Dog training session should be kept short in the beginning for best success. It is also important to incorporate lots of play with other puppies, dogs and other animals, as well as lots of different people.Creating a happy, healthy and companions dog takes proper socialization.
Posted under Miscellaneous Content
This post was written by Noel DCosta on April 27, 2010
