January is National dog training month. Some pet owners believe that ‘Dog Training’ is only for dog shows or other pet competitions. Not really! The truth is every dog owner can benefit from training their dog and also have fun while at it.
The benefit of having a trained dog is unbound. We suggest the top 3 reasons why your dog should be trained this year.
Why dog training is important?
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Safety
We never think of emergency situations with dogs. Training will help in these situations. Imagine you are stuck in terrible traffic. Your dog slips off the collar and hits the street. Now an untrained dog will not heed your instruction and will probably panic and risk injuring himself. If you train your dog and shout to “come back” he will return. Following your cues can save your dog’s life. Don’t you agree?
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Good dog manners
Training your dog will make him polite. Some of the bad manners you find in dogs are jumping on people, excessive barking, begging near the dining table and stealing food, etc. When you train your dog, it creates a great bond between the two of you. Also, it helps your dog to respond spontaneously to your cues like walking to the leash, greeting the guests and not scaring the people around.
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Make social interactions less stressful
Imagine your dog accompanying you to your kid’s sports event or meeting your friends and joining in all the activities you do with your family!. With an untrained dog this would be a nightmare. But with a trained dog these can be more enjoyable and stress free.
Don’t forget to include ‘treats’ in your dog training program. Whenever your dog learns and responds to a new technique, give a treat! Generally, the treat for a dog is ‘food’.
Pet psychiatrists say giving treats upon completion of tasks will keep dogs motivated and help them learn things faster. When you give treats to your dogs, keep three things in mind. The treat should be small, moist and soft. Avoid wheat and corn related treats because they cause allergy in dogs.
Now is the best time to keep up the resolution you took as a pet parent this year. You can start training your dog at any age. Most important thing is to be ‘consistent’. You and your family should follow the same commands otherwise your dog will take a lot of time to learn. Hope you enjoyed reading this and love to hear back from you.
