Top 7 Benefits Of Dog Obedience Training
There are many benefits to training your puppy that can make you and your ‘best friend’s’ life together all the better. Attending a puppy school will not only help you understand and manage your pup’s behaviour, but it will also allow you to form a stronger bond between you and your pet. They will feel safer, more friendly, and closer to you.
With a progressive and positive learning experience you can expect to see the following benefits in your dog that will last a lifetime.
1. Easier To Manage Behaviour
The primary reason dog owners invest in dog obedience classes is due to ‘unmanageable’ pets. It can be incredibly stressful when your dog struggles to listen to you and follow basic commands. With effective training, you can teach your dog simple commands, including sit, drop, come, stay, and leave.
Our best recommendation for this is to start as early as possible. Waiting too long can allow behavioural issues to establish, which can be much more challenging to correct as the dog gets older.
Although as the saying goes “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” A study into dog training techniques using over 60 dogs with known behavioural problems demonstrated that reward-based training was indeed the most successful type of training. The dogs responded to all commands faster and with less repetition required.
By learning some basic commands your dog will begin to listen and respect you more. An obedient dog is far easier to manage and far less stressful for you especially while walking in public.
2. More Sociable
An untrained dog can become aggressive and hard to control around other dogs, animals or people. This will seriously impede your ability to take them for a nice calm walk. Typically, outside your house an untrained dog will display some misbehaviour; barking, frantic movements and aggression towards other pets, all which can cause unnecessary stress.
Dog training teaches your dog discipline and respect, which is essential when interacting with other dogs. This discipline helps them to understand boundaries and approach other animals calmly and friendly. With effective training your dog will be able to interact with other dogs and people easily, reducing the likelihood of a fight and a trip to the vet.
3. Safer For Your Dog
Dog obedience training teaches your pet to behave appropriately in a world run by humans. There are many uncertainties and dangers for them that they need to be prepared for. Daily, they can interact with bodies of water, roads, strangers, other animals, not to mention other untrained dogs. Without the proper training, your dog will struggle to detect and navigate danger when necessary.
Obedience classes work to strengthen your relationship with your dog and teach your dog to follow your lead and critical instruction. This reduces the risk that they will escape or get lost and find themselves in undue danger. You may never have looked at this way, but a puppy training program can teach your dog essential skills that could very well save their life.
4. Closer Bond With Your Pet
Dog training is an ongoing process that requires time and focus. It not only teaches your dog healthier behaviours, but it also helps to form a positive relationship between you and your dog. Developing an understanding of normal puppy behaviour, learning how to read your pup’s body language and respond appropriately, and understanding boundaries when playing together, are all crucial to a strong relationship with your dog.
If your dog responds well to you, you are more likely to respond better to your dog. If your approach to your dog is positive, the relationship as a whole will be a positive experience. Your dog will be happier because you are, and overall, your relationship will be stronger and more positive.
5. Reduce Unwanted Behaviours
Most dogs have at least one undesirable behaviour that their owner wishes they could get rid of easily. Even the best-behaved dogs will often have annoying habits. Some owners neuter their dogs to calm them and improve their behaviours, but this is not necessarily going to ‘fix’ the issue, so to speak.
By undertaking obedience training sessions, you can learn effective commands to reduce your dog’s unwanted behaviours. For example, your dog may like to chew your expensive rug, your strategy is to offer a loud barrage of colourful words that the dog doesn’t understand, however, you can appropriately address this habit with the ‘drop’ command.
6. Create A Routine
Obedience training is the best method to adopt if you want to form a routine with your dog that fits in with your life. You know your own routine well and with dog training, you can invite your dog into that same routine rather than tack your pup’s needs at the end of your day. Your dog trainer will teach you techniques to employ routines like bedtime, feeding time, and walking time according to your schedule.
With effective dog training, you and your dog can comfortably be on the same schedule for a sustainable time. Your life will be better for having a dog rather than facing unwanted frustration because you forgot to feed or have no time to walk your furry friend.
7. Join A Community
Many pet owners get a dog to bring joy and companionship into their lives. Dogs provide opportunities to regularly get out of the house, meet new people, and form new friendships. By attending a dog training program, you’ll have another regular opportunity to meet new people and become part of a supportive community.
In this case, the better your dog is trained, the easier it will be to engage with other dog owners. No one wants to approach an aggressive, unpredictable dog that’s barking and growling. If your dog is friendly and sociable, other owners are more likely to approach you and start a conversation.
As mentioned throughout this article the most important thing about dog training is to start early. Waiting too long can allow behaviour problems to establish, which then require more intensive training to overcome.