5 Great Reasons to Train Your Dog - Four Paws Dog Training

Enjoy these 5 Great Reasons to Train Your Dog

1. Partnership:

We all love the bond that we naturally have with our dogs. That bond is enhanced through a two-way partnership based on trust and communication. Training builds a common language between you and your dog. Learn “dog” and create that ongoing dialogue.

2. Safety:

Training the basics of sit, stay, recall, loose leash walking, and attention and focus literally can save your dog’s life. A dog that has great recall can earn the privilege of being off-leash in appropriate areas. A dog that can give you the attention and focus instead of that squirrel crossing the street or leave an item that is dangerous is more reliable is safer in a variety of situations. This allows them to earn more freedom.

3. Sociability:

Many owners want to be able to take their dogs with them to a variety of places. A good canine citizen that can sit, when petted, resist jumping, pay attention to their owners, walk politely on a leash have the opportunity to see more of the world. Just remember, not all dogs are “gadabouts”. Your dog by temperament might just want to stay home and snooze.

4. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”- Benjamin Franklin

Training is proactive and allows you to train the behaviors you want, instead of constantly having to fix behaviors that are not working well for you or your dog. Remember, most dogs work in “dog mode” and do what works. Look at what you want your dog to do vs not to do. We have the privilege to teach and guide them towards those behaviors. It’s much easier for the dog and the human to build good behaviors versus fixing poor ones, so “Catch them being good! ”

5. Fun Factor

Training doesn’t have to be drudgery or a forced march. If you are feeling that way, your dog may be feeling that way too. Positive force-free training provides fun ways to motivate and get your dog’s buy-in to build all the basic behaviors. Mental exercise is as important as physical exercise and a training session where your dog learns to think, works for rewards (his paycheck) is as tiring to your dog as that last long walk or fetch session. Seeing your dog learn new behaviors is motivating for you and for him. There is no better reward than seeing your dog flip their head on that recall from the squirrel and return to you with a wagging tail! A great time for both you and your dog to celebrate.