If you’ve recently added a puppy or dog to your family, consider obedience training to help build a healthy relationship between you and your pet. Though training your dog requires patience and commitment, the positive benefits of obedience training are worth it.
Kit Darling, Infection Control Coordinator for the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, said there are many benefits of obedience training, including building a closer, positive relationship with your dog, teaching your dog life and social skills, and helping prevent your dog from developing unwanted behaviors. Additionally, Darling said a dog that will come when called may help avoid life threatening situations, such as being hit by a car or having a bad encounter with another animal.
Though obedience training has many benefits, dog owners may wonder how long the training process can take. According to Darling, the answer depends on what your goals are for the dog. To teach your dog basic manners, such as to sit, come, or stay, a basic level obedience class may be the best choice.
You need to know what it is you actually want to train your dog to ultimately be able to do and what steps you need to take to get to that point. Personnel dog trainers, dog training classes and dog training guides can all do this. Personally, I prefer to train my own dogs and believe that in the end you develop a much stronger bond with your dog. Also, your dog is more obedient to you rather than the trainer. However, at the very least, and particularly if you have never trained a dog before, I would recommend purchasing a dog training guide. You can check a popular k9 training program for your dog training skills.
The small amount of money for a dog training guide, compared to the time you would waste searching for free online tips that will be a mix match of training and will not provide the structure, is just not worth it. More than that, the time saved in training and the end result of a properly trained dog for the rest of its life (around 15 years) is worth many times more than the cost of even the most basic training guide.
If you, and more importantly your dog, do not enjoy training then you will never properly train your dog. Training will take longer and be much harder. When you start training your dog remember they are most likely to be a puppy and at that age all they want to do is run and explore their new world. Be flexible with the time you plan to spend training. Try and keep training short but if your dog appears to be really enjoying it then be prepared to train for longer. Likewise if your dog will just not focus, then maybe leave it for a bit before going back to it. With a routine and structure to your training, your dog will soon learn that when it comes to training they need to focus for a short length of time and will be better able to do so.
“Most of the basic level obedience classes are six to eight weeks,” Darling said. “Each class is about an hour long, and training sessions at home may be as short as five to 10 minutes a couple times a day, four to five times a week.”
In addition to basic level obedience classes, there are also intermediate and advanced classes, Darling said. But in order to teach your dog even the most basic commands, positive reinforcement is a must.
Giving your dog treats is one of the most common ways to motivate your dog to learn new commands, but other forms of positive reinforcement, such as clickers, can be used as well.
“It is important to find out what motivates your dog and to use it as a positive reward during training,” Darling said. “Clickers may be used to mark the wanted behavior and then the dog can be rewarded with treats, a toy, or praise.”
Additionally, Darling said if you choose to use food or treats as a reward, it is best not to feed your dog close to training time. Your training lesson will be most effective if your dog has an appetite so they can choose a treat they really like.
If you decide to enroll your dog in obedience training, it is important to choose a trainer and training program that you are comfortable with. This could require some research, but Darling said your friends, veterinarian, humane society, groomer, and boarding facility may have good recommendations.
Some questions you should ask yourself when searching for a good obedience trainer and program include: What type of training is offered? Do they train the dog with or without you? Are there group classes, private instructors, or both? What type of training methods are used? What are the trainer’s credentials? Furthermore, if it is a training facility, be sure to check for cleanliness and vaccination requirements before enrolling your dog into class. If possible, Darling said to observe a class to see if the trainers, dogs, and clients are happy during training.
If you have recently adopted or purchased a new dog, or want to polish Fido’s basic obedience skills, obedience training is a great way to train your dog while also building a healthy relationship. Though obedience training requires patience and dedication, the benefits of a well-behaved dog are endless.
“One of the best things you can do for your puppy or dog and yourself is obedience training,” Darling said. “The experience is worthwhile and can help you raise a happy, well-adjusted companion.”
