With the New Year approaching, it’s resolution time. If you’ve been living with a dog that has behavioral problems, one of your resolutions is likely to be to train your dog.
There are several good options available for training. You can buy a book, sign up for a dog obedience class, go online, or even have someone come to your home to test and train your dog. To find out which option is right for you, there are a few things you need to know.
First, the most important aspect of dog training is obedience. Basic obedience covers commands like Sit, Come here, and Stay, but it also refers to your right as the dog’s owner and pack leader to select the rules you want the dog to follow, including appropriate behavior with other dogs, people, and animals . .
Second, dogs learn to respect the people who train them. One of the subtle benefits of training is that it is time you spend instructing your dog. Being in charge establishes you as the leader of the pack and makes it easier for you to get your dog to be obedient.
Third, dog training is an incremental process. This means that you build a well-trained, obedient dog one day at a time. This is true regardless of whether you are a novice dog owner or an experienced dog trainer. An experienced and skilled dog trainer can often create instant changes in the dog’s behavior, but those changes will only be sustained if the training continues gradually. Otherwise, the improvements will soon wear off.
Taking these three things together, what they tell you is that dogs learn to be obedient little by little, that they respect the one who teaches them, and that these short and easy training sessions are what lead to a well-trained dog.
The good news is that those are all the things you can do.
Books are good because you can study in your own time and at your own pace. There are many topics and authors available, so you can be selective and read about the topic that concerns you the most. Popular authors include Patricia McConnell, Ian Dunbar, and Cesar Millan.
The downside of books is that you have to pick and choose the knowledge you need, which can be challenging if you’re not familiar with dog training. The best authors try to solve this problem by providing chapter highlights, tables, and conclusions.
The DVDs provide visual instructions on how to interact with your dog. That can be helpful when you’re learning the importance of body language, both yours and the dog’s. The disadvantage of DVD is that the information provided is often sparse, as time constraints and script limitations lead to information that is too concise. Also, good DVDs tend to be expensive, as they are produced by professional dog trainers who don’t have the capital or market to make many copies, instead selling fewer DVDs at a higher price to match expenses with revenues and leave a small profit to make it worthwhile.
Online programs provide the convenience of accessing information wherever and whenever you want. A well-organized online program provides visual instructions, detailed information, and the opportunity to interact with the site’s community. Dog Academy offers free and personalized online training courses. You can view the Dog Behavior Assessment Form here and sign up for your personalized training program.
Online training, books, and DVDs are not adequate to handle extreme cases. All three are best suited for normal to disobedient dogs that are in trouble but are not a real threat to family members or other living things.
Dog training classes provide a place to go and work with a dog trainer. The trainer will provide an outline for the class as a whole as well as for individual classes. She will guide the party through the basic commands, imparting wisdom and giving helpful advice throughout. The benefits of dog training classes are access to a trainer, the opportunity for your dog to meet other dogs, and the opportunity to ask direct questions.
The downside of dog obedience classes is that the more disobedient your dog is, the harder the sessions will be for you. Some people end up so distracted by their dog’s antics that they barely get a chance to learn from the trainer. You also have to travel to the training place.
Home training sessions are a suitable option for dogs with significant problems. A certified dog trainer, often an expert in the problem area, visits your home, observes the dog in the natural environment, and then makes recommendations on how he or she can solve the problem. The trainer will work with the dog in your presence, showing you how to make effective changes.
The disadvantage of home sessions is the price. People pay for in-home sessions when the dog’s behavior has rendered other solutions ineffective.
Each of these options has its advantages and disadvantages. But don’t let that discourage you. With a small time investment of just 10 minutes a day, you can improve your dog’s obedience through training (and don’t forget to provide some exercise!)