Obedience Training
Manners matter, even for your pet.
Your dog needs to know basic obedience in order to do daily activities such as going for a walk, meeting a new animal, having a visitor in the home, introducing a new baby or pet, or going to a medical appointment at the vet.
All dogs can benefit from training
You may think that only show dogs, agility dogs, or therapy dogs need to know their manners, but is important that all pets know basic obedience to be good canine citizens. This is especially important for high energy, active dogs with lots of enthusiasm when greeting people. No one enjoys being jumped on by an unruly dog when visiting a friend, or even worse getting bitten or scratched by an overly playful puppy. It is not only important to teach your dog basic obedience for the comfort of your guests, but it can also be a liability to have an aggressive, untrained dog in your home when visitors or workers enter your home.
Basic Commands for your Dog
Simple commands such as sit, stay, down, drop it, leave it, are all essential basic commands to start with. You can then progress to more advanced commands such as heel on a leash, place, paw, and roll over. Some owners and pets even get so hooked on training that they enter obedience competitions.
Signs that your pet may need obedience training
Signs that your pet may need obedience training include: jumping on people, pulling on a leash, barking excessively or inappropriately, house soiling or marking, and/or destructive behavior.
Options for Training
There are many options and resources for you as a pet parent. You can hire a personal dog trainer, enroll your dog in group obedience classes, work independently with your dog at home, or send your pet away to get intensive training. Whatever strategy you use the best advice is to be consistent with your pet and always expect them to use their manners.