It is always so exciting to bring home your new puppy. There is a lot of responsibility that comes with owning a dog especially if you want to be considered a responsible dog owner. You have to feed her, groom her, provide her with proper health care, and give her a safe place to call home.
But one of the most important things you can do for your new dog or puppy is to provide essential dog training.
Discipline and Behavior
Having a dog that is always misbehaving is not something that you want. They can an be an embarrassment and in worst cases, they can be dangerous.
Training requires lots of time and patience, but in the end you will have a well behaved dog that you can be proud of. The bond between you and your pet can be strengthened through training. Take the time to train your dog and set the rules for appropriate behavior. For best results start early.
Dog Obedience Training
Obedience training is also an important part of your dog’s overall training program. There are different levels of obedience training – from very basic training to advanced training.
You should at least provide basic training for your dog or puppy. Basic training includes house training, leash training, and basic commands like sit, stay, and come.
Of course, you can always progress to a more advanced level. For a well behaved dog make sure to provide more training. You can include training to prevent destructive behaviors like barking, digging, chewing, and aggressive behaviors. Just find a program that meets your needs and provides a results such as Sit, Stay, Fetch.
Puppy Training
You should begin training your puppy from an early age. Some people wait too long to start training their puppies and it makes it a little more difficult and frustrating. It is a myth that a puppy younger than six months cannot be trained.
The skills that a puppy can learn are limited but you can start teaching some of the basic commands right away. Just do some research to make sure you follow the proper techniques.
There are many different sources of information available – dog training books, eBooks, websites, and even complete training programs. Something else you could do it enroll in group training. If you can afford to you may want to consider hiring an experience dog trainer.
Dog Group Training
Most of the larger pet stores offer training classes. Being in a group setting usually makes them cheaper. You can also ask around as your local area animal shelter or other animal groups may offer free or discounted group training classes.
Group training provides your dog with the added benefit of socialization.
Professional Trainers
The benefit of a professional trainer is the one on one training that they will provide. Just be sure to ask around for recommendations so that you can find a trainer who is know to provide results.
In my opinion I recommend hiring a professional dog trainer for major issues such as dealing with an aggressive dog. Do not attempt to try and handle this on your own.
Conclusion
Being a dog owner is a huge responsibility. As responsible owners we need to make sure that our dogs are well behaved and great to be around. Just be sure that you go into any training program with an open mind and the right attitude and you will find that it is a rewarding experience.