Teach your dog skills for life

By Kylie Mackay, Northshore Pet Resort

There is no doubt about it – training your dog takes plenty of time and patience.

The earlier you start, the sooner you will see the benefits both for you and your dog. Training your pet leads to a stronger bond between the two of you, a calmer household, and you get to spend more one-on-one time together while concentrating on training.

Here are a few of the important benefits of training your pooch.

Boundaries

It is important for your dog to understand what the boundaries are. There is no point getting frustrated or angry with them for jumping on your couch or grabbing food off the table, if you have not been able to spend the time actively training them to learn not to do those things.

Having a pet who knows what the boundaries are will make your home life much easier and ensure they are not getting into trouble for things that they simply don’t understand.

Socialise your dog

Socialisation has many benefits, as it will help influence the behaviour of your dog and assist them in being happy, fear-free and well-adjusted pets who relate well to other animals, and also other people.

Attending training sessions (either in a group or a private session) will help your dog get used to being with other people and also other dogs in a group setting.

If you have a puppy, start this as soon as you are able to enrol them into a puppy class.

For older dogs, remember, it is never too late to teach an old dog new tricks. Seek help by joining a group obedience class or contacting your local dog trainer.

Consistency

The key to successful training is consistency. Once you set a rule of boundary and train your pet, you must stick to it or you will easily confuse them.

It is also important that everyone in your household understands the same rules and boundaries. If you train your dog to stay off your couch, but the other members of your household encourage them to get up on the couch, when you are not there, this will lead to trouble.

Your poor pooch won’t know what is right or wrong, and you will have to start the training all over again.

Safety

Having a well-trained dog is safer for everyone. Being able to ensure that they don’t jump on vulnerable people such as young children and the elderly reduces the risk that they will inadvertently injure someone.

Additionally, having a dog that will always come, when they are called is a lifesaver in a dangerous situation.

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