DogTrainer’s blog

You may think that training your dog to do tricks such as retrieving a toy or shaking hands may be a waste of time and a bother, but it would do you good to take a second look at training your dog beyond the basics of come, stay, and sit. Training offers far more than mere entertainment. Three benefits of continuing your dog's education are socialization, safety, and bonding.  Consider these closely when you think about training your dog.

Socializing your dog is simply the act of making him a pleasure to be around for people and other dogs alike. Who wants to be around a dog - especially a large one - who jumps on everyone with whom he comes in contact? If you have a dog that jumps, you may feel forced to resign him to the backyard when company visits, which may in turn make an annoying barker out of him as he feels left out of social gatherings. But if you treat the problem by training him not to jump, you will enable him to enjoy the company of others when they come for a visit. You will be able to do things with him like go to the park and walk in areas where there are other people and dogs.

There are dangers out there everyday that can be easily averted by some basic training. Hand signals are among the easiest and quickest forms of training. By utilizing hand signals, you can stop your dog from a distance and make him stay out of a potentially life- threatening situation. For example, you may be able to keep your dog from running into a busy street and getting hit by a car. Dogs have no concept of the dangers cars pose, they only know that they are great fun to chase or ride in. Training in this sense can provide you with a safety net and an distinct advantage over another who might not have deemed such dog training a necessity.

Aside from those two very practical reasons to train your dog, however, there is a third benefit that busy people sometimes overlook. Time spent training your dog is time the two of you will spend together. If you've ever built a model with your kid or fixed a computer or baked a cake with a friend, you know that accomplishing a goal with a loved one can be a valuable bonding experience.  Dogs are not immune to this. If you spend just a few minutes each day training your dog, it will give both of you a sense of accomplishment and bring you closer together.

Of course, that doesn't mean that party tricks are out of the question. Once you and your dog cover the basics, you may decide to go even further.  Use plenty of reward and praise, and remember to have lots of patience.  You and your pet will probably enjoy the learning time spent together! More of my dog training tips are available on my website, including a free dog training ecourse!