Why train your dog...?

Imagine you got yourself a puppy, a sweet little furry bundle of cuteness with its dark eyes staring at you lovingly... you just want to cuddle it and spoil it...
Well of course, it doesn’t take long until the cute little fur-ball grows into an adolescent pup with loads of energy.
 
It gets bored easy so it chews, and destroys your shoes or anything else you forget to hide away.
Taking him for a walk is no longer a joy, it is a chore, he pulls your arm of every time, jumps all over the place, barks uncontrollably every time he sees another dog...
You meet other dog walkers, whose dogs are well behaved, they do not pull, come back when called – you wish your dog could be like that.
 
But this doesn’t just happen overnight, it is not some kind of a miracle that you can just wish for; dog’s (just like us) are not born already knowing what to do.
 
We have to teach them.
 
From the moment you bring your little furry bundle of joy home, you got to start training him/her how to behave and what to do. You need to show them what is right and what is wrong.
You need to start of right from the start as you wish to go on. For example, if you don’t want your adult dog sleeping in your bed or climbing up on our furniture, you got to make sure that you don’t let your puppy do it either, otherwise you just confuse him.
 
Training should be fun for both, you and your dog. Dogs –just like children- can best learn when they are relaxed and happy, learn with play and positive reinforcement. Reward the behaviour you want them to repeat and ignore the one you don’t want them to do.
 
There is loads of help out there for people who are first time dog owners, and don’t know how to train their dog.
Sometimes too much information can be confusing, so be sure you think about what you are advised. You need to use common sense, don’t ever let anyone to talk you into harsh training or punishing your dog. That will do more harm than good, and will damage your relationship with your best friend, damage his trust in you Just be loving and kind and all will work out.
There is a great dog training guide on the market called “The Dog Training System”. Be sure to check it out if you need help.
 
A trained dog is a happy dog. Dogs are great creatures, they are loyal and they like to please, but unless they don’t know what is expected of them, they have no chance to succeed.