When you adopt a dog regardless of the age, it’s imperative to
initiate training in order to provide the animal with the necessary life skills
to live among people and other animals in peace and harmony.
It may appear as though you’ve done a favor for the canine in
providing a home away from the harsh life of a stray or living in a cage in the
shelter. While this is true in so many aspects, life in a family household can
present its own set of stressors for dogs for which they need to learn how to
cope in a healthy way.
While more dogs are being adopted into families regularly, most of
these are not receiving training, formal or otherwise. Sadly, because of this,
thousands of dogs are returned to shelters due to behavioral issues. ‘Pet
parents’ contend they can’t deal with these unruly pups, but these instances
could have been prevented had the animal been taught the proper skills.
Why Training Canines Is
Essential For A Happy, Healthy Life
When you introduce an unfamiliar dog to your home who may have
never existed inside a family household, there is no comparable life experience
for the animal to relate to, making socialization with people, especially
children, and perhaps other pets challenging.
Some people go into the adoption process expecting these puppies
to somehow be pre programmed for ‘home life’ and are grossly disappointed when
they come to realize an animal actually requires time, commitment, and a great
deal of responsibility on the part of the pet parent. That’s the point where
many of the canines sadly find their way back to the shelter or abandoned on
the street.
It’s critical to understand when you ‘think’ you want to bring a
new addition into your home, it requires a massive amount of work. If you want
to get your child a puppy as a gift, the kid is not going to care for the
animal sufficiently.
It will be the adult’s responsibility to ensure all needs are met.
This is a living, breathing, baby that doesn’t grow up. And as you would teach
a child manners and life skills, it is vital to do the same for your new dog.
When you’re ready for a pup, there are so many benefits training with him can provide.
(Click for
the different methods of training you can incorporate.)
- Develop
A Strong, Positive Bond: One way of developing a healthy relationship with a puppy is in
teaching them, and, in turn, coming to understand their learning process.
Through the course of working together, trust begins to develop as you present
commands and offer rewards for their effort.
Positive reinforcement
encourages and makes the experience joyful with no stress. Negative or
‘corporal’ approaches to teaching only brings fear, causing the dog to resent
you and not want to participate in the activities. The effects of this can be
detrimental if the pup becomes aggressive and chooses to lash out as a defense
when feeling threatened.
Working through challenges
in training with a humane approach creates a dog that is in control, tolerant,
and more predictable in a variety of scenarios.
- Establishing
Life Skills: Regardless of how old
your new dog is, he may not have ever lived in a family household. You need to
find out the history of the pup you adapt to see where he’s been and what he’s
been through. That will be a vital component to your training method. A dog
cannot be successful in your environment if you don’t teach him how to live in
it.
So many people assume a dog
couldn’t have a better life than what they can provide, but then their adopted
dogs go back to the shelter. It’s not about the surroundings, the things you
have to offer, it’s about you and the dog and how you come together to live
cohesively. It’s the pet parent’s obligation to teach manners consistent with
your lifestyle and in keeping with interacting with other people and
animals.
Dogs require mental and
physical stimulation every day without fail, a few times a day. These
activities keep them centered and allow them to maintain a sense of calm rather
than develop undue stress and anxiety. Destructive behaviors ensue when an
animal is not enriched.
Ensure puppy’s success by
creating an environment that allows ease of effort for him. You will slowly
begin to process certain triggers and how the dog handles those situations. In
doing so, you can create a friendly-space to make those interactions easier.
If the puppy doesn’t
do well with new people, don’t force it. Follow his lead. Install a baby gate
to separate puppy from the company, or allow the animal to stay in his room
when there are visitors. This decreases puppy’s pressure and allows a sense of
safety where he had fear, meaning you’re establishing trust.
- Socialization
Habit Enhances: It takes effort and baby
steps to train a canine to behave in different scenarios around other people or
animals. But increasing the ability to interact socially develops the dog’s
confidence and enhances their ability to thrive in domestic life. Consistency
is key when working on these skills and commitment in order to be
successful.
Expectations of these dear
creatures are extraordinarily high when we anticipate that they will be
friendly with anyone they come upon, even if they may not necessarily feel
especially comfortable in every scenario.
In presenting good
experiences while in the company of other people, animals, or different
settings, socialization will gradually take its course. Ideally, this takes
place at a very young age, but dogs come up for adoption at any given age. It’s
not always possible to train at an ‘ideal’ age.
Socializing doesn’t mean
touch. Being social means observing and conversing with a comfortable space
intact. In instructing puppies, people also need to be instructed to keep their
distance from the pup. Many people who see an animal automatically reach for a
pet, but then animals do as well.
When your dog is in
training (and perhaps after), the idea is to keep him comfortable in these
scenarios and not force any unwanted interaction. There is no disrespect in
asking people to not touch your dog or to keep their animals away from your
dog, particularly if they’re in training, if the other person is a
responsible pet parent, they should understand entirely.
Simply because you keep
your canine from a situation that creates discomfort for him is not a failure
in his training, but an opportunity to avoid stress and anxiety for your
companion.
- Preventing
Behavioral Issues: Over the course of working
with your new addition, you’ll begin to notice that you develop your own form
of communication that brings comfort and security to both of you. The time and
attention you invest in helping your furry friend learn how to live within your
environment, the less likely he will act out of frustration in not knowing how
to contend.
Unfortunately, in a lot of
real-time situations where the pet parents are experiencing their own world
stresses, puppy receives the backlash in the way of negative repercussions to
misbehaving with either scolding or corporal punishment, neither of which are
acceptable.
It can’t be stressed
enough. If you are too busy and your days are stretched too thin to have a
newborn baby, then you have no time for a dog. It is heart wrenching to see a
dog gleefully taken from a shelter for adoption and then immediately brought
back because of irresponsibility. Canines don’t come prepared for your specific
lifestyle.
They’ve never lived with
you. You have to guide them on your path. The commands sit, stay, come were
taught in a shelter, in another home with other people. You are new. You have
to start again. Use your hands, point, show them what you mean. Dogs are smart
animals, but you have to put in the work.
There is a perceived notion that positive reinforcement trainers
are incapable of saying no to dogs, and animals taught in this manner are
unruly and out of control. Anyone can give a dog a reward to encourage them to
do what they expect them to do, but it has to stick. It takes an exceptional
aptitude on the part of a trainer to modify negative behaviors without any type
of force or negativity and have the good behavior persist.
When pet parents seek assistance from good
dog training in Coquitlam, BC, they’re hoping for positive changes in behavior without damage
to trust with puppies. The number of positive reinforcement trainers are
growing steadily with the professionals receiving extra certifications and
collaborations with vet clinics in an effort to provide a beneficial experience
for both animal and parent.
When Puppy Has Homework
It’s imperative to be consistent with your canine at home when he’s
not in training. If you notice puppy performing an activity without being told,
he should receive a reward and praise on the spot, so he associates the good
behavior with positive reinforcement.
- Instant
Gratification: As soon as puppy completes
an action like sit or stay, the reward needs to be instant. A dog’s memory span
is short as far as making a connection between what happened and the result. If
you aren’t immediately prepared with the treat, the dog will become
confused. He needs to get the reward while sitting if the command was to sit.
- Simplicity
Of Command: When instructing the dog,
always be short, concise, and consistent. Never stray from the standard
commands used for training. Some of these include:
- Sit
- Down
- Stay
- Come
- Stand
- Heel
Ultimately, the hand signals and words that you opt for will be
your preference, but it’s critical that you use the same hand and verbal cues
with your dog as those used in training all the time so the dog can develop an
understanding. Dog training is optimally successful when the humans can come to
an agreement on the verbal and hand cues along with stance and how the leash is
held.
When using a professional trainer, typically one or both pet
parents will attend the sessions, so they can present the same consistent
methods at home. If there are family members who don’t attend the training
living in the home, it’s critical that everyone be cued in on the techniques
and that everyone be consistent in their handling of the puppy.
Everyone needs to be ‘consistent.’ That word has been and will be
thrown around a great deal when it comes to pets, but it is a vital component
when dealing with animals. Outside the professional medium, you should try to
do small amounts of work with your pup (not so much to stress the dog) at home
each day.
If there is any sense of frustration, look to yourself and your
method, not the dog. There is something in your approach that is not working.
You need to attempt it differently. This is a learning opportunity for you with
the trainer in the next session. It would be best if you never allow your furry
companion to see agitation or upset in your demeanor. The only thing dogs want
is to make their pet parents happy. If a puppy sees you upset, he’s likely to
believe he did something wrong. You should always remain positive when working
with animals.
Final Word
There is nothing saying you can’t be frustrated as a new ‘parent.’
You will be. Puppies, older dogs, doesn’t matter. When a new addition comes
into your life, it’s turned upside down. You have to get used to each other,
learn from each other, and teach each other.
Pup is scared and so are you. But investing in appropriate
training and putting in adequate love, time, effort, companionship, positivity
– and more love, will bring you one of the closest relationships you’ll ever
have. The love of a dog is like no other.
If you’re attempting to adopt a dog for your child whom you expect
to take care of the animal, with you having no responsibility for its care,
please don’t do that. These are living creatures with a soul. They definitely
deserve better.