Dana Bay Veterinary Clinic

Benefits of dog training

Training your dog ( or cat .. ) is a team effort and by doing this, a bond and close relationship gets built that could end up saving your life. We keep pets for various reasons – whether guarding, companionship or assistance, but the basic principal remains : the better trained they are, the more pleasant they are to work with and the more enjoyment they bring to all who come in contact with them.

Trained animals are generally welcome where poorly behaved animals are excluded.  They can participate in sports, go camping or fishing, go walking on a lead between other animals and even  participate in therapy.

Time spent training, creates a strong bond between the trainer and the animal. This happens more easily in young puppies  but older adopted animals eventually get there when you have won their trust. From this bond, will grow the partnership. As you spend more time training, you will get to know your dog and what makes him tick, how to teach and work with him but also how to play with  him.

Very much like children, they want to have heaps of fun while learning. Trick training allows us to do just that. You can't teach your dog to roll over, say his prayers, or weave through your legs without laughing. The more fun you both have, the more likely that you would train some more, and the more you train, the better you both will be at it. Trick training is a challenge and in summary – every action has a consequence – good actions lead to praise and a treat, while wrong actions, lead to no rewards.

Training, whether it's obedience training, training for a dog sport or trick training, will help your dog be better behaved. The obedience commands, such as Sit, Down, Stay, and Heel, teach them what to do when they hear those words. Not jumping up against your guests, sitting when a stranger pats their head, walking beside you on the pavement without pulling, coming back when you call them, are just some of the benefits you could reap when training your pet. 

Training should continue through the life of your dog. Just as you continue to learn, so should your dog. Not only does training keep him focused, it also keeps his mind active. If you didn't learn new things, you would stagnate; your dog can, too. A bored dog is more likely to get into trouble and chew shoes and windowsills or dig bomb shelters in the garden. Training also has the exercise benefit for both the trainer and animal. This is a crucial part especially older dogs that would rather just lie and sleep all day while their joints get stiff and painful.

Our pets are never too old to learn new tricks – and so are we …. Please speak to your vet to get numbers of trainers, that can help you in this fun venture ..