There are a lot of benefits to training. Some reasons benefit your dog, some help you. And some reasons help both of you.

1. Training a dog can help him keep his home. It’s a fact that many dogs are turned into animal shelters each year because they are considered by their owners to be out of control. They may be exhibiting “behavior problems” such as soiling the house, jumping on people or barking too much. Training a dog can help solve these problems. If a puppy continues to soil the house or jump on people or otherwise cause problems at home, chances are that many times his owner will end up turning him in to an animal shelter. It just takes a little training to solve these behavior problems and help a dog keep his home.

2. Training helps a dog be more responsive. Dogs that are trained are used to watching their owner and listening for commands. They are more attuned to their owners and focused on them instead of distracted. This makes a dog a pleasure to be with. You can teach these dogs more and more.

3. Training can be fun for dogs. If you train your dog with positive reinforcement then you and your dog can have fun while you train. Your dog is rewarded with something pleasant for doing each small thing right and you, the trainer, get positive feedback from your dog. What’s not to like?

4. Training is a great way to spend time with your dog. The two of you are working on something together. You have a project that you both understand. You’re comrades or, if you like, teacher and pupil. It’s one of the best ways there is to get close to your dog and really understand how he thinks and his true personality.

5. Training actually improves your relationship with your dog. As your dog learns more he becomes more educated and more intelligent. That means he’s more capable of understanding you, just as you’re more capable of understanding him. The bond between the two of you grows as you spend time together.

6. Training your dog can lead to other activities, such as agility, rally, flyball, canine freestyle and other things that you can enjoy doing with your dog. All of these activities depend upon you and your dog first establishing a relationship through training together.

7. A well-trained dog is welcomed nearly everywhere. Vets, groomers, and other businesses that work with animals will be able to tell that your dog has received the kind of training that sets him apart from other dogs.

8. Good training can save your dog’s life. A dog who responds to you when you call him — who immediately returns to you when you see a car heading toward him — there are situations where training can literally save your dog from disaster.

Is your goal to have a well trained dog?  If so visit us at Canine Behavior Specialists and give us a call, or for our out of town readers  .

Until next time…

There are a bunch of things you should know about dog training but we are going to discuss what I feel are some the most important. Keep in mind that these are only some of the things you should know.

1. Repetition is the number 1 principle of dog training. Dogs just like humans learn by doing things over and over in order to get better.

2. Dog Training can and should be fun for both you and your dog.

3. Training sessions should always be short but sweet. I never work a dog more than 15 minutes in a session to keep from loosing the dog’s attention. You should train you dog at least once a day but never more than three formal sessions a day.

4. Your goal should be that each training session is just a little bit better than the last one. You need to always strive to make the training better, slowly. I mention this because quite often I see people who do daily training sessions but the dog never gets better and it is not the dogs fault.

5. Having patients is very important in dog training. Loosing your temper does not work with a dog it simply makes things worse.

6. Exercise is very important in the training process to get rid of all the dogs nervous energy.

7. Taking your dog for walks is very important because it develops serotonin which gives your dog a feeling of well being.

8. Always be sure to give your dog a bunch of praise in your training. It is your dog’s paycheck for doing a great job.

9. Never hit your dog. I have heard people say I never hit my dog instead I roll up a magazine ands swat it. It’s the same thing…hitting is hitting.

10. After each training session be sure to do something that your dog will enjoy. Take it for a walk, throw the ball or maybe even rub its belly. Just do something that makes the dog look forward to the next training session.

These are things that I teach my dog training students as well as my dog training clients. I hope these things will give you something to think about when training your dog. Spend some time training your dog daily and you will both reap the benefits.

Is your goal to have a well trained dog?  If so visit us at Canine Behavior Specialists and give us a call, or for our out of town readers  .

Until next time…

P.S. Do you need some advice from a Canine Behavior Specialist?  If so CLICK HERE now!

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialistsin Nashville, TN.  Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network.

We usually call this type of a dog a “Velcro Dog”. Do you have one? Some people enjoy having their dog with them all the time and some people find it to be very annoying. Let’s talk about Velcro dogs.

Some breeds of dogs seem to be more inclined to be a dog that always wants to be with you however it is not limited to a certain breed of dog. Quite often it seems that smaller lap dog type breeds want to be where they are supposed to be, in your lap, or as close to your lap as possible.

Quite often it seems that larger dogs as well as terriers and hounds seem to be more independent and don’t have a need to be under you feet at all times.

Some people really enjoy what a Velcro dog has to offer in the way of companionship and don’t find this habit to be offensive in any way. Other people feel that they are being crowded by their dog and really start to resent the fact that their dog will not allow them to be by themselves, even for a while.

If you have a Velcro dog and feel a need to have more space or time by yourself consider leaving your dog outside at various times of the day when you would prefer that is wasn’t under your feet.

You can also teach your dog the down stay exercise and actually have it doing down stays while you leave the room. Basically you are making it a game to get some space from your dog.

Getting your dog a companion might also help solve the problem. Another dog can give your dog somebody to play with and spend dog on dog time and possibly give you some relief. If you do get another dog make sure it is the opposite sex. That is usually the best combination when you have two dogs.

Two males can be aggressive with each other and two females are actually even worse. Female on female dog fights are usually the worst and account for larger more serious injuries.

Hopefully if you have a dog that wants to be with you all the time it is a situation that you enjoy and can appreciate the love that your buddy wants to offer you.

Does your dog have any problems that we can help you with?  If so visit us at Canine Behavior Specialists and give us a call, or for our out of town readers  .

Until next time,

P.S. Do you need some advice from a Canine Behavior Specialist?  If so CLICK HERE now!

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialists in Nashville, TN.  Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network.