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The value of obedience training

Too many people think dog training is optional, and we see the results as they return those very same dogs to adoption groups or animal shelters as “uncontrollable.”

Obedience classes offer many benefits to dogs and their owners, including the following:

• Obedience training encourages the bond between person and dog. This bond is developed as the new owner and dog work closely together during the classes and at home. It is this bond which creates that undying desire to love, serve, and protect for which dogs are so coveted.

• Obedience training increases your dog’s confidence dramatically. Think about it: your dog is challenged to think and is praised lavishly along the way. That would work wonders for anyone!

• Obedience training provides a valuable resource for you. The class and the trainer are invaluable resources in helping you solve behavioral problems. Obedience training helps you determine where your personal and family limits will be set, and helps you to effectively enforce these limits.'

• Obedience training teaches your dog basic social skills. You want your dog to be free to accompany you to family picnics, to work, etc. The only way for both of you to be welcome is good manners, and your dog's are as important as yours.

• Obedience training aids in protecting your dog's safety.If your dog begins to run in front of a car, you yell "stay" and the dog does--you've just saved a life. To have a dog who will react in a calm, well-behaved, obedient manner under any circumstance is invaluable and will relieve you of much stress.

A well-trained dog is a pleasure to have around; a poorly trained dog is annoying, dangerous, and expensive. Low-cost obedience classes are available through large pet supply stores or city recreation programs. Often these classes run as low as $70 to $80 for 6 to 8 weeks of training. Until you enroll in one of these classes, here are some tips to help you get started.

Obedience training basics

1. Giving the Command
Give the command in a calm, firm voice, never shout.

Give the command only once, then guide the dog in the behavior. Don't keep repeating the command. This teaches the dog that it does not have to obey you immediately.

Standard commands are "sit," "down," "stay," and "come." (Use “down” instead of “lay” to avoid confusion with “stay.”)

Always follow through by making your dog complete the required action after the first command. (Sometimes he may need help--If so, gently show him again what you want him to do. You must require a response every time or your dog will learn to act only when it feels like it.

2. Rewarding the Behavior
PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE--Praise correct behavior even if the dog needs help doing it.

Praise should be in a cheery and extremely enthusiastic voice.

Vary the reward. Food, play, petting, attention are all excellent rewards.

Correct wrong behavior with a sharp “NO,” or a squirt with a water bottle or a shake of a can filled with marbles. Physical correction (hitting) usually does more harm than good. It can also make a dog fearful, unreliable, and possibly aggressive.

Success Tip I
Never, never correct a dog unless you catch it “in the act.”

While a dog may “act guilty” when you discover a mistake, he or she is merely responding to your body language at the time. Dogs associate rewards and corrections with the act that is currently taking place They cannot relate praise or correction to an activity that took place even a few seconds before.

For example, a dog owner comes home to find that the dog has chewed up a favorite pillow or has messed in the house. He scolds the dog. The dog learns that when the owner comes home, a scolding follows. The next time the owner leaves, the dog fears the upcoming scolding. This causes the dog stress and it chews up something else. Notice how the cycle continues. See Crate Training for more help in this area.

Success Tip II
Be consistent: Always enforce rules or commands.

If you do not want the dog in the living room, NEVER let it in the living room. If you correct the dog 9 out of 10 times, but let it come in on the 10th time you will not teach the dog to stay out of that room. Instead, the dog learns “sometimes I can go in if I keep trying.” Most training failures are due to lack of consistency on the part of owners.

Success Tip III
Use daily routines to train your dog.

Have your dog perform some command (i.e. "sit" or "down") before receiving anything that it wants such as food, play, or walks. This is part of your daily routine that allows you to reinforce obedience training while taking little or no extra time. This also aids in establishing you as pack leader.