When you bring a new dog into the home, you may feel excited about the new addition. This is because dogs can bring so much joy to our lives. First, however, you need to consider all of the factors involved in caring for your new pet before bringing it home, including feeding, playtime, and training.
Proper training and socialization for your puppy are part of their fundamentals. Therefore, you must begin training your dog as soon as possible.
It can feel overwhelming, and you might not know how to start. But, without good training, your dog will have issues integrating and being around humans and other animals. Your dog will be less likely to misbehave and more well adjusted to its life.
So, why do you need to train your dog? And more importantly, how can you teach your dog basic commands? Taking your time and creating a routine can help. There are numerous benefits to assist in the socialization and training of your dog and helpful tips to help you start training today.
Why is Training Your Dog Important?
Training your dog is a crucial aspect of being a responsible owner. Training helps to provide your dog with skills to live more peacefully around others, gives your dog more confidence, provides stimulation, and helps to establish and build a strong bond with you.
In other cases, dogs who suffer from anxiety or are shy find many benefits from training. For example, if your dog feels too uncomfortable or scared, it can lead to conflict or aggressive behavior. Training helps avoid that conflict and feel comfortable and less anxious or stressed.
Leaving Your Dog Alone
Another advantage and reason that training your dog is beneficial is so that it can be left alone without a worry. Dogs who suffer from separation anxiety become overwhelmed and act out, barking, whining, and chewing or destroying things around your home.
It can be challenging to leave your dog alone when going to work or school each day. But, having the trust and knowledge that your dog will be able to take care of itself since it has been trained well gives you more peace of mind and confidence when you have to leave the house.
Keep Your Dog Safe
Training your dog helps keep it safe from danger since they will follow your commands. In addition, teaching your dog to obey you aids in situations where you need to keep your dog calm or from reacting.
For example, if your dog gets lost, you might worry about it being out on a busy street. However, if you have taken the time to train your dog when walking to wait before crossing the street, your dog will understand not to cross and be in less danger of getting hit by oncoming traffic.
How to Properly Train Your Dog
If you are worried or unsure how to begin training your dog, consider joining an obedience program or investing in online dog training. Beginner obedience training classes will help you set a foundation when you learn to train your dog.
It is recommended that you begin training your dog as soon as possible. When you are looking to bring a dog into your home, consider getting a puppy so that you can work to train them right away. There are plenty of places where you can find Goldendoodle puppies for sale online, which are great dogs for families with children.
As a puppy, it is in an ideal developmental stage. However, older dogs can still be trained and socialized, so don’t fret if your dog is not a puppy. It just may take more time.
Dogs learn in different ways, and, depending on the breed, they may or may not pick up on your commands quickly. A crucial part of training is time, and you need to be willing to exercise patience when working with your dog. Here are some other helpful tips for your training:
- Positive Reinforcement – rewarding your dog when it does something right is the best and most effective way to help it learn quickly. For example, when teaching your dog to sit or shake, each time it obeys when you command it, give it a treat, praise, and a lot of affection.
- Repetition – Doing the same thing over and over can get frustrating, especially if it takes your dog longer to understand. However, repetition is the best form of training, so continue to do the same commands repeatedly until you feel your dog has a good grasp on them.
- Consistency in behavior – your dog tends to understand the tone of voice you give more than the words you say, so keeping your style the same when you recite commands will help your dog pick up on the voice cues and understand what you want it to do.
- Games – training your dog should be fun, so incorporating games makes learning more exciting.
- Routine – dogs crave structure, and having a routine will help immensely when training. Keep your training sessions around the same time each day, much like when you feed, have playtime, take walks, etc. so that your dog learns to expect and work with you during your training sessions.
When training your dog, the five most basic commands include: sit, stay, come, lay down (or wait), and leave it (heel). When you begin training your dog something new, keep the training sessions short, maybe only fifteen to twenty minutes at a time. Dogs do not have long attention spans, so don’t let your training drag on, or they will be less likely to obey.
Be Stress and Worry-Free With Your New Dog
If you don’t take the time to train your dog, you may be creating more fear, anxiety, and aggressive behavior in your dog, leading to multiple problems down the road.
Instead of letting your dog live in fear or act too excitable, train your dog how to behave around other humans and animals, be social, and adapt to situations. Your dog needs to feel comfortable and adjust to life with you, so the sooner you can train it correctly, the better the relationship is for you.
If you have questions or are unsure about training, you can always discuss your concerns with your veterinarian or reach out to an animal trainer or behavior specialist. They can provide you with helpful advice and recommendations to train your dog, so you are worry-free and enjoy life with your new pet.