Dog Training:  Sit, Stay, Learn!

Dog training isn’t just fun, cute tricks.  It’s an important part of your dog’s relationship with you and has the potential to keep them safe.  A well-behaved dog is not only more comfortable from understanding your expectations for them, but they also make your life easier as well.  Dog training is often overlooked but will set the pace for you and your dog’s relationship for years.  It offers a chance for you to bond with your dog and grow the relationship.

Keep reading to learn more about how training improves your relationship and dog’s safety.

Keep Your Dog Confident

• Let them know what to expect.
• When your dog knows exactly what is expected, they feel more comfortable in their day to day lives. 
• Keep experiences positive.
• Go at your dog’s pace and set them up for success by training in environments that promote confidence. 
• Expose your dog to various situations and stimuli while you’re there to offer guidance. This helps to desensitize them and get them used to different situations.
• If your dog lacks confidence, they could show fear aggression which would stop them from activities they could otherwise enjoy. 

Keep Your Dog Safe

• The most important thing your dog needs to know is to come to his or her name.  Your goal is to teach your dog to come to you every time they are called (recall).
• Say a maintenance man accidentally didn’t latch a gate well, and your dog gets out into the neighborhood.  This dog is at risk for getting lost, wandering into traffic, and getting hurt.  If your dog knows to come to its name every time it is called, you can easily bring your dog safely home.
• Also consider if you’re walking your dog and the leash accidentally slips through your fingers.  You could be walking somewhere with other dogs, some of them potentially aggressive, or by a busy street.  It’s important to be able to keep your dog with you and safe. 

Teach Your Dog How to Walk on a Leash

• Another important skill for your dog to know is how to properly walk on a leash.
• Exercise is an important part of keeping your dog healthy and happy.  A dog that pays attention to your lead and doesn’t tug is more pleasant to take on these routine walks.  In this way, walks will be something you and your dog both enjoy instead of a chore.
• This will help build your relationship with your dog.
• Also, a dog that is well-behaved during walks and pays attention to your cues can be kept safe.

At the Vet

• A dog who has learned to be calm, aware, and cooperative with people and other animals is safer and easier to manage at the veterinary clinic. 
• Confidence, socialization, recall, a stand on command, and good behavior on a leash are all beneficial to your dog’s veterinary visit. 

Sit, Down, Stay

• Teaching your dog positions like sit, stand, and lay down on command, as well as holding those positions until released on command (or “stay”) is foundational to the rest of their training.
• These commands are useful in a wide variety of situations, like at the vet, or when meeting new people, especially children.
• A dog who can sit and stay can be kept from jumping all over a little one instead of having to be physically restrained, which creates a safer and less stressful environment for both the child and your pet.

There is a wealth of knowledge online and in books that teach you step-by-step how to train your dog in different areas.  Videos are useful, as they show you exactly what to do.  This way you can have a visual on what proper behavior looks like and how exactly to achieve it. Do keep in mind, a majority of online  training videos will feature a dog that is well versed in that particular command. Your puppy will not be perfect when learning new commands. While a well trained adult dog may hold a stay while their handler is far away in the other room, your puppy’s best may be holding their position while you take one step back, which is completely ok! Baby steps are still progress!

Here’s one of our staff members, Charlie, giving us the run-down on the importance of training your dog!  She has worked with dogs from puppyhood and well into their older years.  Watch the video below to learn more about the importance of training!

https://www.tiktok.com/@amshvets/video/7192998134644051243?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7136290482221893163