So, You Want To Be A Dog Owner!

So, You Want to Be A Dog Owner

So, You Want to Be A Dog Owner. Before you do, it is important to know that dog owners fall into one of two categories. There are responsible ones and there are irresponsible ones. To become a responsible dog owner you will need to make a commitment to your dog for whole life of the dog. Dogs can live up to 17 years. You need to be willing to make this kind of a commitment, or you probably shouldn’t get a dog. Maybe a fern would be a better choice!

This commitment includes providing suitable accommodations, daily exercise, adequate mental stimulation, a healthy diet and health check-ups performed by a licensed veterinarian at least once per year.

And even though the items above are very important to a dog’s physical and mental well being, they are not the only things that will make your dog’s life a good one.

Every responsible dog owner should at least know “the basics” and then be able to teach them to their dog. It sounds simple doesn’t it? It should be, but you might be surprised to know just how many dog owners can not even make their dog sit or come when called.

Not a day goes by that I don’t see dogs leading (or more accurately … PULLING), their owners down the street. I also see owners yelling and cursing when their dog runs off down the block chasing a rabbit, the neighbor kids or worse, another dog.

If You Want to Be A Dog Owner basic behavior training is a MUST. It’s all up to you if you want to have a happy, healthy and well adjusted dog. Dog’s only know what YOU teach them! Training is just as important for the human too! That’s because if your dog is well trained, you will have less stress and you will be much more relaxed around your dog!

If you have questions, Contact A Better Dog 4U Dog Obedience Training

I was actually asked one time, “Why do I need to train my dog? My answer was in the form of several questions. Would you allow your infant or toddler to make decisions for themselves? Would you allow them to grow up without solid guidance? No? So why should it be any different with your dog?

Giving your dog a solid set of rules and boundaries is essential if you expect your dog to be obedient and respectful. You must form a bond with your dog in order to gain your dog’s confidence and respect. After the bonding process is complete you need to spend time with your dog. Training should always be fun. It is also important to be consistent in your training if you expect your dog to understand what you want.

Basic behavior training consists of three main areas:

• Building the bond between You and Your Dog
• Knowing how to command Your dog Correctly
• Training the dog to execute on command

Next, a responsible owner will work with the dog on a daily basis to reinforce the training. Just like a human, if the dog doesn’t use the things it has learned on a daily basis, over time it will forget them.

Building The Bond between You and Your Dog

If You Want to be a Dog Owner, building the bond between yourself and your dog is the most important thing to do. This takes time. It’s not going to happen in a few hours!  It’s not THAT easy!  Time and effort will be need on your part, but it will be well worth it. The more time you put in, the quicker it will happen.

Part of building the strong bond is earning your dog’s trust and respect. A dog that trusts and respects you will live to make you happy. Trust is the easy part. Trust comes when you provide a safe place to live, food and water, and spend time playing and working together.

While you are spending time together take the time to find out what your dog likes. Work with these things to build the relationship. Use the things your dog likes as a reward for good behavior.

Respect is a bit more involved. Earn your dog’s unconditional respect is done by become a loving, consistent leader as well as a “best friend”. Yes, your dog needs to know that you are in complete control. Dogs rely on us for guidance in every aspect of it’s life. Setting simple rules and boundaries and enforcing them consistently gives your dog knowledge that you are in control. But you don’t need to become a “Drill Sargent.” Most of the problems with out-of-control dogs can be linked back to an owner who has not gained the respect of thier dog.

Knowing How to Command Your Dog Correctly

If You Want to be a Dog Owner your training is just as important as your dog’s training. Giving a command  correctly with consistency is by-far the hardest part of dog training. You must to be willing to step up and take responsibility to see that the dog knows what to do.

Sadly, a lot of dog owners think that they can just send their dog off to “doggie boot camp” or to a local trainer and it will come back the perfect dog. This just isn’t true! While a professional trainer can be a great help in teaching a dog some basic commands, your dog still must learn to do it for you. This means that YOU have to know what to do and how to do it. You also must be consistent by using the same command each time you want a specific behavior.

Training the Dog to Execute On Command

Now that you have the trust and respect of your dog you start training your dog to execute your commands.  Because you now have your dog’s trust and respect, training will become relatively easy. At this point it becomes just a simple matter of being consistent with your commands. Training is mostly about communication. It’s about understanding how your dog responds to a command and your ability to show your dog what you mean when you say the command. (example: Holding your open hand up while saying, “Sit” will produce the reaction of the dog dropping to the sit position).