Over Christmas like many peiople we went away to visit family, taking our Dog Chani with us. One of the really nice things was hearing the compliments from friends and family about how well she was behaved. Not pushing to get indoors, respecting the boundaries of inside and outside, not jumping up, not barking, not trying to steal food, not digging under fences. Importantly, all in an environment and house she had not seen before.
Like any parent, it’s great to hear about how good your kids are being and people noticing.
Doing some searches on the internet there are any number of reasons to get your dog trained, most of them revolve around obeying commands and displaying good behaviour. Some rightly also touch on the point of relationship building and communication.
A couple of the main ones I was taught were:
- Prevention of unwanted behaviour
- Rehabilitate unwanted behaviour.
Absolutely these two can be said to cover the reasons for training, but let’s get a bit more into the day to day like side of things.
As said above when you’re dog is not pushing past, not jumping on visitors, not being destructive and is reliably obeying your commands, essentially not making a nuisance of itself, life is SO MUCH EASIER.
There is also the “Scare factor” reasons. The owner is responsible for all of the dogs actions and any damage it causes, or rules that it breaks.
I’ve heard a story where an owner’s leash broke and the dog got away, not responding to commands. Even though the dog was recovered in a short distance (with the help of a passersby) a council ranger issued a fine for having the dog “off leash”, even though that was not the owners intent. When the owner needed commands to work the most, they didn’t.
Some Australian states have already introduced “Charging” laws and others are considering it. In short if your dog runs at another animal or human being in a perceived aggressive manner, the owner can be fined for the dog “Charging”
There is also the relationship factor. If you were in a relationship with someone that never listened to you and repeatedly behaved badly would you call it a “Good” relationship ? A well behaved dog that understands you (and in the process you understand them better) is a wonderful thing.
Being out and about a fair bit while walking dogs you get to see first hand who has control over their dogs and who has not. Seeing owners grabbing tightly onto leashes and pulling back with all their might on a bucking dog, really underlines that there is something wrong with the relationship. Everyone can also see that if the leash broke or the owner let go, there may not be a happy result.
Hence “Proper” training.
The word “Training” is often overused and can encompass “exercises” that have very little bearing on Prevention or Rehabilitation. At best they may provide a short term distraction, but as soon as that distraction factor wanes, the behaviour returns. In addition a lot of “standard obedience training” includes routines in controlled environments that have little relevance to the real world, where owners need the training to work the most !
Another huge factor that is often misunderstood and demonstrates a shallow understanding of dog training is the difference between teaching a command, and then getting the dog to do the command consistently in different situations.
Sadly once the dog does the command a couple of times under controlled conditions, often with a food reward on offer, the box is ticked for that dog “knowing” the command.
This is something that is so badly misunderstood in the industry, the dog needs to execute the command reliably, under distraction and for more than a few fleeting seconds with the handler crossing their fingers hoping for the best.
Even more sadly in the situations where a dog is said to be “trained” but has only done the command a few times for a food treat reward. It is then given to a family but when the commands and behaviour is not reliable or worse displays aggression, the dog is returned or bounced around the system (the family doing the best they can) Eventually being pronounced to have “behavioural issues” that cannot be rehabilitated (short term distraction techniques and more treats does not help), the dog ends up on a euthanasia table. Proper training and rehabilitation can avoid this scenario. (This situation is part of why I became a Dog Trainer)
It is important to note, as I have said before Proper Obedience and Good Behaviour go hand in hand. If you are trying to rehabilitate aggression in a dog, why would a dog stop lunging and trying to attack other animals when it won’t hold a sit for a couple of minutes ?
On a happier note, another by-product of a well trained dog is that when other dogs are introduced to the family unit, or come for a visit, they often “pick-up” the commands and behaviors fairly quickly with little or no formal “training” sessions required. (of course to reach the higher standards more proper training is required)
Getting back to it though, on a day to day, real world basis, one of the best rewards for proper training are the regular compliments you get about your dog.
It gives immense satisfaction. 😀
These are some of the areas we provide dog training for in Sydney – if you are not listed, please still contact us ! The Hills – Annangrove, Baulkham Hills, Beaumont Hills, Bella Vista, Box Hill, Carlingford, Castle Hill, Cherrybrook, Dural, Glenhaven, Glenorie, Kellyville, Kenthurst, Maraylya, Maroota, Nelson, Northmead, North Rocks, Rouse Hill, West Pennant Hills Blacktown and surrounding areas – Acacia Gardens, Dean Park, Doonside, Glendenning, Glenwood, Kellyville Ridge, Kings Langley, Kings Park, Lalor Park, Marayong, Marsden Park, Oakhurst, Parklea, Quakers Hill, Schofields, Seven Hills, Stanhope Gardens, The Ponds, Toongabbie, Vineyard, Riverstone
