When I train my dogs in public, I am often asked “What are you training for?”. At first, I didn’t know how to respond to this. To me, training with my dogs is a lifestyle. I don’t even think twice before clipping on my training pouch, making sure my dogs have the right gear on based on the outing, and pre-planning how to help them succeed. The answer to this question is a lot more in depth than I think the normal passerby wants to listen to. Everyone has unique goals for their dogs, but I think writing objectives down is the best way to stay accountable.
Opportunities
In an increasingly “dog friendly” world, you never know when an opportunity to include your dog might present itself. After becoming involved with the dog instagram community I have had the opportunity to meet so many great people and their dogs. If my dogs weren’t prepared to handle these social situations appropriately, I would have missed out on making friends and meeting some fantastic dogs. Another opportunity we had this summer was to enjoy our first partnered stay at a cabin in the Adirondacks (shout out to The Good Chalet!!). My dogs are both crate trained, and extensively trained to not chew/destroy/play with random household objects or furniture. Without training, I don’t think I would have been confident that my dogs could respect the new environment. I am proud to report both dogs, including Chickie at just under 5 months old, were wonderful house guests, settled in the cabin without any drama, had no accidents, and were extremely well behaved around the other people we invited to join us.
Overall Wellness
Training isn’t alway sit, down, stay. For us, a lot of training is showing the dog the difference between right and wrong. Chief will not grab dropped food off the floor. He doesn’t put foreign objects in his mouth when we pass something on the ground in a hardware store. He has never destroyed a piece of furniture. This is all from training and consistency, and could be potentially life saving. Teaching your dog how to live safely is a huge piece of everyday training. This is something they learn through real life experience and the reinforcement of boundaries.
Injury Prevention
The majority of our formal training involves conditioning. This is like “gym time” for my dogs. While you may think my dogs are conditioned only because they participate in high impact activities, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Every dog can benefit from conditioning. Thinking about your dogs’ future in the present can keep them doing the things they love for many years to come. My dogs condition for sports, hiking, high impact play, running, and even walking. This may not be the most exciting part of training, but I assure you seeing the results over time becomes addicting. Think the equivalent of “making gains” in the gym. I love watching my dogs become stronger and more confident through routine conditioning.
They love it!
One of Chief’s day school trainers was telling me how surprised she was by Chief’s love of obedience training. Chief literally does a tap dance every morning when he realizes it is his turn to train. He works extremely hard and loves the process. I am working to instill this same enthusiasm in Chickie, who is already showing great interest in our training. If it isn’t fun, neither of you will want to do it. Always make training enjoyable and strive to make it a part of your day that both you and your dog look forward to.
Everyone has different motivations for training their dogs. The important part is that you are doing it. Training for 5 to 10 minutes a day will likely show better results than training for 30 minutes once or twice a week. Start slow, figure out what you and your dog enjoy, and trust the process. If you aren’t sure where to start, hop into a local group training class. Almost every trainer will give you weekly homework and inspire you to keep practicing throughout the week. Try something new, be safe, and have fun!
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