It is a common misconception that puppy classes are all that’s required for a well-adjusted
adult dog. Training can have a negative connotation to it, people often interpret training as a countermeasure for ’bad’ or difficult behaviour.
Do you ever see a dog and their owner seeming to be the perfect pair? They’re walking nicely together, the dog sits when it’s told and comes back when called. Well that isn’t just luck! The owner has spent huge amounts of time and patience to nurture their dog. Ongoing training contributes to the bonding between owner and dog, safety of the animal, desensitisation, exercise for the brain and socialisation.
Our PAWS pals training (school and therapy dog programme) is a combination of dog training and helping you understand and create therapeutic interventions. The dog training we do with you will provide you with the right tools to train your dog, but the more you rehearse and practice these training techniques the stronger your bond will be and the better your relationship will be. This will pay dividends when working with your clients/young people as the trust you and your dog have will shine through in that environment.
What happens when a fully trained assistance dog is passed over to their human requiring the assistance? That's right, you guessed it! More training. The human and dog pair will train some more to build that relationship and learn each others cues so that they can work cohesively together.
Much like the saying dogs are for life..... so is dog training- it's for life, not just 6 weeks and not just once a year. It's important to allocate some time to training every week (more often is even better) to really get the best out of your doggy relationship.
But how will I fit it all in you ask? My dog already needs 1 hour of walking every day?!
So here's the thing- THEY DON'T! You don’t have to worry about fitting in a walk every single day. Instead why not do 20 minutes of training? Training is infinitely more brain stimulating and rewarding for your dog and will often result in your dog being able to settle easier as they are not all hyped up from a walk.
If you are looking for a dog trainer, make sure to do your research. Instead of going for the first trainer you see that has the best reviews. Look for what kind of training they do whether that’s positive reinforcement or correction methods. The methods that some trainers use might not be what you want to do with your dog. Reward-based training is what PAWS recommend. REMEMBER dogs will be dogs. Punishment isn’t necessary when a dog behaves like a dog, we should just be rewarding the behaviour that is positive.
If you are looking for a positive reinforcement trainer that has completed training and understands dogs take a look at The IMDT directory, APDT directory or findadogtrainer.com to find accredited, qualified instructors that are insured and complete annual CPD to keep their training up to date.
Training is the key to a successful dog human relationship and here at PAWS relationships mean everything. :-)
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