By Keith Wheeler

Puppy training serves to form a strong bond between a dog and his or her owner. It builds communication, mutual respect and understanding, and quietly although effectively demonstrates to your dog that you’re the boss. If your dog is naturally dominant or bossy it is especially important that he should see you as the leader. Otherwise you could both end up in trouble! A well-behaved, obedience trained dog is a pleasure to own because you can take him virtually anywhere without being a risk or nuisance to others. After all don’t we all want a dog who exhibits appropriate behaviour in a crowd, good manners when we have guests in our home, is reliable around children, and who doesn’t threaten other dogs or passers-by? The way to achieve this is by proper puppy training.

This training also gives the dog owner at an early stage, control which may be needed to prevent numerous potential tragedies later on. For instance, should a dog slip out of his collar whilst crossing, say, a congested traffic junction, he can be safely heeled across the street, then given a sit command to allow the owner to put the collar back on. Even if you don’t want to teach your dog “tricks”, the three things you should consider most important for your puppy to learn, for your own as well as your dog’s benefit are:-

1. Housebreaking,

2. Coming when called and

3. Walking on a leash without pulling.

Everything else depends on the personal choice of the owner.

Dogs learn very fast if they are motivated, and when they really want to learn. So it is as well to try and consider the type of things your dog might enjoy doing most. This might mean for instance that if your dog has never carried anything in his mouth, you should not start by trying to teach him to retrieve or carry things. It will be possible to teach almost any dog to retrieve, but perhaps you should start with something easier or completely different, like ‘shake hands’, play hide and seek, etc

You should avoid giving your dog commands that you cannot enforce. Each time you give a command that is neither complied with nor enforced your dog learns that commands are optional. Use the appropriate dog training aids. If you have a well behaved dog a six foot training lead and a regular buckle collar will do. However if your dog is uncontrollable you should use a training collar. For the right collar size measure the dogs’ neck and add 2 inches.

A dog should be able to greet strangers without displaying aggression or objectionable affection. Very few people enjoy having a dog greet them by growling, barking, jumping or improperly sniffing at them. If your dog persistently displays these behaviours, you have a problem – whether your friends complain or not. Training a dog to be a good companion takes time and effort. People are not born polite, honest, caring and well-behaved. Parents teach children. We can all see the results of children who have not had adequate parenting. Dogs are not much different, that is why puppy training is so important. It is crucial if you are to form a stable basis on which you can build a relationship which will allow you and your dog to relate to each other in a meaningful way.

About the Author: Keith Wheeler is a dog lover who runs a primarily informational website about dogs. To take advantage of the hints and tips there and also discover the best deals for your dog requisites why not visit his site at http://www.k4canines.com

Source: www.isnare.com

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Read the original post: Puppy Training – Why Bother?