January Is Train Your Dog Month. The three S's of Training
The Association of Professional Dog Trainers (www.apdt.com) recognizes January as Train Your Dog Month. While it’s true that you can teach an old dog new tricks, the best strategy is to start training your dog right off the bat. Check out the ADPT website for videos on common training topics and other valuable resources.
The benefits of training your dog include the three S’s: safety, socialization and eliminating reasons for owner surrender.
Safety: Dogs demonstrate an admirable level of intelligence but they cannot be expected to make split second decisions that impact their own safety. The off -leash dog’s interest is piqued by the squirrel in the park. He watches the squirrel jump from limb to limb and scamper down the tree. Then all of the sudden, the dog takes off after the squirrel as it runs across the park to the busy street. The dog is so focused on the chase, that he does not see the danger of the oncoming traffic. If your dog has been trained to reliably “sit”, “come” or respond to the “down” command, you can avert a very dangerous situation. Other important commands your dog should master are “stay, drop it, leave it,” and “look.” The “leave it” and “drop it” commands can be used to prevent your dog from eating something dangerous such as chicken bones or from picking up something like a dead bird or a live snake! The “look “command is used to cue your dog to keep his eyes on you while something potentially scary is happening in the environment, such as a passing reactive, barking and lunging dog or a teenager whizzing by on a skateboard.
Socialization; The well socialized dog is a joy to take on walks, car rides and to dog-friendly outdoor cafes. Dog-friendly dogs can have a blast at doggie daycare playing with their furry friends and spending a relaxing, guilt-free night there while you travel. At a young age, your dog should safely be exposed to young children, other dogs, noises from radios, cars, bikes and crowds as well as a variety of people with beards, umbrellas, hats, and walkers. Work to desensitize your dog to touch along his body and limbs, his ears, mouth, paws and anus to make vet exams and visits to the groomer for cuts and nail trims less stressful. Dogs that do not easily adapt to new situations and environments become fearful which may limit the owner from seeking regular healthcare and grooming appointments. Ultimately, fear may lead to the development of aggressive behaviors which will require consultation with a professional dog trainer or a behaviorist.
Eliminating Reasons for Owner Surrender: Over 3 million dogs are surrendered to shelters every year. The primary reasons that dogs are surrendered are due to the owner’s failure to train their dog for basic obedience or having unrealistic expectations of their dog. Dogs that bark excessively, frequently soil the house, jump on strangers, lunge at other dogs, or tear things up around the house, or worse, have a bite history, suffer the fate of abandonment at the shelter and possible death due to their owner’s lack of commitment to training their dog to be a good citizen. Dog owners need to have realistic expectations for their dogs. Owners need to realize that their dogs may shed, their dog may occasionally have accidents in the house such as soiling and vomiting, their dog will need regular exercise, and properly caring for their dog will not be cheap. Puppies need consistency with house training and regular routines for exercise and feeding. Although puppies are joyful balls of fluff, they are also responsible for many sleepless nights for the owner when they first come home. Acclimating an older rescue dog to a new home also takes time and commitment. Consider the rule of 3’s for rescue dogs:
The first THREE DAYS: the rescue dog is often scared and overwhelmed in his new home. He may seek shelter in his crate away from his new owners and pet siblings. He may not want to eat or drink and he may be restless at night
After THREE WEEKS: the rescue dog is starting to settle in to his new home and routine; his personality begins to emerge and new behaviors, both wanted and unwanted , may appear as he starts to be more comfortable . He starts to let his guard down as he accepts his new environment as his potential new home.
After THREE MONTHS: the rescue dog finally feels secure – this is my HOME. He begins to respond more consistently to commands and daily routines. The bond between the dog and his owner begins to develop and strengthens over time.
A professional dog trainer can teach both the dog and the owner the guidelines of safely interacting with children to prevent bites. Dogs and children should always be closely supervised. Children should not be allowed to hug or kiss dogs in the face, climb on or “ride” dogs, or disturb dogs who are sleeping, eating or playing with a toy. No matter a dog’s friendly demeanor, any dog can bite when startled, threatened, or when in pain. Children who are bit by dogs are often severely scarred or worse killed and the offending dog undoubtedly faces euthanasia.
The bottom line is that if you cannot make a commitment to training and integrating your dog into your home and lifestyle forever, DON’T GET THE DOG. Sadly, owner surrenders at the shelter are among the first to be euthanized when space becomes an issue.
Dogs are without a doubt “man’s best friend.” They give us unconditional love and the bonds we develop with our dogs are unique to them and their individual personalities. Dogs help us to be more active, reduce our blood pressure, handle stress more effectively and become more responsible, compassionate, and social individuals. We owe them the best life we can provide them with training, preventive healthcare, regular activity and lots of love
Visit the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (www.apdt.com) to locate a credentialed dog trainer in your area and check out the site for Train Your Dog Month at https://trainyourdogmonth.com/tips for tips on training your dog.
