Don’t Get Physical: Dog Training Advice
Posted on Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
When trying to train a new dog or puppy, there are a lot of mountains to overcome. To a human, what you want the dog to do is simple, and this concept of simplicity is reinforced all the more by social acceptance of dogs being able to be obedient and perform tricks. Most people who experience dogs will see them performing a variety of commands, even if it is a simple ‘sit’ command, and fail to realise that the dog has had to learn that behaviour. This translates badly when it comes to new owners trying to train their own animals.
It is absolutely essential that, when trying to train a dog, you remember how utterly alien the entire situation is for the dog. There is nothing whatsoever in a dog’s natural make up to suggest they are born aware of what words and commands such as ‘sit’ or ‘stay’ mean; it all has to be taught. And, as would happen with a human child, some dogs take longer to grasp a new command than others. There is no reason to assume that all dogs are able to learn quickly and stay in grasp of these lessons throughout their life; some will take a little more work than others.
However, there is no doubt that dog training can be very frustrating. This is often made all the worse when owners are trying to curb difficult behaviour, such as excessive barking, often on the request of unhappy neighbours or family members. The pressure of those outside the owner-dog relationship means that training can be fraught and an unnecessary worry is placed upon it, meaning the training is actually more likely to fail. When it comes to dog training, it is essential in the quest for success to remain calm.
One of the main ways that people lose their composure is to physically hit their dog when trying to train them. While it is widely accepted that few of these owners are actually trying to cause physical harm, this is not an advisable course of action.
It is easy to think that a quick, short, ideally non-painful tap on a dog while trying to teach them something will be effective. Those that do this often say that they are trying to get the dog to focus or regain attention, or perhaps teach that the dog is doing something wrong by not completing the trick. However, while the notions behind this school of thought are not senseless, they are in actuality incorrect.
The second you resort to physical contact with a dog is the second you have lost impetus for that training session. Training should be fun and engaging, encouraging a dog to enjoy their new obedience and tricks and get rewards for it. Physical contact is the exact opposite of that, and quite simply will never produce long lasting results.
No related posts.
