Many people hesitate to adopt dogs because they don’t want to deal with a lot of bad habits that are acquired elsewhere. The good news is that you can choose to have a puppy as they’re still too young to have bad habits.
To prevent the onset of bad habits, you can bring your puppy to a dog trainer, or a dog training school, so that they’ll learn some good habits.
In addition to that, here are more reasons why your pup should attend a dog training school:
Easier to Train than Adult Dogs
The most basic reason for enrolling your puppy in a dog training program, like Flash Dog Training Services, is that most puppies can learn better, compared to their adult counterparts. If your puppy is at least 8 weeks of age (maxing out at 18 weeks), that’s the best age to start its education.
On the other hand, adult dogs that already formed some bad habits may be harder to train, but they’re still trainable, as can be seen in this video:
Allows Your Puppy To Be Social
One of the first things you need to learn firsthand as a pet owner is that your puppy will get scared. Sometimes, the puppy will be scared of people. At other times, it may get scared of other puppies and adult dogs. Your pup may even show fear of the dog trainers.
To cope, the dog trainers will submit your puppy to the ‘desensitization’ class. This simply means that they’ll put your pup with you in a room where there are things, other puppies, and other dog trainers. You will guide your pup around the room to show that you’re not afraid of the contents of the room. Sometimes, this may mean releasing your pup from their leash and simply guiding them with the sound of your voice.
As your pup gets familiar with all the contents of the room and sees that you’re not afraid, they may soon calm down. This is a very useful lesson for your puppy so that they’ll see that not everything that’s unfamiliar is scary. It’ll also learn to trust you; that you won’t allow them to be harmed.
Your puppy will need to realize that they aren’t the only puppy or dog in the world. They need to be exposed to other puppies and adult dogs so that they learn to stay calm. If you want your puppy to grow up into a well-adjusted adult dog, bringing them to a dog training school may be the answer.
It’s also better to bring your pup to a real-time school for puppies because videos or printed material, such as books, about puppy training may not suffice. You and your pup may need exposure to a real face-to-face class where other dogs will be present so that learning will be faster and more realistic. Your pup will also realize that they can co-exist with other puppies or even adult dogs without anything harmful happening.
In addition, if you bring your pup to a great training school, there might even be trainers there who are looking for young dogs that can be trained as ‘service dogs.’ These dogs are trained to assist disabled people in daily activities. Also, not all dogs are capable of doing that, so being chosen would be quite an honor for your pup. The first step, though, would be to get your pup to be trained in the basics before it can progress to the service dog training.
Capable Dog Trainers Can Spot Wrong Behavior Early
The dog training school’s trainers will be able to identify any possible triggers for wrong behavior before these become habitual.
For instance, if your puppy tends to aggressively jump on people, you’ll need to mitigate this behavior so it doesn’t get ingrained in your puppy’s mind. Some puppies will also start biting on clothes, partly because they’re inclined to do that instinctively or they need someone to play with.
The dog trainers will point out that jumping on people is not necessarily an expression of hostility. But your puppy has to learn that you don’t like it when they do that. If you don’t understand what’s wrong with your puppy, the dog trainers will be able to explain it to you during training sessions and provide ways for your pup to grow up into an obedient dog.
Get Some Much-Needed Exercise
The training school for puppies may be a good option for you and your pup to get some exercise, provided the school itself is cleaned daily and disinfected.
Letting the puppies play is part of the learning process and should be encouraged. That way, the puppies will learn that the lessons are not so bad and may even be fun. Remember, if your puppy starts to feel stressed, they’ll refuse to obey any command. So, encouraging your puppy to have fun while teaching them is a good way to conduct lessons.
Owners Can Understand Your Puppy
It’s recommended for dog owners to accompany their puppies to puppy training school because they’re the ones who’ll initiate commands at home. You’ll be guided as to how to issue a direct command without getting physical. That means avoiding hurtful behavior such as spanking your puppy when they don’t obey.
You’ll also learn how to reward your puppy when they do obey. And, you’ll learn how to spot signs that your puppy is getting tired of a certain activity and wants to do something else.
Practice Reinforcement
Some puppies may need reinforcement lessons when they’re attending puppy training school. This means practicing the lessons learned in the school so the puppy knows that what happens in school will also be done at home.
For example, you may need to remove your puppy from its leash and see if it responds to oral commands. This will help you test the effectiveness of the dog training lessons. This may start with a simple walk around the living room with your voice guiding the puppy.
You can then progress to teaching your puppy to ‘ask permission’ to use the toilet in the backyard. For this, the puppy can simply stand in front of the door and wait for you to open it. Note that this one needs to be reinforced repeatedly throughout the day for your puppy to remember it.
Don’t be disappointed if the puppy seems to require a lot of reinforcement before they still don’t understand what you’re aiming for. Think of your puppy as the furry equivalent of a toddler. Since they’re still young, they may not have the cognitive abilities, yet, to understand what you mean.
Learn How to Take Care of Your Puppy
Since you’ll be around for the lessons, that’s the perfect opportunity for the dog trainers to teach you the right ways of taking care of your puppy.
You’ll learn at least some of the following:
- Bathing your puppy.
- Trimming their nails to a safe length and other grooming tips.
- Bringing them along on car rides safely.
- Feeding the right food to your puppy.
- Bringing them to the vet for checkups and shots.
- Toilet training your puppy.
- Cleaning their personal stuff, such as blankets, food bowls, water bottles, and toys.
- Giving your puppy their medicine.
Convenient Access To A Medical Professional
If your puppy has any special needs, such as using prosthetics, you can ask the dog trainers about that as well. If the dog trainers don’t know about the special needs of puppies with birth defects, they can at least refer you to experienced veterinarians who may be more knowledgeable about such special needs.
Fortunately, some dog trainers may be affiliated with certain vet clinics already. They may even be operating within the same building or compound. This isn’t just a good business practice but may also be quite convenient for you since you won’t have to go far just to bring your pup for a check-up. They may also have pet supplies on sale so you can easily buy what your pup needs.
Final Takeaway: Better Prepared for Future Furry Children
In human families, parents who are expecting their first child can be quite nervous at the prospect. Their biggest fear is “will I be a good parent to my child?” They worry about everything and may even obsess about small details. However, the upside is that when their child is born, they’re able to learn despite their mistakes. So, they’re better prepared for the arrival of their other children.
It’s almost the same when you adopt other puppies. You’ll probably make a hundred mistakes just training your very first puppy but won’t make the same mistakes when the other puppies arrive. There’s a learning curve for every fur parent so don’t be surprised if you find yourself making errors every day as you train your pup.
The good news is that you’ll learn from your mistakes and get better every day, too. Pretty soon, you and your puppy will learn all the lessons and are ready to practice it daily.
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