“Do-it-Yourself Dog training”
By Julie Bjelland Lokhandwala
Does your dog pull you down the street, jump on
people who come to visit, or behave in other embarrassing ways? No matter how educated or successful we may
be in our life we can sometimes come up short when it comes to understanding
how to train our dog. You are not
alone! Luckily there is a lot of
information out there today that can help us learn to understand our dogs
better so that we may be better equipped to train them well.
Imagine being able to take your dog
down a busy street and meet your friend at an outdoor café while your dog lies
quietly next to you. Imagine going
camping while your dog happily plays off-leash nearby and knowing at any moment
you could call them back and they would come to you. This is all possible and you can learn how to train your dog
yourself!
Training your dog on your own may
seem like a big task but it can be a very rewarding one. There are a lot of benefits to doing it
yourself too, one of the most important being that your dog will respect YOU
and listen to YOU, not just the dog trainer.
The process of teaching your dog obedience can bond your relationship
even tighter. And, you will feel a great
sense of accomplishment if you do-it-yourself!
It will also save you hundreds of dollars and you and your dog will be
happier!
To begin training your dog you must
first meet their energy needs through daily physical exercise. A tired dog is a good dog! Then you’ll also want to teach your dog some
obedience training, which is a way to communicate what you expect of them in a
way they understand. It gives you the
tools to do so and it replaces behavior you don’t want with behavior you
like! So, for example your dog is
jumping on your newly arrived guests; you instead train him to sit quietly to
receive attention.
Your dog really does want to please
you and when they don’t it is usually a result of one of two reasons; either
they don’t truly understand your needs, or you have not met their physical and
mental needs first.
The keys to having a well-trained, happier dog:
v v
Meet your dog’s physical and mental needs first through exercise,
obedience, play and affection.
v v
Create personal training goals and stay consistent with your
expectations of your dog. Your dog will
be as consistent as you are.
It is important to learn these
techniques well in order to be successful.
A great resource to help guide you through the process is a website
called webDogTrainer.com. It is a
unique idea in dog training that is catching on fast as people discover its
benefits. It gives you the tools to
help you understand your dog better, techniques on how to do obedience training
the right way, and even personal guidance from a professional trainer who was
even a former service dog trainer! All
of this is done on your schedule because you can learn it all from any
computer.
A well-trained dog is a happier dog because they get to
spend more time with you!
--Julie Bjelland Lokhandwala's interactive Dog Training Web site: www.webdogtrainer.com/, teaches you how to train your own dog as well as receive professional coaching, advice and tips through email consultations about your own dog! Julie formerly trained Guide Dogs for the Blind and has been running her own successful obedience training/behavior modification business for several years. She is known for her talent in helping you communicate more effectively with your dog. Julie's positive methods of training are friendly, encouraging and motivating. She has a personal mission to help more dogs get adopted and stay adopted and donates a portion of her proceeds to the cause. Julie shares her home with her own rescued German Shepherd, Fax.