It is just as important for a dog owner to be knowledgable in canine behavior as it is for their dog to be well-trained. Educating yourself as well as your pup gives you the tools to help your dog be successful not just in the moment, but also in the future. Group training classes are great for basic obedience training, but it lacks the individual attention and tailoring of in-home training. Board and train programs cut you out of the equation completely. By the time my program is done, your dog will be a well-behaved member of the family, and you’ll know everything you need to know about keeping your dog that way.
As with most things, it’s best to start at the beginning, and in this case that beginning is when your dog is a puppy. Of course, this isn’t always possible. If you adopt an older dog or find yourself in need of training when your dog is older (Oftentimes major problems pop up during the “teenage years”–when your dog is about one.), your dog can still be helped. But the puppy days–before your dog reaches sixteen weeks of age–is when it’s easiest to set boundaries, influence your dog’s behavior, and instill the foundation of trust and respect that will carry your relationship for the rest of your furry loved one’s life.
Owners often make innocent mistakes that contribute to their dog’s behavior problems, such as allowing excessive free roaming, encouraging dogs to growl during a game of tug of war, and letting them wrestle with people or other dogs. These can lead to the dog viewing him/herself as dominant within the household, resource guarding, and sibling aggression, respectfully. These are all innocent mistakes that will affect some dogs and not others, and this is the reason puppy training is so important. From the start, you’ll understand how your dog’s mind works, how to positively influence current behavior, and how to modify future behavior, should your dog pick up any bad habits as he/she grows.
To get started, give me a call today at 614.347.9127.