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Stealing food from the table, refusing to listen, jumping on visitors, barking incessantly, etc. Does any of this sound familiar? If your dog is starting to drive you up the wall because he just won’t listen, it might be time to look at obedience classes for dogs.
It doesn’t matter how old your dog is, he can still learn good behavior. Of course, it’s easier for dogs to understand right from wrong when they’re puppies and they’re still figuring out how the world works, so the earlier you can start obedience training the better.
Obedience classes for dogs are a great way for your dog to learn good behavior and basic commands so he can be a better canine citizen. Your dog will get to learn with you AND a professional dog trainer. You’ll learn the smartest way to teach your dog, and how to avoid making common mistakes.
Trying to figure out training on your own can be difficult and arduous. It’s also easy to get frustrated when your dog won’t listen, or isn’t picking up what you’re trying to teach him. Obedience classes for dogs help you avoid all of those problems because you’re working with someone who understands dogs and can show you the best way to solve any behavior issues you’re having.
Obedience Classes for Dogs Can Help Your Pup Live a Happier Life
Puppies are the perfect candidates for obedience school because they haven’t yet formed habits, but don’t count out your older dog just because of his age. Every dog should receive some form of training because it helps them adjust better to society and being in public.
A dog that’s well behaved and knows basic commands is able to spend more time with their families and gets to do things that untrained dogs can’t. It’s highly beneficial for dogs to learn how to behave well, and obedience classes for dogs help you do just that.
If you’re taking your puppy to an obedience class, they’ll learn the basic commands that will help make their adjustment to their new environment easier. Your dog trainer will help your puppy learn commands like sit, stay, come, and down, and show you how to properly demonstrate those commands to your pup.
Your trainer will also make sure your dog is reliably responding to these commands so when you leave class, everything he learned doesn’t go out the window. A key to this is making sure you practice. The more times you practice with your dog, the better he’ll remember what you want him to do and how to respond.
Basic obedience classes also help your dog with socialization skills and dealing with new environments. This is a huge part of dogs’ early development, and can impact them for the rest of their lives. It’s best that your dog is able to act the same around strangers as he does at home, and your trainer will put your dog in simulated situations to get him used to having new people or other dogs around.
More advanced training classes teach dogs more difficult commands that build off of the ones they already know. These advanced classes are typically used to train dogs who are going to compete in dog shows, but they can also help you to teach your dogs to respond to commands from far away, or learn off-leash training and hand signals.
Obedience Classes for Dogs Can Help Older Pooches Learn New Tricks
If your dog is a little older, a good trainer can still help your dog learn. If you’ve recently adopted an older dog, obedience classes can be especially helpful for creating a bond and helping your dog adjust to his new home.
A dog that’s a few years old is still able to learn basic commands and can even be socialized, it just takes a little work. Unlike a puppy, you can’t walk into an obedience class and expect your 3-year-old dog to pick up everything the same way. Older dogs have already developed habits and ideas of what they think is right and wrong, so it’ll take more time to change that.
Older dogs can be trained basic commands by making them understand that there’s a reward in it for them if they perform the correct behavior. It’s important to recognize your dog’s limitations when training, because older dogs might not be able to take on as much. However, it’s never too late to start training or develop a bond with your dog, you just have to put the time in.
Obedience classes for dogs are a crucial part of development at any age. Making sure your dog is well-trained can help them be a better part of your family and ultimately lead to them living a better life.
