Understanding Your Animal
Choosing a Trainer
Obedience vs Behavior Training
Is there a difference?
The short and simple answer is YES.
Training is conditioning for a specific skill. So, unless your dog is"training" for a sport like agility for example or a job like hunting, herding,detection or service work.....do they need training to be a good pet?
The short answer is no.
What the average everyday pet and their family needs is education. Humans that will teach him or her the life skills to being a great pet. Like, how to be polite around other dogs or humans, what behaviors are and are not accepted in your home, what is and is not safe to play with, that they can trust you, etc.
If you build your relationship with your dog from this practice of thought, you will create a bond that will last a lifetime.
There is a time and a place for both. The key is understanding and knowing what you need or want.
Behavior Rehabilitation
Behavioral training, rehabilitation or modification takes understanding dog psychology.
This is done by someone that understands canine behavior, canine language, canine nutrition and has the understanding to not only teach the dog but the human as well.
Is able to change what the human has been doing, teaches the human why and how everything can affect behavior so that the dog can change.
This includes teaching your dog a lifestyle. How to live in your home and life is about teaching your dog manners, what is expected, how to think and make smart choices on his or her own.
Understanding canine behavior is needed to help with more advanced issues such as anxiety, nervousness, fear and reactivity to aggression. These are not obedience issues.
Understanding canine behavior allows us to utilize all tools available and use what is best for that dog in that moment. Like knowing that training obedience allows to spend quality time with our dog and form a strong relationship with them. Obedience training should not be a "chore".
Think about this...which scenario is ideal?
A dog that makes smart choices, knows how to stay calm around people and other pets, understands how to actin any situation.
A dog that has to be told over and over, everyday what to do.
Owning a well behaved dog is an entirely different experience. Dog behavior training helps build a strong bond of trust and understanding between you and your dog because it teaches your dog to look to you for approval in everything he does!
With behavior training, the relationship between you and your dog can reach its full potential! Dogs enjoy following a benevolent leader. They want to be with and seek approval from their humans. Dog behavior training gives them confidence and security.
We have to understand the "why" of a behavior in order to try and change that behavior. Unwanted behaviors such as growling, anxiety, fear, etc are symptoms. There is a reason your dog is doing the behavior so if we get to the root then the behavior can change.
How we feed, what we feed, how we communicate, teach and react can and does affect how a dog behaves.
We have to understand that and utilize the best options to help each individual dog. Just teaching a dog to sit won't change his behavior.
Utilizing commands in a positive way and in combination with a rehabilitation program can increase the bond in your relationship.
Obedience Training
Dog “Trainer”
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Dog “Trainer” is someone that trains your dog to respond to certain commands, from basic “sit”, “stay”, “come”, “down”, to the advanced commands used for show dogs, or competition dogs.
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Obedience training won’t eliminate behavior issues.
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It teaches commands but does not change the behavior.
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A dog can go through obedience training and not be well behaved
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An aggressive dog can be trained to sit or stay, but it will still be an aggressive dog.
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Changing a dogs position does not change it’s state of mind!
So, if you have a well behaved dog and want to teach him commands or tricks, your best bet is a trainer.