Regardless of your dog’s size, age, or breed, they need consistent guidance – and training a dog can feel like a daunting and intensive task, especially if you’re a new pet parent.
However, training your dog can also be a deeply rewarding and fulfilling experience, and to help you get into the training mindset, we’ve compiled some of the most significant dog training benefits for you and your furry friend.
The benefits of training a dog
When you prioritise consistent dog training, everyone in your household benefits. Here are eight specific reasons to commit to regular training.
1. Boost the dog’s confidence
A confident dog is a happy dog. When you regularly train dogs using positive reinforcement (rewarding them when they exhibit a desired behaviour), they tend to be less anxious and more sure of themselves in new environments.
2. Strengthen the bond between dog and owner
Consistent training helps you and your dog bond. Working together creates opportunities for you to get to know your dog’s personality, identify its strengths, and learn new skills. Such an intensive shared experience can lead to greater trust between you and your dog as well.
3. Reduce unwanted behaviours
Regular training allows you to teach your dog what you want them to do. As a result, they’ll be less likely to engage in behaviours you don’t want to see from them. For example, you can use positive reinforcement training to teach your dog that they get rewarded for standing calmly instead of jumping on guests when they enter the house. Such behavioural discipline can also have the added benefit of helping people who are less comfortable with dogs feel more at ease when they visit yours.
4. Training a dog will increase the dog’s sociability
It’s up to a dog’s owner to train them to behave appropriately in public settings. With consistent training, you can help your dog learn how to act around other dogs or new people, helping them to be more social, less aggressive and overall more adjusted.
5. Makes tasks and trips easier
Regular training makes routine tasks and trips less stressful for your dog. For example, they’ll be less likely to panic when they go to the vet or take a trip to the groomer, making essential, health-related activities easier and more productive.
6. Increases the dog’s safety
Training increases your dog’s safety, for example, you can teach your dog to stay near you when walking near busy roads, reducing the chances of them running into traffic.
7. Keeps family and home safe
Proper training keeps you, your children, and your home safe as well. For example, you can train your dog to avoid jumping on others or resource-guarding. You can also teach them to chew on appropriate, dog-safe items instead of your furniture. This can be particularly advantageous in ensuring that your dog never snaps at or behaves aggressively toward small children.
8. Provides essential mental stimulation
Dogs don’t just need physical exercise. They also need opportunities to use their brains. Training helps them avoid boredom and practise problem-solving skills, decreasing the chances of destructive behaviour around the home or falling victim to anxiety or depression.
Reward your dog-in-training with our Healthy Centres and Healthy Treats!
There are some compelling benefits to training a dog – from increased confidence to a safer home, dog training offers numerous benefits for dogs and humans.
While you and your pooch are hard at work training, don’t forget to reward their efforts with our Healthy Centres and Healthy Treats. Our tasty treats keep them motivated and reinforce positive behaviours – but they are also highly nutritious so you need not worry about undoing all your great work together.
In our follow-up article for this month, we explore the more effective methods of training your dog, so you and your pooch can capitalise on the many benefits we’ve already explored. So stay tuned and don’t forget to also check out our blog for more pet-related advice and tips!
