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How to Live with a Dog in Training
So, you’re training your dog. Congratulations! Training adds to your journey and will help you build a great relationship. What could be more bonding than learning to communicate better with each other? We see 500 dogs a week come through our classes and a common question we get during training is ‘what do we do the REST of the time?’ While you wait for the lessons you’re teaching to be ready for practical use, how do you live with the dog?
Well, first off let me clarify. Training is an all of the time thing simply because dogs are in a constant state of learning. That means we can never be too lax in what we’re trying to work on with our dogs. For example, you wouldn’t ignore your dog jumping on a guest because you’re not “training”. If you’re determined to stop your dog from jumping on guests, you need to be consistent in order to be fair to your dog.
They’re dogs and they’re always learning! That truly is the thing to remember. We want to allow them freedom and enjoyment in life, but does that mean we have to throw our dreams of an obedient dog out the window? No — this is where management comes into play. It will take some planning, but will be well worth it. When I have a young dog who is still unclear on the rules, I ensure the following:
