In 2010 the Association of Professional Dog Trainers began the National Train Your Dog Month campaign. The APDT thought it was long overdue to dedicate a month to bringing awareness to the importance of socialization and training, and most of all, to inform the public that training your dog can be easy and fun! They selected January as the perfect month because so many dogs and puppies are adopted or purchased from breeders and brought home for Christmas. Since puppies and kittens don’t come knowing how to behave, our desire is to help new pet parents start off the new year right with their newest family member and offer tips on how to train them.
The benefits of having a trained dog are nearly limitless! From the moment you get your new puppy or dog, here’s a run-down of just some of the advantages and benefits:
- Puppy classes provide the opportunity for getting your new family member started off right. Puppy classes provide the experiences and opportunities for your puppy to develop interaction skills with other puppies, with people, and in new environments.
- Puppy socialization has been found to be critical to the psychological health of adult dogs. Puppy classes provide the opportunity for this important facet of your puppy’s upbringing.
- Training classes provide dog owners the skills and knowledge for dealing with common, normal dog behaviors—starting with puppy behaviors such as house training and chewing.
- No matter what age you start training your dog, foundation training provides the basis for any activity, behavior or job you want your dog to do.
- Training provides dogs with the basic good manners we all want—from polite greeting when guests arrive, to walking nicely on the leash, to coming when called.
- A trained dog is a fully participating member of the family—what a gift for all of you!
- A trained dog joins in the fun when company comes, accompanies the family to the kids’ sports games, goes with you to visit friends and relatives, goes for hikes, swims, and everything else the family does together.
- Training enables you to choose from among a broad range of activities and dog sports to participate in and enjoy with your dog such as dog agility, rally-obedience, dancing with your dog, tracking, search & rescue, skijoring, sledding, water rescue trials, obedience, carting, reading programs, therapy work, and a nearly endless range of fun and philanthropic things to do!
- Training has been shown to be the single most important thing that keeps a dog in his or her “forever” home.
- Training builds your mutual bond, enhances the partnership and enriches the relationship you share with your dog. Is there anything better? Having a trained dog is a joy for both you and your dog!
For more resources, we recommend the “Puppy Start Right” book. It can be purchased on Amazon – https://amzn.to/3JoRqpj