Why It Is Essential That You Train Your Dog

Effective dog training is essential for both a pet’s safety and
the quality of life for both dog and master.

After struggling with training a dog, you may feel tempted to
give up. Giving up on training an outdoor dog, for instance, can
be a real temptation. You may believe you’ll still manage to
have reasonably enjoyable interactions without going through the
hassles and challenges of real training. Perhaps you believe the
dog will learn on his or her own, over time, how to behave.
Training is difficult and can seem like such an effort that
surrender may feel sensible.

It is not. Effective dog training is not a mere option. When one
considers its immeasurable benefits, it becomes nothing short of
mandatory. Allowing a dog to live untrained can pose significant
risks. The costs associated with these risks are so severe that
rational decision making requires one to opt for training,
regardless of the costs in time and effort it may require.

Initially, training can be the difference between life and death
for a dog. An untrained dog, for instance, cannot be recalled
effectively if he should wander away. He may encounter any
number of dangers in his wanderings–many of which could result
in serious injury or death. In critical pressure situations, a
well-trained dog can be controlled and protected. The untrained
dog is left only with his instincts and lessons learned through
the proverbial school of hard knocks. In a world populated by an
infinite number of potential dangers, this is often not enough.

Training, then, is less of an option for a responsible pet owner
than it is an obligation. Any pet owner should consider training
the animal a basic responsibility that cannot be overlooked. The
dog’s very life, after all, could hang in the balance. It is
unthinkable that any responsible pet owner would look past that
consideration and still decide that training was simply not
worth the effort it requires.

Second, a dog’s quality of life is improved significantly by
training. He will understand how to please his human companions,
giving him a sense of purpose and enabling him to access the
social interactions dogs naturally possess. He will be able to
go through life as a friend and companion, instead of being
treated as a mere nuisance or ignored. By learning to behave to
his owner’s satisfaction, the dog is able to increase his own
satisfaction. Leaving a dog untrained makes it difficult for him
to understand how to get the positive human attention and
reactions he craves and may curse him with a life filled with
unpleasant exchanges with people as he unknowingly misbehaves.

Third, the dog owner’s quality of life is improved dramatically
by dog training. This occurs on multiple levels. Initially, the
owner and dog are able to develop a close relationship, which
brings with it numerous rewards. The owner is also able to avoid
the frustrating experience of having to care for a pet that
doesn’t know how to care back or who is unfriendly and prone to
errant behavior. Additionally, the owner is able to avoid the
liabilities created by an untrained dog. The owner can avoid the
destruction, inconvenience and even dangers posed by an
untrained pet. Instead of being a constant source of irritation
and guilt, the well-trained dog becomes a source of pleasure and
pride.

It is easy, under some circumstances, to believe that extensive
and effective dog training is not worth the significant effort
it may require. However, this perspective, if acted upon, will
actually create a situation necessitating more effort than
training would have ever required. By committing to effectively
training a dog, the owner makes an investment of time and effort
that will pay out in a variety of ways.

Settling for anything less is highly inappropriate and cannot be
adequately discouraged.

Good training will protect a dog from danger and will enable him
to live a pleasant and fulfilling life. It will also make the
owner’s life more pleasant and can result in a greatly rewarding
relationship with the pet. Effective dog training is truly
essential.