Well you went and did it. You broke down and got that cute adorable fuzz ball. After all who could resist those smiling little faces (The kids, not the puppies) giggly and cooing at every puppy they lay their eyes on. So after picking the roundest ball of fur you ever saw waddling, you head to the car as your children drown you in praise and endless accolades. As you drive home you rattle off a number of expectations such as feeding, cleaning, bathing (The puppy, not your kids) each and every request is answered by a chorus of yes daddy yes daddy. Filled with promises that deep down you know will never be fulfilled you arrive home to a hero's welcome. Depending on what kind of dog you picked it could remain cute and adorable or it may turn into something that eats and weighs more than you and unless you take quick action, will start to train you!
There are a few options for training your Dog/Puppy:
A. Enrolling in a Dog obedience class (With other Dogs and Owners)
B. You take your Dog to a school to be trained (Boot Camp for Dogs)
C. Do the training yourself (The ultimate test of wills)
D. Work with a trainer one on one (So Hollywood)
Let's start with the first option shall we. They say you should consider your dog's personality in choosing the appropriate training method. I do not know who "they" are but I prefer going by my personality. I am not really concerned if my Puppy is going to like the method I choose that's why they call it obedience training. I don't know about you but listening to dogs barking, panting, and whimpering for more than 5 minutes while their "masters" (now there's a misnomer) are shouting exhortation such as sit, stay, good doggie, come to papa (a disturbing request if you ask me) and other equally ignored commands is just not the way I want to spend any of my free time.
Let's take a look at option B. Think of this as boarding school for Dogs. You simply pack up little Rufus and drop him/her off into the hands of a trained professional just like the one that's pictured in the fancy brochure give or take a few years and pounds. There is something about having someone else do the dirty work that is appealing! As with anything else in life that seems simple enough there are draw backs to this method.
Your well trained dog may not respond to your commands since you were not part of the training. With this method you do not have an opportunity to bond with your dog during this very important step. This would be my least favorite method.
Option D. This is not a favorite of mine; it can be very costly and so "Hollywood" like. So this leaves us with the option of doing the training yourself! First gather as many rolled up newspapers as you can. Hold on now I know what your thinking! Lets have a PC moment (That's a politically correct moment for the uninitiated) J Let me state emphatically that no puppies were hurt in the writing of this article. The newspaper is actually for putting down on the floor (not carpet) as a marker for your puppy to aim for during the training. I know, I am laughing too. Well readers with this I will end part 1 of "The Lighter Side of Dog Training". Please look for Part 2 coming soon.
Joseph Clemens writes on Dog related issues. You can learn more by visiting my Blog http://doggie-info.blogspot.com |
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