• 24
  • Aug

Why is Training Essential For Dogs

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For thousands of years, Man has been training Domestic dogs. They were trained to hunt and protect. But in the new age, they serve many roles. They are our companions, emotional support animals, and guide dogs. They also work in defence and other paramilitary forces worldwide. Proper training enables them to perform all these and much more.

 A dog's intelligence is useful in training them when they are a part of a household. Also, a well-trained dog is extremely accommodating when it comes to people with special needs which makes an excellent support system.

 

The Basis Of Dog Training

 If you don’t want to end up in a mess created by your dog in your house, it is important to get them trained right away. Just like human toddlers, we need to teach a dog what is right and wrong behaviour. Furthermore, you can build a strong and beautiful relationship with your furry baby whilst making them well-mannered. 

 However, a balance is required while disciplining them. So when your dog disrupts your neatly stacked papers you need to show them your displeasure the right way. Too gentle an approach and your pet will take it as a sign of encouragement and do it more to gain attention. On the other hand, getting too harsh and physically abusive will result in having a skittish and depressive dog.

 So one of the bases to train a dog is to set rules and train them to understand the rules. So if we look into the above example, for the dog to comprehend that he has done something wrong and repeating the same mistake, you will be disappointed. So to catch their attention, overreact and raise your voice slightly and perhaps slightly hit them on the face ( not with force). Not all dogs respond well, as they might bark and bite as an instant reaction to fear. But most will respond with an expression of “ guilt”. No pets want to disappoint their owners.

 Again, owners should always encourage them when they behave well. A common practice while training your dog is to reward them with treats when they respond positively to a command. Positive reinforcement makes the dog enjoy his training and makes it a memorable experience for both the dog and the owner.

Below is a list of things that many pet owners allow their pets to do but are not recommended by trainers :

 

  • To allow them to sit at the same level on chairs, sofas, beds. Instead, provide them with their own bed. A lot of comfortable options are available.
  • To give them your food while you eat. It becomes a repetitive affair and later they don't take no for an answer. Also, human food is not good for them.
  • Not scolding (Negative reinforcement) when they cause problems like breaking objects and ripping shoes. Let them know that you are angry.
  • Not taking them on constant walks for bathroom usage (they often give signs like barking, when it is emergency) 
  • Putting them in a cage and not giving enough fresh air (they get mental stimulation by sensing various smells and environments, along with that a good exercise regime is optimal for dogs just as it is for their human companion) 

 

Remember, it takes time, patience and repetition to train a dog. Balancing these two: A sense of guilt and a sense of being valued becomes significant under the basis of dog training. 

 

The Consequences of improper or lack of training 

An untrained dog is as bad and dangerous as a wild animal as they have no understanding of human emotions and values. Living with an untrained dog slowly becomes stressful, as habits like biting, excreting anywhere in the house, snatching food, barking incessantly, attacking people etc become intolerable. Dogs require guidance to be in a human settlement, just like a child.

 

Further Examples Of Skill-wise Training 

So you have decided to have your puppy/dog trained. It is important to note that before you begin training you need to set the right environment and conditions to enable maximum effectiveness.First, make sure that your dog has no other distractions. Distractions could be the presence of another dog, a noisy street with a lot of activity or bits of food lying nearby.

Dog training has three  pillars. They are :

 

 

  • Timing: A dog has a period of 1.3 seconds in which to associate a cause with an effect. This means that the old adage, “you’ve gotta catch them in the act” is absolutely true. To correct a dog for breaking a sit “stay” five seconds after the fact is meaningless to a dog.

 

 

 

  • Consistency: There is no gray area for dogs. Your training must be very clear. A rule is a rule For example, if you do not want your dog to jump up on you, you must consistently reinforce that principle

 

 

 

  • Motivation : In simple terms, think of it this way, positive makes a behavior continue and negative makes it stop. You communicate to your dog while training (and all other times as well) with praise and rewards when they are doing well. As a result, the behaviors you reward will start to occur more often. You communicate with corrections (verbal, leash, sound, etc) when they make mistakes, or are breaking your clearly defined rules. As a result, the behaviors you correct will not occur as often. Both praise (rewards) and corrections must be motivational to the dog.

 

The most basic and essential training is to respond to being called by name.

For this say the name of your puppy and once they look at you treat them with their favorite treat. Repeat this activity a sufficient number of times so that the puppy is used to it. Once your puppy gets a hold of this, introduce variation and  don’t give a treat every time. Instead replace treats with verbal or physical affection and praise.Vary this in different locations at different times. So here timing is applied to the duration between treats and praise and the desired action performed by the pupper. Consistency is the repetition in various environments and times of the day. Motivation is the treats and praise.Sitting command is another very basic yet important command. Also it is the easiest.

For sit command you need to explain to your puppy the action you want and then with sufficient repetition it becomes ingrained. So to begin, stand with your puppy, say the command and then make her sit as illustrated in the image below. Repeat this activity multiple times with you saying sit and then make her sit and reward her with a treat. Again same as name repeat this multiple times with multiple scenarios and conditions.

Some more training tips on the below link.

https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/dog-training-book-rex-in-the-city.pdf

https://m.iaabc.org/docs/resources/IAABCF_DogTrainingManual_english.pdf

https://www.schoolfordogtrainers.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/StarmarkObedienceGuide.pdf

Service Dogs For Human Needs

Specially trained dogs are helping people with disabilities globally. These disabilities can be physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or mental. The dogs must be capable of learning, remembering, and performing the tasks well. These dogs are trained to either live with a specific handler or work in crowded places such as hospitals, hospices, schools, nursing homes, and mental health facilities. 

The most common breeds of service dogs are:

  • Labrador retriever
  • Golden retriever
  • German shepherd
  • Poodle
  • Border Collie
  • Boxer
  • Pomeranian
  • Bernese Mountain Dog
  • Great Dane
  • Labradoodle
  • Bloodhound
  • Pembroke Welsh Corgi
  • Dobermann
  • Greyhound

They are not only smart but are also loving, calm and effectively motivated towards their job. But a word of caution, not all dogs can be trained to assist specially abled people.Because every dog has different traits no matter what the breed is, just like us! It is just that the data holds these breeds as the most productive types for servicing.

Here is a list of different jobs:

  • Guiding aid: Most common, helps lead and locate places for blind and visually impaired people by their attached leashes.
  • Detects allergy: Sniffs out the smallest amount of allergens such as peanuts, gluten, eggs, milk, etc. Often kept beside children as they have more severe reactions and also ensures safety for parents.
  • Police dogs: Duties only in crime investigation. Detects drugs and explosives, lost people, crime scene evidence, and tackling targeted people.
  • Therapy aid: Less prioritized compared to other service jobs because they offer themselves as comforting companions. They’re not emotional support dogs and are always in different common buildings(hospitals, nursing homes, etc) and being pet by strangers.
  • Psychiatric / PTSD(Post-traumatic stress disorder) aid: Always beside the handlers to calm them down from anxiety and traumatic experiences. Reminds them to take medications and stop them from any self-destructive actions. Trained to lead to safe places like home, and distance from other people when necessary.
  • Autistic aid: Helps autistic people by giving them a sense of safety as well as assisting them in daily tasks. More beneficial for children as they resist them from problems like running off suddenly.
  • Mobility aid: Perform tasks such as opening and closing doors, moving the handler’s wheelchair to beds, baths, and toilets. Can also press buttons and switches, and retrieve objects.  
  • Diabetic alert aid: Their power of scent can find out and warn the high or low blood sugar level of the person. They can also press a button to call for medical assistance when it is severely dangerous. 
  • Seizure alert aid: Interesting fact, most dogs naturally recognize when a human is in an unusual situation. But these dogs are trained to respond before, during and after the seizure. They are capable of physically moving the person from a dangerous place, help them to regain consciousness, and use deep pressure to stop seizures, and bring medicine. 
  • Hearing aid: They can help people close to or completely deaf, by giving them signs and leading them to places when there are occurrences such as smoke alarms, doorbells, alarm clocks, and phone calls and even crying babies. 
  • FAST(fetal alcohol spectrum disorders) aid: Similarly trained as autism aid dogs. They help children that had alcohol in their mother’s stomach. They suffer from mental and physical issues, focus on learning and behaving abnormally.  

Conclusion

Training your dog is the same as educating your child. Imparting them with a basic know-how to handle critical events allows him/her to understand the right way to act on the situation in hand.  The involvement and sincere effort of the owner or the handler is equally important. Training your pet enables them to have a mental stimulus which boosts your bond meanwhile making your pet well mannered and insync.Training makes your pooch a much better companion both in private and in public.Our pet dogs are our family members. A well trained and disciplined dog garners love and appreciation from all. The way we want the best education for our human child, the same way we should strive to give the best training to our furry babies.

Useful Resources:

 

 

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