How Training Your Dog Strengthens Your Bond
Written and verified by the vet Eugenio Fernández Suárez
Perhaps you’ve considered how training your dog correctly could be good for both of you. If this is the case, then we’re here to tell you that you can do it yourself –after getting an idea on where to start.
When we say “training your dog,” we mean “modifying” their behavior through techniques that’ll strengthen your bond with him.
How training your dog strengthens your bond
No animal can live inside a boring house without any physical stimuli, even the most domesticated dogs and cats. Therefore, you must do everything possible to give them a quality life.
Enrich your pet’s environment by spending time with him, playing with him, taking him out, and finding a place where you can allow him to run free. These are only a couple of suggestions to improve the overall well-being of your pets. Training your pet all by yourself is an ideal way to bond and coexist.
When you start training your dog, not only will you bond with him. You’ll also gain his trust, which is vital to his training and useful to your daily interaction with him.
Training your dog trains you too
Training doesn’t only stimulate the animal, but it also lowers your stress and helps you deal with issues that are problematic for you and your dog. Visits to the vet, for example, are very traumatic for most animals.
Moreover, basic training such as being able to cut the dog’s claws while he remains still, or him allowing you to explore inside his mouth can be very useful when you take him to the vet –who’ll be able to do their job without traumatizing your dog.
On the same note, you can train your dog to enter their carrier and also to be quiet on command –the latter is useful on a daily basis.
How to train your pet?
Training your pet is something that anyone can do at home. It requires discipline, but, more than anything, a person willful enough to command respect.
Note that respect and fear are not the same. Your dog should want to please you because they feel protected by you and want what you offer in return. He should never be coerced or forced into it.
In the same fashion, training works best when done through operant conditioning. This is a learning process where the dog’s behavior is modified by reinforcement or punishment.
Again, punishment doesn’t mean abusive or coercive behavior. Punishment here means that the dog won’t get a promised reward if he doesn’t do as you asked.
To achieve this, you’ll need a signal or a spoken command to indicate the action, after which a bridge must be made. A bridge is a sign that tells your dog that he’s done something well and, after saying it, you must offer positive reinforcement, which is a reward.
Their reward, generally, means a tasty treat. It must be something your dog really likes, easy to carry around, and gulped down fast. It’s also important that it isn’t too high in calories and that the animal can eat it in large quantities.
It’s also important that rewards are not part of the dog’s current diet, and that you only hand them out when the animal has completed his part of the deal. Don’t show the reward to your dog until the moment you’re going to give it to him.
This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.