Why Should I Train My Puppy?
Many of the problematic behaviours we see in adult dogs develop during puppy-hood, mostly a result of a lack of proper socialisation and preventative work done early on.
Though it might seem unnecessary at this early stage, committing the time and effort to training your puppy when they are younger than 16 weeks old, is time well invested that will help ensure your dog is easy to live with and well adjusted around other dogs and people.
There is now concrete evidence that investing in the right kind of input and guidance in a dog during their first 6 months of life has a significant positive impact on the future livelihood of that dog.
Though we feel there are often negative connotations associated with the word “train”, whereby the dog is "taught” obedience commands which they need to comply with, we do believe that dogs and particularly puppies need to learn many different skills to succeed in life. Joining a training class or calling a professional dog trainer would certainly help, but you would also need to be adequately prepared to take part in the learning process as you will be by their side for most of their life.
We prefer to think of “training” as a way of guiding your puppy through this sometimes crazy world that we live in, pointing them in the right direction through a science based approach that encourages better communication and therefore mutual understanding.
During your puppy's first weeks at their new home, there will be many aspects that you should be aware of and focus on even before you start teaching your puppy the so called "obedience" commands. Now is the time to learn about your puppy's body language and interpret it as accurately as possible in order to respect your puppy's preferences and learning abilities.
There are some behaviours that are frowned upon such as: Inappropriate Toileting, Incessant Play Biting, Jumping up on People and so on.
But are we certain that all those behaviours are also considered inappropriate from your puppy’s perspective? If we understand why our dogs behave the way they do, what is it that they are trying to achieve or communicate, and we first educate ourselves and are appropriately guided, we will successfully raise up a well balanced, life skilled puppy to share a fulfilling life with us and our family.
