Bonding With Your Dog: How Training Can Help

Bonding with your dog: how training can help.

By Tracy Spencer

You know the feeling. You’ve been cooped up in your room all day, and now it’s time to go out and have some fun with your pup. You grab a leash and head outside, but what happens when they are unwilling to go? 

Or even worse, they pull on the leash so hard that you fall over. If this sounds like a familiar problem for you and your furry friend, then it might be time for both of you to learn about how training can help.

Training Will Strengthen Your Bond With Your Dog

Dog training is the best way to bond with your dog. When dogs are trained, they are able to understand the boundaries of their environment and know what behavior is appropriate in different situations. This teaches them how to behave properly, which will make them more sociable, friendly, and well-behaved.

According to PubMed, training your dog can improve their behavior, such as disobedience and fear of strangers. It also helps build a relationship with them because it gives you both something meaningful to do together. 

To get on the right track, you should begin to train your dog as soon as possible. It’s advisable to start when they’re between eight and twelve weeks old when they’re more receptive to learning new things. You should also be sure to socialize with them as and when you can. 

Take Professional Help If You Are Not Sure

But if you are unsure whether you can train them well or not, then you may consider hiring professional trainers for your dog. Market reports suggest that the global pet training service will hit $4.9 billion by 2028, with a CAGR of 6.2% from 2022 to 2028. 

According to the New York Times, hiring a dog trainer shouldn’t be misunderstood as the failure of the owner. It only implies that a professional will do the job a thousand times better than the owner themselves. Understanding the importance of training their dogs, many pet owners from various regions in the US, like Texas, California, and Washington, DC, are actively hiring dog trainers. 

So if you are one of those pet owners who happen to be living in one of these regions, and are stuck in a rut because of your inability to train your dog, then you should definitely consider giving a professional trainer a try. 

In fact, since the COVID-19 pandemic started, dog-training services in the US have seen an increment of US $8 million in revenue. This increment is attributed to the shift of training services from offline to online settings and in-house training facilities. These upgrades have made pet training easier than ever. 

Therefore, finding a good training center around your area will be easier since the service is so very popular. Cities like Washington, DC, are particularly well-known for being the most pet-friendly travel destinations. Finding a DC dog training center that offers the services you need should be a smooth walk in the park. 

Even if you don’t live around in DC, you will still be able to find a reputed training center. Just make sure you do your research well. 

Start With the Basics

And if in case you think you can handle your dog training on your own, then you should start with the basics. Start by teaching them to respond to their name. Then, teach them basic commands like “sit,” “bark,” and “come.”

Starting with the basics is the foundation of any good training regimen. It will help build your trust in your dog. Once you master these actions, you can move on to more advanced training techniques.

Once you’ve mastered basic commands like sit or stay, start working on other skills that will benefit both of you. Walking on a leash without pulling, sitting when asked, lying down when asked, waiting for permission before eating food off the ground, and not jumping up on people are some good behavior that you can teach your dog by training them.

Get Into a Training Routine

A training routine is important for your dog to get used to, and it will also make them feel more comfortable around the house. You should start off by taking them for a walk every day or at least several times a week. This will help them socialize with other people and dogs, as well as burn some energy off of them. 

According to an article published by Colorado State University, your dog can help you stick to your workout routine by being your workout buddy. Dogs are active creatures by nature, so they need this kind of exercise in order to be happy and healthy. If you don’t walk your dog regularly enough, then you could end up with a bored and destructive pet on your hands.

There are plenty of ways that you can bond with your canine companion without spending too much time away from home. For example, games like fetch are great because they’re fun while also giving both parties involved an opportunity to bond over something positive together. Playing fetch is also good exercise, so all-in-all, it’s a pretty easy win-win situation here.

Spend Quality Time With Them

Spending quality time with your dog every day is one of the best ways to bond with your pup. If you can’t be home all the time, hire a dog walker or someone who can spend some time with your dog during the day. Ask friends and family members if they would be willing to take care of your dog while you are away at work or on vacation.

If you have kids in the house, have them take turns playing with the pup so that everyone gets their fair share of bonding time. You should also let them know how much you appreciate their efforts by giving them verbal praise and rewards when necessary.

Understand That Dogs Have Different Limits

It’s important to understand that your dog has different limits. Your dog might not be as energetic or playful as another. You should also consider how aggressive they are and how much energy they have because this will affect the training process in many ways.

You must also keep in mind that all dogs have different natures of their own. Therefore, it is important for you to learn more about your dog. It can help you better understand them, their personality, and what makes them uncomfortable. And based on that understanding, you can then prepare the correct training program for them. 

Conclusion

Getting a dog is one of the best decisions you can make. They are loyal friends and will give you unconditional love. However, they need training in order to make sure they don’t get into too much trouble. It’s important to start early so that your furry friend will grow up understanding what type of behavior is expected out of them when interacting with humans and other animals.