Dog training is probably the most important topic to every dog owner. Even if it’s not, it probably should be. “Who did this on the rug”, “who destroyed my brand-new leather slipper”, and “what happened to the cookies that were cooling on the counter” are also important topics for dog owners. These topics, however, are less important simply because they are so easily answered.
Every dog is trained to some degree whether you realize it or not. The reason your dog is trained can best be explained by the work of the Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov. I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, “isn’t he the goalie for the New York Rangers?” Wrong again, gentle reader. Pavlov was a scientist who worked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is probably most famous for his experiment with a Dog trainers Houston tx.
To distill his work to it’s essence, Pavlov fed a dog whilst he rang a bell. He noted that over time if he rang the bell, the dog would salivate, even if no food were present. It seemed that the cue (the bell) led directly to the desired response (salivation), even when no reward (the food) was present.
When Pavlov tried to publish these findings in a peer-reviewed journal, he was laughed out of the scientific community, as they pointed out that most dogs salivate almost constantly. Actually, I made that up. My dog salivates almost constantly, so I just thought I would mention it. In reality, Pavlov’s work on what became know as “conditioned response” was rewarded with a Nobel Prize. This may have been the first Nobel Prize that led directly to an easier method for dog training.
Conditioned response is universal. If you don’t believe me, watch a baseball or football game. When the organist starts playing certain tunes, what do people do? When you hear the jingle of an ice cream truck, what do you do? When you heard your mother use your full name, what did you do? This is for science, so be honest! In all seriousness, this response makes dog training relatively straightforward.
Dog training can be tough, but it is at the very center of your relationship with your pooch. An untrained dog is, at best, obnoxious. An untrained dog can also be very dangerous to both itself and other people. Dog training can be tough, but it is critical. If you’re not willing to train (or, this being a capitalist country, pay someone to train) your dog, you might be better off with some other pet. Like a pet rock, for example.
If you do decide to have someone else train your dog, there are plenty of people who will undertake dog training for you: your vet can recommend them, your friends can recommend them, websites such as Angie’s list can recommend them. There are many questions you’ll probably have for the trainer, but here are a few to bear in mind:
What you want your dog to be able to do? Simple obedience is light years from therapy dog training which is a perhaps smaller journey from bomb identification and disposal. Make sure your perspective trainer has experience with your desired outcome.
Can you take part? Training where you and your dog learn together is much more helpful than training where your dog learns and then you get the memo later.
How does the trainer approach their profession? Are Stasi tactics the order of the day, is there positive reinforcement, what sorts of collars or devices are in general use; these questions are endless. I recall one obedience class where the Stasi tactics were reserved for me, mostly because my dog was getting it but I wasn’t. If you, or your dog, won’t be comfortable, it’s probably better to find someone else.
Will there be group training, or will it just be my dog and me? Don’t forget, at some point dogs have to learn to socialize with other dogs, too…
So, doubtless you are convinced that dog training is critical and there is no time like the present. After you research your dog training options, get started and have fun. Take my word for it, a trained dog is much more fun than a jumping, slobbering mess. My dog was an honor graduate of his courses and just a test shy of becoming a therapy dog and he’s still a jumping, slobbering mess, but that’s another story entirely.