The Basic Needs of a Happy Companion Dog

All dogs have basic needs. The key to happily living with a dog is having it trained and providing for its health and mental welfare. Dogs can enrich our lives in so many ways if given a chance. A well-behaved pet is a pleasure to live with. Our dogs are not just fair weather friends, they truly enjoy being our best buddy whether we are feeling blue or on top of the world. If a dog is not understood and properly trained, it can and often will become a nuisance, simply because it does not know how to act due to not receiving direction. Frustrated owners that have a dog without knowing how to care for it will usually either rehome a dog, take it to the shelter or have it euthanized.

The majority of dogs placed in shelters or rehomed are not bad dogs, they are sad dogs. They have become difficult to manage due to lack of bonding and training because their owners have not understood them or responded to their basic needs - including exercise and attention. Stress manifests itself as excessive chewing, mouthing, jumping, barking, a lack of respect, missing response to commands and poor attention. These types of behavior are often reduced and sometimes even eliminated when proper training along with a good diet and exercise are provided. Because the majority of dogs have been bred with a job or mission to do, in order to develop properly, dogs need structured lives with an opportunity to channel their energy. When they are not given an outlet for their drives and instincts, it is very difficult for them to cope confined in a stifled existence.

Dogs Need a Fair Pack Leader

Puppies and dogs are social animals that usually live in harmony within their own packs. To maintain harmony they have a hierarchy. When your new puppy or dog joins your household there are exercises that you can do to become the pack leader to your new pet, which may build respect without fear. Understanding more about how puppies and dogs behave is important.

Being a pack leader that your canine respects and acknowledges usually takes some special exercises, time and communication. Not many canines will accept the subordinate role by choice - this is nature's way of ensuring the pack is always taken care of. Thus, if your dog tests you, be aware it is not a bad dog, it just needs guidance. Note that if you give the authoritative role to your paws, you will usually not have harmony in your pack because your dog may or may not listen to you when given a choice - such as coming to you instead of chasing the cat that just appeared on your front lawn! Punishment which may follow when the dog returns will be understood by the dog that by approaching the person calling is not in its best interest. This does not teach the dog to respond to a recall, and it is not a fun way for either of you to exist for 10 or 12 years!

Training here starts with gentle pack leadership skills - training for you, so you may train your dog well and begin a relationship that may be unlike one you have ever known with any dog before. This is so important that dogs do not attend class the first night - only you do! The training the instructor shares has been time tested and many of these methods have been used for over 20 years. They have worked for with many different breeds, including those considered by some to be difficult (if not impossible) to train. In my very early training years, the instructor encountered conventional methods did not give the results she was seeking. Her dogs would come if they felt like it, at times were confused and did not understand what was wanted. They were difficult to groom - especially when it was time to cut nails. Not fun! There had to be a better way. Please read Training Methods for more information on Results Dog Training LLC training philosophy.

Give Your Pet the Time it Needs to Learn!

Be aware that a puppy or obedience class by itself is usually not adequate training for most dogs. This would be equal to a preschool or grade school education. Yet some people will attend one session of classes and may be disappointed when their puppy or dog does not appear completely trained. Or, they will attend a few lessons and plan on coming back in a couple of months, but life gets busy. The couple of months may easily turn into six months or even a couple of years. A lot of damage and undesired learned behavior can take place in this time.

Dogs continue to develop and mature for one and a half to three and a half years or more, depending on the breed and the dog itself - your pup or dog will need training and attention while it is growing and maturing. Dogs can pick up subtle bad habits during this time that may be difficult to detect. Once started they may lead to more serious problems if not recognized and stopped. After maturing, some dogs still need an outlet for its drives and a purpose in life to keep from being stressed. A responsible owner provides training as needed, seeks assistance from a professional when necessary and always gives their dog(s) the proper care and exercise.

Dogs are not kennel, crate or lawn ornaments; they deserve much more out of life than that. All dogs have a right to enjoy life to its fullest, and not to live in fear. The trainer that trains with clarity, understanding and respect usually wins a dog's trust, respect and admiration - and has a wonderful companion, something that money cannot buy.

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