"My dog jumps up on me and other people."
"My dog won’t come when it is called."
"My dog drags me down the street."
These 3 statements are the most common reasons why the public invests in a training class for their best canine pal. If we think about it, all of us go through training throughout our lives and our canine family members should be no different.
The best reason to train your dog is about the relationship you will, and MUST, create with them. Dogs are social creatures. They are pack animals. Every pack must have a leader in order for it to survive. In the human world, the leader may change from time to time depending upon the needs of the situation and there is some school of thought that this may hold true in the canine world as well. However, in the canine/human world, the human must ALWAYS be the pack leader in the eyes of their beloved pet. Why is this fact true?
Dogs are a different species entirely. Although we think of our dogs as an important family member, the fact remains that they are canines and we are asking them to live in a human world. Many people will say they treat their dog as a human in a fur coat. The problem begins when the dog basically takes over the entire household. We must learn how to understand and speak the canine language to prevent this from occurring. The obedience class at Barkefellers will teach you this language.
Our training methods are a balanced approach between food and reinforcement. This may be different than other trainers who say they are "positive only" trainers. When we begin to understand how canines communicate, we understand that they do not use a "positive only" approach in their interactions with each other in order to teach. Canines, especially the pack leader, will let other pack members know they are displeased with their behaviors by showing of teeth, growling, snapping and biting. While these are not the methods humans use with dogs, we do let our dogs know when they are wrong by saying words like "NO," "LEAVE IT," and "OFF" along with reinforcement.
When enrolled in a Barkefellers obedience class, you can expect to learn how to extinguish and prevent the unwanted behaviors that are keeping you from having the canine companion you want. In six short weeks, you will be on your way to understanding why your dog does the things he/she does and how to resolve behavioral issues. These six weeks should only be the beginning of your training with your dog.
Your success is directly proportionate to the amount of time you spend training your dog at home doing the recommended exercises.
Taking the time to train your dog will be the best investment you will ever make in your relationship with them. We hope to see you in a future training class at Barkefellers, The Place for Dogs.
