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Why train your dog?
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Training helps you bond better with the animal
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Good behaviour does not come naturally to dogs. It needs to be inculcated. A dog that knows the five basic commands — sit, stay, down, come and heel — are a lot easier to handle. He is less likely to jump on unwary strangers, drag you for a walk instead of the other way round or fight with other dogs. Imagine what a relief is to have a dog that's well groomed!
A confident, well behaved dog is fun to be with and in extreme cases of re-homing, easier to adopt. Training is easy and rewarding. Just work with your dog on a regular basis, set the rules and stick to them, and soon, he'll know what is acceptable behaviour and what is not.
Training will also help you build a bond with your dog and he will learn to trust you and other humans he meets. Why dogs need training is because what is acceptable in the doggie world, like defending his food with a snarl or fighting for territorial rights or marking territory inside the house, will be difficult in a family set-up.
Also, a bored dog will end up becoming destructive. Basic training, such as teaching him to sit or walk on the leash, gives your pet a sense of purpose and direction. After all, dogs were bred for a specific purpose like hunting and guarding. So being instructed makes him feel wanted and he is excited to finish the job on hand. He also feels secure taking commands from the leader of the pack.
Training will teach the dog his place in the family hierarchy. By making him respect your authority, it'll prevent aggressive or dominant behaviour born out of a feeling of insecurity. A well-behaved dog, who comes to you when called, can enjoy being unleashed most of the time, and it can be rewarding for pet and owner alike.
Knowing how your dog communicates with other dogs as well as people provides a tremendous edge to training. He will pay careful attention to your expressions, movements and vocalisations to pick up his cues. By speaking its language or rather the human equivalent, you can get your ideas across more effectively. For example, use a tone that mimics those used by dogs when they're talking to each other. A firm `bark' is ideal for commands. A high pitched tone is good to convey praise and pleasure since it resembles a dog's excited bark. Short commands like a sharp `No' work better than long drawn monologues.
If you can speak to your dog in a way that he can understand, you will not only get him to behave better but also develop a deeper bond with him.
* Adoption table offers a four-year-old Labrador with Manavalan at 94441-61995.
Also, Rocky, a three-year-old Doberman, with Arul at 94444-68738, is looking for a good home.
* Volunteers wanting to help with baby squirrels, contact Subhashini Raghavan at 55274646.
* Pet's choice Pick of the Month is Chitra Madhavan, who took in four pups on a rainy day three years ago as a foster measure and ended up adopting all of them all. Her five cats live in perfect harmony with the mutts. Visit our website at www.bluecross.org.in to read about her story.
If you know someone who deserves to be mentioned for compassionate or courageous feats, mail us at bci@bluecross.org.in or blucroz@gmail.com, or snail mail to Metro Plus Column, Blue Cross of India,72, Velachery Road, Chennai-32. As always, good photographs, suggestions and queries are welcome.
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