If you are one of the many pet parents who rescued or purchased a dog during the pandemic, you may have recognized your dog needs obedience training over these months. Pet parents and their dogs can always benefit from dog training. Not only does training help guide a dog to become a better behaved canine citizen, but it also offers a bonding opportunity with the pet parent.

Here are the top three reasons dogs need obedience training. 

Dog Aggression In The Home

There are a variety of examples of dog reactivity in the home. Pet parents need to recognize different types of aggression which may include one or more of the following:

  • Resource Guarding: When a dog growls at someone who comes near their items such as a food bowl or toy.
  • Furniture Possession: When a dog snarls or growls at someone coming to or leaving their bed or couch.
  • Aggression Towards Guests: When a dog barks, growls, or lunges at guests visiting.
  • Fence Fighting: This behavior is when a dog fights with a neighboring dog at the property fence-line.

The above examples can turn into a learned behavior. This means that once this type of behavior is exhibited, its levels can increase over time. 

Dog Recall Does Not Exist

If your dog suffers from selective hearing, chances are they do not come back to you when called. The skill of recall is something that should be at the top of every pet parent’s list. This is incredibly important for the safety of your dog as well as for the protection of others. 

In the event your dog bolts out the front door, it’s so important to have a cemented recall skill in place so that your dog does an about-turn and comes right back. 

Where Are The Leash Manners?

For many pet parents, walking their dog is not a pleasant experience. When they see another person walking their dog down the street, they feel compelled to cross the street to avoid their dog reacting poorly with the other dog passing. Other examples of poor leash manners are as follows: 

  • Pulling on the leash
  • Dog taking the pet parent for a walk and not the other way around
  • Lunging and barking at people 
  • Snarling and lunging at other dogs

While poor leash manners can be downright frustrating for pet parents, they can also pose an injury risk in the event your dog inadvertently trips you or pulls you down to the ground. 

How Dog Training Can Help

As mentioned earlier, the examples cited above are learned behaviors. This means that once a dog exhibits unwanted behaviors, it becomes habitual and has the probability of escalating over time. Performance K9 Training has helped numerous pet parents with dogs who have shown signs of dog aggression, poor leash manners, recall issues, and more. Teaming up with a professional dog trainer allows pet parents the opportunity to correct these issues so that the relationship with their dogs can be stress-free and enjoyable. Learn more about how Performance K9 Training can help you now!