At ADU, we’re not interested in that adage about old dogs and new tricks. Nearly every dog we’ve ever worked with, regardless of age or breed, has gotten serious satisfaction from the training process. Let’s take a look at why dogs enjoy training.
Physical Exercise
Whether you have one of those dogs who never seems to mellow out or a pooch that loves nothing more than a long snooze, variety in physical exercise is key. In other words, if long walks and backyard zoomies don’t seem to lower (or boost) your dog’s energy levels, it’s time to add the variety of movement training provides.
Even something as simple as trick training (teaching your dog responses to commands like sit, roll over, and shake) can enrich your dog’s physical routine. Many tricks encourage a wide range of motion, gently exercising isolated muscles and joints. Run through basic commands for ten to fifteen minutes daily, and you might even out those extreme high or low energy levels.
Mental Stimulation
If you went to the gym all day long, you’d probably start to feel bored and restless despite feeling physically tired. The same thing can happen to dogs. If your dog seems to find mischief everywhere she goes, it’s likely that she’s seeking a cure for the boredom blues.
Training requires dogs to problem-solve and marry the mind to the body. When you tell your dog to roll over, she has to tap into what she’s learned through repetition and reward to remember what you’re asking her to do—and then she has to physically do it. By directing your dog’s attention, you’re helping her to exercise her mind.
Bond Strengthening
If you want your dog to feel more comfortable in your presence, the first step is to build trust. You’re already doing this throughout your day by feeding her on a reliable schedule, taking her out for walks and bathroom breaks, and showing her affection. Training can help to solidify that trust and deepen the bond you share.
Consistent training helps your dog understand what you expect of her. It increases your ability to communicate with one another. Most importantly, it shows her that she can rely on you to keep her safe.
Improved Emotional Regulation
Your dog experiences a wide range of emotions. She’s happy at dinnertime, anxious during a thunderstorm, grumpy after a bath, and relaxed while sleeping soundly next to you. She’s constantly responding to external stimuli, some of which may leave her feeling fearful, threatened, or over-excited.
Training teaches your dog to look to you for guidance so that your calmness sends a signal that there’s nothing to get worked up about. Targeted training efforts can also desensitize your dog to her triggers so she’s no longer threatened by other animals or fearful when the doorbell rings.
At All Dogs Unleashed, we constantly see the contentment and joy training brings to both dogs and their owners. Learn more about our training programs today.