Dog Training for a Healthy Dog
As a local veterinary office, our job is to keep Southwest Virginia pets healthy and treat those who need it. But veterinary care is only one aspect of keeping a happy, healthy pet. Dog training is another prong. While training isn’t common in cats, there are some similar practices that can improve their health and quality of life.
So, what does dog training have to do with your dog’s health? Read on!
Dog Training Is Good for Your Dog’s Brain!
To begin with, brain health is part of health! And a bored dog is not a happy dog. Taking the time to train your dog is a way to keep it engaged and thinking. It’s also a great way to bond!
Just like people, dogs want stimulation. So, taking a few minutes a day to teach your pet something new or to practice something they already know can improve their lives a lot!
Training doesn’t all have to be about tricks. Much training is also play! Just think of a game of fetch.
On a related note, giving your dogs puzzle toys also stimulates the brain. Just don’t leave them alone with anything they can choke upon, and only use toys actually designed for dogs.
Keeping Your Dog Out of Danger
When your pet is good at responding to your cues and trusts you to tell it what to do next, it’s more likely to stay safe. A dog who walks well on a leash will be much safer on a street or in a public place than one who can’t.
“Recall,” or coming when called, can also be a life-saving behavior in some situations.
What Kind of Dog Training Should We Use?
At Old Dominion Vet Clinic, we’re committed to happy, healthy pets, as evidenced by our Fear Free commitment. So, it will come as no surprise to anyone who knows about animal behavior that we advocate positive reinforcement training.
Positive reinforcement means rewarding good behavior and ignoring bad. And while it can seem like a challenge at first, teaching a new behavior is far more effective.
In fact, punishment shuts down the part of the brain that learns! And if that’s hard to picture, just remember a time you got embarrassed in class!
Clicker training is one popular form of positive reinforcement training. So whether you train your dog on your own or hire a professional, only use the best and most effective method – positive reinforcement.
What About Cats?
Believe it or not, you can train a cat! But it’s a lot easier if you have a food-motivated cat. A quick YouTube search will bring up hundreds of videos of cats who’ve learned everything from “sit” to more complex tasks.
Dog Training Is Good for Your Dog and You
While we can’t train your dog for you, we can help you understand if certain behaviors result from a lack of training or health problems. We may also be able to point you in the direction of the right behavior modification and training for your pet.