Understanding Dogs – Part 1 – Characteristics of a Well Trained Dog

A well-trained dog is a pleasure to have around. He’s welcome nearly anywhere as he behaves around other people and around other dogs. He knows the easy way to stay, and he comes when called. He is fantastic to take for a walk, and he will be able to be unleashed for a romp in the park. He will be taken on trips and family outings. He could be a member of the family in any sense of the word.

The most significant benefit for your dog is your safety, the security of others, and his very own safety. A dog that listens and does what he is told barely gets into difficulty. Rather than being enslaved by a leash or a line, a trained dog is actually a free dog – he will be trusted to remain when told, not to leap on folk, to come when called, and not to follow a moggy across the road.

After that, ranked by significance, a well-trained dog is one who

* Doesn’t jump on people

* Doesn’t beg at the table

* Doesn’t trouble guests

* Comes when called

* Doesn’t pull on the leash

Note that these wants, with one exception, are voiced in the negative that is, “dog, do not do that.

For needs of coaching, you want to express these wants in the positive so you can teach your dog precisely what you would expect from him. Here is what the new list of necessities for a well-trained dog looks like:

* Sit when I tell you.

* Go somewhere and relax.

* Lie down when I tell you and stay there.

* Come when called.

* Walk on a loose leash.

The “Sit” and “Down-Stay” commands are the lego blocks for a well-trained dog; if Tommy knows nothing else, you can live with him. Of course, your Tommy may have some extra wrinkles that need straightening out, some of which are way more matters of management than coaching. He may enjoy landscaping, as do my Beagle, who pleasure in digging holes in the backyard and can do so with fantastic speed and force.

Unless you are ready to put up with what can become major excavation projects, the strongest defense is to use this digging energy with lots of exercise, coaching, and supervision. Another favourite entertainment of some dogs is raiding the rubbish.

Prevention is the cure here: Put the rubbish where your dog can’t get to it. One of my Dachshunds learned to open the chiller by drawing on the towel we kept draped through the door handle and to help himself to anything he could reach. Prevention was the solution.. We took away the towel and solved the problem. With these simple guidelines you can identify whether a dos is properly trained or not.