Pet Health And Care >> Articles >> Dog Care

Puppy Training and Puppy Play Benefits

Submitted by Michael Adams on December 22, 2009

Just as it is necessary to introduce and habituate small children to the world, it is also important to train your pets to adjust well with their surroundings and other people. If your puppy is not properly trained and socialized, they will eventually grow up to be an aggressive dog and may pose a danger to strangers and sometimes even to your own family. Aggression in adult dogs is actually a symptom of their lack of social training when they were puppies.

A puppy that has not been trained to interact with people develops a fear and anxiety about being present around people s/he does not know, and may therefore use aggression as a defense mechanism. Thus, puppy training is necessary not only to ensure the safety of people you come across but also for making the dog feel happy and comfortable in the presence of people.

There are a few basic ways of initiating puppies into the world of human beings.

The first and foremost step for training the puppy is to establish a strong and healthy bond with him/her as both a master and a friend. You should make sure that the puppy learns to obey your commands without instilling fear or resentment in his mind towards you. Simple games like throwing a ball or a bone and asking the puppy to fetch it go a long way in developing a relationship of trust and respect between the two. Make sure that you never adopt cruel measures to make the puppy obey your commands, as this will only make him anxious and aggressive. Take your puppy out to a public park every morning or evening, when there are a reasonably large number of people around. This will help the puppy get used to the presence of strangers around him/her. You should also encourage your puppy to play with kids or even grown-ups if s/he shows an inclination to do so. Be careful, however, that your puppy does not feel too overcome by human presence around him and gets the chance to follow his/her own instincts. You may also want to take your puppy to a dog park in order that it learns to restrain itself in the presence of other creatures of its kind. The first couple of outings may be rough, as your dog may get too excited or intimidated by the presence of other dogs. However, gradually s/he will learn to behave well in public.

Pet Health Instructor

Dog Care