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Health & Fitness

Teaching Your Dog Tricks - What's the Point?

What is the point of teaching your dog tricks?

Why would a person teach their dog complex behaviors and tricks and who would spend hours and hours teaching their dog to do pointless tricks like these? Me, that's who!

Well first, I assure you, I do have a life.  No, my dog is not spoiled nor fat from receiving "too many" treats, because each treat is as small or smaller than the size of a pea. No, I do not force my dog to do anything or "crush her spirit" by "making" her do tricks.  She is free to walk away from training sessions at any time (Oh the benefits of ! You get a dog that actually wants to stay and work with you!). And, NO(!), I do not choke my dog with a collar or hit her when she doesn't get it right–I am the teacher and it is up to me to effectively communicate the desired behavior/task at hand (Would it be acceptable for a teacher to slap a 6-year-old for not knowing how to multiply 4x2?)

But I digress.  So, what is the point of teaching tricks?!  Well, for me, it's not enough to simply "own" a dog and have her co-exist with me in my household.  I want to have a connection with my dog.  I want my dog to understand me, and I want to understand her.  As living, breathing, thinking, learning beings, dogs crave interaction with us and are capable of showing us impressive problem solving skills and amazing displays of intelligence. 

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Despite the teachings of many popular trainers who claim we must tap into our dog's "wolf" instincts, the reality is that domestic dogs have been selectively bred over thousands and thousands of years to preform human tasks and to work for and with us.  Thus creating a species that is predisposed to understand and communicate with human beings!  All we have to do is make the effort to communicate and bond with our pets in a loving and patient fashion. From there the possibilities are endless!  (For more on the dominance-wolf/dog debate check out this awesome scientific research done by the renown Dr. Sophia Yin. This is one of my favorite resources of all time.)

Isn't it enough when a dog knows come, sit, down and stay? While basic obedience is not only highly recommended for  behavior management (leg hump, anyone?) and more importantly for safety reasons, positive reinforcement trick training is an awesome way to build communication skills with your dog including; attention building, eye contact, problem solving skills and a general positive association with being around you.  The more reinforcing a behavior is, the more likely that behavior will be repeated! It's actually a pretty simple formula, it's not rocket science people!

We all know dogs need physical exercise, but not everyone knows that mental exercise is just as important!("I walk my dog everyday, but he still chews my shoes!" Hint: Maybe your dog isn't "bad", he's just smart. A walk is not a challenge but chewing the laces out of said shoes is!)  Trick training can channel excess energy into a fun, rewarding activity.  For some dogs, a good tug on a stuffed toy or a toss of a ball is more rewarding than a treat, so there isn't always a need for a treat bag (treats and rewards are faded out quickly anyway.) If you aren't interested in doing trick training with your dog, check out these fun treat puzzles to stimulate your dog's mental exercise.

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The point is that training your dog to do tricks gives you and your dog one more reason to spend time and engage in communication with one another.  The end result is a priceless bond and connection, and really, who doesn't want that?

What tricks do you like to do with your dog or what tricks would you like to teach your dog?

**For pet training services, free consultations, questions, additional comments, or more pictures/video, you may contact me via Facebook at facebook.com/melsmenagerie or via email at melsmenagerie@gmail.com.  For more dog trick "How To's" check us out on youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/user/melissa2ea

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