Why is it important to make your pet have a disciplined lifestyle?
As an animal lover, you will probably research exhaustively about the different breeds of dogs you can keep as pets before bringing home a little bundle of energy. You will find the best place to adopt them from, the best food and health care for them, grooming tips, toys and much more.
An important thing to keep in mind is that any breed you choose, whether it is a pedigree or a stray rescued off the street, has little to no impact on their behavior. A “perfect” breed will not give us a “perfect” pet; correct socializing, training, and discipline will give you a beloved, well-behaved pet.
When you welcome a new member in your family, it will be easy to get a little carried away and mollycoddle the new pet; ignore its mischief and mistakes. However, in the long run, not training your dog at the right time and lack of discipline will only cause you and your pet trouble. Every lesson you give your dog should be aimed towards teaching them respect; for the people around them and the house they live in.
We live in an age where rule and authority mean little. We have almost non-existent levels of discipline in our own life. While that’s working out for us now, we are also aware of the repercussions of our actions. When you bring a pet home, remember you are responsible for them. You have to treat them well and make sure they live a healthy, disciplined life in order to avoid predictable behavior and temperament problems in the future.
Whether you bring home a puppy or a previously owned dog, you have to work hard and dedicate time to train it as your own pet. This may involve unlearning a previously conditioned behavior by your dog. You have to be patient and remain alert all the time; correct any undesirable behavior at once. Do not wait for the third or fourth time to correct it, by then it’ll be too late.
Your pet’s first month in your home is the most crucial developmental period of their life. It is these weeks which determine whether your dog will grow up into a well-mannered and good-natured pet or an unfriendly pet. Household training as well as outdoor behavior and interacting with strangers needs to be taught. The best way to ensure permanent good behavior is to train them with positive reinforcement. Reward a good or desirable action, reprimand and correct undesirable behavior immediately.
Regular eating and exercise is also necessary for your pet. A fixed schedule reinforces discipline and keeps your pet healthy. Once your dog falls into a habit or routine or eating at a particular time and going for a walk, your work becomes easier too. You can be sure they will react in a certain predictable way in a given circumstance.
It is essential that you teach your pet to enjoy the presence of people as well being hugged and cuddled. But it is even more important to teach them how to share; giving up objects that they value the most when requested. These objects include food bowls, bones, balls, chew toys, paper tissues and more. This behavior cannot be taught easily, but a little patience and perseverance along with proper training does the trick.
Passive restraint and acceptable level of bites need to be taught too. This ensures that your dog plays safely with its peers and does not cause accidental harm to anyone.
If your puppy or dog is shy and fearful of strangers, you need to take immediate corrective steps. Not socializing your pet correctly may lead to an adult pet that is intolerant of strangers. While this is vital, you also need to be careful about the kind of people your pet is socializing with. One wrong move by a guest can undo months of training. So every time you have guests over, make sure you brief them about how to interact with your pet. Do not let them ruin your training.
On one hand socializing is important, but on the other hand you must not forget to teach your dogs to be alert of threatening strangers. You must discipline your pet to not accept food from strangers as this increases the risk of abuse and poisoning. The best way to ensure that your dog is accepting food only from trusted friends and family members is to teach them a basic command like, ‘Here Toto, eat’ before eating. This will ensure that your pet will accept the food only when directly addressed by its name.
In the early stages of training, should your pet resist or struggle violently, hold on to them tightly till the tantrum ends, though you must remember to be gentle and careful while doing so. Using excessive force and restraint will only make them more unwilling to cooperate and wild.
To sum it up in a nutshell, living a disciplined and well-behaved life only makes your pet safer, healthier, cheerful and happier. And as a pet parent, it is your responsibility to make sure they get the best care.
