Training your dog is an essential part of your pet owner’s journey that guarantees you develop a strong relationship with your dog. Private lessons are an excellent way to ensure your dog exercises its mind, builds foundational skills and learns important commands. If you want to check private dog training in Lehi UT, or have recently enrolled your dog in a training program, you may wonder how to prepare. This article will help you understand the dog training process and highlight some important tips that will help you prepare for stress-free training dog lessons for you, your pet and the trainer.
Visit Your Vet
Before scheduling your first private training session, you must visit the vet to ensure your dog is healthy. The vet will perform a routine check-up to ensure that your dog is in optimal physical condition and is up to date on all required vaccinations. Most trainers ask to see proof of your pet’s health condition before initiating training.
Preparation is key in most fields, including dog training. The more prepared you are for your dog training lesson, the better results you will likely experience. Your private dog training lessons will last between one or two hours, during which a considerable amount of information will be conveyed. Read on to learn how you can maximize the potential of your dog training lessons to get the most value for your money during these brief sessions.
These tips will also ensure a smooth and stress-free private dog training lesson for you, your dog and your dog trainer.
Know Your Dog Training Goals
Go over your dog’s quirks, strengths and weaknesses with the trainer before the first session. This will ensure you do not waste any time figuring out the best training plan for your dog during your scheduled sessions. Appropriate training schedules are highly individualized depending on the dog’s previous training, personality, developmental issues and the pet owner’s needs.
When setting training goals, resist the temptation to focus solely on what your pet does wrong and devote some time to areas you think your dog could flourish in. Solution-oriented training helps animals modify their behavior using positive reinforcement and is excellent at teaching restraint, e.g. ensuring your dog does not jump on visitors the second they open the front door.
Pack Yummy Treats
Think of treats during private dog training lessons as your pet’s paycheck. The more treats you have, the more motivated your dog is likely to be, and the smoother training will go. It is advisable to pack around 100 small treats. Whenever possible, you should go for fresh treats (like baked chicken, chopped hot dogs or cheese) because they are proven to work better than any treat you get out of a pack.
Discuss Few Topics Per Private Lesson
No matter how many complaints you have about your dog, they cannot all be handled simultaneously. Figure out one or two issues you would like to be addressed first to avoid confusing your dog with too much information at once. It is ideal, to begin with, the most pressing or annoying issues, e.g. training your dog not to beg for food from guests’ plates. After you address your primary concerns, it will be easier to discuss other issues in follow-up private training sessions, should you need them. Some pet owners learn to communicate with their pets properly and do not need further professional help teaching their dogs.
Set Realistic Expectations
You must remember it takes time to teach your dog new behaviors to avoid getting frustrated. There is no instant gratification when training pets. Your dog trainer will help you understand why it takes more than a single session to teach a single command.
When looking to save on dog training, ask your trainer to teach you how to communicate with your dog and set productive training schedules in between the paid training lessons. They will demonstrate how to teach the behavior and give feedback on how you can improve. This way, your dog will need fewer sessions with a professional as the training progresses. There is no magic wand that you can wave to save time when teaching your dog new tricks, but once they learn, it sticks for life.
Keep An Open Mind
There are many dog training techniques and tips out there. It is advisable to try as many methods as possible if your dog proves unresponsive to basic methods. Dogs are individuals, and sometimes, an approach that works for different dogs may not work for your pet. Keeping an open mind will ensure you do not miss out on any techniques that could be useful with your dogs.