Without fail, whenever Remus meets new people someone will comment on how he is so well behaved. I tell them that it's because I took him to training and that this behavior doesn't just happen. Many people think "Why do I need to pay for a trainer? I can do this myself." Many people can train their dogs themselves. Many more cannot. If nothing else going to classes that you've paid for will force you to do the training. Because lets face it. Most of us are procrastinators. If I wasn't this blog would get updated far more often. But when you've paid out $100+ in training lessons, you're more likely to actually DO the training instead of saying, "I'll do it this weekend". Three years later your dog still jumps up on guest, never comes when you call him and steals food off the counter.
In addition to the wonders of a well behaved dog there is a strong and unique bond that is created between dog and owner while training. Tonight, I came home much later than usual. I went into my bedroom to put my bag away and Remus followed me. When I sat on the bed to take my shoes off he jumped up and plopped himself on my lap (or as much of him as could fit in my lap). He promptly put his head down and fell asleep while I scratched his legs. (He loves foot rubs.) As much as Remus loves everyone else in the house, he shows a definite preference for my company. Naturally, this does wonders for my ego, but it also shows the effects of the time I've spent training him. He spends more time with my mother than he does with me and she is often the one who feeds him. Yet it is me he runs to first. It's me he listens to when he decides to ignore everyone else in the house. He acts up if I go away for the weekend, most often taking his frustration out on my Star Wars collection.
In addition to the wonders of a well behaved dog there is a strong and unique bond that is created between dog and owner while training. Tonight, I came home much later than usual. I went into my bedroom to put my bag away and Remus followed me. When I sat on the bed to take my shoes off he jumped up and plopped himself on my lap (or as much of him as could fit in my lap). He promptly put his head down and fell asleep while I scratched his legs. (He loves foot rubs.) As much as Remus loves everyone else in the house, he shows a definite preference for my company. Naturally, this does wonders for my ego, but it also shows the effects of the time I've spent training him. He spends more time with my mother than he does with me and she is often the one who feeds him. Yet it is me he runs to first. It's me he listens to when he decides to ignore everyone else in the house. He acts up if I go away for the weekend, most often taking his frustration out on my Star Wars collection.
Thankfully this tendency to eat my things when I'm gone has diminished, but I still put away shoes and collectibles when I leave for a trip.
I started writing this post with pen and paper while sitting on my bed. Remus slept next to me the entire time snoring happily and loudly. He doesn't do this with anyone else. My neighbors are jealous when they learn that he cuddles in the bed with me, especially during one of Florida's rare cold snaps.
Training is important regardless of the size of your dog. There seems to be a popular opinion that small dogs don't need training with some owners even skipping over house training. Here's the thing. That's not true. Every dog is a dog, no matter how large or small, and needs to be treated as such. The only dogs I have ever bitten me were small dogs, toy poodles and chihuahua's being the biggest culprits. (In all fairness this is likely due in part to the popularity of these breeds in groom shops) The trouble is that that type of aggressive behavior is not typical of the breed any more than it is typical of other breeds like the Staffordshire Terrier. It's a behavior developed from irresponsible handling and training of the dog and is not acceptable in any dog of any size. You may think that your tiny Pomeranian can't possibly do that much damage, but a dog bite from even a small dog can do serious damage to a human hand. Additionally, if your small dog runs up to a larger dog in an aggressive manner that larger (and more powerful) dog is likely to respond in kind and will do serious harm to your dear pet.
My point? Train your dog. Treat it like a dog. A well loved, cared for, and cherished dog, but a dog never the less. Your dog needs you to be in charge. Show your dog you love them by being their leader.
