The Pros and Cons of Home Dog Training

Obedience training and socialization are vital to your dog’s well-being, and will make your relationship with him a source of joy rather than frustration. The question asked by many new pet owners is: “Do I need to enroll my dog in classes or can I train him at home?”

The answer is that you can train your dog at home, and you’ll be reinforcing his training at home anyways, even if he’s also in obedience classes.

The real question should be whether in-house training is sufficient for your dog. Why? Because training at home may not expose your dog to the variety of situations he needs in order to develop his confidence. This is especially important if your dog needs to be desensitized to certain types of people or other dogs.

Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of home dog training, then.

PROS

*Easier for dog owners on a tight schedule.

*Cheaper up-front than taking classes.

*Rewarding when you see your dog respond correctly

to your training efforts.

CONS

*Training is limited to what you know/have time to learn.

*Possibly limited by environment, lack of novel situations to

test your dog.

*May be frustrating if you have a “special needs” dog, and

don’t know enough to recognize the tell-tale signs.

As you can see, there are risks and benefits involved when home training exclusively. Thousand of new pet owners train their dogs ’solo’ each year and have few problems; but, just as many, if not more, pet owners encounter training problems and conclude that their dog is “bad” or “stubborn.”

If the latter case describes your current situation, I recommend swallowing your pride and making the investment in professionally taught obedience classes. Just a little extra guidance outside the home can make all the difference AT home!