Categories in Pet Library
Featured Article

Pet Obedience Training

Pet obedience training can include basic training for all pets, as well as competitive obedience training for dogs. For most pet owners, pet obedience training means teaching your pet a variety of commands to enhance your pet's behavior and make life more pleasant for both of you. While many people think of obedience training as something only dogs need, many other species of pets can also benefit from pet obedience training.

Most pets, most notably dogs, are social animals, and left to their own devices they will engage in behaviors most humans find less than desirable. This can include jumping on people, vocalizing inappropriately, or acting aggressively. Pet obedience training can help eliminate, or at least reduce, these behaviors. Some pets, particularly dogs but also horses and other pets, have the need for a social hierarchy. Training your pet lets him know that you are the one in charge.

Basic pet obedience training can include house training (also referred to as housebreaking), simple commands like "sit" and "stay," teaching your pet to stay off furniture and other general actions (or the avoidance of actions). With horses, basic obedience training is often referred to as ground manners training. Regardless of the type of pet you have, it is important to start small, train often, and be consistent. Trying to teach too many new commands to a pet at once will confuse and frustrate her, and your pet obedience training won't get very far. Similarly, if you only make time for training sessions every few weeks, don't expect your pet to remember much. Frequent repetition and consistent training are critical to achieving positive results.

Rewards are very important during your pet obedience training process. Reward your pet frequently for good behavior, but remember that rewards don't necessarily mean treats. Verbal praise and enthusiastic petting are likely to go further than a snack. If your pet has a favorite toy, you may want to reward him for a good training session by giving him that toy to play with. Be sure to praise your pet for any good behavior you have asked for, to reinforce the training. Behavior that is rewarded, through praise or other reward, is repeated. Pet obedience training should never involve hitting a pet; positive reinforcement is far more effective than punishment and physical abuse should never be used with any pet.

For dogs, competitive pet obedience training is usually divided into two types of competitions: all-breed trials and specialty trials. Specialty trials are limited to particular breeds or varieties. Trials involve pets and their handlers performing a series of commands in front of one or more judges. In AKC obedience trials there are three levels of competition: Novice, Open, and Utility. Pets are scored on their performance of very specific commands.

Whether you are interested in pet obedience training for competition or just for daily use, it will benefit both you and your pet. A trained pet is a happy pet, and a pet owner with a trained pet is happy as well.