The Value Of Dog Training

K-9's are trained to help citizens with physical disabilities such as blindness, the deaf as well as those with mental disabilities. Training is one of the most important parts of having a K-9, whether it is a part of the family or a specialty trained dog. Other then food and water, teaching is the biggest necessity because even house breaking requires coaching.

Certain dog types can be taught easier then others. Your willingness to properly teach your dog should always keep up with your K-9's willingness to learn. Just like toddlers, your dog will bring inside your home more then just mud and wet smelly fur. If you don't teach your dog proper manners, then your K-9 may learn unacceptable habits from other dogs. These bad habits can be aggression, snapping, digging and even excessive howling or barking. The consequences of not training your dog can become a great embarrassment to you. And, depending upon where you live, you might even find yourself in court facing a unhappy neighbor.

My own dog, a Papillon, has astonished people with different tricks and antics he has learned. The funniest and cutest of all my K-9's many antics is the way he says, “please.” He stands up on his back legs and waves with his front paws.

I think the best example of how intelligent my Papillon is are the times when he lets us know he needs to go outside. Being a very busy person I decided to train my K-9 to ring a school bell when needed to go outside. I sat the bell on the floor next to the door. I then took his paw in my hand and tapped the bell. When the bell sounded I praised him and immediately opened the door saying, “Oh! Lets go outside!” It took my Butterfly Dog only three days until he mastered this bit of teaching. Astonishingly, he was not wanting to go outside to relieve himself. Rather, he wanted to get to the bread that I had just spread outside for the birds. As of this writing (four years later) my K-9 has “taught me” to learn all the sounds he makes bell or no bell.

Different species of Dogs can show their intelligence in many different ways. Some K-9's are more agile then others. My Papillon is a French K-9 and has a natural herding skill. My dog will use his herding skills on beach balls when playing and even on my indoor kitty cat that sometimes likes to sneak outside. If my kitty cat gets out I will tell my Butterfly Dog to get the back inside. My 12 pound Papillon will literally herd that big 22 pound cat back into the house!

You should always give your K-9(s) plenty of attention and praise when training him/her. Never ever forget to love your K-9 unconditionally. Always remember proper teaching is the key to happiness for you and your K-9 for many happy years to come!