Having a dog that misbehaves can be embarrassing. You don’t want to take him out in public and, worse yet, you’re afraid he might harm someone or get in harms way himself. For these reasons, training your dog is a vital aspect of dog ownership.

At the very least, you must train your dog to obey the “sit” and “come” commands. This way you will be able to control an unruly dog in most any social situation. More importantly, you’ll be able to call your dog back to you if you see he is heading into a dangerous situation.

Lets face it, having a dog that does not obey you can really harm your relationship with your pet. You probably adopted a dog so that you would have a companion you could bring with you to most places and if your dog runs wild and doesn’t listen to you, you will soon find that no one wants him around. The result is that you spend less and less time with your dog and your bond becomes weaker and weaker.

A well behaved dog, on the other hand, is a treat for everyone – especially the owner. You will find that your friends and family welcome your dog and even request that you bring him over. This is really what having a dog is about – being able to bring your furry best friend with you and feel like he is wanted.

When training your pet, you want to start with the basics and make sure he has those down pat before moving on to more challenging commands. If your dog has problem areas like excessive barking or jumping up on people, then try working on those as they can be particularly annoying.

Perhaps the most important command to teach your dog is “site”. That’s because it causes your dog to become stationary and can stop him from running around and causing (or heading towards) trouble. It is also a command that your dog must master before he learns other commands. That’s because “sit” is the position he must be in at that start of many other command such as lay down. Sort of like a prerequisite course in school that you have to take before you can take a more advanced course!

When it comes to training, patience is key, but if you have a dog or are thinking about adopting one, then you must think of training as a necessary part of dog ownership. After all, you want your dog to be safe and secure, don’t you? Training him to mind is critical for your pets safety.

Training your dog doesn’t have to be a “chore”. Instead, think of it as a bonding experience. Set aside time each day for training and you will soon find that you and your dog come to a different understanding and a deeper, more satisfying relationship.