Training Your Lil' Paws Dog

To get the most from the dog you adopt from Lil' Paws Maltese Rescue, you should provide some sort of basic training. Dogs thrive on training. It helps them bond with you, provides some structure to their lives, and gives them an opportunity to socialize with other dogs.

Many of the dogs available from Lil' Paws are young, adolescent pups. Adolescent dogs exhibit many of the same behaviors as adolescent humans -- stubbornness, unwilling to learn, etc. They exit adolescence anywhere from 18 months to 2 years. Training helps them learn some manners and gives them an outlet for their energy. Even older dogs will benefit from some training and, as the saying goes, it's not too late to teach an old dog new tricks.

Positive, reward-based training, such as clicker training, teaches a dog self-control and also teaches the dog how to make the right decisions. Austin dog owners are fortunate to have a number of training opportunities, from pet store-sponsored training courses to independent trainers.

Petsmart's curriculum uses positive, clicker-based training, but trainer expertise and experience can vary from store to store. Petco's training literature also indicates it uses positive approach. You can find a number of independent dog trainers listed in the Austin Pets Directory. Or, search Google for austin dog trainers.

Some dog boarding facilities will train your dog while they board. If at all possible, though, you should attend classes along with your dog. The classes train you how to train your dog. You learn how to give commands, how to encourage your dog to do the right thing, and how to apply what you have learned to your everyday life with your dog.

Before signing up for classes, you should talk to the trainer who will be handling the class. The kinds of questions you should ask include:

• What kinds of training methods do they use? If they advocate using a choke chain, corrections, or punishment of any kind, their methods align more with the traditional, correction methods instead of positive training. Some trainers use a combination of positive and traditional training methods. Lil' Paws advocates purely positive training methods. You can find more information about selecting a trainer on the Association of Pet Dog Trainers How to Choose a Dog Trainer web page.
• Their own training and teaching credentials. Are they certified? By which organization? There are several organizations that certify dog trainers, including the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors. (Certification means the trainer met some kind of educational/experience requirements, but does not necessarily indicate what methods the trainers use.)

Whether you are considering an independent trainer or a pet store class, you should definitely visit a class to see how the trainer works. If the trainer won't let you sit in on a class (with or without you dog), that might be a warning sign that the trainer doesn't use positive methods.

No matter where you take your class, what kind of trainer you choose, or what method of training you decide to use, under no circumstance should you allow a trainer to harm your dog. Some trainers use harsh methods such as hanging, beating, kicking, or shocking. There are many sad tales on Internet dog training mailing lists about owners allowing trainers to do such awful things and then regretting it later. Some dogs have been hurt badly or killed using such methods.

When you complete a training course, you will be amazed at the changes that take place in your dog. The dog that enters a training class is not the same dog that graduates from the training class. And remember that when you complete a training course you shouldn't stop training. The more training you provide -- whether in class or at home -- the more your dog learns.