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Choosing an Obedience Program for Your Dog

Outsourcing has become the way of the future. Major corporations do it. Little Mom and Pop operations do it. Why shouldn’t you?

Of course, if you don’t own a business and you aren’t lucky enough to be a high ranking business executive (or unlucky enough, as the case may be; it’s often the very successful that wind up with ulcers before their thirtieth birthday) you probably don’t have a clue how the sentence above pertains to you. The answer is simple. If you fall into the large percentage of the population that has made the wise decision to allow a dog to become a part of your family you can outsource the training of your pet.

Why would you want to do that? There are a number of possible reasons. You may have a dog that is resistant to traditional training methods. You may want your dog to learn more than you are able to teach it; after all, there’s nothing quite so fun as being able to show off your pet to your friends and colleagues when they come to your home. It’s a refreshing change from the traditional pet, which sits around and drools on shoes. It may simply be that you do not have the time necessary to teach your dog the basics; if you are only home for a few hours out of the day while you are working on that ulcer it may be difficult for activities such as training to make your to-do list because you are too busy making sure you and your dog are exercised and fed properly.

Whatever the case may be, there are a number of dog training programs in operation across the country. Chances are that there is at least one in your area that will suit your needs. When you are choosing program for your dog the first thing you are going to want to consider is whether or not you want your pet to stay overnight or if you want it to be on a day to day basis. Finding a center that is willing to board your dog may be necessary if you live far enough away that making the daily commute is not reasonable or if your pet has become so difficult that having them at home is a danger to you, your neighbors or your property.

Once that decision is made it is time to examine the center itself. The first two things you are going to want to ascertain is that the staff are professionally trained in dealing with dogs and that there is a veterinarian on call throughout the day. All of the staff should be trained in administering first aid to the dogs and in recognizing the signs of exhaustion or heat stroke. This is particularly important because a dog cannot tell you when it has had enough; it is up to the trainer to make that call.

The number of staff should be sufficient to ensure that every animal has the opportunity to receive a large amount of personal attention from the trainer. This will help reduce the number of conflicts between the animals in a training class while at the same time ensuring that your pet has the best odds of benefitting from their training program. Just as a class with too many children is going to inevitably result in someone being left behind, so will a training class with too many pets result in someone not learning what they need to know.

The facility itself should be large enough to support the number of animals inhabiting it on a daily basis, with plenty of room for each dog to stretch. There should be specific play areas intended for both large and small dogs and a separate “nursery” for puppies. All areas should be safe for the dogs, with electrical hazards, poisonous plants and any sharps or water hazards removed. The dogs should be carefully monitored at all times while in any type of center, and each should have their own separate eating and sleeping areas where they can have some privacy.

It is important to remember that if you do not look out for your pet’s well being no one is going to. If you are uncomfortable at any time with a training facility or the people responsible for its operation do not hesitate to remove your pet. You could be averting a greater disaster down the road.

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Read the next Dog Training article on Teaching Your Dog Basic Commands

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