Discipline is something all of us benefit from, right? Think of yourself. You’ve disciplined yourself to stay clean, you’ve created a routine for your day and you feel better because of it. So why wouldn’t you do the same for your dog? 

Dog training can be beneficial for your pet outside of the scope of “bathroom privileges”. It enables your dog to feel like it is part of a pack (with you, of course) and that it’s doing its part to help. 

We’ve decided to let you in on a little secret and tell you of 7 reasons why you should train your dog. 

1. It creates a bond between you and your pet

The process of training helps create a stronger bond between you and your canine friend. Think about it this way: you’re both observing each other’s behaviors in training. That means you learn more about your companion, while it learns more about you. That in itself will create trust between you two, but that’s not all. Learning about your dog’s habits and behavior will help you anticipate his needs. Likewise, learning your patterns (or commands) will help your dog anticipate your requests and make it more willing to participate. 

For this to happen, make sure you only use positive training techniques, as punishments or other negative training techniques might take a toll on your dog’s level of trust in his human. 

On the other hand, to build trust, training is necessary, but not enough. So make sure you interact with your dog on a daily basis for playtime and cuddles or petting. You may start running with your dog so you both benefit from the activity.

2. It can help you keep your dog safe

Training your dog has ramifications in different aspects of your dog’s life, like safety. This means that you are able to keep your dog safe in risky situations, but also control it in situations when other people are wary of your pet. In short, better control of doggo means a better ability to keep it out of harm’s way. 

For example, you know that dogs tend to eat things they find outside. Well, not all of those things are safe for your dog to enjoy, so having the ability to tell it no and it actually reacting to your command could potentially save your pet’s life. 

In a different scenario, if you have guests over, let’s say, someone who is fearful of dogs, a trained dog will make for a better experience for both your dog and your guests. That’s because your friends can be more relaxed, knowing you have control over your pet, and your pet won’t be agitated by the presence of someone who may not know how to interact with it.

3. It makes your dog more sociable

Following up on the last example, a well-trained dog will be more sociable. In the end, dogs are sociable animals, so they will want to interact with other pups at the dog park, vet clinic, or family gatherings. A trained dog will cope better with these encounters, and be able to read dog language a lot faster so that they understand what’s dog play and what’s aggressive behavior. You would also be more enabled to break up a fight in case it occurs (but we’re sure that’s not the case).

4. It provides mental stimulation for your pup

Your dog gets plenty of exercise on your daily walks or when you hike up a mountain with it. But what about their mental stimulation? Dogs are curious animals so stimulating their brain pays off. Start with the obedience training which is meant to be a baseline for your dog. After that, don’t stop the training sessions, just because you’ve got the basic commands down. Keep them curious by teaching them new tricks now and again. They see it at play and you’ll get a cool trick to show off as well. 

5. It avoids problem behaviors

Destructive behaviors in your pup’s activity can be a major issue. Training your dog will help solve or avoid behaviors like chewing, marking of territory, or even separation anxiety. These behaviors can happen when the dog is frightened, bored, or anxious, but also when he’s overly excited. 

Training your canine companion will help you work around these so that both you and your dog can have a better life with each other. 

6. It will help you set boundaries 

We all have boundaries. And training your dog will help you set and maintain those boundaries. Whether it’s chewing on an electric cord, digging holes in the neighbor’s fence, or as simple as avoiding dinner table beggars (we see you, puppy eyes),  some doggie behaviors need to be avoided. 

This is where all your hard work pays off. Your training will be able to set the boundaries needed and, in some cases, it will protect your dog from outside dangers. 

7. It is rewarding for both you and your pet

Rewards are fun, both in training and in life. Besides all the benefits we mentioned in this article, you should train your dog because it’s rewarding for both of you. You get that little rush of knowing you’ve succeeded in teaching it something new, while your dog gets the actual rewards (the treats) for each of his success.

You can both have fun with it and end up with a cool trick or two and that in itself is very rewarding, don’t you think? Make sure you include training into your normal routine so that you can reward the behaviors and actions you want to train him for.

So, you see? Training your dog will bring about lots of benefits for both of you. Just remember to keep an open mind when you start training, enjoy every session, and always use positive reinforcements. Your relationship with your pup will become better and you’ll notice just how quickly your dog becomes happier with his life and how fast the issues you had will disappear.