Sit, Stay, Come: Why Promoting Good Behavior Is So Vital for Your Dog

We all love our canine family members and want to be able to go out on adventures with them without having to worry about common problems, such as aggression and disobedience. In order to make the most of your relationship with your dog, check out these great tips on how and why to promote good behavior.

Teaching Simple Commands

Basic commands such as sit, stay and come aren’t just fun to work with, but they also build the foundation for a strong relationship with your dog as well. Teaching the basic commands helps dogs understand the expected behavior and allows a bond of trust to be developed. If you don’t have a strong bond of trust with your dog, he’ll be less likely to listen to you in stressful situations. You don’t want to skimp out on basic trust-building exercises only to have bigger behavioral problems to deal with later on in the future.

Give Them Love

Don’t forget that another key way to reinforce good canine behavior is to shower your dog with love and affection. This positive behavior will strengthen the bond that you’ve built through basic training and show your dog that he’s cared for. Dogs crave interaction and attention, and if they don’t get enough, then they’ll be more likely to solicit it through bad behavior and defiance.

Be Cautious Around Other People

No matter how thoroughly you train your dog and work with him to prepare for a variety of different scenarios, life is bound to throw you a curveball every once in a while. For this reason, it’s crucial for you to keep a watchful eye on your dog while he is interacting with others. Whenever you’re around new people or dogs, stay relaxed and always watch your pooch for signs of stress or tension. The best approach you can take to conflicts is to prevent them before they occur by exiting the situation before things get out of hand.

Provide Plenty of Enrichment

Dogs will often become frustrated once they get bored and will act out in an attempt to shake up the monotony. Regularly providing your dog with plenty of physical and mental exercise will help keep your pet from getting antsy as a result of pent-up energy. Alongside taking regular walks, make sure your four-legged friend gets to engage in activities like agility mazes and puzzles that stimulate their mind.

Promoting good behavior to your dog can help him build a stronger bond with you and achieve a greater sense of fulfillment from his daily life. It can also make interactions with others far smoother. Take the time to reinforce basic training with your dog, give him lots of love and enrichment and always be watchful for signs of stress around other people for the best results.

Looking for more behavioral advice? Here’s another article you might enjoy:
A Guide for Introducing Your New Baby to Your Canine Companion