By Amber Kingsley
When we think of dog training, we almost always image the basic things we teach them to do, sit, stay, roll over or play dead. But to keep them alive, there are some other important things beyond simple tricks they should learn to ensure their safety.
For example, while we want to ensure that our dog is properly socialized, we certainly don’t want them interacting with wild animals. Skunks, raccoons and rodents can be dangerous and carry many dangerous diseases that can pose serious health risks to our pets. Often due to their protective instincts, this is an impossible lesson to be learned and you may have to contact a professional if you have wildlife on your property that can pose a threat to your pet.
But there are many things that you can teach a dog them to live a longer life by preventing possible accidents and other problems that could pose a risk to their safety and well being. Here are four things every dog should know:
- Focus: Similar to the wild animal reference we made earlier, you should teach your dog how to focus on nothing more than you and the sound of your voice to help them to avoid distractions that could be dangerous.
- Stopping At Street Corners: Especially if you live in an urban area, you should teach your dog to stop and sit when it reaches a street corner for obvious reasons.
- Leave It Alone: This could pertain to trash, foods they could come across and any other dangerous object in their path that could be poisonous or cause them other types of distress or illnesses.
Please see this infographic, “30 Positive Reinforcement Training Tips For Your Pet,” on the proper techniques you can use to train your pet to perform these valuable behaviors.
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/pw-ig/PositiveTraining.png
About the Author: Travel junkie, Amber Kingsley, is a freelance writer living in Santa Monica, CA. Her art history background helps her hone in on topics that are of interest to readers. She is a dog enthusiast and loves spending time with her pomeranian, Agatha.