Blog August 2016

Benefits of Taking Your Pet to a Dog Park

You love your dog. He's like a member of your family. But there are many places that you can't take your four-legged companion. He's often left cooped up at home. Dog parks offer you a designated place that you can go with your dog, and there are many benefits of taking him.

Doggy Socializing

Often, when dogs are brought into a closed environment, they become fearful of anything outside, including other dogs. Taking your dog to a dog park allows him to meet other dogs, as well as other humans, allowing him to learn to interact with others and lessening his fear response. You can even arrange future play dates with your dog’s new friends!

Physical and Mental Stimulation

When left cooped up, especially in small areas, dogs have a tendency to become bored. Bored dogs are often destructive dogs. You may come home to find pillows, cushions or carpets chewed up. Your dog may also bark and howl, which can be disturbing to your neighbors.

Dog parks offer a large open space for your dog to run freely. It is a safe environment, free of cars, bicyclists and other things that may be harmful to your pup. You can bring some of his favorite toys to play with him. At the end of a good romp in the park, you get to go home with a tired but satisfied dog, and your home is as you left it.

Human Benefits

Dog parks don't just benefit dogs, they also benefit their humans. Taking your dog to the park gets you out into the sunshine and fresh air. It encourages you to interact with him, giving you a chance to get some exercise as well. It also gives you an opportunity to meet other dog owners and socialize. Not only does your dog get to make new friends, but so do you!

Keeping your dog at home, indoors, all day makes both you and your dog sad. Dog parks offer a great way for the two of you to get out, make new friends and get some exercise, all in a safe, enclosed environment.

Food Versus Affection - Which is the Better Training Reward

Rewards are an excellent way to get the desired responses you want from your dog.  They greatly helps in the training process.  There are a couple of ways you can reward your furry friend: food or affection.  Both are effective, but which is better?

Food Rewards

Dogs love to eat, so food is a very enticing reward.  Most dogs, upon seeing a treat, will respond very quickly in order to get it.  There are a couple of arguments that say using food can actually be detrimental to training, but their effectiveness depends upon your approach.

Some say that dogs come to expect treats and will only obey commands when they get treats.  Taking away a treat is removed when the command is learned means the dog will no longer listen.  Dogs, however, are eager to please.  While they may enjoy the treats, slowly phasing out their use decreases the likelihood the dog will always come to expect it.

There are some who say using treats will result in overweight and unhealthy pets.  This can be the case if you use too many treats in conjunction with their regular diet.  Rather than using a bunch of treats, you may consider breaking up treats into smaller pieces and using only a portion of the whole treat as a reward.  Or, you can use some of the food in their regular feeding, so you don't risk overfeeding your pup.

Affection Rewards

Dogs also love affection.  They will do almost anything to please their people.  This makes affection an excellent reward as well.  Affection also has many benefits.

First of all, the affection should be calm.  Becoming overly excited and loud could actually incite your dog to get overly excited and may cause him to jump around and defeat the purpose of training.  A simple smile, scratch behind the ear and pat on the calm "good dog" is all some dogs need to encourage repeat behavior.

Affection is also easy to give.  It doesn't require you to remember to bring treats everywhere you go.  You can never give too much of it, and it won't potentially make your companion a little chubby.

When it comes to food versus affection, both have their merits.  Some dogs respond extremely well to affection, such as working dogs, while others may need a little more enticing.  For those that need a little extra push, food is an excellent motivator.  Every dog is different.  Which reward is best is the one that works for you and your pet.