When thinking about tricks, often cute behaviors such as spin, shake and wave come to mind. They can certainly impress your family and friends, but did you realize the additional benefits they can provide?
Tricks are a great outlet for pets with seemingly endless energy and can combat boredom. They not only provide mental stimulation to keep your pet’s brain sharp, but also provide physical stimulation to increase muscle tone, balance and stamina. As you feel better after engaging in a fun activity or hobby, so does your pet. Learning and practicing tricks can decrease your pet’s stress and anxiety as well as increase their confidence. Trick training is appropriate for every pet, however it is important to adapt to your pet’s age and physical ability.
The pressure is off when teaching tricks so there is less worry about getting it right. This allows you to really be in the moment and have even more fun working together as a team. In the process of training tricks, you will fine tune your understanding of your pet’s body language and learn even more about their likes and dislikes. Overall, the effectiveness of communicating with your pet will improve which in turn increases your pet’s trust in you and strengthens your relationship. After a few training sessions, owners often find their pets choosing to be around them more and even waiting for training sessions.
Tricks can also have useful applications in problem prevention, cooperative care and behavior solutions. To prevent your dog from jumping on you when you enter the home, why not teach a dog to bring you a toy to greet you right from the start. Sit pretty is not only a photo opportunity, but it can also be used to expose your pet’s belly for a quick exam. Teaching a nose target is helpful to move your pet in a hands off manner from place to place. There are so many creative applications for tricks.
At Pawsitive DiMensions, we like to incorporate tricks into our training plans since they can not only create a healthier, happier pet but also a more enjoyable life together.
Recent Comments