Dr. Stevens says we talk a lot about training dogs. We talk about commands, like sit, down, and other common things. Dr. Stevens says it’s not so much about the trick, it’s as much about the process of training your dog and developing a language. What dog tricks are really about is developing a language with your pet that you can communicate; where you can give a command and your dog will respond. If you don’t have a trained dog; you have a dog that’s pushing you around, asking for attention, asking for food, asking to go in or out and every time you do something for your dog where he/she does not do something for you then your dog becomes alpha and you become omega and that becomes a confusing situation for the dog. Dr. Stevens says every time he tells his dog Ellie to sit, she complies to him and then she becomes more omega and is his more alpha. It is reinforcing a positive working relationship with your dog. He recommends socialization classes, obedience classes, good canine citizenship classes and check with your veterinarian’s website for a list of classes and trainers that are available. If you don’t see a list give them a call and see who they recommend.
When it comes to training your cats; that’s a completely different matter. When it comes to litter boxing Dr. Stevens likes to say there is always training going on. It all depends on who is training who. When it comes to cats, they are training us. They trained us to give them an environment that they prefer to pee and poop in. That’s what litter boxing is all about. If the cat isn’t using the litter box it’s because they don’t like the litter box or where it is. Talk to your veterinarian if you have issues with this.
