All of us feel that there is a different relationship going on between us and our dogs than with all of the other animals we now invite into our homes and families. The dog has a historical link with humans and this link has always held the dog as subservient to us. As a result, the dog has a deep-rooted need and desire to perform a function for our benefit and to ‘work’ for us. This is more apparent in the ‘working’ breeds but it is true of all breeds. Dogs want to work for humans every day of their lives and therefore it is our duty, once we have brought a dog into our lives, to make sure that the dog has enough tasks set for him that he feels his instincts are being put to good use. This is the fundamental requirement in a dog’s life for a dog to be what we would call happy. Food, warmth and all those things are important, but the most common feature in unhappy or destructive dogs is that they simply have no function in life. To a dog, existing is not enough. Serving, working, obeying and being rewarded are the keys to a contented canine.

Secondly, strange as it may seem, there is a large number of people who do not like dogs. Some of these people actually wish to see them banned from almost all public areas. This should worry any dog-owner greatly as dogs have so much to offer human life and one look at any Police Force’s Dog Section or Guide Dogs Centre will hush anybody who argues against this.

Nevertheless, when you take ownership of a dog, regardless of size and breed, you also take ownership of a responsibility towards other owners and towards all dogs. Unfortunately, this responsibility is not taken seriously by some dog owners and these irresponsible people ensure that the great majority of us responsible owners are often at risk from complaints and grumbles from the less keen members of society. Once we understand this we must then make absolutely sure that we do everything we can to avoid upsetting anybody with our dogs. The way to do this is to train them.

We must show our dogs that society is a nice place where they can feel safe and need not fear anything, but at the same time they must treat that same society with respect. In return for this effort, many of the people who are not so fond of dogs will watch you walk with your canine friend walking closely to heel and behaving better than most children! You then become an ambassador for all dog-owners and help to improve our reputation.

There is another very important reason for training your dog. This is for his health and happiness. A dog can not be truly happy and healthy when he rarely leaves the house or has any ‘work’ given to him by his owners. We have all seen how bright eyes and glossy coats are always found on the dogs which are given lots of outdoor exercise chasing toys and fetching sticks. This is not due to the fresh air. This is because these dogs are living a life much closer to the life which their genetic makeup is telling them they should be. These dogs are living a dog’s life rather than a human’s life and that is why they are usually the happiest and healthiest examples.

Finally, training your dog will make as many improvements to your life as it does to your dog’s. When you successfully teach a new and challenging command to your dog you invariably find that the relationship then becomes twice as strong as before and you feel closer to the dog. This makes you keen to do more training and it all becomes a progressive bonding process which is rewarding for all involved. For every ounce of effort you put into the dog, he will give a pound of effort back so long as you do it correctly.