YES! YOUR DOGS NEEDS TRAINING & NO! YOU SHOULDN'T WAIT.

"Having a dog is a lifestyle, training your dog is part of that lifestyle" - Primal Canine

All to often we come across people contemplating the need of training for their dog(s). The truth is YES! Your dog needs training and yes! You definitely need to find training from a professional dog trainer (not Google, YouTube or your uncle that has big dogs and watches Cesar Millan). The matter of training for your dog should not depend on the thought process of if you think your dog needs training or not, but thought about more in the context of where they're going to go for training. Just as you would research which school to send your children to, you should do the same with your dog. Your dogs need to have both mental and physical exercise everyday and in a way that fits them best. 

Even if your goal is as simple as house manners and basic obedience, it is less of what the goal is and more about the process of learning how to communicate with your dog on an individual level. Understanding how to motivate the positive behaviors from your dog is crucial, but understand there is a big difference between motivation and bribing. There must also be balance, a dog’s behavior is not always sunshine and rainbows because like humans, dogs have their good and bad days. We must be able to communicate that their unwanted behaviors are bad and they should not happen, this means we must correct our dogs. Yes, I said correction, which seems to be a taboo word within the dog community these days, a dog purely trained with positive reinforcement or force, is based on lack of effort and willingness to learn new methods from their owners. If that last statement struck a nerve for some of you, that's good! Maybe reading this will help you figure out why it did and realize the error of your ways. Dogs, as like most living beings need to understand what is good and what is bad and not just for the sake of obedience, but for basic safety reasons as well. 

Dogs are not meant to be trapped in a kennel or a backyard just to be interacted with when we feel like it, they are meant and should be part of our active, daily life. They are not decorations, collectables or a means to make money. They are a part of our families and they must be treated as such. If you are not willing to commit to training (professionally), walking your dog daily and incorporating your dog into you daily life then don't get one. Do not get a dog because it looks cool or you saw a movie once and wanted the dog in it. Do the research and figure out what dog breed fits best for your lifestyle, search rescues and shelters and meet dogs that fit your energy levels and always remember these dogs are not exchangeable items just because one does not work the way you want it to right off the bat and you have not looked for the proper training or trainer does not mean you should send it to a rescue or a shelter. 

The reality of it is that we need to rethink the way we think of dog training. Do not wait for issues to arise to seek training. Just as you would get shots and vet check ups for your dogs to prevent illness and disease, you need to get real training to proactively prevent bad behaviors and to learn how to properly communicate with your pup.