With Christmas now past, most of us are now focusing on the arrival of the new year. For many of us, this is a time to focus on self-evaluation and resolutions — what can we do to make 2012 a better year than its predecessor?
Perhaps this holiday season you’ve welcomed a new dog or puppy to your family home. Or perhaps you have long put up with behavior problems that make living with your dog a challenge — you love him, but find his separation anxiety, reactivity to other dogs, or overabundance of energy often leave you frustrated or discouraged. Maybe you have a friendly, perfect, wonderful dog that likes new experiences and learning new things.
Regardless of where you find yourself, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers’ National Train Your Dog Month is a resource intended to help you increase the amount of enjoyment you experience from sharing your life with your dog.
More about National Train Your Dog Month from the APDT’s website:
The Association of Pet Dog Trainers believes it is long overdue to dedicate a month where we can bring awareness to the importance of socialization and training, and most of all, to inform the public that training your dog can be easy and fun! We selected January as the perfect month because so many dogs and puppies are adopted or purchased from breeders and brought home during the winter holidays. Our desire is to help these new pet parents start off the new year right with their newest family member.
We want dog owners to see how simple and fun training can be, and how patience, consistency, and a deeper understanding of a dogs behavior can lead to happier, healthier and harmonious households. It’s our goal to promote using training methods that are kind, gentle, and have an emphasis on building a relationship with your dog.
APDT is offering free webinars, Facebook chats, and learning opportunities for dog owners throughout January. For a full listing of events, check out the schedule.
If youre interested in professional training services to help your best friend reach his full doggy potential, read these articles the APDT has prepared for pet owners on making sense of selecting a behavior and training professional.
I am excited to be participating in this project, and will be offering a free webinar on Treibball, an exciting new canine sport, and why training for it may benefit dogs and their people through improving behavior. On Sunday, January 8, at 7 p.m. EST, I will also be participating in an APDT Facebook chat on the topic of the game, so please bring your questions!
To make sure you dont miss out on any of the fun, make sure to check out the Train Your Dog Month Facebook page.
