Family Participation

Dog training with the whole family can be a fun and educational experience. It is very important that every member in the household use the same commands and hand signals so the dog does not get confused. For example, when the dog jumps, if half the family members say "Down" and the other half say "Off", there is a good chance the dog will not respond to either command.

Not only is family participation good for the dog, it is also great for children. It teaches children that dogs are not stuffed animals and they need to be left alone at times. It also teaches them patience. They cannot all work with the dog at the same time.

When I am training a whole family, I have the children take turns going first. They are very excited to show me how well their dog is doing on my return visits! Remember, always play with your dog when he is done working for you!