The Benefits of Training
- Creates a strong bond with your pet
- Reduces damage to your home and personal belongings
- Reduces costs associated with owning a pet
- Improves overall quality of life in the home
- Saves the life of a dog or cat by not being sent to a shelter
Your Puppy
Types of Training
- Obedience – Teaches the dog verbal commands or hand signals that elicit a specific response such as down, sit and heel.
- Behavioral – Preventing or stopping unwanted behaviors like chewing, jumping or digging to serious issues like running away or excessive barking
Getting Started
- Socialization – Introduce your puppy to social situations—people and other animals, noises, environments—so they become comfortable and relaxed in public settings and situations.Puppy Social Hour every Thursday from 7-8PM at Holiday House Pet Resort is free and a great way to introduce your puppy to other people and dogs.
- Group training – There are a variety of do-it-yourself resources and group classes offered at various locations.
- Private training – A professional trainer is hired for a series of one-on-one sessions.Holiday House Pet Resort offers obedience training with Lodge and Learn packages, ranging from several days to a few weeks of lodging so trainers can work with your dog in multiple sessions each day.
Your Kitten
Behavior Modification Strategies
Felines are smart. They don’t respond to the same training strategies used for dogs, but can be trained to stop unwanted behaviors, like jumping on the kitchen counter or dining table and clawing at furniture. Kittens and cats can also be taught to walk on a leash, obey basic commands and to perform tricks.
- Water/mist spray bottle training is not recommended because your cat might consider it a game which will reinforce the unwanted behavior, or frighten your cat resulting in aggressive behavior.
- The discomfort when encountering double-sided tape on counters and furniture can discourage jumping or clawing furniture—and it works when you are not around.
- Associating behaviors with verbal cues and noises, like using a clicker, along with a reward is effective.
- Ultimately, praise, redirection, food rewards and focused playtime are the best training methods for cats—be patient and consistent.
The staff at Doylestown Veterinary Hospital & Holiday House Pet Resort can answer your questions, recommend resources, determine underlying medical issues affecting behavior, and schedule your puppy for our weekly Social Hours or a training evaluation.
