January is National Train Your Dog Month

Welcome, New Year! January is National Train Your Dog Month, so it's a great time to make that New Year's resolution to get your furry friend doing what it needs to. It can be fun to train your dog tricks like how to shake, or roll over, but training your dog is also very important.

A well trained dog should be able to be in public without barking at strangers or other dogs, heal when told, and know boundaries. It should also be potty trained.

So how do you train a dog? The key is consistency and reward. Being consistent with a command or reprimand every time the dog misbehaves or needs to do something will enforce the importance. Rewarding can be as simple as a pat on the head with words of encouragement, or as big as treats. Treats will work best in the beginning, but for simple commands and everyday things like, potty training, eventually a simple “good dog” is enough.

We understand that dogs have personalities, and some breeds can be more stubborn. Here at Good Life we have some options to make training easier. Our Dog Silencer® and BarkWise™ Complete collar are both automatic units to train a dog not to bark, but they can also be used for other training. They come with remote controls that can be utilized to enforce other behaviors. Our OnGuard™ is a handheld manual device that you can use to train your dog.

So, make sure to think of us when you decide to take your dog training to the next level!