HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Keeping children protected around dogs starts with the basics. "Basic dog obedience is always the first step in the foundational obedience of teaching," Dale Buchanan with Top Gun Dog Training shares. "'Stay' and 'calm' is always essential for every dog, whether they're off leash in your yard, in your house, or out in the community."
Buchanan explains why dog training is essential. "Dog training is very important to the safety of dogs in the yard and in the community because you always want to be able to bring the dog back to you. if you ask the dog to come, they come back to the house," Buchanan explains. "And of course, keeping the dog comfortable without anxiety in the crate, keeping them safe in the house so they don't get themselves in trouble and so that others don't get attacked by them if they get a trigger that sets them off."
Here two tips owners should follow from Dale:
- I always tell my clients never to have their dogs unsupervised outside. The reason is, you never know what's going to come into the yard or if your dog can get out of the yard.
- You always want to work on the dog's impulse control. impulse control relates to the dog's fight or flight status and reacting to certain triggers. the more impulse control the dog has, the less they're going to react to triggers.
Dale shares one essential tip for parents:
- Be very mindful of the surroundings, always heightened your awareness, always make sure that you're on the lookout. use your peripheral vision and notice if there are any dogs off leash. if there are any dogs that are stray in the area that could be a potential threat.