Consistent Stimulation Required
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL STIMULATION:
When training a dog, we exercise the dog with stimulation and guide them to appropriately respond in a variety of different scenarios. We employ both mental and physical stimuli.
Physical stimulation is taking dogs for runs, biking, playing fetch, any physical activity. Physical stimulations are great for working their bodies and building up stamina, but it really does not challenge their brains very much.
Mental stimulation is when you are making your dog think. When you socialize in any different environment or have people over to your house you must make your dog think about proper behavior. Dog’s process huge amounts of information simply walking around a store like PetSmart or Lowe’s Home Improvement. The experience is mentally exhausting for a dog.
Think about it this way – when you run or ride a bike you are not mentally exhausted, but maybe your body is sore; when you take a test or have to work on paperwork or accounting, you are not physically exhausted afterwards, but you sure are mentally exhausted.
By consistently engaging your dog, you force him to not only follow your lead but you also exhaust him physically and mentally. The more stimulation your dog has early on, the more he will learn and progress. That is one of the reasons why our method works so well. For owners of dogs that are active, working dog breeds, we always recommend a schedule of mental and physical stimulation.
Instinctive Obedience® Training utilizes both physical and mental stimulations to reinforce commands and tasks simply, effectively, safely, and in a healthy manner for both people and dogs.
National Instinctive Obedience Dog Trainers Association® Inc
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