Dog sitting in tall grass with ball in mouth

Will Training Change Your Dog’s Personality?

If you've been under the assumption that you'd simply have to live with your dog's frustrating behaviours, for fear that training would take away their fun-loving spirit, then we have EXCELLENT news for you.

If your dog has a big, boisterous personality, you might be concerned that training will take away their spark. After all, isn’t training about forcing your dog to follow your orders? Well, not exactly. Yes, training will help your dog learn which behaviours are desirable and which ones are not, but don't worry: it won’t change the very essence of who they are, and how excited they are to see you when you get home. Here's why.

1. Personality is not behaviour

Your dog’s age, personality, or experience may make them prone to behaviours that aren't so great in a human environment, but proper training gives them the information they need about what is or isn't considered good manners. Once they have that info, it changes only those behaviours. When you give your dog a road map of how to live harmoniously in your household, it actually allows their true personality to shine!

For example, an untrained dog that gets excited when you come home may jump up at you. That may be cute while they're young, but it becomes problematic once they're bigger—especially with young children around. Proper training removes the unwanted behaviour, (jumping up,) but doesn't dampen their enthusiasm for seeing you come home.

Two dogs sitting on the grass side by side

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