January 2011 "National Train Your Dog Month!"
By: Nancy Cook
Updated: December 29, 2010
Hundreds of thousands of dogs have been turned into animal shelters because their owners didn’t know how to deal with behavior problems and couldn’t find a reliable resource to help them.
The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) has designated the month of January as National Train Your Dog Month to bring awareness to the importance of socialization and training, and most of all, to inform the public that training your dog can be simple and fun!
January was selected as the perfect month because so many dogs and puppies are adopted and brought home during the winter holidays. Our desire is to help these new pet parents start off the new year with their newest family member in the best way possible.
In 2010 the APDT kicked off the first annual National Train Your Dog Month campaign. They said they were overwhelmed with the enthusiastic and creative participation of their dog trainer members and in 2011 plan to extend participation to the dog owning public!
In addition to the materials available for free download from the event website, www.trainyourdogmonth.com, the public and dog trainers are encouraged to enter the photo and video contests designed to promote the importance of training and socialization for all dogs.
The APDT hopes that the everyday dog owners, shelters, and other professionals in the pet care community will visit the event website (www.trainyourdogmonth.com), so they can learn more about how easy and fun training can be. It is the APDT’s belief that a better understanding of dog behavior can lead to happier, healthier and harmonious households for humans and canines.
Since 1993, the APDT has promoted education for dog trainers. With more than 5,000 members who are willing and able to assist dog owners, the APDT is the largest professional organization for dog trainers in the world. Anyone interested in learning more about their dogs is encouraged to visit APDT web sites www.apdt.com and www.trainyourdogmonth.com for more information and resources.
