MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- In support of National Train Your Dog Month, the Iwakuni branch veterinary services hosted a dog training class open to all station dog owners Jan. 25 in the park next to the Thrift Store here.
Last year, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers declared January as National Train Your Dog Month. All across the nation, APDT members conducted events to promote the benefits and importance of dog training.
“Forward training and teaching dogs to be good canine citizens fits in very nicely with my mission, which is to take care of the pets aboard Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni,” said Army Capt. Kimberly Yore, officer-in-charge of the Iwakuni branch veterinary services. “If I can help people learn how to best train their animals, then I’m strengthening their bond with their animals, and I’m making my job a lot easier.”
Four station resident dog owners and their pets attended the class. They spent the afternoon learning the most effective and rewarding ways to train their four-legged companions.
“Reward-based training is great because it teaches owners how to request desirable behaviors from their dog rather than punishing unwanted behaviors,” said Yore. “It really strengthens their bond with that pet. Punishment is not nearly as effective as reward-based training because you have to punish them every time they do something bad.”
During the training, the participants were taught to reward their animals with treats or loving gestures whenever their dogs executed what was asked of them. The owners learned how to have their dogs sit, stay, lay down and how to perform other obedience training commands.
Army Sgt. April Johnson, animal care noncommissioned officer and Iwakuni branch veterinary services noncommissioned officer-in-charge, assisted Yore during the classes. Johnson said having a pet welltrained eliminates safety concerns.
“Gradually the owners work to get the animals to stay,” said Johnson. “They will keep the animals still without something distracting them — say they open the door, it won’t just skid out. It’s kind of a safety concern.”
Some of the dog owners who attended the training participated in past dog training courses. Many of them believed the classes not only trained their dogs to be more obedient, but also helped them build stronger bonds with their animals. Station resident Meredith Czepiel attended the class with her 6-month-old golden retriever, Luke Grasswalker.
Czepiel said since she’s started training her dog, she understands him a lot better and feels a lot closer to him.
“(With the training) I have gotten a lot more respect from my dog,” said Czepiel. “He had a lot of respect for my husband, but for me, whatever I told him to do, he just didn’t feel like it.”
Her husband jokingly said she is the master now that the dog obeys her better than him, she added.
The Iwakuni branch veterinary services offers one-on-one behavioral consultations and training sessions throughout the year. Station residents can reach the veterinary clinic at 253- 6714 for more information.
According to the APDT website, January was selected as the best month for National Train Your Dog Month because more dogs are adopted during the winter holidays than any other time during the year.