Dogs are man鈥檚 best friend, they say. But I鈥檓 completely sure that it鈥檚 much easier to be best friends with a dog that listens to you and has sense.
When you think of sensible dogs, what comes to mind may be German shepherds, poodles, chihuahuas or Lhasa breeds, but what about our local Nigerian dog breeds, the ?听
They may not be the best guard dogs, but no be person born dem?
Let鈥檚 teach you how to train your local Nigerian dog so it鈥檒l have sense:
Put on your best Sola Sobowale impression
A calm tone may work with German shepherds, but your local dog will do its best to disgrace you. Better shout out the commands if you want them to pay attention.
Feed it eba
You know how professionals include food treats in dog obedience training, right? When you鈥檙e teaching your Ekuke or Bingo to sit, make sure to feed it eba too, for motivation. That鈥檚 their own treat. That way, it鈥檒l learn how to sit and also have the strength to defend you at night. Win-win.
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Give it a name like 鈥淎gumba鈥
Local dogs are typically friendly 鈥 sometimes too friendly 鈥 and can follow any stranger home if they offer your dog a treat. You don鈥檛 want that, so throw away ajebo names like 鈥淪nowy鈥 and give it fear-inducing names like 鈥淎gumba鈥 so that it鈥檒l sit up and stay focused.
Teach the dog your Nigerian language
Sure, 鈥淪it!鈥 is fine, but imagine if you teach your dog Yoruba or Igbo, you can get the dog to bark at intruders in your native language to confuse them.
Take it outside
Don鈥檛 say it鈥檚 because we said, 鈥淎ll dogs matter,鈥 that you let your Nigerian dog spend all day on your bed. If you don鈥檛 want your dog to design your house with poo, take it outside at scheduled times, so it can learn to control its bladder.
Don鈥檛 do all that 鈥渄og toys and blankets鈥 nonsense
Are you raising an ajebo or a potential protector? Also, why would a dog named Agumba play with dog toys and blankets?
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Teach them not to chase people
Remember all that shouting and feeding them eba? Use those strategies to teach your dog impulse control so it can focus on you and resist the urge to chase your neighbour鈥檚 children.
Give it freedom鈥 and hope it returns
Your Nigerian dog needs to interact with the environment, so they鈥檙e not excessively aggressive when they meet new people. Just make sure it moves around within a safe environment and is vaccinated unless you鈥檒l spend all your money treating its poor victims.
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