Ched Rick Gatchalian

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Furparenting 101: How do we responsibly train our pets?

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern

MANILA, Philippines — A pet owner’s responsibility extends beyond basic grooming and care — for experts, genuine parenting of our furbabies must include understanding and training their behavior.<div>What is dog training? </div>According to the American Kennel Club, a good dog is a “well-trained dog”. That doesn&#x27;t mean the dog is equipped with a bag of entertaining tricks but that there is communication between the pet and the owner.Lestre Zapanta, popularly known as ‘The Pinoy Dog Whisperer’, is a dog behavior expert who has been working closely with canines for two decades.Zapanta advocates a more accessible, inclusive, and cruelty-free platform for dog training awareness in the country. He believes that dog training can be costly but can also be done by owners themselves.He told ABS-CBN News that dog training is not about instilling fear of punishment but more on understanding why dogs behave a certain way and how to help them be more socialized.“When dogs do bad behavior or unwanted behavior, normally, mayroong mga root problems diyan and that is my responsibility [as a dog trainer] to knowing ano ba ‘yung pinanggagalingan nung unwanted behavior so that we can solve that properly,” he said.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/3/7/adventures-of-bundok-a-dog-s-journey-through-14-mountains-1510">Adventures of Bundok: A dog’s journey through 14 mountains </a></div><div>What does dog training involve?</div>Zapanta said dog training is not about sending furbabies to a boarding camp. It takes more collaborative work and effort than that.What to consider when signing pets up for training:• Kind of training program• Owners&#x27; willingness to participate• Trustworthiness of the trainer and training facility• Pet&#x27;s readiness for itWhen training pets, Zapanta stressed that it is best to involve the owners so they know the process and have a better chance of improving a dog’s behavior.“We are training both,” he said.As no two dogs are completely alike, solutions or programs depend on what a dog needs.Typically, dogs are trained in the places or environment where they experience behavioral concerns.Zapanta disagrees with boarding away dogs because owners cannot monitor training.Zapanta sees training as an exercise in humanity and compassion that is why he strongly stands against punitive dog training.<div>To be or to not be a furparent? </div>To be a furparent connects us to a high sense of responsibility as Zapanta reminds: “You are not getting a toy, you are getting a pet”.Taking care of pets means adjusting one’s lifestyle, energy, finances, and many more considerations.On top of all these, becoming a furparent is embracing a living creature under your care.“Kung may isa sa bahay na ayaw [magka]-aso, huwag na, kasi it should be a whole family decision,” Zapanta said.He said dogs will know when they are not welcome in a home.When choosing either a trainer or any pet care provider, he reminds pet owners that it is imperative to do research and decide wisely on who knows the “balance of animal welfare and business”.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/5/21/2-giant-poodle-namatay-umano-sa-dog-training-center-sa-marikina-1048">Dalawang giant poodle namatay umano sa dog training center sa Marikina</a></div>Zapanta believes that the “senseless deaths” in the petcare and dog training industry should be called out, saying “we need to hold people accountable”.Pets are in a position of not being able to communicate when they experience abuse or maltreatment.That means, he said, pet owners and petcare providers must pay extra attention and have more compassion to provide man&#x27;s best friend a safe space.“Dogs gave me back my humanity and they taught me patience and compassion,” Zapanta added.

Furparenting 101: How do we responsibly train our pets?

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Furparenting 101: How do we responsibly train our pets?

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern,

Sharona Nicole Semilla

Published May 24, 2025 03:07 PM PHT

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