Get Started Right: Training Your Dog

The three most important aspects to a successful training plan and dealing with many of the behaviour problems involve:

Heavy, Excessive exercise - A tired dog is a good dog

Leadership - Most problems come when there is a lack of leadership in the relationship. being a good leader means being worthy of following. Dogs will naturally and instinctively seek out a leader. If none is present, they will the job on for size with the usual disastrous results.

Obedience Training - It is important to be able to control the situations that you and your dog will face on a daily basis. The best way to do that is to teach them solid obedience. If your dog does not respond the first time, every time, no matter what is happening around him, with speed and enthusiasm then he is not trained. He is a work in progress.

Problems with simple solutions like jumping up, stealing food, soiling in the house are all easily solved but will take effort and you can solve them on your own with some guidance.

Other behaviour issues are NOT solve at home problems and you should seek the assistance of a skilled professional trainer, behaviour counsellor. Aggression is something that is not a solve at home problem. It will never get better on its own and will only get worse as it progresses unless it is treated properly.

You should expect great things from your dog and should not accept the things that are harmful to that relationship. Nipping at hands, guarding food, excessive pestering, barking, jumping up, chasing cats or small animals, stealing food, bolting or running away, growling, house soiling. All of these things can be solved. But it is as much about the human end of the leash as it is about the dogs end.

You simply need to motivate your dog. It is fine to start with food but unless you want to always smell like liver snaps and bacon you had better find other things to motivate them. If a dog will only respond to food it is not completely trained. Using food to teach the dog is fine but once they learn what is expected of them you need to use less and less food and use other praise and rewards.

Build a relationship with your dog that is not based on bribes. Your relationship will be much more rewarding if it is based on Mutual Respect, Trust, Love, and Good Leadership. Be worthy of following and your dog might surprise you.

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Helping Dogs With People Problems