Obedience Training for Dogs – Are You the Alpha Dog?
Having a canine buddy can truly be one of life's under appreciated joys. Unfortunately, that joy can be dampened when your dog exhibits major behavior problems. Excessive barking, jumping up on you or your visitors, chewing furniture, aggression, and other unruly behavior can usually be eliminated by providing your dog with effective obedience training.
Since dogs are, by nature, pack animals, the are most content when they are assured of their place in the social hierarchy.
If your dog perceives that you are not a strong leader, he will probably assume the role of leader of the pack. Inappropriate behavior will worsen since, as the "alpha dog", he will assume that he can do as he pleases without regard to your pleadings.
Unless you impress upon your dog that you are the "alpha dog", your efforts to teach appropriate behavior will most likely fail. However, effective obedience training will teach your pooch that YOU are the leader of the pack and that he is expected to comply with your wishes.
When you begin obedience training try to make it a fun activity for your dog. Be sure to reward your dog for correct behavior. Rewards can take the form of tasty treats, petting, giving him a favorite toy or vigorous praise.
When teaching obedience, never punish your dog. If you do, his perception will be that training is not a good thing and he will try his best to avoid it. Should you need to correct his behavior, try making it more of a penalty than punishment. Rather than shouting at the dog (a form of punishment), the penalty you impose should be more along the lines of a quick tug on his leash, a "time out" by halting an activity that he enjoys, or by simply ignoring him for a few moments.
For training purposes you should keep in mind that rewards are more effective than penalties. Find out what your dog really enjoys and use it when training. The old "using a carrot or a stick" adage should be forgotten. Instead, try to use many different types of "carrots" and throw away the stick.
Professional dog trainers use a wide variety of training techniques. If you are not sure about specific tactics to use, you may benefit from their advice. There are several wonderful guide books and training courses available online that you may find quite helpful in your quest for a well behaved best friend.
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