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Last Updated on January 15, 2022 by Alaina Bullock
You may have heard the phrase, ‘there are no bad dogs, just bad owners’. This is 100% true. If your dog is misbehaving, it’s because you haven’t been consistent enough with their training. Usually, dogs who misbehave are confused, and have had contradictory lessons off one or more of their masters. Here are some pointers to help you train your dog the right way:
Start As Soon As You Bring Them Home
The training should start as soon as you bring your dog home. You can’t let them sleep in the settee for months while they’re young, and then try to get them out of the habit when they grow up. It doesn’t work like that. You need to start instilling the behaviors you want to see while your dog is young. You don’t need to use force or even shout at your dog. You just need to make sure you have the dominant energy.
Start Off with Basic Commands
Starting off with the basic commands can help you to train your dog right from the get go. It can take them a while to master them, but they will get there if you keep trying. Sit, stay, and teaching them how to walk on a leash next to you are some of the most important. There’s no real way you can stop your dog from barking, as they are programmed to bark if they are scared or think you might be in danger. However, something like a bark collar can help you to stop them.
Establish Yourself as the Leader
As mentioned earlier, you need the dominant energy. This means you have to establish yourself as the pack leader. How do you do this? You ensure that you always enter the home before your dog. You never let your dog walk in front of you; they must always walk next to you or behind you. You eat before your dog. There are a number of ways you establish yourself as the pack leader without using force on your dog!
Something else you should do is ensure your dog knows their place in the household. Although you love them as if they were a real family member, allowing them to believe that they are high up the family hierarchy can make them misbehave. Make sure you greet other members of the family when you return home first, and that they do the same. Getting too excited when greeting your dog can give them emotional problems, and make them believe they come before other family members. This can be hard, but it’s important and will keep your dog happier in the long run!
Praise
When your dog does something right, give them lots of praise. It’s ok to go OTT! Small treats can help with training, but you want to gradually phase them out so they aren’t consuming too many.
Be Consistent
Finally, making sure you are consistent as possible is key to making this work. Make sure other family members are too, as you all need to be on the same page to have a well behaved dog!