One of life’s genuine joys is the companionship of a dog. However, if your dog exhibits major behavior problems, that joy may be compromised. Destroying household items, piddling on the carpet, excessive barking, aggression, and other unacceptable behaviors can usually be eliminated through effective obedience training.

As pack animals, dogs are most content when they know their place in the social hierarchy of the pack, be it as a leader or as a subordinate.

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.

Your efforts to teach appropriate behavior to your dog are destined to failure unless you establish yourself as the “alpha dog” in your pack. Once he successfully completes obedience training, your dog will recognize that you are the leader and that it is his role to comply with your wishes.

When you begin obedience training try to make the activity fun for your dog. Be sure to reward your dog when follows your commands. Rewards can take the form of yummy treats, petting, giving him a favorite toy to play with 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.

When training your dog, remember that rewards are much more effective than penalties. Discover the things that he truly enjoys and make maximum use of it during training sessions. The old adage about training an animal with either a carrot or a stick is not valid. Just throw away the stick and concentrate on providing your dog with a variety of “carrots” that he enjoys.

If you are not sure about specific training techniques you may benefit from studying the tactics used by professional dog trainers. There are several terrific training courses and guide books available online that you may want to consider to help you in your quest for the obedient dog.

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