#1 – If your dog chews things he’s just being spiteful or is very bored.

Not true. Although it’s not straightforward. Chewing is definitely one of the most common undesirable behaviors. However, dogs chew is part of their nature but they also need to chew on things to maintain healthy teeth and gums and good jaw strength.

The key is to stop your dog chewing things that he’s not supposed to and give him things to chew that are safe. This is especially important when a puppy is going through the teething process.

Myth 2. Your Dog will only understand you if you talk to and communicate with him in ‘doggy’ language.

Not True again, it’s a funny one for me to understand, but it does seem a lot of people believe in it. Dogs are not stupid, they realize you are not a dog and there is no reason to try and make them believe that you are. You do however, need to understand and be able to read their body language, so you know if a yelp is because of pain or whether they are acting up.

Having said that you do need your dog to see you as the pack leader. Dogs are pack animals and if they step out of line they are chastised by the alpha dog in the group. You need to be the leader or your dog will continue to play up.

Myth number 3 – Your dog is only being trained when you are actually doing dog training with him.

Wrong again. Your dog is being ‘trained’ all the time you are with each other. In fact your dog will always be picking up cues from you both verbal and non verbal.

For example if the phone rings and you jump up to answer it, your dog will understand that’s OK and he will jump up when he hears a ring.

If you feel nervous when somebody passes you on the street walking a big dog you are training your dog to be nervous when big dogs around. Be sure to spend good quality time with your dog and be consistent in your behavior.

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