No one wants to have an aggressive dog in their home.  You can’t allow an aggressive dog to take over your house, especially when you know you should be the leader of your pack.  As soon as you see signs of any aggressive behavior in your dog, use the following tips to stop it.

1.  Assume the Alpha Position. Most of the time if your dog is exhibiting aggressive behavior he is trying to assume control of the household, making a challenge toward your alpha position.  Even if your dog isn’t trying to challenge you, life will be easier if you have a clear pack order.

Take charge, make your commands clear, train your dog with care, and show your dog that you are the one in charge at all times.  Even if this doesn’t stop the aggressive behavior it will make it easier to manage.

2.  Separate Problem Dogs. If you have more than one dog that is causing problems or if your dog has issues with guarding food, get rid of the issue.  If you have two dogs that fight over food, for example, feed them in separate rooms. If you have two dogs that can’t walk together, walk them separately.

Don’t be too concerned.  This kind of solution isn’t usually permanent.  But they do work in the short-term and prevent more serious problems.

3.  Obedience Training. Obedience training is a good way to teach your dog how to follow specific commands and to respect your authority.

4.  Keep Your Dog Busy. In some cases a dog will become aggressive if they don’t have anything to keep them busy.  If they are bored, have too much energy, lack focus, or anxious, they can become aggressive.

This is an easy problem to fix.  When your dog is behaving well you should pay attention to him, give him plenty of exercise, and provide him with toys to keep him busy when you are away.

5.  See Your Vet. In some cases aggression can be caused by a health problem.  If your dog is sick or lacking in proper nutrition you should take him to the vet.  These issues can cause your dog to behave aggressively.

6.  Your Dog Needs Plenty of Exercise and A Good Diet. Good training won’t help your dog unless he is also getting plenty of exercise and eats a good diet.  A cheap dog food may not cause aggression but a lack of nutrients can make your dog’s behavior worse.

7.  Avoid Triggers. If you know something triggers aggression in your dog, avoid the trigger.  If your dog doesn’t like children or has problems with leashed dogs, or acts up when a truck drives by, avoid those negative stimuli.

8.  Reduce the Fears in Your Dog’s Life. Fear can be a cause of aggression.  To reduce the fear in your dog’s life, don’t use negative punishment to change his behavior.  Correct behaviors instead of punishing them.

If your dog has any phobias, don’t reinforce them by giving him extra attention or care when he is upset by them.  This will only emphasize to him that there is something to fear.

9.  Work with a Good Dog Trainer. If you aren’t making good progress with your dog’s aggression, hire a professional. There are many good dog trainers who are experienced and knowledgeable when it comes to handling dogs with behavior problems, including aggression.  Contact a good trainer before your dog does something to hurt someone.

Unlike many dog behavior problems, aggression is serious and it can’t wait.  It needs to be handled right away.  Aggression can lead to worse problems such as biting or attacking.  It typically makes the entire family uncomfortable.  If your dog is suffering from problems with aggression, take care of it right away.

Don’t wait until it’s too late,  take a look at www.CanineBehaviorSpecialists.com

Until next time……

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialists in Nashville, TN.  Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network, www.K9-University.com .

In order to eliminate bad behavior and make sure your dog always listens to you, as well as putting an end to embarrassing incidents in front of your friends, the best thing you can do is to make yourself the leader of your “pack.”

For lots of dog owners, however, this is hard to do.  It means they have to be firm and that their dog understands the owner is in charge at all times.  If you’re one of those big, soft-hearted people who finds this hard to do, or if you don’t know how to become the Alpha leader in your home, here are some tips you can follow.

Give Correct Praise. There are right and wrong ways to praise your dog.  Praising your dog the right way means placing your hands firmly on your dog, giving him a hug, putting your hands on your dog firmly, and keeping them there.  Don’t be stingy with your praise.

When you touch your dog you should do so firmly so your dog knows that you’re in charge. But you should never use physical contact to punish or hit your dog.  In addition, don’t draw out the praise.  Give your dog praise, be affectionate, and then stop.

Give Correct Reprimands. When your dog does the wrong thing you should not hit him or shout at him over and over.  This is confusing to your dog and it can cause fear issues that can lead to even worse problems with aggression.

Use gestures that are calm and assertive instead.  You can take hold of the leash and give a correction, with a firm verbal correction.  Be fast and authoritative. Show your dog you are in control of their movements. This works very well.

Only Give A Command You Can Enforce. If your dog is some distance away from you, such as 200 feet, there’s nothing to prevent him from doing what he wants to do.  Only give a command that you can enforce as the pack leader.

Once you have set up your position as leader this will be easier to do but in the beginning you need to be close to your dog to adjust his behaviors if he decides he doesn’t want to do what you ask.

Boundaries and Permission. Just like your children, dogs have to have boundaries about where they can go and when.  If you make the sofa off limits, or the kitchen, you need to make sure the dog can’t change his behavior at will.

It’s important that your dog should always seek permission from you before he tries to change his boundaries. If you want your dog to stay on the floor this doesn’t mean he can’t ever get on the sofa.  It means your dog has to have your permission before he can get off the floor and get on the sofa.

The Long Down-Stay. One of the basic obedience commands your dog must learn is the “down-stay.”  This command is considered very dominant.  If your dog is very dominant or aggressive you should give them this command to make them lie down and stay in position.  The longer you make your dog stay in this position, the more you are asserting your leadership role.

Be Dignified and Consistent. Dogs mirror their owners’ personalities.  If you lose your temper easily, give in on commands sometimes, and are inconsistent with your commands, your dog will also be erratic.

You must be consistent with the commands you give to your dog and in how you follow through on them.  This is the only way your dog will respect what you require of him.

Dogs are very smart, adaptable animals.  This has allowed them to survive in the wild.  However, unless you teach your dog to follow your commands and respect you, he will think of himself as the alpha in the pack, and your work will be useless.

Take time, teach your dog the chain of command, and be consistent about enforcing it.  Very quickly you should find that your dog is behaving better than you ever imagined possible.  If you need help visit my training website and then give me a call.

Until next time……

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialists in Nashville, TN.  Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network, www.K9-University.com .

Happy Year Year everybody.  I hope 2012 is great year for all of you.

From all the phone calls and emails I have been receiving I see that a lot of you got new puppies or dogs for Christmas.  Congratulations, BUT now you need to get them housetrained so I thought I would pass on this information.

New puppies are fun and exciting, but they can also be challenging. One of the biggest concerns for a new dog owner is making sure to housetrain their puppy. An un-housebroken dog can make a very unpleasant home situation, so getting your puppy started on training should be a priority early on.

One good thing to know is that dogs like to keep their homes clean just like we do. They must, however be able to do that, meaning that you need to be able to let your dog out several times a day to use the restroom. In the first couple of months with their mothers, puppies learn basic hygiene and should therefore already be inclined to go outside, away from their den, if they have the opportunity to.

Housetraining your puppy may very well turn out to be easier than you anticipate it will be. A dog that has easy and frequent access to the outdoors, either through regular walks or a flap doggy dog, is much less likely to have an accident than if he were inside all day. Take your puppy outside every three to four hours and reward good behaviors with praise and he will soon be house trained. While this amount of freedom for your dog is ideal, it may not be practical due to daily schedules.

House breaking gets tough in situations where your puppy has to remain inside for long periods of time. While a dog will naturally not go where he sleeps, you have to teach your puppy the difference between your home, an inappropriate area to go and outdoors, an appropriate area to potty.

This process may be frustrating but investing time and patience into it will make it successful. Accidents will happen, but getting angry or upset about them will only hinder the process. Your puppy doesn’t understand this training situation the way you do and any negative energy directed at them during this time will only make them less likely to housebreak quickly.

A better idea than getting frustrated would be to keep an eye on your puppy and learn the signs of when he needs to go to the restroom. When he is indicating that he needs to go, take him outside and then praise him when he does his business. After he’s done his business, the area will be marked with the scent of his urine and he will be more likely to go back to this spot do his business again.

Remember it is a puppy so be patient.

I have written a great SPECIAL REPORT on potty training your dog or puppy.  Take a look “here” , I know you will appreciate all the help that you will find in the report.

Until next time……

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialists in Nashville, TN.  Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network, www.K9-University.com .

Does your dog bark while you’re at work?  If he does, then you may have a lot of other problems, too.  You’re probably not very popular with your neighbors, for one thing.  They could call animal control about your dog.  Plus, along with barking, your dog could be destructive at home.

Even if you’re not home to hear your dog’s barking, you need to make sure your dog learns that it’s not okay to bark when he’s alone.  However, this kind of behavior usually requires more than just giving a command to correct problem.

Reduce Your Dog’s Boredom

The first thing you need to do is make sure that your dog is getting plenty of exercise and attention.  If your dog is spending each day alone at home and he has nothing to do, then he’s probably going to bark.  Afterall, what else does he have to do?

You should start taking your dog for a nice long walk every morning before you head to work, and another long walk once you come home.  Even if you have a Toy or small dog, take your dog for multiple walks each day so your dog doesn’t have a lot of energy stored up while you’re at work.

You should also make sure you give your dog some fun things to keep him busy while you’re at work.  Even a few toys can make a big difference to your dog and keep him from barking over and over again during the day.

Bark Training

The next thing you need to do is to train your dog so he knows when it is all right to bark.  You can teach your dog basic “Speak” and “Quiet” commands.  It is quite normal for dogs to bark so it can be hard to get them to control the impulse to bark, but once you teach this command it can cut down on a lot of the noise.

To teach your dog when to speak and be quiet, you can tie your dog’s leash to a post or have a friend hold the leash.  You should stay just out of your dog’s reach and hold a treat or toy that your dog will want.  When your dog barks you should praise him and give him the treat.  Keep doing this a few times and then you should remove the treat.  As soon as your dog looks like he is about to bark you should say, “Speak!” and give your dog the treat as a reward.

Your dog will soon learn that “Speak!” means he should bark.  You can teach your dog “Quiet!” by giving your dog the treat reward when he stops barking.  This can be a lot harder to teach because some dogs never stop barking.  You need to be patient so you can make sure your dog learns these lessons thoroughly.

Anxiety?

It’s also possible that your dog could be barking while you’re at work because he has some anxiety issues.  This problem is completely different from boredom or having too much energy.  If your dog is barking because of anxiety you need to teach your dog that you will be home soon and that you always return.

You should start working on your dog’s anxiety issues by changing your dog’s expectations.  Don’t pay any attention to your dog after you arrive home for the first 10 to 15 minutes.  You shouldn’t give your dog any attention if he starts crying in the morning when you are leaving for work.

You can also think about crate training your dog as one way of handling your dog’s anxiety.  This can help him get used to being alone and staying in a place that feels safe to him.  Sometimes if your dog is in a smaller space and he learns that you will always come back, no matter how long you’re away, he will stop the barking.

With anxiety issues it’s important to gauge how severe the problem is and take the best steps.  In some cases, if your dog has a severe case of anxiety, you may need to work with your vet and your dog may need to be treated with medication.  Before trying to modify your dog’s behavior you should talk to your vet to find out if there could be any physical problems causing your dog to bark.

In many cases, if your dog is barking when you’re not home, then it is often easy to change the behavior.  You will need to be patient while you work with your dog and it may take time, but if you use the right method you won’t have to worry about upset neighbors or complaints about noise.

Until next time……

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialists in Nashville, TN.  Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network, www.K9-University.com .

Dog owners want their dogs to really love them.  It may begin when you see a great, loyal dog as a child and you want one of your own.  You want a dog who will always be with you and be devoted to you.

However, we can be mistaken sometimes about what will make our dogs love us.  It’s not simply a matter of spoiling our dogs.  We also need to provide discipline and leadership.  Once you are in charge, there are some tips that can make your relationship even better.

1.  Discipline with Treats — Don’t give your dog table scraps.  When you give your dog table scraps it sends a confusing message about who is in charge.  Table scraps can also make your dog unhealthy.  However, occasional treats are fine and will make your dog love you more.

2.  Play with Your Dog Every Day — If you’re tired after a long day at work you may not feel like playing with your dog. But your dog needs you to play with him every day.  Play at least once a day for about an hour.  Just throwing a ball for your dog or playing a game of fetch can keep your dog from getting bored and lonely.

3.  Take Your Dog for Rides — If you are the unmistakable pack leader in your home, your dog will love to go on rides in the car with you. Try to take your dog with you to the store or on other short trips.

4.  Get Down On Your Dog’s Level — One of the best ways to get close to your dog is physically interact with your dog at his level.  Get in the floor and talk to your dog.  Play and give your dog some attention.  This is especially important if your dog is never allowed to get on the furniture.  He will feel left out if he isn’t allowed to interact with you at the same level.  You can share a special time for bonding if you will get down on the floor with your dog.

5.  Take Walks — Taking a good walk with your dog is great for both of you.  You may think that your dog is only interested in bushes and trees, but your dog loves to be outside with you.  You should remind your dog that you’re beside him from time to time.

6.  Health and Grooming — Although your dog may fuss when it’s time for grooming, the time you spend brushing and grooming your dog is bonding time.  Bathing, grooming, and health care are very important ways to show your dog that you care about him. Your dog enjoys being clean and he thanks you for it.

When your dog is healthy, he is happy, and when your dog is happy, he can focus that energy on you.  If your dog is grumpy it may be due to poor health or lack of exercise.  You can take care of those things.

7.  Show Your Good Feelings — Remember that dogs are experts at reading body language. They pay more attention to your movements and actions than to your language.  It doesn’t matter if you say, “I love you” to your dog unless you really show it.

Spend time with your dog and show your good feelings.  Don’t be annoyed or impatient. You can be the leader without being gruff.  Show your dog that you care.

When you spend time with your dog, you and your dog both get something from the relationship. It’s symbiotic. If you want your dog to love you, you must love him, too.

If you are willing to spend time with your dog and really love him, then your dog will give you the love and devotion that you have always dreamed of having.

Until next time……

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialists in Nashville, TN.  Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network, www.K9-University.com .