Do You Have A Hard Headed Dog?

This is a comment I hear on a regular basis, in fact daily. The dog owner starts off with “my dog needs help because he is hard headed and he will not listen to me”. The problem is not a hard headed dog the problem is an untrained dog.

Yep, you can’t expect a dog to know what to do unless you train it. I’m amazed how many people think their dog should understand what is expected from it even without training.

Remember everybody, dogs do not understand English. Yes, they can be taught commands however you have to teach them first.

In fact, teaching your dog what any particular command means is the first phase of dog training and we simply refer to it as the “Teaching Phase”. Expecting your dog to understand any command without teaching what that command means is just plain unfair.

When it comes to training I always say that training should be “Firm but Fair”. That means that it would be unfair to punish or be upset with a dog for not obeying a command when the dog owner has not taken the time to teach his or her dog what is expected when they use that command.

Obedience training is not just for dogs that compete at dog shows. Obedience training actually established the dog master relationship and builds a huge bond between you and your dog. I actually feel that a dog will always have respect and admiration for the person that takes the time to do the training.

So when do you start training? As soon as you get the dog of course. Puppies are taught the rules for housetraining, crate training, not to chew on you and the furniture as soon as it comes into your home.

Obedience training can start when your pup is 4 months old. In fact, that is the perfect time to start training because at that age their minds are like little sponges and they are eager to learn.

Can you wait and do it later, sure however the longer you wait the more bad habits your dog will learn which always makes training more challenging.

I like to compare it to raising a child. You start teaching a baby right from wrong right away because if you wait until its 10-12 years old you will have a monster on your hands. I know you don’t want a monster for your pet.

So take the time to train your dog so that you will have a lifetime of enjoyment. I like to say “Life with a well-trained dog…priceless”.

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About Wayne: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialists which is headquartered in Nashville, TN but serves clients all over the U.S.. If you have a dog with aggression, behavior problems or simply needs training feel free to contact him.

Wayne has also been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network at www.K9-University.com
Until next time,

P.S. If you have an aggressive dog please be sure to visit www.DogAggressionExperts.com for help…

Please remember we can help you with dog training or problem solving no matter where you are located. In fact we have clients all over the U.S. simply visit www.CanineBehaviorSpecialists.com for more information and the give us a call.