Dogs are Smart

Puppies can figure out if they steal something and run under the bed, you can’t reach them. They know if they give you their sad eyes, you will cave in. They know that they are not allowed to jump on the kitchen counters but the food on there is so good! They are smart, they are opportunists and they do what is good for them. They could run the country if they could talk or write!

Stay ahead of your dog

Anticipate what your dog will do, be Prepared for misbehavior, and Consider how you can avoid or correct the problems in the future so they do not become habits. It should be fairly easy to anticipate what your dog is going to do. Before you enter any new situation, think about how your dog will respond and stay ahead of him; be prepared to block or correct his misbehavior somehow. For instance: My dog jumps on people what can I do?You can keep the leash on him and step on it so he can’t jump. But what about if he is off leash? Well, if he is jumping on leash he is certainly going to jump off leash so he is not ready for off leash.

There is no short cut

And, my magic wand is in the shop. You have to practice with your dogs. You must slowly add distractions and you must practice one exercise, master it and then move on and teach more.

Correction & Reward

The correction must stop the misbehavior but you must make sure your dog is not self-rewarding. So, if you say ‘no’ and give him a pop on the leash for stealing your steak, the reward (the steak) was 100 times better than that correction. If you must correct over and over again for the same misbehavior, it is up to you to find the correction level which stops the behavior.

Conclusion:

If you don’t like a certain behavior, make sure you ‘nip it in the bud’ immediately. Don’t allow this behavior to become a habit. Anticipate your dog’s behavior, be prepared to stop or correct him and consider going forward if the dog’s reward for misbehavior was of more value than the need to avoid the correction in the future.