How To Keep Your Dog From Behaving Badly

Be proactive and keep your dog from behaving badly in the first place. One of the most important tips that a professional dog trainer will tell his or her students is that good behavior is not just the responsibility of the dog.

The owner must make every effort to avoid giving the dog the ability to engage in bad behavior while they are still learning the ropes. For example, if you notice that your dog likes to chew, it’s important to make sure that everyone in the home puts their shoes behind closed closet doors to remove temptation.

Interrupt bad behavior and show your dog how you want him to behave. Catching your dog in the act is one of the best opportunities for correcting bad behavior. Interruption is a great technique that involves interrupting a bad action by getting your dog’s attention.

Yelling “stop!” in a low pitch voice is usually enough to divert attention to you. At that point, gently show him what you would like him to do instead. And, don’t’ forget to reward the dog for good behavior when he does it!

Be consistent. If you aren’t serious about wanting your dog to perform or stop a specific action, then do not issue the command. Otherwise, you are going to teach your dog that you only mean what you say some of the time. This will lead to confusion on your dog’s part and frustration on yours. It’s much easier to only issue commands that you will enforce.