Info on Dog Behavior

By Barb Pena

There is so much info out there on dog behavior. It's hard to know fact from fiction. In my experience, dog behavior - good or bad - comes down to who is in charge of the pack and the amount of exercise the dog is getting.

Let's start with exercise. A good dog is a well exercised dog. If a dog has tons of energy but no way to constructively use that energy, you will have problems. A lot of trainers advocate walking, but you will notice that you can walk and walk most dogs and they still have energy to burn. Your goal is to get your dog panting tired. They only get that by running and jumping.

Playing fetch or frisbee is a good way to achieve this goal. A fabulous way that I have found is to buy a rubber horse whip. Tie a small stuffed animal on the end and then have your dog chase it. You can stand in one place and just flip it back and forth and run it really fast over the ground. The dogs love to chase it and can't seem to get enough. Be sure to let them catch it once in a while or it won't be any fun for them. It's a good idea to do this in the morning and evening.

The second factor in dog behavior is who the leader of the pack is. Most dog behavior issues come from the owner not being a good leader and the dog thinks they are in charge. But the good news is that it is easily changed.

Here are some dog behaviors that are frequently displayed if there are leadership issues:

1. Ignores known commands
2. Refuses to lie down on command.
3. Bumps into you or your children.
4. Mounting you or your children.
5. Refuses to give up sleeping areas.
6. Stops eating or chewing when you approach.
7. Staring.
8. Growling.

If your dog is displaying any of the above behaviors, you need to work on establishing yourself as the leader. A few ways to do this is to not leave food out for your dog. Establish regular eating times and stick to them. Be sure that you eat before your dog. Also make your dog work for his food. Require him to sit and stay until you put the food bowl down and release him.

Barb Pena loves her 3 dogs and keeping up on the latest training techniques. Do you want to find out more info on dog behavior and establishing yourself as a pack leader? Do you want to put an end to the stress and annoyance of your dogs problem behavior? Click here to sign up for a free 6 day mini dog training course to get you started. Slash your dog training time in half by using techniques that give you immediate results.