How Best Can Someone Train a Dog?

If you own a dog or thinking of owning one, it's time you removed those rose-tinted-happily-ever-after glasses and made your peace with the fact that you're bringing home a creature that walks on four legs, is an instinctive digger who uses your shoes and just about everything lying around the house as chew toys, whines and irritates the neighbors when alone at home, uses car tires as lamp posts and makes you feel guilty about not sharing everything that goes in your mouth, with him. In short, dog behavior problems are not that easy to deal with on a daily basis.

Once you've acknowledged and accepted the problem though, there's hope. For starters, there are tons of traits out there that your dog may or may not have. Some of the common dog behavior problems often have known causes that are easy to prevent or resolve as the case may be.

Barking, howling and whining are behaviors that come naturally to all dogs. However excessive barking or howling could be an indication that your dog is excited, attention-seeking, bored or anxious. When this happens, you may play with him, comfort him and do everything you can to resolve your dog's behavior problem, but most importantly, you have to let him know you're not okay with it. Most of the time, a simple 'no' should work. In extreme cases, you may have to hire a trainer.

Other familiar dog behavior problems include chewing, aggression and begging for food. Chewing is most common in teething puppies when chew toys usually do the trick. But sometimes it can be a problem in older animals as well and it's important that you let your dog know that it's not acceptable behavior. Be firm and correct him without using force.

Usually, silent treatment works wonders with dogs. Begging is another habit that has to be nipped in the bud before it becomes a full blown dog behavior problem that embarrasses you before your guests and does not let you eat a meal with the family in peace. Showing the dog that the dining area is off limits from the start, would be a good idea. Dogs are brilliant actors and know exactly how to get what they want when you're snacking. Don't fall for it!

And lastly, aggression - if your dog snarls, bares his teeth and threatens to bite, it most often just means that he's feeling threatened. But this needs to be checked early on as aggression could be due to family history irrespective of the breed. Taking your dog to the vet would be a good place to start. In case of serious aggressive behavior, your dog will require serious training in order to protect the people around.

There are heaps upon heaps of dog behavior problems out there, but most of them just require tough love from your end. Consider it your investment in years of quality companionship.

For Free methods on how to train your dog go to: Dog Training Tips