Train Your Dog And Avoid Spoiled Puppy Behavior

It is important that you not become one of the significant number of dog owners that don't think about the consequences of failing to train your dog. Puppy behavior is largely influenced by human interaction, especially when they are removed from their mother and littermates and are on their own at your home. Training puppies correctly is the first step in avoiding the dreaded Spoiled Dog Syndrome.

Puppy Behavior

Training puppies is a both a science and an art with owners needing to balance making training fun and positive and actually being seen as the alpha leader by the puppy. When owners don't establish that they are the leader, puppies will very naturally assume that they must be. These types of puppies will bark, demand their owner's attention, engage in destructive behaviors when they don't get attention and generally run the household.

Owners can establish that they are the head of the household or alpha leader by being consistent and firm with the puppies. It does not include being aggressive to the puppy or yelling or swatting the puppy. In fact, being the alpha leader means being positive and gentle with the puppy, but also being firm when planning how to train your dog.

Simple steps to ensure you will be seen as the leader include:

• Have the puppy or dog sit before getting food, getting to go outside or getting his or her leash put on to go outside.  
• Do not let the dog go through the door before you, have them sit and wait or stand and wait for you to go first.
• Teach the dog to stay calm when in the house by training the "enough" or "calm" command. This can include gently and firmly holding the dog or puppy until they relax, giving the "calm" command, then give them low key attention when they are acting appropriately.
• Never allow the dog or puppy to growl or act aggressively towards you when you are handling the puppy, during puppy training or when feeding or removing toys from the dog.

Training Puppies

One of the best ways to learn how to train your puppy in a positive and trust building way is to work with a professional dog trainer. If you don't want to hire a trainer on an individual basis, a great idea is an obedience class that is designed particularly for puppy training. These classes are often held at community centers or facilities and are very reasonably priced and typically held in the evening or on weekends. In addition to helping owners understand puppy behavior, these classes will also provide socialization and ideas and tips on how to train your dog.