There are 5 steps to a great behaved dog! Training, exercise, free choice
food, discipline, and space.
Training.. Get a trainer! Or at the very least, get some dog whisperer
videos! He really does know what he is talking about!
Exercise.. Dogs do get pent up energy that does need to be spent! They get
into trouble if they have too much built up energy. A dog should get tired
out once in awhile! A tired dog is a well behaved dog.
Free choice food... A hungry dog will get edgy! With all of our dogs, we
would have some major problems if we limited their food! They should have
free choice food at all times, unless in training, at which time it should
only be taken away at night.
Discipline... Dogs are descended from wolves! They all are! They do need to
know their place, and who is the leader, or they will take on that role
themselves. A great method is if a puppy growls or acts aggressive, to grab
the puppy, put it on it's back, yell NO! Hold it down until it submits. This
is what the puppy's mother would do. It is a language that the puppy
understands.
Space.. A puppy needs a place to be by itself once in awhile.. Sometimes it
needs to be put in it's own space for a time out. When I was a kid, we got a
puppy that was just too cute for words! We pestered him and bugged him
constantly! He rebelled against too much attention, and almost became wild!
We learned, and he grew up to be an excellent dog! Also.. A dog is a dog,
and should learn that it cannot be with the family constantly. A room or a
crate to have some space & time alone is very good. NOTE: We do not encourage anyone to keep a dog away from the family at all times! Only sometimes! There is a line.
