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How To Train Your Dog - Main Principles

The dog owner, and not the dog, must always be the leader of the pack. YOU are the boss, not the dog. Like fire, a dog is a good servant but a bad master.

The owner must have calm assertive energy at all times. If the owner is calm, the dog will be calm, if you are nervous and insecure, your dog will sense that and be nervous and insecure as well or try to take advantage of this weakness in order to dominate.

A dog is more adept at picking up the emotional state of humans than humans are at picking up a dog's emotional state. A dog will sense straight away if you are afraid, tense or nervous; on the other hand, a human may often fail to realize that a dog's aggression is really coming from insecurity, fear and low self-esteem.

Like the dog, the owner must be in the present moment. If the dog is misbehaving in any way i.e. is overly aggressive, don't anticipate continued aggression. For dogs, each moment is a new beginning and they will respond accordingly to your behavior and energy at each particular moment.

For your dog to change, you as an owner, must change first.

Dogs, especially working breeds, need to be given regular vigorous exercise or have a regular daily job (i.e. pulling a cart, searching or sniffing out objects). This is to use up excess nervous energy that can become destructive.

In the case of disturbed dogs with low self-esteem, it is a good idea to introduce them into a large pack of other dogs of all breeds in order for the dogs to regain their lost self-esteem and re-learn how to be a dog and to do what comes naturally, largely free of human interference.

Every dog, no matter how big it is, must be the lowest member in the pecking order below all the other members of the family, even babies.

Try to nip any bad behavior in the bud before it has a chance to escalate. The timing of your corrections has to be right for them to be successful.

Never punish your dog, cause it pain or shout at it aggressively. Just correct any bad behavior in a calm assertive way as soon as it appears and do not give in until the dog has learned.

It is important for building a successful relationship, to show daily affection to your dog and engage in regular daily exercise with him.

Learn more about this author, Maximillion Mango-Chutney.
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