New dog owners are bound to have a lot of dog behavior questions. Oftentimes, the fear of doing the wrong thing keeps a new dog owner from correcting or understanding bad behavior. Here are a two of the most frequently asked questions.
How Can I Be "The Boss"?
When you bring a dog into a family, he will look for a leader. If none is evident, his instinct tells him to step into the role. To prevent this, everyone in the family must understand what behaviors are not allowed, and correct the dog when he makes them. With consistent, gentle correction, the puppy learns who makes the rules, and that he must follow them.
How Do I Stop The Jumping?
When puppies are little, they will tend to jump up in order to get closer to a person's face; this is a sign of affection. If not corrected early, a dog will continue this practice and become an annoyance. To correct him, raise your knee and nudge him in the chest to bump him off balance every time he jumps up at you. At the same time, give a command of "No" in a strong, deep voice. The dog will learn jumping up is unacceptable behavior so long as all family members are consistent in correcting him.
Consistency is the key to correcting unacceptable behaviors in your new dog. This will better help him learn and adapt to rules.