Dog Obedience Training Stops The Beginnings Of A Problem Dog

The personality of the canine develops radically between the ages of eight and sixteen weeks. As far as how a family dog will actually turn out to be behavior-wise is largely decided by what kind of environment the puppy is living in at this important stage in his life.

When you first bring an eight week old puppy into the house, they are practically coming in with a mind like a blank slate. Whatever is written on that chalkboard will determine the personality and character of the puppy. Unfortunately, it is purely a lack of knowledge on the part of the dog owner that is responsible for what later turns out to be a “problem dog”.

Your Pet Is Not Born With Bad Dog Behavior

No dog is born being problematic, however they can become that way if there is a lack of training or their environment may encourage or lead to problems. The responsibility rests solely and squarely upon the shoulders of the person who owns the dog. You should provide your dog with dog obedience training.

The majority of puppy obedience classes will not let a puppy in the class until it is older than six months. This is quite understandable since most trainers know that the average dog owner just doesn’t have the necessary patience to cope with puppy training. It is a sad fact that once a dog is up to six months old it may already be seen as a “problem dog”. You are responsible for any dog behavior problems. Dog obedience training may or may not help but in too many cases, it does not, as by that age it is too late.

There are many disappointing tales of disasterous training and lack of understanding of what has to happen. One example pertains to owners requesting that their standard Schnauzer be put sleep. Every member of the family had been the recipient of at least one serious bite from the dog. The dog was only eight months old, still a puppy as far as dog trainers’ are concerned. The first incident of biting happened when the puppy was only 12 weeks old, the last came at eight months old. In the meantime, the biting only became worse, however no one in the family had it in them to discipline the dog in the correct manner. They overly “loved” the dog and assumed it would be seen as harsh to discipline the dog. Kindness that is mistaken can be a harsh and unecessary cruelty yet the dog owner bears the sole responsibility.

The natural instinct of the canine is to try and assume dominance within the pack. The pack in this case is you and your family. The fact that it will test you periodically and try to assume control does not mean that it doesn’t love you. It doesn’t mean you are not respected by it either. If you are permissive and weak, allowing it to achieve dominance, its love and respect for you will quickly wane. You then become inferior in your dogs eyes and will be owned by your dog,therefore suffering the consequences. Understanding your dog is one of the secrets to dog training. Start training as early as possible so your dog does not turn into a problem dog.