Dog Quote: Oh, that dog! Ever hear of a German shepherd that bites its nails? Barks with a lisp? You say, "Attack!" And he has one. All he does is piddle. He's nothing but a fur-covered kidney that barks. ....Phillis Diller

Training your dog to not pull on the leash

One of the most common problems people have with their dogs is pulling on the leash. There are many reasons why this can occur, and quite often it is nothing more than excitement on the dogs part. If this is the case, allowing the dog a few minutes to simmer down before taking it on his/her walk can often stop it.

Once again, the dogs pack mentality can come to play with the dog assuming leadership over its owner as the leader of the pack. This comes back to the basics of dog training where the dog must be aware of who the master is.

Failure to get this basic dog training technique under control can lead to all sorts of problems, particularly if the dog gets off the leash. In the presence of other dogs, and sometimes young children this problem becomes pronounced.

One of the basics of dog training is for the owner to establish him or herself as the leader of the pack otherwise no training can be effective.

Once this has been established you can start the process of getting your dog to walk calmly beside you with or without a leash. And that process can only start if you are able to get your dog to sit calmly while you put the leash around its neck. That is the very first step of training your dog to walk without pulling in its leash.

Once you succeed in that task, you can move on to the next step where you can get your dog to walk beside you without a leash and be assured that he/she won't run away.

And from there you will not be one of those people where the dog is taking them for a walk.

Stop Your Dog Jumping on People

Dog Quote: They have dog food for constipated dogs. If your dog is constipated, why screw up a good thing? Stay indoors and let 'em bloat! ....David Letterman

Jumping on People

No matter how much we might enjoy our pet jumping up to greet us, there are many people who dislike having a strange dog coming up and jumping on them. For many people it can be a frightening experience as not everyone is a dog lover.

Besides that, many people just don't want dirty paw marks over their clothing.

It can also create major problems if a large dog were to jump up on a child or an elderly person.

Dogs will generally jump up on people because they are overly excited and pleased to see them - even if that person is a stranger.

Many people inadvertently encourage this behavior by rewarding the dog with attention after the dog has jumped up on them. The dog then seeks similar reward from other people whether they like it or not.

This is detrimental to the proper training of the dog and all members of the family must realize that they're doing more harm than good by encouraging their dog to jump up on people.

Consistency is important in all forms of dog training, where members of the dog's family will need to exercise discipline and accept that training will be all the more difficult if the dog is allowed to continue with this behavior.

Failure to do so will lead to confusion with the pet not knowing what is right or wrong.

An alternative to having your dog jump up on you and other people is to teach it to sit and lift it's paw when greeting you for a handshake or similar tricks where the dog will be rewarded with attention.