Being a dog owner is much like being a parent. Your dog will look to you for all of his needs and you will need to learn to set limits. You will find that your dog will be very eager to please you so he will look for things that he can do that will please you. You can use this to your advantage and use that as a training technique.
You will want to reward your dog for good behavior so that he will learn what acceptable behavior is and what is not. The important thing to do is to start setting limits as soon as you become the owner of the pet. No matter what pet owner you talk to, you will find that they all love to spoil their pets and that they think of them as children. Dogs, just like children, need to have boundaries and consistency so they will not get into trouble or get hurt. Keep in mind that the limits are set, not to punish your furry friend, but to help keep them safe and from doing things that can potentially harm him.
One of the first limits to set would be to keep your dog from jumping on people. Not everyone loves pets and if you have company over, the last thing they want is to have a dog that will be jumping all over them. Teach your dog that he can get more attention when he sits nice rather than jumping on people. Your dog will learn quickly that if he gets no response from you when he jumps on people, it just isn’t that much fun. Reward your pooch with treats and a happy voice with lots of love when he sits nice and does what is expected of him.
You also want to teach your pooch not to beg for food when someone is eating. Some peephole food can be harmful to dogs. While it is fun to give Fido a treat from your plate, all it does is teaches him to beg at your side when you are eating. If you make it a rule not never give table scraps to your dog, he will not be tempted to beg for people food.
Be firm when your give commands to your dog. DO not yell as that will just make tour dog scared of you and he will be less likely to listen to you. Give a firm, NO, SIT, STAY, or COME command to get your dog to obey you. It is important to teach one command at a time and always reward your dog when he does well. Treats help your dog to learn the commands quickly, so if you stick with your training, you will find that in no time at all, your dog will be the most well behaved pooch on the block. You will see that your dog has more respect for you when limits are set in the right way and he will be very eager to do what is right to make you happy.