Learn Typical Dog Behaviors Before Training Begins
Learning typical dog behaviors before you start training a puppy is a good idea for the best possible experience for you both. You want the training experience to be a pleasant one, and one that will bond the two of you, rather than push you apart. Knowing how a dog behaves on its own is important, because you want the dog to be able to engage in those behaviors in an appropriate way, so that neither one of you will become stressed out.
If you try to curb the natural dog behaviors in your pet, you will just upset him and cause him to look for alternative means to act as an outlet for the behavior. You may find that he starts to do destructive things, such as biting and chewing. To avoid this, you need to work with his natural instincts and abilities, and not against them.
Remember, dogs are very territorial animals, and will mark their scent where they’ve been to warn off other dogs. This marking involves urination. This is a much more annoying way of marking territory than the typical rubbing of scent glands that a cat performs. You can still allow your dog to mark his territory and feel secure by teaching him to only do so outside. He can mark the perimeters to the family’s home all he likes, as long as he knows that doing so inside the house is not permitted.
Dogs can also be very enthusiastic when playing, and this is normal, but you want to channel those dog behaviors into something more constructive, such as playing tug of war with an old rug or tossing a chew toy back and forth between you. Otherwise, you’ll find your dog digging holes in your yard and eating your shoes…neither of which will work for you.
Finally, natural dog behaviors involve being pack animals that have a natural pack leader. It is your job to become the pack leader by always being dominant without punishing the dog. Punishing him will just lead him to fear rather than respect you. Take charge, show him who is boss, and be a good leader, and your dog will follow you anywhere.
