The Key To A Well-Behaved Dog Is To Become A Role Model Yourself

It has always amazed me how dogs are so closely related to their ancestors, the wolf, and still, to this day, display a natural instinct to live and participate within a family “pack”.

Teamwork and partnerships are the natural order in which canines think. A good analogy to explain this better is to observe the way a sports team all works together to accomplish the same goal of winning. Your dog is the same way and looks at you and the rest of his family as part of his “team”. He counts on everyone of you in the house to teach him how to behave, understand the rules, and above all, help him survive.

In order for your “family team” to be successful, everyone in the house, especially the dog, must adhere to specific rules, characteristics, and respect. Such examples would include discipline structure, a common way of behaving amongst everyone in the house, and most importantly, respect between your dog and its owners (you and the family). Without these things, there would be total chaos for your pet and he would not have a clue as to who was the leader and how he should behave.

Just like children, dogs and puppies need to be confident in whomever is in charge and giving them direction. Not only is this important for obedience and having a well-behaved dog in the house, but it also gives the animal a sense of belonging. In terms of who should be the “leader” of the pack, it really doesn’t matter to your dog, he just needs to be secure that one of you is in charge, for a better sense of his own security.

You Might Be Wondering “How will my dog know who is in charge since there are so many people in the house?”
This is an excellent question for those households with a lot of family members living inside. Amazingly enough, your dog will pick up on the natural order of things. Without being taught, your dog will come to understand the specific hierarchy amongst the family members. And what’s more, should you (as the leader) are ever away from the house, your dog will still respect and obey the other members of the family in your absence, just as he would with you.

To Keep Your Dog Well-Behaved, Never Slack On The Rules
At this point it should be clear to you that all dogs must have order and respect in the house, between all members of the family, in order to keep them disciplined. Consider how poorly your children would behave if they had no parents as role models to keep them in check. Without someone enforcing the rules, which does happen often in some households, kids end up with an incredible amount of behavior issues.

The same can happen to your dog if he does not recognize the family as a team and is missing a sense of “who is in charge”. And trust me, dogs whom are raised in this type of environment can grow up to have extremely negative obedience problems. The key is to have everyone in your family all agree on treating the dog the same way, between everyone in the household. This will ensure that your dog lives a life of happiness, security, and good behavior.

About the Author

Daniel Waser is a dog lover since his childhood and currently owns two dogs. Visit his website for more information about dog health care or get his free dog training tips.

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Ways To Prevent Your Dog From Unwanted Urination

Problems with inappropriate urination are some of the most commonly encountered by dog owners.  As a matter of fact, inappropriate urination and defecation is the most frequently cited reason that owners surrender their animals to shelters.

Before you can address problems with inappropriate urination, it is important to understand the basis of the problem.   There are several reasons why dogs lose control of their bladders, and it is important to know the root cause of the problem before it can be properly addressed.

Problem #1 - Excitement Urination

Dogs often urinate when they become overly excited, and dogs that are otherwise perfectly housebroken sometimes show their excitement by dribbling urine when greeting you excitedly.  It is normal for some dogs to urinate when they get excited, and this can be a particular problem for many older dogs.

A lot of excitement induced urination occurs in young puppies, and it is caused by a lack of bladder control.  The puppy may not even know he is urinating, and punishment will simply confuse him.  Becoming angry with the puppy will quickly cause excitement urination to morph into submissive urination, thus compounding the problem.  As the puppy gets older and develops better bladder control, this type of excitement urination should disappear.

The best cure for excitement urination is prevention.  Preventing your dog from becoming over excited is the best way to control this problem behavior.  If your dog is excited by a particular stimulus or situation, it is important to repeatedly expose him to that situation until it no longer causes excessive excitement.

Problem #2 - Submissive Urination

Submissive urination is a natural part of pack behavior among animals like dogs and wolves.  The submissive member of the pack shows his or her submissiveness by lowering itself and urinating.  Since dogs are pack animals, they may show their submissiveness to their owner, who they regard as the pack leader, by exhibiting this submissive urination.

Dogs who exhibit submissive urination are usually showing their insecurity.  Unsocial zed and previously abused dogs often exhibit submissive urination.  These dogs need to be shown that there are more appropriate ways to express their submissive status, such as shaking hands or licking the owner’s hand.

The best way to deal with submissive urination problems is often to ignore the urination.  Trying to reassure the dog can give the mistaken impression that you approve of the behavior, while scolding the dog can make the submissive urination worse.

Correcting problems with submissive urination should be directed at building the dog’s confidence and teaching him other ways to show his respect.  Teaching the dog to lift his paw, sit on command, or similar obedience commands, is a great way to direct the dog’s respect in a more appropriate direction.

Problems with urination are not always easy to deal with, but it is important to be consistent, and to always reward acceptable behavior on the part of the dog.  When urination problems do occur, it is always a good idea to first rule out any medical conditions that could be causing those problems.  Medical issues like bladder infections can be the root cause of problems with unwanted urination.

After any medical problems have been ruled out, it is important to determine what is causing the problem, and treat it appropriately.  While it can be tempting to punish the dog for inappropriate elimination, doing so will only confuse and further intimidate him.

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