A dog that growls at and/or bites its owner does so for some reason, even if the behavior appears to be "unreasonable" to the owner. If your dog displays aggressive behavior towards you, for the safety and welfare of you, your family and your dog, it’s important to find out why as quickly as possible.

Call your vet right away and schedule an appointment for a complete medical examination. Talk with your vet about testing your dogs hormonal balance, neurophysiologic functions and allergies. The test results may reveal the underlying cause. This has been especially helpful in dogs that have mood swings.

When growling or biting has erupted as a consequence of scolding or punishment for behavior such as chewing, jumping, general unruliness, or overprotection of food, these problems must be dealt with swiftly and firmly to correct the aggression it is initiating.

As the dogs owner, you must understand that your dog growls or bites at you as a result of defensive feelings. Even the dog that growls when ordered off the couch is reacting defensively, as it feels its dominance status has been threatened.

If scolding and punishment provoke aggression, your dog is reacting to a perceived threat to its physical safety. In either of these situations, your own threatening behavior may be producing negative results.

If the results of a medical examination show no signs of a medical condition that would be causing this behavior, you will have to examine your own behavior closely to determine what you are doing to make your dog feel threatened.

But I was extremely surprised how detailed this program actually was after doing a little research on it, so I purchased it. Its a very easy and simple book to follow and gives you tips and tricks you probably would never think of like the whisper method which actually works quite well. This program takes you on a step-by-step process that is incredibly effective and can be implemented very easily. So whether you are a current or new dog owner this program is right up your alley.

Dog training can be trying both physically and mentally to people who try to train a dog on their own, but in fact young dogs need to be taught how to behave properly whether at home or in public. And that old saying that "you cant teach an old dog new tricks" is also wrong from my experience with dogs throughout the years. The Sit Stay Fetch program will help break older dogs of bad habits as well.

The truth is that almost anyone can learn how to train a dog because it all comes back to one core concept, instinct. And the author of this program Daniel Stevens is very experienced in the dog training area. He has an extreme amount of training content that you can research through google and other book stores. Learning how to train a dog isn’t about using any fancy toys, covert hand signals, or silent whistles. It’s all about knowing how your dog thinks of itself and of it’s owners. He teaches how to understand these characteristics in the Sit Stay Fetch Program.

The Sit StayFetch e-book is sectioned into three chapters that cover the unique aspects of having a dog or puppy. The first part is an intro section for first time dog owners or if you are thinking of buying a dog. The second section is for the more experienced dog owner. The last part goes into more detail on the increasingly popular technique of "dog whispering", which I mentioned earlier in this article as well as a little more learning about common and uncommon dog problems and teaching more advanced commands and tricks.

Hurling over jumps, running through tunnels, dodging weave poles, negotiating see-saws - do these sound like things your dog might enjoy? Then your pet might love dog agility training.

Inspired by equestrian events, agility training for dogs started in the late 1970’s in Great Britain. It’s a great sport for both dogs and their owners as the team up to negotiate a course of obstacles and is a true test of your dogs training as he will have to listen to commands in order to run the course.

If you want to start your dog in agility training he must be at least 9 months old to be assured that his growth plates have closed and in order to prevent injury. Your pet with start with dog agility training and must be able to clear the jump heights of his assigned division before he can compete.

He’ll first be put in the ’starter’ division; which is the division for dogs that do not hold agility titles. When he makes it through a round here he earns his ’starter’ title and is now qualified to compete at the advanced agility level. The next title your dog can earn is the "Advanced Title" which he can take when he clears three rounds as judged by 2 different judges.

Once he gets his Advanced Title, he can compete in the masters classes. Earning a "Masters Title" is a bit more difficult and consists of a 6 part qualification process along with three successfully completed games courses.

Although a fun sport for both you and your dog, dog agility training is also a serious competition that is well organized and has many guidelines and regulations. Dogs are placed in divisions based on their size. The mini division consists of dogs between sixteen and twenty-one inches from the shoulder. These dogs have jump heights that are 12, 18 and 24 inches. The larger dogs that measure over twenty one inches at the shoulders are sorted into the open division where they will jump heights of 26, 28 and 30 inches.

Dog agility training competition is a serious and well organized sport with many guidelines and regulations. The two divisions in the competition are based on the dog’s size. A dog between sixteen and twenty-one inches from the shoulder is put in the mini division.

Not every dog can win the coveted "Master" title, but I don’t think they really care because to them the fun is in the sport. Dog agility training is a great way for both man and beast to enjoy a little fun competition as well as each others company.

New dog owners often make mistakes with their dog training techniques and how the whole dog training process is approached. Some mistakes are more common than others and I will cover 10 of them here.

Mistake 1

Do not expect to much from your dog early on. Most people who make this mistake usually mean well and really do love dogs, the problem is that they see other peoples dogs and want their own to be like these other dogs straight away. We all see dogs on our walks and over parks who are enjoying the company of other dogs who are so well behaved and obedient and we all become jealous of them. At this point it is forgotten how much time, patience and money has been put into these dogs to achieve the levels of success that have been achieved.

Mistake 2

Another of the common mistakes which just happens to be opposite to that in number 1 is giving up. Once again the owner means well and starts with all good intentions but unfortunately a lack of patience and the necessary commitment to get the sort after results is just not there. Due to their dog not being able to do handstands or cartwheels inside of an hour they decide that their dog is untrainable and resign themselves to life with an untrained dog.

Mistake 3

Lack of consistency. If you tell your dog that it cannot sit by the table when your have guests for dinner then do not let it sit their when you are eating alone. If you want to succeed in any level of dog training then you must remain consistent.

Mistake 4

Using too little positive reinforcement techniques in the training. A dog has to be rewarded for doing the right thing when it is asked to do it or it will not learn. If you only give your dog a correction when it needs correcting but never reward the good behavior then eventually your dog will start doing the wrong things just to make sure that you give it some of your attention.

Mistake 5

Similar to the previous mistake, do not give too much negative reinforcement. Don’t sit and watch your dog waiting for it to make a mistake and then pounce on it to correct it. By concentrating on looking for the wrong behavior you will miss the times when your dog is acting as it should and therefore will not offer the required reward.

Mistake 6

Stay away from training your dog to do things that it was never supposed to do. A common problem in this area is taking a general purpose dog and trying to turn it into the best hunting dog that ever lived. All you will end up with is a confused and frustrated dog and a big headache. Certain dogs were just not made to do certain things. A Dachshund makes a useless fox hound and would you really try and send a Great Dane into a rabbit warren! Make sure you obtain the sort of dog that you need for the job/life that you have in store for it.

Mistake 7

Following through with the training. A dog loves to learn new things and will continue to learn through repeated and consistent lessons. Remember, if you spend a whole day training your dog and then don’t bother for another couple of weeks you must expect your dog to have forgotten everything you taught it two weeks ago. You have to keep going, so rather than a whole day, give it two hours every other day but consistently.

Mistake 8

Avoid overloading your dog with all manner of different training techniques. Although it is good to have different views on training methods you need to find a few which you feel comfortable with which you can implement otherwise you are going to get confused and therefore be sure that your dog will. Stick with one method until you start to see results, gain confidence in that and continue with similar techniques and you will achieve the success you want.

Mistake 9

Too much apathy. Too often a dog owner is heard saying that they hate the way their dog behaves but that it is too late and cannot be fixed. If you want a change to happen then you can make that change happen. Your dog just needs to know that a change brings a reward with it and keeping to a direct firm approach will reward you with quicker results.

Mistake 10

A dog is never fuller trained. Training is a life long process and will never be completed. Your dog may well have learnt to behave as you want it to behave in all situations that you place it in. Remember, your dog will continue to learn so you need to reinforce the required behavior all of the time otherwise your dog will learn new experiences and behave differently.

It’s time to get your dog trained in a nice dog obedience school if you own a dog that is unruly and extremely naughty. If you see yourself walking your dogs only during at night to keep your pet from other people and dogs so you can manage your dog much better, a dog obedience training is your good recourse. If the litters caused by your dog are just too much for you to handle, take your dog the soonest in dog obedience classes.

Despite the over-giddy behavior of your dog, there is still hope for your little friend to be under dog obedience training. Dog attitudes differ depending on breed types. If you have class a dog breed, the easier it is for your dog to follow orders since these types are easily trained. As for ordinary disobedient dogs, they can become so rowdy and anti-social to the point they bite. Some dogs bark and howl too much which can really be annoying to the entire neighborhood. If your dog is like this and doesn’t even respond when you call his name, expect a lot of trouble on your way.

Basic dog obedience is being taught by expert dog trainers in these dog classes. Dogs are taught here how to sit, stay, heel, and go down. As the training rubs off in the dogs, they will slowly start to recognize you as their owner. As the dog’s master, the trainers will also teach you how to properly communicate with your dog to make him respond to your calls and orders.

With plenty of dog obedience schools around, you would want your dog to have the best training in town. Be sure you thoroughly checked on some training schools you fancy before finally letting your dog step foot on one ideal dog training school you chose.

When inquiring about dog obedience classes, listen to people who have actually enrolled their pups in these schools. Their direct experience will allow you to hear out the real deal about these schools’ training styles. You can also call up training schools and ask them what they can do for your dog. See for yourself if the school passes your expectations. Check also if the trainers they have are truly experts in the field. If the feedback is positive and the training school passes your own criteria, enroll your dog at once. You can always pull your dog out if the training methods seem opposite to what you expected.

It’s also helpful for you to have a little chat with the instructors so you can get tips from them on how to handle your dog. Give it time and you’ll see how good you and your dog will get along sooner or later. That’s how to choose a good obedience school for your dog.

Housetraining the dog is not easy. This requires your patience since this is the hardest part in training a dog. Most of the time, puppies treat every rug or a furniture as a nice place to relieve themselves. Although there are dogs that indicate their need to go to the ‘toilet’ by barking, there are other dogs that simply do it wherever they find most convenient.

To hint that your dog needs nature relief, try reading your dog’s bodily behavior. If your little bud gets fidgety inside the house, it needs to shed off a few of the not so nice stuff that can ruin a carpet or expensive upholstery.

No matter how hard the entire potty training can get, you can still make things easy. You just have to take a few time-consuming steps and do menial work to start off your pee-busting dog training.

First, lay out a newspaper in the front door where you can immediately put your doggie each time you see him about to drop the bomb. You can spot the sign that your dog is in nature’s rush if you see him restlessly going about sniffing a certain spot. This tells you to pick your little friend up and head towards the door where the newspaper is. If you have a very young puppy, better take him outside every other hour since young pups tend to do it more often than the older ones.

a series of paper training allows your dog to have a feel of doing it there, on the paper. So the next time he’s up to it, he will just be heading straight to the door, by himself, doing his own affairs, underneath a bed of newspapers.

Reward your dog with an appreciation pat or a hug for following your orders. This ensures your dog that it is doing what is expected of him to do under your command. A shower of affection makes your dog feel proud for learning what you trained him to do.

If you feel you want to learn more about dog training and other tricks you want your dog to learn, you can always hit the books and find tons of information there. The internet is also a nice place to look up for these things.

Barking is one of the dog’s ways of expressing emotions. You can almost tell from the bark of a dog if it wants to play, or when it is in distress. When dogs sense something wrong or feel a threat coming, dogs bark at once to alarm their owners or scare off probable offenders.

Dogs won’t be dogs if they don’t bark. However, too much dog barking can really be disturbing. To stop your dog from constantly doing this, you can teach your dog to refrain from doing it too much while it is still young.

Dogs also primarily bark when in need of attention. Breeds such as terriers are relatively lively dogs so when they are left unminded, they begin to bark endless. Terriers can be tireless barkers if they feel they don’t have enough play or exercise. When your dog gets to behave like this, better give your pet a warm shoulder to stop its restlessness.

To help stop the barking habit of your dog, understand that they need your attention coupled with a little play and exercise. Don’t just stack your pet in one place and leave it there lonely. Having a pet is like adopting another member of the family that deserves to be treated with care. If you simply can’t make time to attend to a pet, especially a dog, then don’t get one. Dogs too have a need for your loving attention.

In case you’ll be gone for a long time, get your dog accustomed to your leaving and coming back so it will know that you are not abandoning him. Train your dog to get used to your absence gradually until such time your dog gets the idea. When the dog feels secured of you even in your absence, it begins to calm and the barking eventually subsides.

Another tip to ease off your dog’s barking is to give it something to play with. A ball or a chew toy would do to keep your pet busy doing other things instead of barking. Make your pooch preoccupied and amused with something because dogs can bark nasty when they are bored too. Good luck stopping the barking habit in your dog.

Cleaning up is a constant déjà vu and it’s getting into your nerves!

Somehow, your puppy no longer seems cute.

Hold on here. Before you lose your fine home pieces together with your wits, it’s time to learn a thing about a method called housebreaking.

Unlike humans, pets such as cats and dogs treat wherever as a nice big potty. They never care the less where they answer bladder calls. However, by learning housebreaking, you can now train your pooch to adopt potty-training. This is what housebreaking is all about.

Get a load of some facts first before potting training your dog. Here are some:
a. Puppies cannot control taking a pee until they reach the age of 12 weeks old. Start potty training your puppy when they are above this age.
b. Baby pooches offload their bladders for about 6-7 times daily.
c. If you see little pup getting giddy and twitchy all over the place, it’s finding a nice spot to let the thing lose.
d. A meal can stuff your dog’s bladder and colon so better take them outside right after eating a meal.

Now it’s time you start with housebreaking. First, you have to connect with your dog by communicating with him. Strictly and clearly send the message that you don’t want him peeing inside the house. You don’t have to physically beat your dog into following your orders. All you have to do is let your dog understand your no by delivering it in a commanding tone. This especially works when you catch your dog doing it in the act.

Pay attention to your puppy. His uptight movement gives away his need to unload some stuff from within. You can lead him out of the door and find your dog a good habitual spot to do his thing. Acknowledge your dog by obeying your orders and doing it in the place you exactly wanted him to do. You can even let him have a biscuit as a treat.

It also helps if you keep track of your dog’s ‘toilet’ habits. This way, you slowly identify its routine allowing you to promptly take him out until such time your dog develops the habit on his own.

As you give regard to your dog’s positive behavior by way of cuddling up with him or simply giving him a gentle stroking or patting, the more your dog feels eager to please you as his keeper. This way, you grow your command on your dog making him easily give in to your request. I hope you have enjoyed this lesson of effectively housebreaking your puppy.

Once your dog is already trained in housebreaking, you can keep the crate open the entire day for your pup to go in and out when nature calls and for your little friend to have his own corner for sleeping. A dog crate also serves as safe shelter for your puppy each time you leave home. When you are going out, make sure that your dog is not left in the crate for so long as it is hard for your dog to be confined in a small space. Although some believe that putting animals in a lock-in pen is cruel, people do this on the other hand, to ensure their pets’ safety. However, don’t make your pet live its entire life here. Just like humans, dogs also need a wide space area to stretch and move around.

Dogs are actually fond of crates. Dogs took this trait after their ancestral line of wolves. Dogs are descendants of the canis lupus or what we commonly call as a wolf. Wolves during the early days used to live in caves filching food from humans. As years progress, wolves have evolved to live around humans. People took care of these wolves as pets while the wolves in turn looked after their masters’ properties. With these wolves getting domesticated, they gave birth to a new breed that evolved into what we know now as dogs.

Like wolves that used to find dwelling in the comforts of a den, dogs also show being homey whenever they rest in their dog crates. Dogs still need spaces they can recognize as their own. Puppies consider home furniture like piano and table as cozy dens for them to snuggle against. Other parts of the house like the bathroom, an extra room or a laundry room can be your chosen closed quarters for your puppy to sleep and play in. However, these rooms are too large for small puppies to be left in here.

Dog crate training is certainly worth trying in my opinion.

To control this dog biting behavior of your young puppy, see what causes it and focus on treating it. Here are some tips to hold down your puppy’s biting reflexes:

1. Let your baby dog roam around with you. This allows you to socialize your puppy with other people and dogs. This way, your dog becomes sensitive of humans and dogs. It seems cute when your puppy bites but it can be very bothersome and alarming when your dog grows bigger and stronger each day.

2. You have to be constantly rigid in sloughing this habit off your dog. Be sure you give out a strong “NO” when your dog begins to bite. Your dog will hear the urgency in your voice causing him to steer from the behavior. Do this in a casual yet stern manner and your dog will be able to outgrow this habit as your command seeds in him.

3. After correcting your dog’s habit and giving it some few minutes, you may call your dog once again and reconnect your pet ties with him. You can either gently pat your dog or stroke him. Give your dog tummy tickles to establish that connection. Just don’t get your dog too excited as you play with him since they can bite out of the playful rush. Your arms and hands must not be near your dog’s mouth.

If your dog still keeps on biting despite these helpful hints, try to make use of the water spray bottle technique. The objective is to startle your dog with water from the bottle spray. Spray water directly on your dog’s face at the same time telling him off with a strict NO each time he continues to bite. Do this and your message will slowly sink in your puppy.

As you scold your dog, be sure you also praise him in other things he does right. This will keep your pet’s emotional balance in check, so to speak. Give him treats to keep on encouraging your dog’s good behavior. Like a small child, give your dog incentives so your dog will be accustomed to your request knowing he gets to be rewarded.

However, if your dog still seems unruly, seek professional help. They can help you make your dog behave in a way pleasant for you and the community. It is extremely important to maintain dog biting control.