Tips for Raising a Well-Mannered Dog

All you really need to know about raising a well-mannered dog can be summed up in one statement: Your dog thrives on your positive attention. Yes, your dog might have a dog door to go outside while you have to turn a handle, but, in the eyes of your pup, you’re the pack leader, and your positive attention is the goal for the day—every day.

Be the Leader

Dogs are pack animals and, as far as they are concerned, so are you. They follow your lead, but they don’t do well with punishment, and it isn’t necessary. All you need to do to let your dog know you are displeased is remove the attention. When your dog jumps on you or acts out to get your attention, turn your back. When your dog behaves in an appropriate manner, lavish the attention on him or her.

Give Reminders

You may have seen such greats as Caesar Milan tapping a dog’s hind quarters with his foot. This isn’t meant to be a punishment, but a redirection of attention. Never hit your dog or berate him or her. All this does is create anxiety and distrust. At the same time, don’t forget to remind your dog when the behaviour is appropriate, by offering rewards, even if it’s an old behaviour. When training your pup, give the rewards fast and frequently. Once your pup has the system down, you can taper off the rewards.

This method will result in a healthy, happy dog that has good manners for no other reason than to please you. Of course, you don’t have to be around all the time. In fact, it does your pet good to have some independence, which comes from things like being able to come and go through a pet door.