While pet owners would prefer their dog's bark be worse than his bite, constant barking can be particularly biting to the ears-and patience. A dog that jumps up on people, is too aggressive, or does not come when called can be difficult to live with as well. That's why experts say behavioral training is so important-and that lasting training isn't about treats or physical punishment. It's about understanding the way our furry friends think and communicating in a way that establishes the owner as top dog.
Dogs are pack animals. They have a specific way of interacting, which includes an instinctual manner of communication. Learning how to communicate effectively with your dog in a language he understands is the first step toward establishing leadership and control. Sylvia and Danny Wilson, the Australian founders of Bark Busters, the world's largest dog training company, are pioneers in animal behavior and developed a natural training technique that uses the same communication methods-body language and voice control-that dogs follow as part of their instinctual pack mentality. This method can effectively train any dog in about two to three hours, with a dog owner's commitment to reinforce the training 15 minutes per day for a few weeks to ensure the learning becomes permanent. Puppies instinctively respond to voice tones and body language; therefore, their learning curve is accelerated using Bark Busters' natural training techniques.
Understanding a few simple guidelines can help you establish leadership and help control a misbehaving dog:
- Dogs crave good leadership. If they don't get it from their owner, they'll take charge. That leads to bad behaviors such as barking, jumping, aggression and pulling on the leash-each examples of the dog taking charge. Dogs will challenge for leadership in the home. The owner needs to win all challenges to demonstrate leadership.
- There are several ways to establish leadership. First, ignore all requests from your dog, such as nudges to be petted, or played with. To do so, break eye contact. Then, when your dog has "given up," call him back to you to be petted or to play. When he responds to you, versus you to him, he sees you as the leader. If he misbehaves, such as chewing on a child's toy, correct his behavior with a calm, low-toned growl. As soon as he stops, offer pleasant, high-toned praise. He will understand his mistake and respect you as his leader.
- In the wild the leader always leads the pack-literally. Establish your leadership by always leading your dog-up and down stairs, through doorways, and especially on walks. Remember, the leader always leads.
This training method works with any dog, regardless of issue, age or breed! Bark Busters' natural, non-physical method has been used to successfully train more than 500,000 dogs worldwide.