Teach your dog the meaning of the word “NO”

Dogs beg, dogs like to chase, dogs like to greet people with enthusiasm by jumping on them, dogs like to chew on shoes, furniture, carpets … dogs are dogs!

We all love our animals but that does not mean that we love canine misbehavior. Don’t tolerate bad behavior. At the first sign of the animal’s misbehavior issue a command. A firm but convincing “NO” will teach your dog that he is about to overstep his boundaries, and that you are not going to tolerate it. Don’t yell, just be firm and repeat if needed.

As soon as your animal obeys, praise him immediately.

Contrary to some articles that say that the animal should be called by it’s name when his behavior is about to be corrected or some “fun activity” (in his mind) is strictly denied, I say don’t do it. My previous dog was a Rottweiler, and a professional properly trained him. The first thing this trainer told me was to never add the dog’s name in case of misbehavior. If you don’t allow you animal to do what he is about to do, you take away pleasure from him (certainly it’s a pleasure for a Rottweiler to chew up your brand-new pair of 100-Dollar evening shoes, or your computer cables). This is a negative experience for the animal. You are restricting your dog from doing something that he considers fun.

If you want your dog to keep following the command “come”, to which you should add his name, don’t do it. He will sooner or later associate being called by his name with a negative experience, and won’t listen anymore.

Use the dog’s name only when you praise and train him. Yes, train him, that’s correct. Dogs actually like to be trained, they like to learn and please.

Don’t use the dog’s name when or after he did something you don’t approve of or are not going to tolerate. A firm “NO” by itself is efficient. He will get the message - even if you have to repeat it