Stubborn Dog Or Misunderstood - A Dog Owner"s Guide to Dog Behavior
Winston Churchill said, "The nose of the bulldog has been slanted backwards so that he can breathe without letting go.
" This quote certainly describes the breed, as well as a defining characteristic of the stubborn dog.
Certain breeds are prone to this character trait such as basset hounds, terriers and bulldogs.
Bulldogs, one of my favorite breeds, can try the patience of the most experienced dog owners with their willfulness and tenacity.
Do you live with a dog that tests you every waking moment?Does he refuse to do anything you ask him to do, yet performs like a champ when he feels like it?Do you spend hours each day repeating commands that seemingly have no effect on him? Does he jump up on the couch right after you ask him to get off, and do it repeatedly? Does he walk away from you, ignore you or turn his back to you when you are speaking to him? If you're shaking your head "um-hum" right now, you probably think you have a stubborn dog.
Or do you? Most people try, they really, really try to get their stubborn dogs to listen and to perform or cease a behavior on command.
The dog's tenacity can quickly wear out his owner, causing them to wave the surrender flag and give up.
If you're waving that flag right now, there is hope.
Willful or stubborn traits do exist in dogs, particularly in the breeds mentioned above, but we have to be careful when assigning this trait to our dog.
During training assessments, we often find that most dogs really aren't stubborn.
Instead, stubborn BEHAVIORS manifest themselves because the dog oDoesn't understand what you want him to do and/or doesn't really know the commands you may think he does.
oDisregards your voice because he is accustomed to being yelled at or talked at too much.
oIs seeking your attention.
oIs motivated by something not yet identified by the owner.
oIs playing a game with you.
In other words, many dogs classified as stubborn, really aren't.
Their behaviors are designed to capture your attention or let you know that the two of you are not communicating in a way he understands.
Most dogs, even the truly stubborn, respond very well to positive training methods.
Positive training means you reward behaviors you like and ignore behaviors you don't like.
Simply put, behaviors that are rewarded are usually repeated, and behaviors that result in a negative consequence, such as not getting your attention, are typically avoided.
Our dog trainers can help you identify the subtleties in behavior that distinguish a stubborn dog from one that is acting out with stubborn behaviors.
And, we'll create a new strategy to identify the root cause of the behavior and motivate him to alter his behavior.
In the rare event that your dog really is stubborn by nature, he'll find that we are pretty tenacious too.
We never give up on a dog and utilize a variety of positive training methods until we find the way to reach him.
© Paws in Training, Inc.
2009
" This quote certainly describes the breed, as well as a defining characteristic of the stubborn dog.
Certain breeds are prone to this character trait such as basset hounds, terriers and bulldogs.
Bulldogs, one of my favorite breeds, can try the patience of the most experienced dog owners with their willfulness and tenacity.
Do you live with a dog that tests you every waking moment?Does he refuse to do anything you ask him to do, yet performs like a champ when he feels like it?Do you spend hours each day repeating commands that seemingly have no effect on him? Does he jump up on the couch right after you ask him to get off, and do it repeatedly? Does he walk away from you, ignore you or turn his back to you when you are speaking to him? If you're shaking your head "um-hum" right now, you probably think you have a stubborn dog.
Or do you? Most people try, they really, really try to get their stubborn dogs to listen and to perform or cease a behavior on command.
The dog's tenacity can quickly wear out his owner, causing them to wave the surrender flag and give up.
If you're waving that flag right now, there is hope.
Willful or stubborn traits do exist in dogs, particularly in the breeds mentioned above, but we have to be careful when assigning this trait to our dog.
During training assessments, we often find that most dogs really aren't stubborn.
Instead, stubborn BEHAVIORS manifest themselves because the dog oDoesn't understand what you want him to do and/or doesn't really know the commands you may think he does.
oDisregards your voice because he is accustomed to being yelled at or talked at too much.
oIs seeking your attention.
oIs motivated by something not yet identified by the owner.
oIs playing a game with you.
In other words, many dogs classified as stubborn, really aren't.
Their behaviors are designed to capture your attention or let you know that the two of you are not communicating in a way he understands.
Most dogs, even the truly stubborn, respond very well to positive training methods.
Positive training means you reward behaviors you like and ignore behaviors you don't like.
Simply put, behaviors that are rewarded are usually repeated, and behaviors that result in a negative consequence, such as not getting your attention, are typically avoided.
Our dog trainers can help you identify the subtleties in behavior that distinguish a stubborn dog from one that is acting out with stubborn behaviors.
And, we'll create a new strategy to identify the root cause of the behavior and motivate him to alter his behavior.
In the rare event that your dog really is stubborn by nature, he'll find that we are pretty tenacious too.
We never give up on a dog and utilize a variety of positive training methods until we find the way to reach him.
© Paws in Training, Inc.
2009
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