Sit... stay... heel... come! We know you want a well-behaved dog! And well-behaved dogs are happier, too, because it's easier for them to be part of the family.

	A Tired Dog is a Tired Dog
	If you need to change a behavior a dog is doing because of genetic heritage, your best chance is to channel that behavior into a similarly satisfying outlet for the dog’s instinctive urge.
	Adolescence: The Teenage Dog
	The adolescent dog, like the adolescent—or teenage—human, has an immature brain in a body that’s nearly the size of an adult. The maturing process happening in the dog resembles the human teenager in several ways, and your dog needs similar guidance during this difficult life stage.
	Agility
	Patterned after horse show jumping, agility courses are made up of obstacles the dog and handler negotiate together. Winning and placing in competition, as well as earning agility titles, depends both on correct execution of the obstacles and on the time it takes to complete the course.
	Alpha or Leader?
	There are similarities in good and bad leaders of dog packs and humans. The same qualities that make a good human leader make a good dog leader. But since dogs have different needs, those qualities will be expressed differently when a human leads dogs than when a human leads other humans.
	Backing Up and How the Skill Benefits Dogs
	Some dogs figure out how to take backward steps on their own, without thinking. Other dogs, for whatever reasons, don’t seem to make these movements.
	Backyard Hazards
	If you want to consider leaving your dog outside without your supervision—even inside a fence—please research the physical hazards beforehand, along with considering the behavior risks. Many things you can do will reduce the risks, once you know them.
	Basics of Dog Training (7)
	Bed or Crate?
	You are bringing home a dog soon, and this new family member will need a place to sleep. Looking through the huge variety of beds and crates available for dogs, how do you pick the best one?
	Before the New Baby Comes Home
	Decide how your house will be arranged to manage the care of a baby and a dog. Keep in mind the rule on which experts agree: no child under school age should ever be left alone with any dog, for even one second. Set up barriers that will keep your dog in or out of specific rooms.
	Begging
	Dogs beg because people make beggars of them! When a behavior works, a smart individual keeps using that behavior, and dogs are smart. To get your dog to stop begging, simply stop all the humans from responding to the begging by giving the dog food. That may be harder than you think!
	Behavior Specialists and Dog Trainers
	There are good and bad training classes. Ask your veterinarian, groomer and people in your community with well-trained dogs about classes to consider. Go and observe any class without your dog before signing up for it. Before, during or after you take your dog to training classes, you may need or want to use the services of a dog trainer or behavior specialist.
	Body Language between Humans and Dogs
	Reading your dog’s body language is never possible to do with 100% accuracy. Compare this to humans, though. We don’t even come close to being able to read all the body language of another human. Nor do we fully understand another human’s words, even when we speak their language!
	Bonding with Your Dog
	People often insist that the new dog they adopt must come to them in puppyhood in order to bond with the family. What people don't understand, though, is that the human in the puppy's early life does not have to be you. It's the ABILITY to bond that is formed through this early experience. Dogs routinely form new bonds with humans at all stages of life.
	Car Rides
	Carsickness is only one of the problems for dogs riding in a car. Some dogs leap all over the car, some create noise that impairs safe driving. Aggression toward people through car windows is dangerous. In most cases, transporting your dog in a car can be done safely and sanely if you take some basic precautions.
	Carsick Puppies
	Lots of puppies get carsick in moving cars, but fewer adult dogs. We need our dogs to be able to ride comfortably in cars, and no one enjoys cleaning vomit. If you have a carsick puppy, let’s look at ways to minimize stress and mess, both now and when the pup is older.
	Chihuahua Facts and Fictions
	One dog expert jokingly said the Chihuahua would be a dangerous breed if large. There is some truth to this. These extremely popular toy dogs can have marvelous temperaments or they can be not nice.
	Clicker Training
	In its purest form, clicker training uses only positive reinforcement, based on research about operant learning theory. Practitioners argue about the terminology, but it is not necessary to understand all the terms in order to successfully use these techniques in training a dog.
	Collars, Leashes, Electronics, & Equipment (8)
	Controlling Barking (3)
	Cookie Hunt
	Exercise, training, fun, reward and a wonderful chance to observe and learn about your dog all come together in the cookie hunt game. Watching your dog play the game gives you a peek at how your dog perceives the world, and also an opportunity to observe dog body language. It’s quick, easy, and in many cases will work with multiple dogs at the same time.
	Crate Confinement: Is It a Good Choice for Your Dog?
	The use of a crate with a dog is so common that we may automatically assume it’s a good tool for all dogs. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn’t.
	Critters Your Dog Wants to Chase
	Flying insects, squirrels, cats, snakes, gophers and all sorts of other domesticated and wild creatures can become targets for “crittering” dogs. Some dogs remain calm with the cat in the house and go nuts chasing cats outside—including the cat from inside. Dogs have savaged livestock belonging to neighbors, and are often worse predators on livestock than wild animals are. It’s important to understand that a dog has no way of equating killing with the moral judgments put on it by humans.
	Daily Dog Duties
	What do dogs need from their people on a daily basis? This will vary by breed, age, health, training, and the facilities you have for your dog. Thinking ahead about these “dog days” will surely help when choosing the dog best for you.
	Disobedience (1)
	Disobedient Dog?
	“My dog doesn’t listen!” “When I say ‘come,’ she runs the other way!” “He comes in from a walk and sneaks out of the room to poop where we can’t see!” Are these dogs disobedient? Defiant? Stubborn?
	Doorbell Excitement
	What happens at your house when the doorbell rings? If you have a dog, chances are the sound of the bell is joined by the sound of barking. The dog may make a mad scramble to the door.
	Draft and Carting Tests
	Draft and carting tests are non-competitive, and every precaution is taken to make them safe for the dogs. Most actual cart-pulling by dogs these days happens in public settings such as parades, so test rules specifically state that carts can be decorated.
	Exercise - Why Dogs Need It
	A dog whose exercise needs are met may rest more calmly at home and be less fretful when left alone. The modern dog-management mantra of “A good dog is a tired dog” is gospel to many people. Exercise can improve bone and joint health. Heart and lung function can improve.
	Exercise for Special Dogs
	Healthy exercise engages the brain as well as the body. With goals in mind of the behavior you need from your dog, exercise adds zest to learning, while learning adds meaning and interest to the exercise. Combining the two will also allow you to greatly reduce the risk of injuries.
	Exercising Your Dog when You Have Physical Limitations
	If you have physical limitations, either temporarily or permanently, how can you provide your dog with a healthy level of exercise? One basic rule will help you: exercise the mind along with the body.
	Eye Contact
	Teaching your dog to give you eye contact is a special training skill. Eye contact is the fastest, easiest, and for many dogs the most humane way to develop training finesse.
	Feeding Multiple Dogs at the Same Time
	A dog who has had to defend food from another animal may start defending it from humans, resulting in dog bites. Dogs who would never start fighting with each other for any other reason will often start over food. Too often, the fighting among the dogs extends to other situations if the humans don’t act quickly enough.
	Feeding Time
	It's best to feed at least two meals a day, and to have the dog promptly eat the food. In households with more than one dog, it's best not to let them get into each other's dishes during meals. Your dogs may have cheerfully shared a dish for years, but the slightest change can upset this delicate balance and lead to the bloodbath of the century.
	Fireworks Phobia
	Fireworks can turn holidays such as the Fourth of July and New Year's Eve into miserable nights for dogs. To some extent this fear is genetic, but it's also learned. Dogs bred and trained to flush and retrieve game for a gunner cope well with these noises, as do police dogs. Some dogs aren't capable of a comfort level with fireworks, but a lot can be done to make this fear less of a problem for any dog.
	Getting Your Dog's Attention (6)
	The ability to get, and keep, your dog's attention is critical for being able to train him or her.
	Grooming: How It Affects Your Dog's Behavior
	Good grooming conditions dogs to the handling that is so precious in our relationships with them. The natural reaction to being touched is defensive. We learn-and so do our dogs-to enjoy touch only when we have the right experiences with it. Puppies who are cuddled get the right start.
	Growling, Jumping, and Nipping
	These owners have a 1-year old retriever mix they got 3 months ago. The dog jumps on people she meets, gets mouthy and nips, and growls sometimes when they approach her. What approach that's different from what the owners are doing would help?
	Guarding the Car
	The dog who barks, snarls, growls, lunges and snaps at anyone approaching the car is such a hazard that soon you'll find yourself having to leave the dog at home. For necessary car trips the dog will require crating, which allows the dog to make a huge amount of noise to distract your driving, but doesn't allow the dog to protect you.
	Habits
	Why do you do the things you do? Do you know? Are you sure?
	Head Halter
	The head halter is a popular tool for good reason. Some otherwise difficult behavior problems respond to the use of a head halter with ease. An immediate improvement in safety enables the handler to focus on solving the problem. Out-of-control dogs may relax and begin to learn. Though it’s not the right tool for all situations, the head halter is ideal for some.
	Hit by Car
	When a dog gets hit by a car, everyone feels awful. We need to keep dogs out of the street in the first place. People often ask how to teach a dog to come when called once the dog is running loose in the neighborhood. That is the wrong question. A dog getting loose one time is understandable. When it’s obvious the dog is going to try it, the task is to stop the dog from getting loose again.
	Holiday Travel Planning: Dogs Coming, Going, or Staying
	Whether you're traveling with or without your dog, boarding your dog or bringing in a petsitter, or expecting company at your home for the holidays, a little preparation can go a long way towards making your holidays safe and calm for you and your dog.
	Housetraining a Urine Marking Male Dog
	Urine marking is a normal, instinctive dog behavior, mostly in males but also sometimes in females. Like a lot of other natural dog behaviors, we need to modify it as one of the fascinating ways that humans and dogs learn to cooperate for rewarding lives together.
	If You Chase Him, He Will Run
	Punishing a dog for running from you is one surefire way to make sure he's even harder to catch the next time. The No. 1 rule of catching a loose dog: Never punish a dog for running away, and never, ever punish a dog for coming to you.
	Jumping Up On People
	How many dogs have been relegated to back-yard living because they jump all over family and guests whenever anyone walks through the door? Then when someone goes out to visit the lonesome dog, the jumping is worse because the dog is even more excited to see someone. Only now the dog is dirty, too. Not good!
	Keeping a Dog OFF the Furniture
	If you want to keep your dogs off the furniture, your best bet is to start every puppy and new dog in your home with "off the furniture" as the consistent rule.
	Lost and Found Dogs
	A lost dog is an emergency. People may get complacent when a dog has been out before and come back, but it’s not safe to count on that happening again. Acting quickly can prevent losing your dog, save your dog’s life, and in some cases save you a lot of money. It’s an emergency.
	Love and Affection with Your Dog
	Words can be wonderful, but they can also cause people to become terribly confused. Nowhere is this truer than in human relationships with dogs.
	Moving with Your Dog
	Animal-shelter workers' hearts are broken regularly when people give up dogs for the reason "Moving, can't take dog." Dogs are highly adaptable. It's quite possible to meet a dog's needs and live happily together in a home very different from the home you shared before.
	No and How Your Dog Understands the Word
	The word “no,” like any other word, carries to your dog the meaning it has occupied in the dog’s life, as part of the dog’s history. You might as well say “Gurp” or whatever other odd sound you can spell with letters, for the entire actual meaning no” as a word has to a dog. Whatever sound you utter, the tone of your voice and the body movements you make at the same time will affect how your dog perceives the sound, just as it does with humans.
	Off Leash or On Leash?
	Do dogs need to run free? When should a dog be on a leash, and when is it appropriate for the dog to be off the leash?
	Patterns of Behavior for Safety
	You can greatly reduce dangers to your dog and to people around your dog by establishing patterns in how you handle the dog every day.
	Picky Eaters
	Getting a dog to eat is one of the most complicated management, health care, behavior modification, training, and communication tasks you’ll ever do with a dog. If you’ve been through this, you’ve surely learned a thing or two. You’ll also have discovered what a lot of time this can take out of your day.
	Potty Areas
	The first place to take your new puppy or dog when you come home together is the spot you want your dog to use for potty purposes. This means you'll decide in advance where that will be, and make the necessary preparations. Having all in place right from the start helps the dog to form the desired habits as quickly as possible with the least confusion.
	Pulling on a Leash (9)
	Puppy Kindergarten
	Puppy kindergarten can give you and your pup a great start together. People with limited dog experience benefit tremendously from well-run puppy classes, where instructors explain the mysteries of puppy behavior and teach handling skills. Unlike training classes for adult dogs, puppy classes tend to include instructions in issues such as housetraining and other management.
	Pushy Dogs
	Do you find some dogs pushy? When people use the word “pushy” to describe a dog, it usually means some of that dog’s behavior seems to them to be annoying or even offensive. But what is this quality in a dog? Is it a defect of character? Many dogs were bred to take initiative.
	Ramp Training
	A small dog jumping off a bed or sofa risks injury at any age. Puppies have undeveloped bones, joints and muscles that put them at risk of injury and permanent damage. Hip dysplasia, knee injuries, back problems, and shoulder issues are some of the conditions that can make either jumping up or jumping down harmful to a dog of any size. A ramp can also spare your back.
	Restricted Activity: How to Keep an Active Dog Calm
	Something has happened to your dog. Surgery, injury or illness has made it necessary to keep your dog on restricted activity. What is restricted activity? And how do you manage to do it?
	Retrieving in Play
	Retrieving is the best game to play with your dog. It's also both one of the most sophisticated and at the same time valuable things you and your dog can learn together. It's well worth your time, and it's fun, too.
	Rewards and Motivators for Your Dog
	Rewards that one dog finds motivating, another dog may find boring—or even unpleasant. Teaching when your dog feels motivated is easier on both you and the dog. Developing rewards that motivate your dog to learn can be considered the most important part of training.
	Roaming Dogs
	What happens when a dog roams? A dog running loose will eventually run into trouble, often to the owner’s surprise.
	Roughhousing with Dogs
	What effect does human roughhousing have on the future behavior of a dog? When is roughhousing a positive thing, and when is it not? What do you want for your own dog?
	Runaway Airedale - Recalls and Pinch Collars
	A young Airedale failed to obey the "come" command in an emergency. How can his owners keep him safe?
	Safety
	To keep the family dog safe requires looking at the world with different eyes. A number of precautions in how you train your dog, train the humans who share your home, and manage the dog's environment will be lifesavers.
	Scavenging Outdoors
	Dogs are scavengers by nature, taking treats where they can find them. It's impossible to explain to a dog that eating a particular item could cause injury or death. As a result, it has become a human responsibility to protect dogs from foraging instincts that might have been useful in the wild but can be deadly to companion dogs.
	Senior Dogs
	Senior dogs are the best. They know you well, you know them well, they are smart and seasoned and worth their weight in gold. They’re also worth special care to keep them well and happy for as long as possible.
	Settle
	The settle exercise calls for the dog to lie down on the cue word and/or signal. It’s easily taught and helps in teaching the dog to stay, as well as helping to establish your leadership without harshness.
	Sleeping on the Bed
	Dog trainers and behavior specialists usually recommend that dogs should not sleep on beds in most households. Yet more often than not, people take it as a given that the dog will sleep on the bed, and in many cases it's fine. How do you know which is best for your family and your dog?
	Socializing Dogs to People
	Ideally every puppy would receive a good foundation of experiences for the ability to cope with all kinds of people as an adult dog. Even if the genetics for temperament in your pup are not the best, or your pup has a bad experience when young, a good foundation of social experiences will give the best chance for a dog to have good social skills. If your puppy comes from two temperamentally-sound parents and is lucky enough to avoid any traumatic experiences with humans during formative months, you might never see problems from lack of good early socialization.
	Stay Training
	Teaching the "stay" cue builds your leadership with your dog. It also builds your dog's composure and ability to cope with a wide variety of situations. Stay training can result in a happier dog with a more people-safe temperament when suitable training methods are used.
	Therapy Dog Work: Is This the Job for Your Dog?
	A therapy dog accompanies a handler, usually a member of the dog's family acting in a volunteer capacity, on visits to various settings in order to provide emotional benefits to the people there. If you'd like to do therapy work, understand what's involved.
	Touch and How It Affects Your Dog
	The dog’s degree of sensitivity to touch is largely inherited, and is included in temperament tests administered to dogs. For homes such as those containing children or for jobs such as therapy dog work, a dog who isn’t very sensitive to touch would be preferred.
	Toys as Tools for Dogs
	Children use toys as tools for mental, emotional and physical development. Toys fill the same functions for dogs. When it comes to your relationship with your dog, toys are your tools as well as the dog's tools. The way you use toys with your dog has a profound effect on the nature and quality of your relationship.
	Training Classes
	Training class can get you off to a great start with your puppy, help you achieve specific training goals, and make it possible to manage a rowdy young dog. The class that works for one goal may not be the class that fits another goal, and the class that fits your neighbor’s dog may not fit your dog. How can you tell which class is best for you and your special canine family member?
	Training an Adult Dog (6)
	Training with Food: Yes or No?
	People tend to have strong feelings about whether or not to use food in dog training. Actually, whether or not to use food is not just a yes or no proposition. The answer is "sometimes yes, sometimes no." Best of all; learn how to use food and other motivators effectively in training so that you can choose the best motivator for each task.
	Training: What Does Your Dog Need?
	Some dogs don’t require a lot of training to keep them out of trouble, but others need homes where training is a way of life. If you have a dog now, which kind of dog do you have? If you’re thinking of getting a dog, which kind is right for your home?
	Trash Hounds and How to Live with Them
	Trash hounds can be wonderful companions to humans who are as smart as the dogs. Anger and punishment won't solve the problem and in fact can make it worse. Brains and a sense of humor will keep you one step ahead of your trash hound-most of the time!
	Tug of War
	Trainers disagree about whether or not to recommend playing tug of war with dogs. While this game works fine for some, problems result for others. Factors to consider include the temperament of the dog, the temperament(s) of the people who will interact with the dog, the dog's physique and your lifestyle.
	Veterinary Visits: Helping Your Dog Enjoy Them
	Your veterinarian and the veterinary hospital staff are vital people in your dog's life. A dog who copes with veterinary care with no stress about the people, the handling or the place has a huge advantage in life. There's a great deal you can do to help your dog become this kind of dog.
	Walking with Your Dog
	"Want to go for a walk?" At any given moment there are people all over the world asking their dogs this question. Whether for fun or practical needs, going for a walk is surely the top activity dogs and people do together. It's a misconception, though, that any person and any dog can just snap on a leash and walk out the door in any location and be ready to face the world.