The Dog Commandments

1.  Looking at, talking to and touching a dog reinforces whatever behavior is occurring.

2. Set the dog up to succeed. Do not put him in a situation to fail or be “bad.”

3. If you teach a dog what to do, there is almost nothing left to correct.

4. Bad, correction, wrong are all human things – in the animal world, behaviors are functional or not – they work or they do not work.

5. Growling and barking mean back off. If you ignore this warning, you might get bit and you will certainly put the dog in a position to fail.

6. Do not touch, talk to, or mess with, in any way, a dog that is eating, chewing something valuable, or sleeping.

7. Dogs do what you teach or what you allow.

8. A dog cannot “behave” well if it doesn’t feel safe, and/or its basic needs are not met.

9. Humans are smarter than dogs and can access information. WE are responsible for a dog’s behavior in our care.

10. Dog’s have three main ways to cope with stress and conflict: play with it, flee from it or fight it. If you see one of these behaviors, the dog feels threatened. Make him feel safe, and his behavior will change.

11. You have access to food, treats, toys, comfy couches, the outdoors, other dogs and can provide attention and affection. Use these things to reward the behaviors you want, rather than giving them away for free and teaching nothing to the dog.

12. Alpha, dominance, and being boss are buzz words from about 30 years ago. Get with the times!