As I spoke with a couple folks today I was reminded how important it is to have a baseline of obedience instilled in your pup. I often get the question of how to stop barking, or pulling, or jumping up on people. My first question is always, have you taken an obedience class, and if yes, the response it what can you dog do reliably for you. If the answer is no, we talk getting into a class asap! Dogs that don't get into the "habit" of working with you won't stop barking just because you say so. Teaching a dog to do small things for you on a regular basis, like sitting, doing a quick down, a short stay, a consistent recall. These are ways to get into your dog's brain. To set his computer on "respond" when you ask something instead of "why?". Obedience helps in so many little ways that often folks don't even realize. Having that bond of knowing your dog will listen to you means that when you have a problem arise, i.e., a barking issue, when you go to start mending it, he'll understand what's being asked of him. So keep your dog on his toes, asking small tasks of him during the course of a day. Let him know how brilliant he is when he responds and enjoy that wagging tail!
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