Play catch-me-if-you-can games? (With their toys, when they have something of yours, when you need to discipline them, or just because?)

Nip at your heels and hands fairly often?

Try to "hump" you, your guests or your kids?

Only does something for you when there is nothing else going on?

Pee on your bed?

Growl or attack you when you move them from a specific place? Or simply refuses to move?

Not listen when you ask them to do something the first time?

Runs over the top of your company or you?

Become "over protective" with toys, food, or chewies?

Not Come on the FIRST call? Or when there are distractions?

Go up the stairs first or through the doorways first,?

Eat first? (you feed them first to try to keep them away from the table while you eat)?

Sleep in bed with you? (this is only a problem if your dog thinks it is their house and is letting you live in it)

Give you an attitude if you try to move them in the bed or try to get them off the bed or any other piece of furniture?

With not even let you or anyone else into the bed & the growling , barking or snapping is a good indicator of this?

Jump up on any furniture anytime they please? And it now becomes theirs…?

Have his toys lying all over your house?

Put their paws on your to get your attention & it should be you asking them to put "paws up"?

Just jump into your car without looking to you "may I?", instead of looking to you for your command to get in to the car in an orderly manner.

Poke at you, barks at you or steal things to get your attention? And then the chase is on….And it always works.

"Free Feed" (do you leave food out all the time?)

Enroll in an obedience school or take some private lessons (Katie’s K-9 Obedience School is a very nice one). Be sure to check out any school or trainer you are considering. Go see for yourself what they offer and how they train. I DO NOT agree on any methods that use treats all the time to get what they want from the dog. At first it will seem like it is working. But eventually your pet will only be able to work from their stomach instead of their heart. Soon they will only be attentive to you if you have a treat and then the rest of the time you are on your own.

At home you are going to start having the "Pack" run with YOU in charge! From here on out – NOTHING IS GIVEN FOR FREE!!! Your pet must earn everything! BEFORE you pet your dog, always ask them to SIT first. Remember to use the hand signal for sit too (Use your right hand, make a fist and then drop the signal below your dog’s nose and pull upwards, like you are going to drink something. Bend your elbow. Keep the hand signal a hands length away from the end of the dog’s nose, never touch a dog with any hand signal). Once they sit then you start to pet them. If your dog stands up, you take your hand away and ask for the Sit again. If your dog does not sit on command, give them a deep growl.. "AHHH" and then place them into the sit. DO NOT keep repeating the word sit! Then your dog starts to know you as a "one’er, a two’er or a ten’er" , you will say it ten times BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. So why should your dog listen to you the first time? You ask and show it once and if they do not do it, you place them into the sit. If you need to, put a training collar and leash on them and then give a correction if they stand up right away. They need to sit still and wait to see what you are going to do. When you are done….say to your pupper….OK and clap your hands, that is your release word for them. Now they can go do what they want to.

Do not yell at your dog. Keep your voice calm and steady. The more your dog ignores you the deeper and slower your voice should become. Your dog is to learn to sit for everything; to greet you, to greet your company, to be fed, to be petted, before you throw their favorite toy, before they get into the car. Sit, Sit, Sit, Sit! Now they are starting to be under control and YOU are becoming the leader of the pack!

Inside, keep a leash on your pet at all times (at least for 3 weeks) or until they start listening better. At first, tie the leash to you (use a nylon type). Now you have the control. Your pet will start listening and become more familiar with the words you want to use when ask something from them. Also, you can follow through with the corrections needed without playing catch-me-if-you-can games. As they start responding better you can let them drag the leash around the house (only when you are around to supervise).

Outside, use a 20-foot longline and tie it to you. After your pet gets better at coming to you (the FIRST time you ask them to come) and hanging around you, you can let them drag the longline. Do not be in a big hurry to take them off the longline.

Give set feeding times. If you are free feeding (leaving food out all the time), stop now. Now, you will have set feeding times. Once in the morning and once again in the early evening. He who is in charge of the food bowl has more power. Dogs worry about 3 things; playing, sleeping and eating. If they can do all three by themselves, what do they need you for? By giving set feeding times you are also creating an appetite and your dog will enjoy dinner more and look forward to it. Not to mention that you are gaining more power and respect from your dog.

You always eat first. Have your pet see you eating before you feed them. Just eat a cookie, an apple, a piece of toast, anything. You need not create a 7-course meal for twelve to make your point. You must have your dog see you eat. Pack law is that leaders always eat first. In the wild the "runners" run down the game and once dead, step back and allow the leaders to come in to eat their fill. When the leaders are finished, the next in line comes in to eat and so on. The bottom of the pack (the peons) get to eat the scraps and get no respect.

Before you set the food dish down, ask your pet to Sit. Once your dog sits, place the bowl down. Then, give your "cue" word for them to begin eating. Your pet can NOT eat until you give the cue (dig in, dinner, din-din, OK chow, whatever you wish to use). Be sure you visibly see your dog wait for the cue. Do not be in a big hurry to give the cue word

The minute your dog walks away from his food dish, you pick it up and put it away until the next feeding time. Pick it up and put it away even if there is still dinner in the bowl. You want your pet to realize he must stay and eat what he needs and once he leaves the "table" (dish) mealtime is OVER. You do not let kids keep wandering around the table and in and out of the room while they are eating. They must sit at the table and eat until they are done. Once they leave the table, dinner is OVER. This creates good manners.

All toys are to be picked up and put into a basket or a box and placed in a closet. You are to hand out the toys. Give out only 2 toys at a time. Rotating the toys keeps them more interesting to your dog. Having their toys all over your house tells them that the whole house is THEIR territory, not yours. By collecting the toys and keeping them, you are in control of the fun and the house is now YOUR territory and it is a privilege for your dog to play in it.

Allowing your pet to sleep with you in bed or to be on the furniture tells them that in the "Pack", they are equal to you and there is no hierarchy. Since you are their equal, why do they have to listen to you? There are personalities that can be on the furniture and sleep with you in bed and there is no problem with "Pack" order. But, the dogs that are having clashes with you can NOT be on a level equal to you. When they come up to your level (on the bed, on the couch, on the chair), it soon goes directly to their brain and all of a sudden they are cool and you are not. If you want to lay and pet your dog, lay on the floor with them, go down to their level. If they start getting to rough, YOU STOP and go up and sit on the couch or a chair. If you want to play or cuddle with them you must go down to their level for a while. Once the manners are starting to set in, you can INVITE your pet to come up and play. They cannot get up on the furniture without being invited FIRST! When you are done, YOU ask them to get off and return to their own level.

Start going up/down stairs and through doorways FIRST. At the doorway, ask your dog to sit, then Stay. You go through the doorway FIRST, and then look over your shoulder and say "Let’s go". Use the same principal for going up and down stairs. DO NOT say Come - that word has a different meaning. "Let’s go" means you may follow me now. Remember, DO NOT turn and face your pet, just look over your shoulder and give your command. Say it cheerfully. After they start getting good at this- then all you need to do as you are approaching the doorway is to give them a deep growl…"ahhh" to get them to back up and let you go through first.

During all walks, your dog is to Heel WITH you (walk by your left side). Do not allow your dog to scan in front of you at any time while you are in motion. Are you that bad of a person your pet cannot walk with you? It is like you and a human friend going for a walk, but your "friend" always walks 200 feet in front of you. Boy, you are really bonding as friends during those walks, huh? When you walk together you are building a relationship. If you allow your dog to "scan" in front of you while walking he is not showing you any respect. He also doesn’t have to do any thinking while scanning in front of you. You will always have a fight on your hands getting him to Heel/Walk next to you if you allow them to scan while you are walking. When your dog gets to almost Heeling off leash, then you can let him "scan" every once in a while. Your dog actually gets more exercise walking WITH you, at your side, than he does strangling himself at the end of the leash and trying to pull you faster. Watch other owners and their dogs on this. Watch how many steps the dog is actually taking compared to the owner. Walking WITH you is better for all.

At any time during the walk, you can stop walking at a nice spot, unhook the walking leash and put on your retractable leash or a longline (20 to 40 feet). Stand still and let your pet "scan" and do their doggie thing. When you are ready to continue your walk, call your dog to you and re-hook them to the walking leash and take off the longline. Then you can continue your walk. Remember, when changing leashes ALWAYS hook on the line you want at the same time the other leash is hooked on. Now, with both leashes hooked on, you can decide which one you are taking off. This will eliminate the problem of your dog twisting and you letting go of the ring and now you have a dog on the loose. What are the chances of catching your dog then?

If your dog "humps" you, the kids, the guests, 98% of the time it is NOT sexual, it is a dominance action. If you watch dogs together, whether it is one male and one female or 2 females, 2 males, at any age puppies through adult, you will find that the one doing the "humping" is trying to be the "top dog". Some dogs will stand still and allow it, this tells the other dog "OK you can be top dog". But sometimes you will the dog on the bottom quickly jerk to get out from the bottom and turn around and try to "hump" the other. This tells the other dog, "No, I will not let you be top dog". Eventually one will win. Sometimes, if their wills are evenly matched, it will actually lead to a fight. Any time your dog tries this on you or anyone else, immediately put a stop to it!! Do not laugh at them, this is a signal to them they are doing a good thing. BLAST them with a spray bottle in the face and say "Bad!!" or "Don’t even think about it!!" Then have them do a down stay for 3 minutes, then release them by going over and asking for a Sit and petting them calmly.

Repeating your commands over and over and over is time consuming and useless. Your dog is not deaf, she is just ignoring you in hopes you will give up or go away. This indicates that your dog is in control. DO NOT say "Sit…Sit…Sit…Sit". Say Sit (or any other command) once. If you get no response, quickly place them into a Sit as you say it one more time and that’s it. Praise calmly and give a little tickle in the chest. Always be sure you are in a position to correct your dog if they choose not to obey you so you can place them into whatever you need from them. Now your dog will learn to obey you the first time realizing you will get them on the second one. They can’t ignore you now.

Nipping at you, or anyone else, at anytime, is totally unacceptable!!!! This is the worst form of domination towards you. Never blame it on "oh, he’s just a puppy and they do that" - WRONG!!! They are learning to dominate you, get you to do what they want to do or not do. . To get you to back off or not follow through with what you want from them. If they nipped or mouthed at their Mom, or other litter mates they would be put into their "place" with a growl and followed with a snap if they did not listen to the growl. This is how dogs learn who they can control and who not.

Never hold their mouth shut or slap them on the nose. These actions only aggravate the situation more! The best thing I have found is one of two things: use a plant mister filled with water, set it on stream, hang it from your pocket or keep them near by. When dog or pup goes to nip, give them a "growl" in a low deep voice, say ‘AHHH NO BITE! If dog does not back off, blast them in the face with the water. Then say thank you in a calm voice. And go about your business. DO NOT pet them or say good boy or girl , this will trigger them to leap at you again. If the water has no impact then use a lemon juice ball, the kind that you find in the produce section of your local store. Get the small type that fits into your hand nicely. Lay the ball in your hand and wrap your hand around it, put your thumb on the squirt end. Your dog cannot see you have it or know when you are going to use it. But, they can smell that you have it. When your pet nips at you - BLAST (not a trickle) them in the mouth with the juice as they are about to mouth you. At the same time, in a slow low voice, say "AHHHHH, No Bite". Then, quickly redirect your pet onto something else (go outside, play a game or go into another room). Always carry the lemon ball around with you, until your pet starts responding to your words alone. Then, you can back off with the lemon juice. The first lemon ball, I use full strength. Then I refill the lemon ball by popping the top off with a knife laid sideways. Refill the lemon ball with ¾ water and ¼ lemon juice so things do not get so sticky. You can also use vinegar and water. If you can’t find the small lemon balls, use your plant sprayer with lemon and water mixture.

Now your dog is learning. Most often, what triggers your pet to go after your hands is if your hands are always flying and moving close to your dog's head and in their face. Keep your movements to a bare minimum.

Peeing on your bed is a dominance sign. Your dog is marking HIS territory. If this is happening, do not allow your dog on your bed, at any time, for at least 4 months. Then, you can allow them back on the bed at your own risk and ONLY when YOU invite your dog up. Never allow your dog to just jump up on your bed, they must ALWAYS be invited. At any time you choose you want them off the bed, ask them to get off. They must do so without an attitude. During the beginning period of not being on the bed, keep your bedroom door closed at all times to eliminate battles. When you go to bed and you want your dog in the same room, no problem, he is has to sleep in a kennel or on the floor. You can tether them on a 2-3 foot cable (you want something your pet cannot chew through) and anchor it to your bed frame so they cannot jump up onto the bed during the night. If you keep having problems with them trying to get on the bed or furniture, keep that leash on them! Let them drag it around and anytime you ask them to get off and they choose not to, you go for the leash NOT the dog! Give the leash a jerk and say "Off". When they are on the floor, say "Thank You" in a calm voice. Do not pet them! Never grab any dog (no matter how nice they seem to be) by their collar!!! You are asking to get bit. Your dog feels threatened and their "space" invaded. A NATURAL reaction is to lash out if "cornered". This is why you keep the leash on so you have the leash to grab on order to get your point across.