The personality of the canine develops radically between the ages of eight and sixteen weeks. How the average family dog will eventually turn out, is determined by the environment in which the puppy lives during that critical emotional time period.

When you first bring an eight week old puppy into the house, they are practically coming in with a mind like a blank slate. What may be written down on the chalkboard certainly will shape the puppy’s personality and character. The problem lies in the fact that the dog owners lack of knowledge is the cause of what ends up being a problematic dog.

Dogs Are Not Born With Bad Behavior

Dogs are not born problem dogs it is through lack of training that they are either allowed to become that way, or are made that way as a result of the puppy’s environment. The person who actually owns the dog has to be the sole bearer of the responsibility. You should provide your dog with dog obedience training.

Most puppy obedience classes will not accept a puppy for training unless it is six months or older. This is really understandable because most trainers know that some dog owners do not possess the patience needed to deal with puppy training. It is unfortunate, however, that by the time a dog reaches six months of age it has already become a “problem dog”. You are alway responsible for your dog behavior problems. It may be true that dog obedience training might or might not help, however it may not in some cases because the dog is too old.

There are many disappointing tales of disasterous training and lack of understanding of what has to happen. For example just recently a local standard Schnauzer was put to sleep upon the request of the owners. Every member of the family had been the recipient of at least one serious bite from the dog. The dog was only eight months old, still a puppy as far as dog trainers’ are concerned. The first bite occurred when the puppy was just 12 weeks of age, its final bite at eight months of age. In between, the bites became progressively worse, yet not one single member of the family could bring themselves to properly discipline the dog. They “loved” their dog too much and thought it would be too mean to discipline the animal. Mistaken kindness can be a bitter and unneeded cruelty and the responsibilty solely rests upon the head of the dog owner.

The natural instinct of the canine is to try and assume dominance within the pack. The pack in this case is you and your family. Just because it may push your buttons from time to time and try to be the one in control is not a sign that you are not loved. It doesn’t mean you are not respected by it either. If you act weak and too permissive, you are allowing dominance and the dogs respect and love for you will fade. You will then be seen by the dog as being inferior and then you will really see the consequences of being owned by the dog. Knowing your dog’s motives is one of the secrets to dog training. Begin early with your training and don’t let your dog become a problem dog.