Become a good trainer

Do You Have What It Takes To Be a Trainer?
Dogs have a lot of team spirit. This is often referred to this as their "pack" instinct, but I like to think of it in "team" terms. Team consciousness and the canine psyche have a lot in common.

Teams focus on winning; each player works for it, wants it, thinks about it, and strives for it. There are also some other, less obvious factors that determine a team's success. Three come to mind immediately: cooperation, structure, and mutual respect. Without these, even a group of phenomenal players would be pure chaos. A good team is organized so everyone knows who's in charge and what's expected from them. And should someone get in trouble or become hurt, he can trust that another teammate will help out. Puppys live their entire lives and every waking moment, by team structure. Instead of winning, however, their mantra is survival. And to personalize it one step further, you and your family are their team.

For your Puppy to feel secure and safe, he must know who's in charge. It's your job to teach him what you expect from him in your home. Do you have more than one person in your household? In your Puppy’s world, teams are organized in a hierarchy, so you must teach your four-legged friend that two-legged dogs are the ones in charge. This will take some cooperation on everyone's part, but it's very do-able. If you don't organize the team hierarchy, your Puppy will, and that can be a real nightmare. If your Puppy has the personality to lead, you'll be living in a very expensive doghouse under dog rule. If your Puppy doesn't have what it takes but feels he must lead because no one else has applied for the job, your house will be one big headache; Puppys in this state are very hyper and confused. So how do you organize your team and teach your

Puppy the rules? The first step is to understand what motivates your Puppy's behavior. Then you need to master his communica¬tion skills. It might sound like hard work, but it's quite fascinating. Your Puppy will respond to you more willingly if you make the effort to understand and learn his language. With an ounce of effort, a little time, and some structure, you'll earn your Puppy's respect, cooperation, and trust. Plus, you'll have a teammate who'll be at your side when the cards are down. You can't beat that bargain! Puppys are motivated by attention. They live for it, love it, and will do anything to keep the spotlight focused on them.

Does this remind you of a three year old? Well, add to this similarity the fact that they don't care whether the attention is negative or positive. Negative Attention You might ask, “What is negative attention?” Picture a very excited jumping Puppy. You're trying to read the paper calmly, but he wants your attention. What if you tried to correct the Puppy by pushing him down and screaming "Off!"? In all likelihood, the Puppy will jump again.
Do you know why?
Because you just gave him attention. Attention in a Puppy's mind includes anything from dramatic body contact to a simple glance. Yes, even looking at your Puppy will reinforce his behavior.