Thanks to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers , January is National Train Your Dog Month.

In our opinion,training your dog should be every day of the year instead of just once a month . Many people have a misguided view of dog training, thinking it consists of teaching their dogs the basics of how to sit and stay once a week ,every Monday for 30 minutes for 4 - 6 weeks and BAM, you're done.

The truth is you NEVER stop training your dog.

  Training is about learning how to effectively communicate, reward and correct your dog. You show them what you expect, you teach them so they learn, you continually correct the unwanted behaviors, you reward them when they've earned it ,you remind them so they never forget it and you make this a part of your  everyday lifestyle.

 The most common calls that we receive are " my dog WAS good until...we had a new baby, we brought a new pup or another dog into our home, we moved..."  Training is all about teaching our dogs how to coexist in our world and adapt to our changing lifestyles. Dogs have pack mentality. There will always be a pack leader. If you make sure that it is you, then you'll be able to control your dog in any situation because they will look to you to see how they should react.

We've also heard : " they're just going through a puppy stage..." Puppies and adolescents do not outgrow behaviors without continual guidance.Though these are domestic dogs, their natural instincts will tell them that without a strong, consistent pack leader, they will not survive. Therefore, it is instinct for a dog to try to take over if they do not see you as a consistent strong leader. Adult dogs are a little more challenging but can be lead to become a stable,confident pack member.

If you took your dog to some form of training class you MUST practice an apply what you've learned,maintain conditioning and follow through for the rest of the dog's life to prevent  future unwanted behaviors and reinforce your place as pack leader.

If you've never had your dog trained or took the time to understand pack structure, you are doing your dog a serious injustice. Dogs are happiest when they know their place in the pack.

Consistent ,confident leadership and , firm, not forceful, guidance and discipline is what maintains solid pack behavior. Without this,dogs become unstable, confused and  insecure making them unbearable to live with.