How to Deal with a Defiant Dog

If you are having problems with a defiant dog then what you need is some dog obedience training. Having a dog that is defiant is much more than an annoyance to you, it can actually be quite dangerous for the dog in safety situations. Dogs don't know about some things in the world that people do, so it is important that your dog obeys you when you issue safety commands. Because of this you need to learn how to deal with a defiant dog.

A simple way to go about this is to hire a professional dog trainer, or attend dog training or dog obedience classes. If you have never trained a dog before this may be a good idea for you. However, when someone else teaches your dog obedience commands it is not as effective in getting your dog to be obedient to you as if you had taught your dog yourself. This is the main reason why you should work on some basic dog obedience training one-on-one with your dog.

The best way to train your dog to be more obedient is to simply work on basic training commands with him or her. You should work on commands such as 'come', 'sit' and 'stay' as well as 'drop it'. While working on these commands it is recommended that you use mostly positive reinforcement, such as treats and praise. This not only will allow your training to be much quicker but it will also help to form a bond between you and your dog. Dogs are much more likely to be obedient, as opposed to defiant, with a person who the respect and love. Even a dog with minimal training will be more obedient to you after this process than a well trained who doesn't who doesn't know you at all.

The reason that dogs are more obedient to people who work with them, play with them, give them praise and discipline them is because of their pack mentality. If you engage in all of this then your dog will see you as the alpha-dog. Dogs that put you in this position will be far less defiant because it is their nature to be submissive and appease their alpha-dog, who you have recently become. This means that your dog is much more likely to obey commands that you issued them than if you had simply sent your dog off to a dog trainer.