Dog owners are often kind, good-hearted people. Those who have adopted a dog from an animal shelter or rescue group often are even more so. Yet sometimes, this same kindness that causes people to take in a homeless dog can actually make their dog’s behavior problems worse.
Although some popular "positive" dog training methods seem to imply that you should never, ever correct your dog, I disagree. Like children, dogs live in your house. For everyone’s sanity, anyone in your house should follow a basic set of rules. A canine that has run amok because no one ever taught him the meaning of the word "no" is going to turn into a spoiled brat as surely as any human would.
Dogs aren’t dumb. They avoid bad experiences and gravitate toward good ones. Some kind-hearted people are so worried that their dog won’t "like" them that they give into every possible doggie request. They allow the dog to jump up on them and essentially "boss them around" every day. For example, the dog might push his nose at the person demanding affection. This seemingly innocuous activity can escalate into barking or even biting for attention. Or the owner overfeeds their dogs to an extreme because "they kept asking for more food." Unfortunately, nice people often have problems living with dogs until they learn the value of "no."
As most people know, dogs are descended from wolves. As with wolves, a group of dogs is called a pack. In your dog’s world view, everyone in your household is part of his personal pack. Every pack has leaders (dominant animals) and followers (submissive animals) in it. This pack hierarchy can change over time as different dogs move up and down in the pecking order as their leadership is challenged. A dog can be dominant over one pack member and submissive toward another. And just as a spoiled kid is always "testing" Mom and Dad to see what he can get away with, a dog is always testing to see if he can move up in the pack hierarchy.
These pack dynamics are at the root of many dog behaviors. When a dog is being bossy or pushy in some way, he is trying to express dominance over another pack member, including you. The "top dog" or alpha member of the pack in everyone’s eyes should always be the human. Being alpha does not mean being cruel or harsh with your dog. However, like any good parent, you must be the one to set boundaries and ground rules. And that means saying "no" sometimes.
When your dog does something he shouldn’t, correct him. However you have to catch him in the act. Never correct a dog after the fact. If you missed it, too bad. Get over it and be more vigilant next time. If your dog is demanding something, make him work for it. This is where obedience training comes in. If you dog wants affection, make him sit or lie down before you pet him. These seemingly small changes cause the balance of power to shift. The bottom line is that if you want to be a leader, you have to behave like one.