Dogs  do not want to please you . If they did   you would  not need to reward or punish! Dogs want to please themselves - as  do we all .

So how  do you get your  dog to WANT  to please you ?

Punishment is obviously distressing to the dog . Sadly  some people  think  they  have  to do  this to stop  behavior .  BUT - punishment  will have fallout . It will negatively  affect your relationship  with your  dog . If severe enough it will stop behavior- but the behavior is  merely suppressed , not  replaced  with another desired   behavior, and your  dog  may shut  down because it is too fearful  of punishment to  do anything .  Suppressing behavior   will ultimately  cease to be effective  and require escalation  to stop the behavior .

So what’s the better way ?

Reward based training methods / positive  reinforcement , is scientifically proven in hundreds of studies  to  be the most  effective  way to train your  dog. (There is not one  study that shows punishment  is  more effective , because  it isn’t ).

What is positive reinforcement ? Positive  reinforcement  means  giving your  dog something that increases the likelihood the  dog  will repeat the behavior. See  Myths  About Reward Based Training on this site  for why you should choose  positive reinforcement .

Obedience classes will not help behavior  problems  because  behavior and obedience are not  the  same .Many people find their  high level  obedience dog has a behavior  issue they cant  fix  outside of the obedience  class , because they don’t know how learning happens  .

If your dog is reactive, fearful or aggressive  towards  other  dogs or people  or unable  to focus  on you, classes will not be the best environment  for training.  You need to teach your dog  this  skill  before you  can ask  for it  in an environment  full of triggers.

Obedience  is a given in a behavior  consult and I will show you  how  to get your  dog to want to  do  obedience  skills  like sit,  stay,  down,   heel and come , to the point that when freed from a  sit   they look at you saying “But you like this,  I ‘m still sitting, look ! I don’t  want to be free!”

Getting your dog to want to please  you  is about giving your  dog a reason  to want to do it  and practicing this until it becomes  a habit.