I field all sorts of dog training questions through this website.  In answering the questions I find myself sometimes feeling like a broken record as my answers often sound the same.  A lot of my answers have some form of the response, “Obedience train your dog,” in them.

It got me thinking why obedience training is such a catch all for behavior problems.

Obedience training is calming and soothing to a dog:  A lot of questions I get deal with hyper dogs or dogs who jump all over guests or dogs who are generally out of control. 

These are all behaviors I describe as chaotic canine behaviors.  The opposite of chaos is control.  Control in dog-speak means obedience.  As you inject control and structure into your dog’s life you will see that this combats the hyperness head on.

Obedience helps deal with aggression:  Aggression is often caused or worsened by a dog who has little to no respect for his owner.  Obedience training garners respect.  As your dog learns to put your will ahead of his own (a.k.a. obedience) it helps him to look to you as the leader and the dominant one in the relationship.  A dog that understands a proper relationship is much less likely to show aggression in the first place.

Obedience is also crucial for an aggressive dog because it is functional.  If you have a dog that leans toward aggression it is imperative that he comes when called, stays on command, and will heel by your side even in the face of distraction.

Obedience is functional:  So many of my clients have dogs that know how to do perform obedience commands but they never use them in real circumstances.  The client then focuses on the things they don’t like about the dog.  They complain that the dog jumps on guests, begs at the table, gets on the couch, etc.

The first thing I do is help them use obedience to replace the negative behaviors.  You don’t even need to focus on your dog’s begging at the table, simply have him lie down and stay 10 feet away.  Your dog can’t jump on your guest if he is sitting down.  Your dog won’t be getting on the couch if he is taught a ‘place’ command.

Don’t focus on what you don’t like, teach your dog to do what you do like.

There are myriad reasons why obedience training is the best way to approach behavior problems with your dog.  Be firm, be fair, and be consistent and you will find that you are able to mold your dog’s behavior for the better.