Dog Obedience Training - Is Your Dog Smarter Than You? By Becky

When it comes to dog obedience training many owners think they have their dog under perfect control when, quite often, it is completely the other way round. Okay, so your dog might ‘sit’ when you ask him to or even ‘shake a paw’, but when it comes to day-to-day living are you really so confident that you have the upper hand or is your dog calling the shots?

Intelligence Quiz
Answer the five questions below to see how clever your dog is:
1. If you’re relaxing on the couch watching your favourite TV program and your dog comes up to you with his favourite toy in his mouth and nudges your leg do you:

A. Completely ignore him
B. Stroke him but ask him to lie down
C. Quit watching your program and join in a game

2.  If you’re walking your dog on the leash and he keeps pulling do you:

A. Immediately stop, turn and walk in a different direction
B. Stop and change direction a couple of times but then give in because you’re in a hurry
C. Keep shouting at your dog to ‘heel’ but still allow him to pull on the leash all the way to the park

3.  If you’re eating a meal and your dog is sitting right next to you with imploring eyes do you:

A. Tell him to go to his bed
B. Not feed him at the table but then put any leftover scraps in his bowl as soon as you have finished
C. Give him the odd morsel at the table – he’s just too cute to resist

4. If your dog is in lying in the middle of the kitchen floor whilst you are preparing supper do you:

A. Tell him to go to his bed
B. Leave him where he is and keep stepping over him and moving around him
C. Leave him where he is and toss him the odd bit of food as you are preparing it

5. If you are out on a walk with your dog off the leash, you call him and he refuses to come back immediately do you:

A. Turn your back and run as quickly as you can in the opposite direction
B. Stay where you are and keep shouting at him to come back
C. Chase after him

If you answered mostly ‘C’s’ to the above questions then your dog has you well and truly under his paw; mainly ‘B’s’ and you’re losing control. If you scored ‘A’s’, then ‘congratulations’, you’re clearly showing your dog you are in charge.

Of course, this might all seem like a bit of fun, but dogs that consistently get their own way can rapidly become problem dogs. In their eyes, they are elevated to the status of pack leader and, therefore, have no need to give any respect to their owners. This will manifest itself in all sorts of undesirable behaviour which may include aggression, destruction and territorial marking.

So, if you think your dog might be getting the better of you, you may want to reassess the relationship between you and your dog obedience training before serious problems begin.