Ben Settle - Why You Should Never Give Your Dog a Bone! And Other Secrets of the Worlds Healthiest, Happiest, and Most Well-Behaved Dogs

If your dog snaps, bites and acts aggressive, you may be tempted to think you have a bad dog.

And while its true there really are vicious dogs out there, yours may not necessarily be one just because they misbehave.

In fact, Id bet you dollars to donuts your dog is far from being a bad dog.

How can I be so sure?

Well, lets put it this way.

I have a buddy who owns several dogs. Hes been a dog lover his whole life. Theres nothing else in the world this guy likes to talk about more than dogs.

And yet, for some reason, he had a dog (a breed not known for being aggressive) that was behaving aggressively.

His dog was always biting, snapping and getting testy with him. Usually at weird times... and always for no reason at all.

Plus, to make matters worse, this dog was extremely stubborn. So stubborn it was a miracle on the level of fishes and loaves of bread if this dog ever did anything it was told.

However, this didnt bother my friend at all.

Like I said, he knows a thing or two about dogs. And even though he had more than a few people suggest he get rid of the dog (or worse), my friend refused.

In fact, he not only kept the dog, but that dog is now, just a few years later, the best trained and most obedient dog hes ever had.

What did he do?

Nothing special really.

Again, he just knows dogs.

And in this case he knew his over-aggressive, stubborn and snappy dog while smart and extremely intelligent had whats called a dominant personality.

What does that mean?

Well, in a pack of wild dogs, one dog will always rise up as the dominant animal and crown himself leader of the pack.

And the other dogs in the pack will submit to that leader.

The leader demands it.

If someone in the pack gets out of line, the leader will attack the troublemaker and either make him submit... or kill him.

And guess what?

This pack-animal instinct is in every dog both domestic and wild.

And while domestic dogs dont normally take this trait to the extremes wild dogs do, its still in them.

You cannot breed it out of a dogs line and you cannot fully suppress it with training.

As it turned out, my friends dog considered himself to be the leader of the pack. He thought he was the master of the house and my friend existed to subordinate himself to the dog, not the other way around.

Before I tell you the ways my friend says to deal with this problem, let me first say there are some dogs that really do need to be taken to a professional trainer. Especially if they are biting people and acting violent.

But if your dog is basically just stubborn, insubordinate, and a little testy, then here are a few simple ways to deal with the problem:

Get him neutered.

If you have a female dog, get her spayed.

Why?

Besides the fact it almost eliminates many dangerous (and expensive-to-fix) health problems such as certain cancers in your dog, it also makes them less likely to bite, be aggressive towards both people and animals, or want to run away to seek out a mate.

And dont worry. Its never too late to sterilize your dog. Nor does it make them lazy, fat or stupid as some myths suggest.

Exercise.

Talk to enough dog handlers and sooner or later you will almost certainly hear...

A tired dog is a good dog!

Its true.

If your dog is always acting up, he probably just needs to be exercised.

Exactly what kind of exercise (and how much) depends on the breed.

But you will find tuckering your dog out in a good, healthy fashion is one of the best ways to keep them under control and on their best behavior.

Just bear in mind not all exercises are good for all dogs as certain dogs have been genetically hard wired for certain types of work.

However, one universal type of exercise that tends to work for most dogs is playing a simple 10-minute game of fetch.

Reason why is because it engages a dog physically and mentally which both tires them out and gets rid of their boredom, too.

This alone can sometimes eliminate a lot of behavior problems.

Alter your tone of voice.

This may seem over simplified, but altering your tonalities even if you dont change your actual words can completely change the behavior of your dog.

Why?

Because sounds have an incredibly powerful effect on both people and animals alike.

In chapter 4 well talk more about this. And youll see scientific studies that will change the way you look at noise and your dog forever.

But for now, realize you can work wonders with just the tone of your voice when it comes to a testy, stubborn and disobedient dog.

The key is to use a low yet calm and authoritative voice when giving him or her a command.

Do not I repeat, do not get angry or lose your temper. Just look him in the eye (very important) when you give a command in a low (not loud) voice.

You see, your dog needs to be put in his place. He needs to know you are the leader of the pack and call the shots. You cannot do this if he hears anger, fear or hesitation in your voice, or if you lose your temper.

Think about it:

If you lose your temper, he effectively just controlled you by controlling your reaction. And he knows it. In some ways... he expects it from you. Because, well, he considers himself the leader and you the follower.

And so, if you want to put him in his place and realize who the real top dog is, then you have to take control of your own emotions.

Now, before we move on, please remember the above are basic solutions to a common problem.

If your dog is vicious, angry and mean especially if its to the point where you are afraid of him or what hell do to others take him to a professional dog handler and veterinarian.

There could be deeper problems going on. And you and your family could be in danger if you dont get to the bottom of it.

How would you like to get dog training lessons 100% free?

Not just the basics... but also advanced lessons you can use for any dog you own for the rest of your life?

Lessons that would probably normally cost you an arm and a leg... and maybe even require you to travel great distances or spend a lot of time you dont have?