For years and years, dog training was almost entirley problem-based. Owners would give little supervision and instructions to their dogs and then punish them when they broke the rules that they didn’t even know existed, because nobody told them!  Unfortunately most of the time, a dog’s good behaviour is ignored and the owner pays attention to them when they bark, steal something, chew or run away with an inappropriate item. Owners do this to such an extent that many dogs learn that so called misbehaving is the best way to get their owners attention, so they misbehave more. 

Lots of people talk to their dogs… but how many owners listen to what their dog is saying to them? 

We all know that the secret to any great relationship is communication. In order for learning of any sort to take place there must be communication on both sides i.e. between the teacher and the student. This is true whether you are teaching a person or a dog. Dogs use both verbal and non-verbal ways to communicate their intentions to other dogs and to people. 

The most important quality in a dog is their temperament: A dog with a good temperament can be a dream to live with but a dog with a tricky temperament is a perpetual nightmare. In addition, regardless of breed or breeding, a dog's temperament — i.e. his feelings towards people and other dogs — is largely the result of socialisation (or lack of socialisation) during puppyhood — the most significant time in a dog's life