Your dog is a pack animal and he’s constantly trying to work out who the leader is. From the minute you walk through the door, you set the tone. Most dogs make a real fuss of their owners when they come home and whilst that is lovely and our natural reaction is to make a fuss of them back, that is not what you should do! Instead you should ignore the dog and do something else, like make a cup of tea and then when the dog is calm and you are ready, you should call the dog over for some attention. This let’s the dog know that you will pet the dog on your terms and when it’s convenient for you.
Ignore the bad behaviour and praise the good behaviour.
If a dog is pulling on the lead, stop walking. Let the dog know that if he continues to pull, he won’t go anywhere. When the lead becomes slack again, you can walk again. Also using a harness is a bad idea if a dog pulls as it gives them more pulling power! If the dog is pulling, don’t pull back as that makes the dog think he should be going faster. Instead pull upwards.
When practising recall, always reward your dog with a high value treat when he returns to you.
