One of life's genuine joys is the companionship of a dog. However, if your dog exhibits major behavior problems, that joy may be compromised. Destroying household items, piddling on the carpet, excessive barking, aggression, and other unacceptable behaviors can usually be eliminated through effective obedience training.

Since dogs are, by nature, pack animals, the are most content when they are assured of their place in the social hierarchy.

If your dog perceives that you are not a strong leader, he will probably assume the role of leader of the pack. Inappropriate behavior will worsen since, as the "alpha dog", he will assume that he can do as he pleases without regard to your pleadings.

Your efforts to teach appropriate behavior to your dog are destined to failure unless you establish yourself as the "alpha dog" in your pack. Once he successfully completes obedience training, your dog will recognize that you are the leader and that it is his role to comply with your wishes.

When teaching obedience, never punish your dog. If you do, his perception will be that training is not a good thing and he will try his best to avoid it. Should you need to correct his behavior, try making it more of a penalty than punishment. Rather than shouting at the dog (a form of punishment), the penalty you impose should be more along the lines of a quick tug on his leash, a "time out" by halting an activity that he enjoys, or by simply ignoring him for a few moments.

Remember that rewards are usually much more effective than penalties. Try to discover what your dog really enjoys and use it as positive reinforcement when training. The old belief that you can use either a carrot or a stick to train an animal should be entirely forgotten. Instead, try of use a variety of "carrots" to convince your dog that obedience is a good thing, and just throw away the stick.

Professional dog trainers use a wide variety of training techniques. If you are not sure about specific tactics to use, you may benefit from their advice. There are several wonderful guide books and training courses available online that you may find quite helpful in your quest for a well behaved best friend.