Someone just gave you the most precious dog as a gift, and you’re all excited that you finally get to have a dog to lighten up your house.  However, your delight is short-lived; when you get home from work, garbage is strewn everywhere.

Shoes, bags, toys and furniture are chewed to pieces.  Not only that, your dog constantly jumps on the dinner table, either begging for scraps or taking the food from your plate.  Your dog definitely needs to be disciplined.

It would be best to discipline your dog whenever you caught him in the act of doing something unpleasant.  If you see your dog stalking your favorite pair of shoes, tell him right there and then “NO.”  Not that soft, sweet, mellow tone of voice.  He will not respond to it in a way that you want him to be. A firm, louder and slightly harder than normal tone must be used for him to know that you mean business.

If it has been done, you must reprimand your dog, and you must also explain why he should have not done so.  You will say you’re treating the dog like an errant kid; well that’s precisely the idea.  A dog is just like a kid who does not know his boundaries and you must be authoritative enough to set him straight.

If your canine is into the habit of rummaging your garbage whenever you’re gone, that may mean two things: boredom and hunger.  There are several ways to address this.  You can buy a dog food dispenser that you can train your dog to access food whenever he wants it.  Or, before leaving, give him a hearty meal that can last for a whole day.

To address boredom, give him toys that he can gnaw and chew to his heart’s content.  If that still does not solve the issue, then get into the habit of taking out the trash before you leave, or buy a container that can seal your trash securely until you come home.

If you cannot afford such a container, pet stores have something that you can spray on your trash.  The spray is non toxic but with a taste that is absolutely detested by dogs.  Once your dog gets a taste of it, he will always associate garbage to that taste and will leave your garbage alone.

If your dog has a habit of jumping on the table for food you can start training him by telling all your family members (and yes, that includes you) not to encourage the behavior.  Avoid giving him table scraps whenever he’s near the table.

If it’s time for dinner, give him his plate outside.  Close the kitchen door when you’re preparing dinner and say clearly to your dog that he’s not allowed inside the kitchen and he should behave.

You can produce a learned behavior by placing a delicious piece of morsel at the center of the table and lining the table with a loose cloth filled with a lot of lightweight, safe, yet noisy items.  When your dog leaps on the table, he can cause the cloth to slide off along with the noisy items.

This can startle the dog and he would definitely not want to experience that event again.  If you don’t have a table-lining, have the family hide behind the kitchen door with pots and lids as well as ladles.

When he pounces, create such a racket that would surprise your dog.  Just make sure you won’t be seen.  And do not go after your dog to console him.  That would totally eradicate the whole point of the procedure and your dog will do it again.

However, this type of situation is only fit for confident and self-assured dogs.  If your dog is not behaving the way a normal dog should (i.e. being very submissive or very aggressive), ask a dog trainer what controlled situation would be appropriate to produce a learned behavior.

Whenever you correct your dog’s behavior, you must not use physical violence.  Beating or hitting a dog can turn your loving, trusting, and loyal companion into a dog that is mistrustful, frightened, and at worse, aggressive.

Your confident and exuberant canine will become a dog that does not interact, has low self-esteem, and avoid any human contact in any way it can.  And that means biting and attacking the very person that he used to love and adore.  Whenever you physically hurt a dog, he will be conditioned into thinking that a raised hand and a raised voice would equate to getting hurt.

In turn, whenever your children or anybody else walk towards him and play, an innocent gesture will be perceived as a threat.  This would instinctively command your dog to protect himself and act out aggressively to the nearest target.

Consistency and patience is the key to properly disciplining your dog.  And just like children, dogs respond more to positive reinforcements like rewards or praise whenever they are doing something right.

If your dog responded appropriately to your command, keep it in mind to lavish him with praise and give him a doggie treat.  Doing the same thing over and over again whenever your dog misbehaves will eventually train your dog to behave and cease wreaking havoc on your home.