Instincts
"We just adopted a two year old, unneutered English Springer Spaniel. Every time we take him outside he ignores us. His nose goes to the ground and he starts running around our field."

Instinct cannot be trained out -- it can only be controlled and managed. Consider this before you choose a breed or breed combination.

If you don’t want a digger, don’t choose a terrier
If you don’t want a runner, don’t choose a sight hound or a beagle.
If you don’t want a barker, don’t choose a Finnish Spitz

Think of instincts as ‘zoned out’.

Do your homework. Don’t choose a breed because you saw a well behaved dog of the same breed. Some train easy, some take years.. ask how they achieved the results.

Research of one - it’s easy to get hooked in on one method or idea. If it doesn’t seem right to you (training method) it may not be. Use common sense, ask questions and seek lots of opinions and sort through them and choose what works best for you. Sometimes it takes a little bit from each method to do the trick.

Most problems can be solved through attention training. Ten to fifteen minutes of quality time daily can do miracles.

NOTE: If training is failing, check yourself first. Speed, follow through, voice tone, and body language are essential to succes

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Crate Training / Barking / Urinating / Running Away / Chasing / Digging / Jumping / Children and Training / Instincts / Getting on Furniture / Chewing & Destructive Behavior / Pulling on the Lead / Unruly in Car / Car Sickness / Dislikes Children / Nervous Dog / Aggression