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Dogs are not people:  The greatest misconception many dog owners have is to assume their dogs communicate the way humans do.  To effectively train your dog, you must first understand its instinctual pack behavior.

All dogs think in terms of the pack.  Dogs instinctively know that living with others, under the leadership of a dominant pack member, enhances their chances for survival. Your leadership will make your dog feel safe and eliminate many behavior problems.

Dogs don’t understand English. In addition to barking, growling and other guttural sounds, dogs rely heavily on body language.  By understanding how dogs communicate, you will avoid the mistake of telling your dog one thing while your body language and voice pitch tell it something completely different.

Dogs are neither spiteful nor deliberately naughty. There are three reasons why a dog misbehaves or disobeys:
1) it does not understand what you want
2) it does not consider you its leader
3) it is suffering from some kind of stress or fear

Aggression is instinctual in every breed.  Whether Chihuahua or German shepherd, a dog’s breed has nothing to do with aggression. Instead, aggression is instinctual and caused most often by fear of the unknown.

You can teach an old dog new tricks.  Dogs are continuous learners and have good memories. The three things that primarily influence a dog’s behavior are association, instinct, and experience.

It’s illogical to get angry with your dog.  Dogs only do what comes naturally or what they’ve learned through association, so getting angry — or using physical force — with a dog is both inappropriate and counterproductive.  

Correct your dog on the spot.  Because dogs learn from association, they will comprehend your message only if it is delivered in a timely manner. A correction must be issued at the precise moment the dog is either contemplating or actually doing something wrong.