Because your dog lives with humans, he's going to have to learn to deal with frustration sometimes, because you shouldn't let things always go his way if you're to be a responsible dog owner.
Dogs that are strong-willed and confident are more likely to become frustrated when they can't have something, especially if to them they are the dominant one, and not their owner.
To cure this bad behavior, you're going to have to set up some situations in which your dog becomes frustrated. You must then wait for him to go through his frustration and eventually calm down. Once he's calmed down, he's allowed to get whatever it is he wanted.
You need to remember while you're doing this, that you can't react in anyway while he's frustrated.
Here's an example of the whole process:
Offer your dog something he wants, often a food reward of a favorite toy will do the trick, and keep it just out of his reach. If he pulls on his leash, or barks, just ignore the behavior.
If it's your attention he wants, ignore him. Do not speak or touch him until he stops his behavior. Many dog owners find that their dog's behavior will become bad before it becomes better while doing this exercise, but stick with it.
You must wait for him to calm down before you let him get what he wants, otherwise the whole exercise will be reinforcing the incorrect behavior – which isn't what you want.
Once you've given your dog what he wants, he will begin to associate his calm behavior with what he wants. Eventually his bad behavior will seep away. It's going to take a few goes to become permanent, so you need to do this exercise a few times a day.
Amy Howells is an expert dog trainer who owns a website dedicated to teaching everyday people the short-cuts to dog training.
You can also sign up to her free e-course and discover the astonishing short-cut secrets to dog obedience training.
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