Train Your Dog and Avoid Being Sued

Unfortunately we live in a world of lawsuits and in America, we have more lawyers per head of population than any other country in the world; you never know who is looking for an angle to launch legal action in the hope of making "free" money!

Your family pet that looks as cute as a button is just a lawsuit waiting to happen but there are a lot of things you can do to make sure that any risk is minimized and in the bargain, enjoy a well-behaved, loyal and obedient dog as well.

Lawsuits involving dogs arise frequently and they tend to have a common cause as the basis for the legal action against a dog owner. Jumping up at people, nipping, excessive barking or aggressive behavior are common grounds for the basis of a lawsuit but all of these behaviors can be controlled and trained out of your dog to a very large extent.

It is a common bad habit of an untrained dog to jump up at people when they meet them and usually this starts as being acceptable with the owner or family members whenever they return home and the dog is waiting to greet them. All too often, owners and their families will pat their chests in a "come on" signal for the dog to jump up and put their forepaws upon their chest while they are petted and fussed over. Naturally the animal learns that this is acceptable and indeed, expected behavior which becomes replicated whenever someone comes to the house.

Do not allow your dog to jump up at you and actively discourage this behavior; make sure none of your family members allow this to happen either. Make a point of not greeting your dog when you first walk into the house upon returning; greet your partner and family before making a fuss of the dog so they learn where they stand in the pecking order and also that hey cannot expect excitement and attention as soon as you walk in the door. This will curb the jumping up at strangers; behavior that is seen all too frequently.

Biting and nipping is a definite "No!" with any dog; nipping usually starts because of play and interaction with the dog when it is a puppy and this is followed through into later life as an adult. Rough housing with your dog is part of social interaction and also a lot of the fun in having a dog; they love to play and so do we! Establishing strict limits and boundaries is crucial so your dog knows how far they are able to go; mock growling while scampering around as you both pretend to chase each other or invite being chased is fine, but there should never be any biting or nipping contact allowed.

Three simple commands can help you avoid a lawsuit with your dog.

"No!"

"Leave!"

"Down!"

Most human babies learn "No" as their first word that they recognize and respond to; as a parent I understand why and it is a necessary word to use frequently when junior is trying to eat an electric cable! Dogs are very similar in that they do not understand what can cause harm or cause them harm, so they will probably quickly understand that "No!" means stop what you are doing but hey must have this reinforced; "No!" means stop what you are doing right now!

"Leave!" is a great lawsuit avoiding command; teaching your dog to stop and leave an object or person and retreat from it will help make sure your pet is removed from harms way immediately.

"Down!" makes your dog lie down, and this is instantly a subordinate position for your dog to assume; a dog that is lying down is unable to pose an aggressive or offensive presence and it also demonstrates you have control over your animal.

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