A dog needs to see his owner as his pack leader. Naturally dogs want to establish a hierarchy or pecking order within the pack. If you do not show your dog, very clearly, that you are a good consistent pack leader it can be very confusing for him. Even worst he may get the idea he would be a better leader than you. Consistency is most important in letting the dog know what pleases and displeases you. We want the dog to know exactly what is expected without any confusion.
Positive reinforced dog obedience training is the best way to get, and maintain, the needed respect for owner as pack leader. This does not mean giving your dog a treat to get him to do things or making him sit before you feed him. You want your dog to know his actions please or displease you. You need him to work to earn your praise and avoid your “No”, focussing at least twice as much on the praise and approval. Essentially for every time you tell him “No” you need to give him the chance to earn two or three “Good Boy”s.Most, if not all, of a dogs’ behavioural problems can be controlled using the respect gained through obedience training. This does not mean all of your dog’s problems magically go away when you start training. But the higher you take your respect the easier it is to show your dog which of his actions please or displease you. When the worst thing in his life is your “No” and he knows how to avoid it, he is happy, you are happy. It is a win, win for everyone. Using your praise, and approval, and your negative disapproval consistently, you can condition your dog to do, or not do, almost anything.