First you need to understand that what is natural and fun for a dog, isn’t necessarily what you consider good behavior. Truth be told, the "bad" behaviors your dog might exhibit (jumping, digging, chewing, marking every tree in sight, etc) are totally natural for a dog, but pretty undesirable in a human environment. So, since we’re asking our canine companions to co-exist with us under some relatively strict (for a dog!) conditions, these natural behaviors that drive us crazy have to be modified.

A few pointers:

Consistency is key. A behavior is either acceptable or it’s not. Don’t expect your dog to understand complex gray areas. "Sometimes OK" confuses your dog. And that’s not fair. Make up your mind what you want from your dog. You’ll be happier and so will he.

Teach the concept of "yours" and "mine". The name of this game is substitution. If your dog is chewing on something you don’t want him to chew (like, say, your arm!), pick up one of his toys and replace the undesired with the desired. The words you say (consistently) are: "uh uh, this is yours!". She likes your arm better, you say? Well, second only to consistency when modifying behavior, is repetition. If it takes one time or a hundred, DO NOT GIVE UP OR GIVE IN.