Jack is 9 months old today and he's also going through a bit of a rebelious teenager thing. Basically lately it seems like he almost never responds to a command without us repeating it or giving him a correction. We have come to the conclusion that we can't give him the benefit of the repeat so we are just using corrections. After all he does KNOW these commands (he he's been through puppy obedience classes and sessions with an individual trainer and LOTS of practice at home). So since he's just choosing to ignore us, so there has to be a consequence EVERY time. He's already getting better over the last few days since we up'd our expectations and aren't letting him slide. He had surgery recently so I think part of the problem is that we were feeling sorry for him and letting him get away with things. NO MORE! Back to being consistent!
I think it's important to realize that while you feel bad for correcting them all the time and making them listen every minute, the alternative is having a dog that you are constantly mad at or annoyed with, and one that doesn't get to participate in as much of your life because they aren't well behaved enough. I think that leaving them out, and not helping them reach their full potential is much more "mean" than teaching them how to behave properly, even if it means a lot of reprimands and corrections which make you feel "mean" along the way.
It's also really important that you and your hubby get on the same page, even if you have to compromise on what your expectations, commands, and corrections will be. If you both aren't following the same training procedures your pup will just be confused and even less likely to listen.
