Why Foundation Work works!
Uncertainty and fear are relieved by authority. Training is authority. It’s a release valve. -Ryan Holiday Basic obedience foundation work.
When I say foundation work I’m talking about basic obedience such as:
Sit with implied stay 
Down with implied stay
Place with implied stay (teaches calm on command)
(The above three commands are taught with an implied stay because, what good is sit, down or place if your dog doesn’t stay in them???)
Heel (tight structured walk)
Recall (Come/Here Command)
Name Game (looking when you call their name)
Thresholds-Respectfully moving through doorways (including in/out of the crate)
Teaching your dog to be calm, even under exciting/stressful circumstances. Reward calm/not excited behavior.
Using the crate as a management tool. If your *untrained dog (*exhibiting ANY unwanted behaviors) is free roaming without your undivided supervision, they are most likely practicing bad behaviors. Thus, learning that they CAN! If you allow a behavior, you are agreeing with it.
Let’s face it, if your dog were a human baby, you wouldn’t leave it 
roaming around your home without supervision. Why? Because it would most likely get into things that could be harmful to the baby or your home. When you needed to do things like, cook dinner, take a shower, watch television or sleep you would put the baby in their crib or playpen (management tools) right? That’s what a crate is!
What does Implementing foundation work do for you?
What does Implementing foundation work do for you? More importantly, what does this do for your dog? It teaches your dog to listen to you (number one complaint from dog owners- “My dog doesn’t listen to me!”). Foundation Work communicates to your dog that you control EVERYTHING! This may sound horrible to you, but to a dog this is WONDERFUL!
To a dog, the world is full of exciting, nerve wracking, unknown, scary sights, sounds, objects, people, other dogs. Things that can 
make your dog anxious, nervous, protective (not in a good way), over aroused (excited= making bad choices), unsure, and even aggressive (usually out of fear/anxiety/nervousness but even from over arousal/excitement). Basic obedience foundation work.
Now if you’ve been practicing foundation work consistently, insert the fact that your dog knows you control everything, and your dog can relax! He knows you’ve got it, you’ll protect him! Don’t worry about that dog over there, walk on. Nothing bad happens when you hear that sound, ignore it. That garbage truck is not going to attack you, walk on.
Don’t treat the symptom, treat the whole dog.
If you have behavioral issues you would like to address, you need to go back to basics. Don’t treat the symptom (the bad behavior), treat the whole dog with foundation work. When you do, many behavioral issues may fade away! Basic obedience foundation work
When we don’t clearly communicate the rules, or we are inconsistent with the message, we create bratty, entitled, overbearing and demanding dogs. Or, we confuse and even make dogs nervous. They hear “this person is not in control, this person will not protect me, this person isn’t serious/doesn’t mean what they are saying”, thus in the mind of your dog (the mind that counts in the moment) they must control the situation.
We all have rules by which to live.
We all have rules by which to live. When we break the rules there 
are consequences. If the consequences are great enough it changes our behavior to not want to break that rule again. For example, if you are driving down the road and a cop pulls is behind you, you drive differently, more carefully so that you don’t get a ticket (consequence).
Similarly, if you went to work every day and each day the rules where different but no one told you what had changed, AND you got reprimanded for doing something today that yesterday was ok, how would that make you feel? At first, maybe pissed off, over time it would be STRESSFUL TO SAY THE LEAST!
A household without rules/boundaries/guidance/training is a nerve wracking environment for a dog.
This is why basic obedience foundation work works. Your dog can’t be jumping up if they are in place, they can’t be counter surfing, if they are in place, they can’t be charging the door, if they are in a down, they can’t be barking out the window if they are in place! They can’t be charging at people, acting aggressively if they are in place (int the house), in a sit or down or practicing a structured walk/heel (when outside).
Place command is one of the greatest commands-it promotes calm 
on command and teaches dogs to ignore what is going on around them. Over time they learn to just relax and be calm in many more situations and environments. If they are nervous or anxious it teaches them to prioritize the training over the fear.
Stay on top of and correct even the smallest infractions, the moment of arousal (head/ears up) Bam! (remember, you control everything!) and your dog will listen to you better in the big moments.
You don’t stay on top of those little moments, you don’t stand a chance in the big moments.
Take away… Consisten basic obedience foundation work promotes better behavior, builds trust and respect, and creates a calmer, more relaxed dog all around.
