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Originally Posted by alice's mommy

I think Zumio05 has an excellent point. Frankly, most people start to loosen up on the rules and have a hard time reinforcing NILIF, so teaching someone with a new puppy to make the dog give you something (ex. sit, stay, down) for things like food/attention/tug/etc..) will install the idea in the OWNER, so that they get used to it as the puppy grows. I seriously doubt the owner will end up as a dictator/tyrant, but getting in the habit of making the dog work for the perks is an excellent idea. :)

I think one of the reasons that some people "start to loosen up on the rules" is because they try to micromanage so many things. A dog doesn't need to work for so many things IF you concentrate on the important stuff and be consistent. If you spend some time every other day or so just working on good, basic obedience it really does help with everyday living manners with the dog. Sure, there are a few house manners I insist on..such as waiting until I say OK to eat his food, not going outside when I open a door unless I say it's OK. Dogs need a LOT of exercise/activity to occupy their minds. Giving the dog an enjoyable WORK (ob training, hiking, fetching) outlet goes a long way to instill good manners, plus I really believe the old saying "a tired dog is a good dog".