Tori,
dogs are NOT cats. Dogs need direction and they want direction. Cats neither need nor want direction. They have it figured out, thank you!

Dogs are pack animals and unless the dog is a super alpha, it wants a leader to tell them what it can and cannot do. Even the super alphas want a leader that is stronger then them to give them the proper guidance for behavior. Our Annie Fay was a super alpha and the best girl in the world because she gave status to me, Linda and Rose Ann, Linda's sister. Even she needed time off from managing the rest of the pack and she was relieved when we took it over.

So, training is really an opportunity to give the dog an authority figure they can trust who will tell them what to do; reward them when they do it right; correct them appropriately when they do it wrong; and still be their companion to whom they can give their love.

It's complicated. Kinda like human relationships .

Good luck.

Jim