Eliminate the Negative

Rewards are things such as verbal praise, some petting, or food. There are some instances when ewards should be given out carefully. It's human nature to try and comfort a scared puppy. Your attention is just rewarding the scared behavior and you are just reinforcing something that will get worse with time.

When your dog nudges your hand and you pet him; you again are just reinforcing the behavior with a reward. The dog knows that every time he nudges your hand he will be rewarded.

Best time to talk to your dog is when they are doing something you want them to do. We have a tendency to ignore them when they are lying down or sitting still, but that is the best time to talk to them or pet them on the head. You will have to train yourself to give the rewards when the dog is giving you the behavior you want; in order to reinforce the positive behavior and eliminate the negative.