The manner in which you handle and interact with your dog will affect his behavior and reactions towards you. In situations where is tension in the air, they hear loud or raised voices, they are touched roughly or they are grabbed at suddenly, dogs feel threatened and insecure.
Check out Good Manners Start with Dog Owners.
Physical Communication
Most pet dogs learn to enjoy being fussed and stroked form an early age and appreciate being touched – particularly on the back, chest and sides, which are “safe” areas. Areas that a dog will instinctively be wary about having touched are his eyes, mouth, paws, ears, tummy, tail, and anal area. However, it’s important to accustom your dog to have these areas touched without a fuss, in case they need grooming or vet attention.
Dogs threaten each other by staring and they learn quickly to take avoiding actions if this happens, rather than risk the aggression that would otherwise accompany it. Humans tend to gaze lovingly at their pet, so it is important to teach your pet that staring from humans is fine.
Check out Understanding Dog Body Language.
Compared with kids, dogs are less able to understand sounds used as signals and find it quite hard to learn vocal commands, like “sit” and “come here.” It’s much easier for them to learn such spoken commands if they are given in conjunction with hand signals or gestures during training. The hand signal can be gradually withdrawn as the dog becomes better educated.