Whether you recently adopted a pup or have a family member for a time, you may wonder if you should enroll your pet in obedience training. The easy answer for some dogs is yes—especially if they haven’t completed an entire course yet. “Any dog may use training,” says Nicole Ellis, a professional dog trainer with Rover. “It provides mental stimulation and helps grow the bond between you and your pet.”

But while every dog can take advantage of dog training classes, some need it more urgently than others. If you spot these behaviors—which range from fear-based to boredom-based and everything in between—it’s time for you to enroll your puppy in obedience training when possible. Just several hours of training weekly could boost your dog’s confidence, challenge his brain, and help him feel more at ease in his daily life.

They snarl or growl whenever you get too close for their possessions.

Ever reach down to throw a model your puppy loves only to own him snarl at you in turn? Or get too near to his food and obtain a similarly scary reaction? That’s a behavior called resource guarding. It occurs when your dog believes he’s protecting something highly valuable, says Aslett Mekler, DVM, a veterinarian and certified canine rehabilitation practitioner at Four Paws Mobility.

Unfortunately, this behavior could escalate if you inadvertently teach your puppy that he can get it by showing his teeth whenever he wants something. Based on Dr. Mekler, this behavior warrants treatment by having an obedience trainer, who can teach a command like “leave it,” then give you a reward when your dog listens. “When the cue is given, your dog knows it’s worth stopping the resource just because a jackpot bonus is on its way,” she says.

They bark….

Excessive barking is just a common behavioral issue in dogs—and a range of factors could cause it. “The first step is figuring out the cause,” says Ellis. “Are they protecting the home from what’s outside? Are they scared of what’s outside? Are they protecting you? Are they just vocal dogs, and this can be a job they’ve given themselves to accomplish?” From there, an expert trainer can help you want a class of action.

Ellis says the perfect solution could be as simple as giving your puppy a new job to accomplish besides barking. For instance, you can train him to visit a specific part of the house if he hears someone at the door. Or, you can teach him to play with a mentally stimulating toy during an occasion he’d normally bark. A trainer will have a way to offer solutions that work for your dog’s specific situation.

Poor leash manners

Walking your puppy should be described as a pleasant experience, not merely one plagued by pulling, chasing, or getting tangled in the leash. And while being fully a wild walker might appear harmless, it’s anything but. “Improper leash manners can lead to many dangerous scenarios, including pulling so very hard that the owner falls and injures themselves or pulling so very hard that your dog incurs the street,” says Dr. Mekler. In place of playing tug of war along with your dog, enroll him in obedience training to greatly help him discover ways to walk on the leash safely. It is a simple skill to understand, and it may benefit you and your pup in the long run.