If you are familiar with Carl Jung's Theory of Personality, then you will know that a human being's inner self is composed of a personal unconscious and a collective unconscious; the former referring to the well of memory and that we easily access, and the latter a repository of instinct that is built into our psyche. This is also home to our darker side.
Building on this argument, it is safe to assume that your dog does not have a personal unconscious but relies on its collective unconscious, or instinct, to react to different situations. When your dog barks, or jumps on visitors, when it has an attitude, or when it pees on the carpet, it is using its animal instinct. This behavior should not come as a complete surprise.
Therefore, dog training means that you as the dog owner are trying to develop a personal unconscious in the dog's psyche. You are trying to build a memory bank that your dog can use to remember commands such as "sit" or "come". This can only be accomplished through consistency, repetition, reward, and firm punishment for aggressive behavior. Your dog is relying on you, don't withhold this valuable gift. Don't fight a dog's basic instincts; instead, use toys, goodies, and play to develop its memory bank.
Understanding that your dog relies on instinct is the first step in dog training. It is not a human being; rather it is an animal which can only synchronize with your thoughts if you give it a chance. It does not have the capacity for rational thought as human beings do. The best it can do is access its collective unconscious instinctively. Your job is to minimize this tendency and instead give it the capacity to remember.
