With my dogs, I establish a yes-mark and a no-mark. These helps to establish a consistent way of communication, so that my dog knows which behaviors are desirable (yes-mark) and which behaviors are not desirable (no-mark). Some people use the “psst” sound as a no-mark. I associate my yes-mark with giving a reward, so that my dog learns to associate desirable behaviors with rewards. Similarly, I associate a no-mark with removing a resource (e.g. access to the backyard, access to people, access to another dog, attention, affection, etc.).
More on how I establish a yes-mark and no-mark with my dog.

Tone and volume of voice can sometimes be intimidating, especially for a more submissive/fearful dog. For example, a neighbor-friend of mine has a very loud booming voice. He is a very friendly and nice guy, but his size and voice can sometimes be intimidating to my more submissive Husky. When interacting with a more submissive dog, I speak softly and calmly. I also avoid prolonged eye-contact so as not to intimidate.

With my dogs, I try to set them up for success and I always give them many chances to redirect their behavior. If my dog does something undesirable, then I no-mark and tell her what to do instead. That works really well with my two Huskies, and then I can reward them for doing a positive behavior. After I consistently repeat this, they stop doing the undesirable behavior and just go straight to the good behavior, because they have learned that that is what they get rewarded for.
Another example of what I do during bite training.

Behavior depends a lot on the dog. I could hard-stare at my Shiba Inu till the cows come home and it doesn’t bother him one bit. On the other hand, my Sibes can get anxious with hard stares. I have desensitized them some to stares, so they feel more comfortable with it now. I do this by pairing it with positive experiences and rewards. I want my dog to associate looking at me with something positive and not something fearful or intimidating.
More on dominance and bad dog behavior.

There are many types of “rewards” or resources that dogs need or want. Food is a common one, but there is also access to people, access to other dogs, play, walks, affection, toys, sticks, tummy rubs, and lots lots more. Every dog is going to want or need something, and probably many different things. The key to reward/resource training is in observing my dogs and identifying what they are most motivated by. Similarly, different dogs get anxious over different things.

I always start with the least stressful method first for my dog, and try to redirect her into doing something positive. In this way, I not only stop the bad behavior but I turn it into something positive that I can reinforce.

An aversive stimulus is simply something that a dog seeks to avert or avoid. A reward stimulus is something that the dog desires or wants. The danger of using aversive training is that it may introduce too much stress to the dog, and cause anxiety behaviors, loss of trust, fear aggression, etc. This is in contrast to reward training which helps to build the dog’s confidence, establish trust, and set the dog up for success. Of course, not all aversive techniques are equal. In my experience, pain and dominance techniques tend to introduce more stress than say sound or scent aversion methods, all other things being equal. But then, a very submissive or fearful dog may also react badly to stares and angry shouting.

Dog behavior is very context dependent, which is why in most situations, it is best to consult with a good professional trainer who has a deep understanding of operant conditioning principles, desensitization, and is up to date on the current theories of dog psychology.

Getting a good trainer may help because there is a greater chance that family members will listen to someone whom they view as an expert.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help

Remember that positive techniques work better on people as well. Karen Pryor talks about applying positive conditioning to both people and dogs in her book, Don’t Shoot the Dog!. It was a very fun read for me.

We had a family dog when I was growing up, and it was not a good situation either. Here is his story.

I don’t think Petsmart has the authority to take action. Here are a couple of articles from the ASPCA and Humane Society on how to report animal cruelty-
http://www.aspca.org/fight-cruelty/report-animal-cruelty/report-animal-cruelty-faq
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/abuse_neglect/tips/cruelty_action.html

I imagine much of it would depend on the surrounding circumstances and stated hotel policies. One possibility is to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. If they have broken the law or not adhered to their stated policies, then we can probably report to the local animal care agency and/or consult with a lawyer.

Well, I have to work to buy my daily food. At work, I follow what my boss tells me to do. I may be hungry, but I don’t get paid until I finish the work. Is the work system cruel? Should we get money and food without doing any work for it?