Puppies should begin their training as soon as they are brought into your home, if this doesn’t happen, you will find that he has begun to make his own rules rather than following yours.

Dogs should be taught to eat out of their own bowl, sleep in their own bed and come and wait when told to do so.

A dog, like a child, needs a routine, a time of day he knows he will be fed, allowed outside to take care of his business.

A time to go to bed at night and a time to wake up in the morning are both important for your dog to learn. Until your dog decides that you need to be up at 3 a.m. every morning you will not understand how important his routine is.

A dog also needs a private place just for him, where he can take his toys, and feel safe and secure, this place should never be used as a punishment.

Every member of the family should handle the puppy, but only one member of the family should train him. Each person in the family should learn and abide by the training commands used by the one who is training the puppy, or he will be confused by commands he doesnt understand.

Commands should be kept to one or two syllable words that are spoken clearly and concisely, he must learn to obey every person in his new home.

Some feel that teaching a puppy to wait for his dinner until the family has eaten teaches him that you are the leader of his family or “pack”.

Others feel that a dog should be fed at the same time as the family to avoid begging at the table, this is a decision that you will need to make yourself.

Teaching a puppy to wait when you open a door, and allow you to go first teaches him that you are the leader. If he doesn’t understand the relationship he is to have with you, his training will be difficult.