Training your Dog

However, there are easy or difficult ways to go about this and here are one or two tips that you can use to make sure your training goes smoothly and successfully.
Bear in mind the type of dog and its personality.   Some breeds are easier to train than others (Cocker Spaniels tend to be harder to train than a German Shepherd for instance) so first tip is to -
1. Make sure you start training once your puppy has become well adjusted to its new environment and it is used to you as its prime feeder.  This is usually no more than 8 weeks, but don't start training a puppy that is as young as this.   Ideally it needs to be just over 2 months old.
2. Slightly obvious tip, but we need to highlight it here.  ALWAYS make training a positive and happy occasion for the puppy with lots of praise and rewards.
3. Keep the sessions short and sweet for the first week no more than 2 minutes.  Then move up slowly over the next few weeks to 3 or 4 minutes.
4. Before issuing commands never forget the importance of eye contact. So make sure you have full attention of your puppy's eyes before even starting.
5. Always use the friendly but firm command of "come on" this will assist your dog to tune into you for further instruction.
6. Make sure you use your puppy's name in the commands.  This again assists in the ability to sound direct, but also your puppy will realise you are talking to him/her only.
7. Make sure you are constantly watching your own conduct. It's easy to get frustrated if there is little progress and for you to start deflecting this on to the dog.   Keep calm, firm and friendly.
8. Keep commands consistent and, hand gesturers the same for each command. Don't for example use "sit" one minute then "sit down" the next.
9. Make sure there is a reward for every command obeyed, not just when you feel like it.
10. If your dog is really not interested and you are not progressing then stop at that moment and try again later.   Try to stick to the same time of day when training to keep a consistency.