I have heard more than once, that it’s not the puppy that needs training, but the owners! Why?- well a puppy and consequently a dog will only behave as it has been taught. With one or two exceptions in breeds I don’t believe there is such a thing as a Bad Dog, they can all be trained to be wonderful, loyal and well behaved pets.

Puppies & dogs need routine and it’s necessary from day one they learn who is the boss. Screaming and shouting or worse hitting an animal will produce no results and often lead to an angry animal, which benefits no one and could be dangerous. The first step is to teach the puppy you are the boss. Start with meal times, all animals are protective of their food it‘s important they realise this is not allowed, so have a little game by taking away and returning the food / bones or chews. Apply this game also to their toys.  The simple order to "Give" is so necessary in raising a well-behaved and obedient pet. A single piece of dried dog food given when your puppy releases either a chew or a toy, will soon teach them to "Give".

All dogs enjoy running off the lead (assuming it’s safe to do so), but you need to know they will come back to you when called. As above when you call your pet, by either name, whistle or finger click, a small treat must be given and lot’s of praise.

If at any time your pet decides it wants to try out being the "Boss" a rolled up newspaper slapped against your hand (NOT on the animal) within close proximity to your pet, will soon let them know it’s not allowed, the noise works wonders in getting their attention.

Barking, like chewing is natural to any dog, but this needs to be curbed sometimes, or you may have very upset neighbours. If barking occurs just to get your attention, then it’s wise to ignore it, if this doesn’t do the trick, then again return to the rolled up newspaper (after a while, you may only need to pick up the paper to have the puppies attention). Dogs will also bark and howl, if left alone for long periods of time, they are social creatures and will react this way, because they are lonely. Sometimes it is necessary to leave your pet, if this problem or barking or howling continues you may need to fit an anti - barking collar. I have used only the lemon scent collar and found it to be excellent, after a couple of months it was no longer needed.(Just a note here, this problem usually occurs when you have only one dog).

Biting, not chewing, but trying to nip or bite, can if not addressed immediately, become serious, therefore stop this habit fast. If biting isn’t stopped it could be a child's hand or worse, which as a puppy may not hurt too much, but your puppy will grow and a bite then will be serious. The most effective and fastest solution, is to bite back the puppy back on the ear, until there is a little yelp. It may take a couple of attempts, as I remember the first time I did this I was terrified I would hurt the puppy, honestly you won’t, but you will induce an association, that when they bite they are bitten back. and within a day all biting will stop. If you really feel you are unable to bite the puppy back, then again you can use the rolled up newspaper slapped across your hand, however this might take a lot longer to produce results.

Toilet Training in my experience, this can vary from pup to pup. Some puppies seem from day one to understand that this must be done outside, whilst others struggle to get the hang of it. I do know that temperature plays a large part in how easy it is to train. Puppies naturally will do their toilet in cool conditions. Unfortunately during very hot weather, it is often cooler indoors than out, so gentle encouragement and plenty of trips outside will be required. Pop the puppy on a lead each time you go outside, then after a wee or poo, reward with a single treat and let the puppy off the lead for a little play. Puppy training is easy if you follow the rules.

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