by Eileen Hughes

Created on: January 10, 2008

Obedience training is very important for both the puppy and the owner. If he is well trained and obedient, you will both be happier.

You should start training your puppy when he is about two - six months old. Do not growl or punish him until he is at least four months old, because he will not understand. They are very playful and that is how you need to make his training.

In the beginning, keep his training to approximately fifteen minutes each time, three or four times a week. If he loses interest, stop the training and play with him. Do not let him become bored, because he will lose interest and will not learn anything.

Equipment and training techniques
Training requires a lot of patience, a sense of humor and understanding of your dog's behavior. There are several ways of achieving their training. Some prefer group training, or private lessons or you can train your own dog. I prefer to train my own dogs. Group training is good as they learn how to behave with other dogs and will not be so bad when they meet other dogs while out exercising in the street. The choice of course is up to the individual preference.

The Choker chain is ideal to use for obedience training. The normal leash you use may be leather or a chain with leather handle. The personal choice or preference is yours. You will need a choker chain, or collar and a leash. For treats, I prefer to use small pieces of dog food cut up into very small pieces, plus some small biscuits that do not require much chewing. I use these as rewards when he has done well.

I am using my Blue Heeler dog, Titan to explain my actions here. The most important thing in training is to be consistent. If, I allow Titan on my bed today then yell at him for getting on the bed the next day, he will be confused and not understand what he is doing wrong. Be sure to make your dog enjoy his lessons. Then he will look forward to each lesson as much as when you take him for a walk.

Do not allow your dog to sit or beg at the table for food. Leave him outside while eating food at the table or make him lie down. It is very important to have control over your dog. He needs to sit on command, before you cross the road, and before he gets a treat or gets into the car. When a dog is sitting and under control, he cannot cause any trouble to anyone.
He needs to learn how to walk on a leash on your left side without pulling on the lead.

Another important part of his training is to teach him to come when you call him not at his leisure. It could save

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