The first priority should be training it to do its “business” outside the house. This means taking the puppy every hour outside for a few minutes. If it does its business, then shower it with praise. When you take it outside, try not to play with it until it learns what it is supposed to do. Remember, accidents will happen and you have to be patient.

Start walking with the puppy around the neighborhood using a leash. This will get it used to its surroundings and it will learn to walk beside you while on a leash.

Also make the rules on whether it is allowed to sit on the furniture or lie on a bed, from the beginning. If you do not want it on the bed or furniture, then you should allow them to run freely around the home. When the puppy jumps on the furniture or bed, then firmly push it off with a verbal “NO” command. Keep doing this until they understand that they are not supposed to be doing certain things.

Positive reinforcement is a great way to teach the puppy to behave in the way you want it to. By giving treats to them when they behave properly or do something that you want them to, you will be encouraging the proper behavior.

Always be consistent in the way you handle them. If you allow them to sit on the sofa, and then refuse them later, you will confuse the puppy, making the task of training much harder and longer. Always use a firm voice and never raise your voice too loud as you will scare it and the animal will loose its confidence.

Training a puppy is often considerably easier than training an adult or adolescent dog. One reason is that the puppy is essentially a “blank slate”, untroubled by past training techniques and other issues. Another more indirect reason is that you are probably more likely to spend more time and have greater patience with your new puppy than you would after the “novelty” has worn off somewhat. And it tends to be human nature to have greater patience with young (dogs and people), since we know that they’re inexperienced in life and they’re usually eager to learn.

In other ways, however, the puppy can be a little more difficult to train than an older dog. One challenge to training a new puppy is that puppies are more easily distractable than older dogs. Everything is new to a puppy, and every new experience provides a new chance for distraction. For this reason, it is best to keep training sessions short when working with a puppy, and to end each training sessions on a positive note.

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