Bad, unruly dogs are almost always the result of lack of training, or inconsistency, neglect, or abuse on the owners part. In as little as 5 to 10 minutes per day you can have a well-behaved, happy dog that the whole family, friends, and relatives will enjoy.
Do not allow your puppy to do anything now which you would not like him to do when he is full gown. Some think it is so cute when a little guy jumps up on your legs and rough-houses and chews you hands. But it is rarely appreciated when a 75-pound adult continues the same habits! Avoiding bad habits is much easier than breaking them, whether it be begging for food at the table, barking, jumping on people, or sleeping on the couch.
A sharp, loud "uh-uh" or "no" is sufficient reprimand for a puppy. Women with soft, sweet voices need to work at getting enough sternness in their voices so that the pup can distinguish between the happy voice and the unhappy voice. They learn fast and are eager to please you, and tone of voice often means more than the command words themselves. As soon as the offending behavior has stopped, praise him. Always remember to use a happy voice and praise warmly when your puppy does well.
Chewing things in the house is rarely a problem if you make an effort to avoid the problem. Remember, the puppy will be teething and needs to chew. So have plenty of acceptable things for him to chew, kong toys, treated natural sterilized bones, nylabones or gumabones. Avoid anything he could swallow, such as bells inside rubber toys, etc. Do not give the dog toys with only ONE hole in them such as the Pimple Ball made by Four Paws; suction can cause the dog's tongue to get stuck inside and swell to the stage requiring amputation! For a while, you may want to remove temptation by picking up expensive shoes, books, etc. from the floors. But if you watch the puppy and direct consistently, he will quickly learn that certain things are not for him.
Young puppies all "play-bite" at your hands, just like they did on their littermates. You can quickly teach them not to bite by not allowing them to get your hands in the mouth. When they do, scold with a warning sound or command such as "easy" or "careful". You also can pinch the puppy's lip a little to reinforce the idea.
Sometimes people have so much fun playing with a puppy or young dog that they forget how important it is to teach him to enjoy calm, quiet affection. A "live-wire" puppy can greatly benefit by holding, cuddling, and petting the puppy while praising him with a soothing, quiet voice. Limiting the amount of rough-housing with young children also helps calm down a young puppy.
Jumping up on you can be stopped by always bending near to the pup's level and petting him when he approaches. That way you are also ready to hold him back and push him to the ground if he does leap ... and scold him with a command such as "off".
And ALWAYS recognize with praise and petting when the puppy (or adult dog) comes when called to come. Many people actually unknowingly train their dog not to come. A perfect example is when the dog is roaming too far away, or is investigating something not appropriate, and the owner calls "come". The dog stops what he's doing and starts to come; the owner (now satisfied), turns away and ignores the dog. Eventually, the dog learns that "come" must not mean come all the way to me, and he learns to ignore you just as you ignored him.
You can begin teaching your puppy a few things right away, but remember his attention span is very short and he gets sleepy quickly. Start calling him by his name right away to get his attention. By as early as 8 to 10 weeks, you can begin short training sessions (5 minutes once or twice a day) for simple commands such as "sit", "down" (lie down), "stay", "come", etc., as well as getting him accustomed to a soft collar/leash. And get him used to staying still for having his ears cleaned, his feet handled and toenails clipped. There is nothing wrong with reinforcing his good behavior with little treats as well as praise during these sessions.
Patience and consistency are keys to successful training and a happy, well-behaved dog. If you feel you are losing your patience, or the puppy is not concentrating at all, stop (preferably on a good note) and try again later. Remember, reinforcing good behavior is more effective than punishing poor behavior. You'll be amazed how quickly he'll learn these simple commands! If you are having consistent problems with certain things, it most likely is due to confusion. Try another approach to communicate what you want or don't want.
I strongly recommend some type of obedience training once your puppy is old enough, which can be fun and rewarding for both you and your dog. You both will learn a lot and it's great socialization for the puppy.
