Teaching your dog to respond to you will make your life easier and keep your dog happy and safe. You should start training a puppy straight away, so that it doesn't develop too many habits. Use your puppy's name as much as possible while training. They respond best to short names with one or two syllables. Be encouraging. Always praise your puppy or give it a dog treat when it does something right. Be firm but don't lose your temper. Never hit your puppy, training is about patience.

There are four basic commands that you need to teach your puppy -come, sit, stay and down. These combined with proper lead training form the basis for advanced training and obedience. You must remember that a puppy's attention span is very short. Each training session be kept short and occur several times daily.

-To train your puppy to come to you, crouch down with your arms open and shout your pet's name and then the word -come. When your puppy comes, reward it with a dog treat. Gradually increase the distance between you and your puppy. It is best to keep your puppy on a retractable lead at first, until you're sure it won't run off.

-Teach your puppy to sit by raising a dog treat over your head so that the puppy has to sit down to see it. At the same time say -sit, firmly.When he sits praise it and give him a treat.

Stay

- To teach it to stay as it is sitting put your hand out flat towards the dog's face and say -stay, slowly. Keep repeating this as you gradually move away. If your dog gets up, try again.

Down

-When your puppy is sitting hold a dog treat in your fingers near his nose. Bring the treat slowly to the ground. Cover the treat with your hand when you reach the ground. Repeat the process until your puppy realises he has to lie down in order to get the treat. When he lies down say -down, and remove your hand to let him have the treat.

All puppies should become accustomed to a collar and a lead from as early as eight weeks. Make sure the collar is not too tight. You should be able to put a finger between the collar and the puppy's neck. When first putting on the lead let it drag behind him to get him to know it's a harmless object. Start the lesson with the puppy sitting on your left side lead attached. Hold the end of the lead in your right hand and the middle of the lead in your left hand. When ready raise your left hand and give the command to -heel, while beginning to walk with your left foot first. Initially the puppy will tug on the lead but give a quick tug while saying heel. The puppy will soon associated tugging forward with discomfort. As soon as he is brought back to the correct position give him some praise. Many puppies take several weeks of training but the end result is well worth the effort.