Training should be a fun activity. A dog is not likely to want to do an activity if it is hard for him, so be sure to include fun in the activities you use to train your dog, without the fun detracting from the purpose of the exercise.
Dogs want to please their owners, so you also need to acknowledge the effort he is making, so that he can see that this is happening.
Use both positive and negative reinforcement, but use them appropriately and consistently, so the dog does not get confused. Positive reinforcement means things like dog treats and praise, whereas negative reinforcement depends on you, but could include refusing a treat, or something harsher.
You should choose a training area where there are no distractions, because dogs can be easily distracted by things which have nothing to do with the training process. Controlling the surroundings will help the dog to focus on the one activity. Good ideas include a large empty room or an empty back yard. These are both examples of a good place to train a dog.
Make sure that your dog completes whatever task you have asked him to do, or he will learn that he does not need to follow your commands. For example, if you have commanded him to ‘come’, make sure that he comes all the way to you.
Be gentle, but firm when you train your dog. Use a lower tone of voice, because your dog could confuse a higher pitched one with another dog barking.
Wherever possible you should avoid using excess force or cruel measures such as yanking on the collar if he does the wrong thing. These actions could cause the dog to lose confidence.
Training sessions should be short - ‘bite sized’ is good. Dogs do not have a long attention span, and have a low capacity for retention, so short lessons are good for a dog’s learning.
Do not flood your dog’s brain with too much learning, instead train your dog by conditioning the desired responses.
We are inclined to want dogs to learn faster than they actually are capable of, so be patient. Being impatient can in fact slow the process down. Rushing never works; you simply need to help your dog to learn at his own speed.
It is much easier to train a puppy than it is to train a dog when he is old, because puppies learn more easily. The ideal age to train a dog is starting at 6 to 8 weeks old. The older the dog gets the more difficult the training is, and the more likely that he will have developed some undesirable habits.