During the early stages of your pup’s life—for about the first six months—it will be very dependent on you, and seem quite devoted.

However, this situation will change once the pup is about seven months old. This is usually the age at which pups become more adventurous and more independent, although, of course, this stage will vary from pup to pup, depending on each one’s temperament and degree of confidence. In general, though, most pups start to disobey or challenge their owners around this time.

This is mainly due to the dog’s pack instincts, and follows the pattern of behavior it would have shown in the wild as a member of a pack. As the young pack dog matured, it became less and less dependent on its mother, and started to prepare itself for adulthood. It had to fit into an established hierarchy, and wanted to work out just how high up the ladder it could climb.

It is these instincts that will drive your pup when the time comes for it to start testing its independence. The early basics of training are therefore very important. If you can establish good ground rules while your pup is still dependent on you and more amiable than it will be later on, then you are halfway to having a well-trained, well-adjusted dog.

Once you have lead-trained your pup, you can advance fairly quickly. It is, however, just as important to have control off the lead as on the lead, and the best place to start ensuring this is in your backyard.

A pup will learn much faster in its own environment. Besides, a familiar environment means fewer distractions. Distractions will become important later on in your dog’s training, but initially they may hamper it.

By now you will have selected a reprimand word, and will be using it regularly. “Bah” or “Bad,” uttered in a guttural, growling voice, are best. “No” is more widely used in dog training, but, as explained, will not immediately be recognized by the dog as a reprimand. The only time a dog comes close to making a sound similar to “No” is when it is howling.

Once your dog is used to both the lead and the reprimand word, it is time to begin the basic training.

Related posts:

1. Dog Training – Teaching your dog to walk correctly off the Lead
2. Dog Training – Teaching the “sit” the easy way
3. Dog Training – Train your Dog to Sit Stay when Feeding – Good Table Manners
4. Dog Training – Using a Collar and Lead