A collar and lead are two very important items both for a dog and its owner. All pups should be introduced to them early. And a calm, non-traumatic introduction is vital if you want your puppy to love them.

Timing is important too. One of the best ways to introduce the collar and lead is at mealtimes. Firstly, fit a firm-fitting leather or webbing collar, one that is not overly thick or large, on the pup. Make sure that you can comfortably fit two fingers under the collar once it is done up.

When teaching your dog to track you or to find someone, you will again be requiring the dog to use its nose. A dog relies heavily on its sense of smell. It has an innate ability to decipher scents and follow a particular scent.

However, some dogs are better than others at tracking. The best trackers are the hunting breeds—the pointer, the retriever, the spaniel, and those breeds that have long muzzles, such as the German shepherd, the Doberman and the Australian cattle dog.

Breeds with shorter muzzles, such as the boxer, the bulldog and the pug, to name only a few, have a lower success rate in tracking their quarry than dogs with longer muzzles. However, these breeds still make very competent trackers.

Before you can teach your dog how-to jump over obstacles, there are a few things you will have to do. The first will be to ensure that your dog is physically fit, and that it does not have any major hip or shoulder problems. It may be necessary for you to get your veterinarian to give the dog a medical checkup before you start teaching it this exercise.

You must also be certain that your dog is fully grown before you teach it to jump. Most breeds reach this stage of development by around 12 months of age, but some of the larger breeds, such as the Great Danes and Newfoundlands, are only fully grown after about two years. If in doubt, check with the breeder.

The first thing you should do when teaching your dog to sit is to place it on a lead and a check chain. The correct size of the chain should be about 40 inches (1 m) larger than your dog’s neck size. When fitting the chain, open it up to the shape of a “P” while facing the dog. One thing we would like to remind you about here is that the check chain is not designed to choke your dog. The dog is only meant to react to the sound the check chain makes.

Most people assume that dogs are good swimmers. This is not true. Some dog breeds like Labrador Retriever automatically loves to swim. However, some dog breeds are fearful of water. Some dogs learn to swim in a short period of time while others take longer time.

It is best to train your pet dog to swim when she is a young puppy. This is because smaller size dog makes it easier for your dog to be taught.