Getting a new dog or puppy can be a very exciting time for the whole family but you will want to do some training with your dog, notice I said with and not train your dog, this is because you are going to have to learn some new skills when you start your training.

You do have some choices when you first start to think about your basic dog training, do you train the dog yourself or do you call in a dog training professional?

Both choices have their merits if you train the dog your self then you are bonding with your dog every time you do it, you are also learning how your dog reacts to different situations. Hiring a professional gives you the immediate expertise and you are able to correct any mistakes you might have made by training your dog yourself.

A mix of the two is probably the best way to go, join a dog training class, this will help keep the costs under control, but also give you the professional direction for your home training. When I got my first dog I read as much as I could and learned what techniques worked and then I visited 3 different trainers who were holding classes, I found one that I could communicate well with and attended the classes once a week while doing daily training at home with my dog using the lessons I had read about. That was over 30 years ago and the library was my best stop to find information but now the internet offers millions of sites and articles on dog training so you should make the most of it.

The three things I feel are a must during your basic dog training are patience, environment and praise let me explain.

Patience- your dog does not speak the same language as you so you must realise that it is going to take some time before you saying sit will get your dog to sit, repetition and reward are the key to getting the message across, but remember please be patient.

Environment- you must think about where you train your dog, you should avoid noisy and distracting places, as you will need your dog to be able to hear what you are saying and he must also be able to concentrate. Remember that your dog is excited about the world around him and if there is something new and interesting around him he will want to check it out, so you should find somewhere quiet and free from distractions.

Praise- your dog wants to make you happy, so when he does something right let him know you are happy that he has done that, lots of praise when your dog gets it right.

If you follow these three basic guidelines you will find your training is a lot easier to concentrate on and your dog will get much more from it, a little training done often is better than long training sessions dome infrequently, this is because your dog will start to get board doing the same thing over and over again, but if you split the lesions in to shorter chunks then your dog will look forward to the sessions and enjoy them when you run them.

Sean D teaches you all you need to know about training your dog..

Visit his site at Dog training basics for tips and help with your basic dog training.

http://www.dogtraining-basics.info