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If you have a young puppy he probably has the concentration spell of a gnat. This is not the time for formal training but there are lots of things you can do to get him ready for that day when he goes to school.

The most important of which is to convince him that you are his Leader and the Best Game in Town. Keep your play sessions short. Sit on the kitchen floor and roll a small ball across and see what he makes of it. Encourage him to play with you. Experiment until he finds something he likes and then only take that object out when you are having a ‘play’ with him. That’s the way to keep it special.

Next get all the family together and agree on the Rules of the House. I only have five rules:

1) No jumping up.

2) No teeth on skin.

3) Do not steal food. (food that drops on the floor is his).

4) Keep off the furniture

5) Upstairs is out of bounds

Those are my simple rules and I am very consistent.

Remember Leaders do not ‘try’ to do something they do it and no going upstairs means exactly that.

You want your puppy to see you as the most interesting person on the planet. That’s the way to have control and a good recall. Concentrate on your relationship. Don’t worry about teaching him ‘tricks.’

If you can bring your dog to class on the first session and have him sit quietly by your side and hold his attention when he is surrounded by other dogs you will have made the perfect start.

Remember 50% of your dog’s behaviour is training. The other half is relationship. Get the relationship right and everything else will fall into place.

Just a word on socialisation. This needs to be done carefully in a controlled way with calm, steady dogs. It’s something we do in class where all the dogs are under control. Do not try to do it in the park where you will not have control.