Owner must train the dog with lots of patience and kindness.
Before training a dog, we must win the trust by handling him gently, talking to him softly, and giving him lots of affection. Except for toilet-training, however, put off training until your dog has had a week or two to adjust to the family and his surroundings. Be extra patient, especially with a pup. Dogs learn by repetition, by associating a deed with your pleasure or displeasure. The modern concept in obedience-training is that only kindness, patience and understanding can succeed in training a dog. Punishment, whether with a rolled-up newspaper or with the hand, can only frighten and alienate the dog.
Training a dog means basically conditioning him, and this is best accomplished by rewards which can be verbal (praise), physical (petting or play), or material (treats). John S. Rarey, 19th century horse-trainer rightly said: ‘Kindness is Power.’ This applies to dogs too. The method should be simple: immediately reward appropriate behavior; give no reward for an inappropriate response. If a dog comes when called, and receives praise and a treat, he is more likely to reassure your nervous, barking dog by petting him, he might perceive petting as a reward for barking and may, therefore, bark all the more. Similarly some owners inadvertently teach rudeness and aggression by playing with their dogs in a rough, aggressive manner.
Consistent, patient and friendly lessons can teach almost any dog the commands such as HEEL, NO, SIT, DOWN, STAY and COME. This fundamental training is a necessity for every dog’s own safety and for his acceptability as a normal good member of the family.
Only one family member should take up the training responsibility. However after the dog has learnt a command, it can be issued by other household members as well.
For training a dog, you will need a chain-choke collar, especially for dogs of large breeds, and a reasonably strong leather leash. However for most young puppies, buckle collars will do instead of a choke collar. The absolutely essential requirements for the family-trainer are patience, persistence, practice and praise in addition to time, consistency and no loss of temper. The real requirement is friendly strictness. Initially dogs are best trained in short sessions of ten to fifteen minutes each, with no more than one or two of these per day. Training is better held before feeding time or after the dog has relieved itself. For the dog to learn a single command, repeated instructions and practice are necessary.