The earlier you start with your puppy training the better. Five-years later, and 140-pounds bigger, I can truly say that I'm very happy that I put the time and effort into the days when my Mastiff was a puppy. There are a few commands that you and your puppy can get started with, and you'll more than likely be amazed with how quickly they pick things up.

Dogs are smarter than a lot of people realize, so we should certainly take advantage of their intelligence. I started off with - sit, leave it, and down. Additionally, puppies tend to become excited and jump a lot, so it's vital to stop the habit early. Since we already use the down command, we tell our puppy - off - when wanting them to stop jumping on things.

The more you work with your loved one - the more you'll appreciate it as time goes on. And don't forget to praise your pup! Potty-training is also huge. The only way that you can teach your pup to go outside is to pay attention! I'm not saying that you need to stare at your dog every second of the day; however, you're basically trying to catch them in the act, so you can then discipline accordingly.

There's no sense saying NO when they peed in the house 20-minutes ago. One final tip with potty-training is if you see them start to go in the house, than you need to immediately say NO, pick them up, and take them outside while saying - OUTSIDE. And then you MUST praise them when they do go OUTSIDE, because they'll eventually associate one with the other. Please don't hesitate to e-mail us your questions, and someone from Scottsdale BARK will get back with you as soon as possible.