To make training your dog a much easier and a more pleasant task for both yourself and your dog there are things that you need to understand before you start the training.

• The first and most important thing that you must establish when training your dog, is that you are the boss.
  Dogs by their very nature are pack animals, and form into packs each having a strict pecking order, with each pack having a leader.
  You will need to establish yourself as the leader as quickly as possible to enable you to train your dog as easily as possible.
  
• You must also realise that your dog, although you may think it is clever, it is not human and only understands you at the same level as a 2 year old.
  That said, your dog still interprets your commands differently to that of a 2 year old, so don't expect whilst training your dog for it to behave in the same way.
  
• Start teaching your dog the basics first.
  Start with the sit command as this is the start position for many of the other command that you will progress onto.
  Keep working on this command until your dog fully understands and responds correctly before you decide to move on to another command.
  
• Whilst training your dog you will need to be firm and don't allow yourself to become distracted.
  Remember to always use exactly the same word for the command you are teaching and make sure the word is spoken clearly.
  Very importantly, never, ever physically punish your dog, instead, when your dog responds correctly, make a fuss and use positive reinforcement.
  It is important to be patient when your dog does not respond as you would like; you will only confuse your dog if you punish or scold it when it does not do as you would like.
  It is far better to just ignore it and your dog will quickly learn that a reward is only given when the required response is performed.
  
• When beginning, training must be consistent by training every day.
  You may find that as your dog learns more commands it would be possible to reduce the amount of time set aside for training, however training should always be a significant part of your relationship with you dog.
  Training can be both fun and rewarding for you and the dog as new commands are learnt.
  

Be assured that training a dog takes patience, consistency and repetition but you will be rewarded for your work by producing an obedient well mannered dog and the bond between you will be stronger.
By training your dog correctly you will be insuring its safety and that of those around it whilst out and about.
But best of all it will be a great deal of fun for both you and your dog.