Do not take pup to the dog park until they are fully immunized​

Have consistent words used for commands.  These dogs are smart!  Talk to them and they will learn vocabulary for objects and actions.  For example, “Go Home” whenever entering the house, or simply “Inside” or “Outside”.  Use “Place” or “Bed” or “Home” for the spot you want them to learn to retreat to when you have company or where they sleep.

Teach your dog to sit and wait for you to go thru a door first, or before the pup is allowed to pass thru a door to come inside or to go outside.  This will help your pup learn expectations for manners and reinforce your position as leader.  Dogs feel secure when they know who the leader is and what’s expected of them.

If the puppy gets ahold of something you don’t want it to have, hitting is an ineffective means of discipline.  Initially, gently remove the item from the pup’s mouth with the calm but direct command to ‘drop it’ and redirect them toward something positive.

Effective puppy discipline is often learned from mom dogs.  When a puppy is in the wrong they growl.  Growling to show disapproval, whimpering when the puppy is biting at something it shouldn’t, suppressing the puppy’s movement by gently placing a hand on it’s head, or bringing it to the ground by carefully taking it by the scruff of the neck and putting it in a submissive position may feel funny, but it is a good way to communicate with your dog in a way it will understand.  Movements that are too swift or too firm may cause distrust of you.