My husband and I have been breeding and raising Australian Shepherds for over 20 years and have learned quite a few tips and methods to train them easily. It really doesn't matter, though, what breed of dog or puppy you have or if it's a mixed breed. These methods will work for you. If you're like many dog owners, you're looking for (immediate) relief. Your experience is not unique. But training your puppy or older dog does take some time and effort. It is well worth the effort and, because dogs are pack animals, and naturally want to please their owners, your dog will love it too! And it’s just more fun for you to have a well-trained dog - you can do more exciting things, enjoy more experiences and share a fuller, richer relationship together.

But I'm going to share with you here a few tips that have worked for us. Generally, we start training our pups at the five or six week stage as we discovered the sooner we can imprint the desired behavior, the quicker and more permanent it is. But, you can 're-train' an older dog, too, using these tips, it just takes a little longer and repetition and consistency are the key.

Sounds strange, doesn't it? But think about it? How many other times in your daily life do use that word? With your kids and spouse? Answering questions? Your dog or puppy will become immune to that 'sound'. Instead, we use a harsh sounding command, something like "Ah-Uh" (boy, that was hard to figure out how to write!). It grabs your dog/puppy's attention, it carries farther so your dog or pup hears it at a distance and no one else can get confused as to who you are directing it to.

When you have imprinted the "sit" command in your pup or dog, you can use it successfully to control your dog. Use it like the "Ah-Uh" to stop inappropriate behavior. Your pup or dog will not be able to not sit when the command is given.

Start with your pup in front of you and looking at you (your pup should be standing). Place your hand a few inches above its head, palm open, and down. Now, as you move your hand down your pups back (not touching), say sit, sit, sit, and when you reach the back end, gently push your pup into a sitting position. Be sure to praise your dog or pup when it does it-even though you were helping! This should be repeated several times, then rest. Do it again later and repeat several times a day. Pretty soon, when you either hold your hand out flat and move it away from your body or say sit, your puppy or dog will not be able to resist sitting. Remember to praise your dog or pup each and every time!

The same technique can be used with the command "stay", though this one takes a little more time. You change your hand signal to an open palm, positioned like stop. As you slowly back away from your pup or dog, with your hand in the 'stop' position, say stay, stay, stay. At first, you won't get very far before your dog or pup come running to you. The farther you can go away, the better. Then approach your pup (if its stayed) and praise it.

Again, we have found sounds over words are much more reliable and affective. We teach our pups to come by either whistling (my husband does this, I can't whistle) or by slapping the side of my leg or clapping. Again, as we do these commands we are saying "come, come, come" to our pup. If it does come while we are doing the command, we praise it like all get out! It doesn't take long for our pups to respond to our commands. They love the praise and love pleasing us.

Because we raise working stock dogs, we do not ever use treats as rewards. This becomes the dogs focus and they become 'mooche- pooches". Praise works as well, if not better. We do not give our pups toys that are cloth or cloth-type, as this teaches them that cloth objects are acceptable to chew on and there goes your slippers, socks, furniture--you name it! Same goes for rawhide objects, your shoes are at risk! This applies to puppies, older dogs seem to be able to distinguish between toys and non-toys.

If If you can give the same cue every time with the same action, your puppy will learn to associate the two. It's not only for your sake but also for your dog's own health, happiness and overall well-being. Why? Because a well-trained dog is healthier and happier, and simply leads a better life than one who is not well-trained.

And it’s just more fun for you to have a well-trained dog - you can do more exciting things, enjoy more experiences and share a fuller, richer relationship together.