1. Make training time fun. Training time should be a chance to spend quality time with your pet. It is important that you and your pet both enjoy your time together.

2. Keep training times short and sweet as young animals have a short attention span. Several short, rewarding sessions each day are better than a long, frustrating one.

3. End on a high note with lots of praise, pats and treats. Try to time it so your pet obeys a command properly at the end of the session. You may want to finish on an easier command in order to finish well but it will give you and your pet a feeling of achievement.

4. Never hit your pup. He will be confused and afraid if he is beaten. It will not teach him to obey and you will lose his trust.

5. Be consistent with your commands. If you let your pup jump on you at home but not at training, he will become confused. He must do as he is told all of the time, not just when you find it convenient.

6. Make it a daily practice to go through the commands you have taught your pup. Many dogs, especially pups, have short-term memory retention and are prone to forgetting. It gives you a chance to spend time together too.

7. Use a clear, firm voice when giving commands. You need to get your pup’s attention even if there are distractions around them. Use the same command every time for the required behaviour. If you wanted the pup to sit, you should always use the same word. Do not say ‘sit’ sometimes and ‘sit down’ other times.

8. Short clear commands work best. A short, clear command of ‘sit’ will be more effective than ‘please, darling sit down now for mummy’.

9. The word “NO” in a clear, firm voice is enough to punish most dogs. It is a survival instinct for a dog to obey the pack leader. It is hard-wired into their brains. If you indicate disapproval, for instance by saying ‘NO’ in a loud, clear tone, your dog will quickly realise he is doing something wrong. Use the same command every time and you will soon have him trained to stop whenever he hears it.

10. Use lots of praise and reward good behaviour. It is better to skip a training session or to postpone it if you are in a bad mood. Always praise good behaviour. Make training a fun, rewarding experience for the both of you and you will be rewarded by having a well behaved, loving companion.