Training a puppy is such a rewarding experience! Happy Trail Chihuahuas really hopes you use plenty of praise and treats to reward your puppy to get the message across. Remember you are it's master and the puppy will feel close and obedient if you remain kind in your request and give them positive reinforcement. Steve would like to give you these training tips he has found to be true.

Every dog needs to be adequately trained to do away with some of the habits like pushing owners to play, barking relentlessly, jumping on guests, chewing up apparels or shoelaces or messing around the household. Behavioral problems can be rectified easily through a mechanism of consistent training followed by positive reinforcement. Redirecting a pup's energy is key to keeping your training positive. Rather than correcting with a "No," tell your puppy what it is that you want it to do. Use 9 "Good puppy" sentences for each "No." Dogs can also be taught to perform certain tasks like fetching newspapers and other things, and performing tricks by rewarding desired behaviors with treats. Beef Liver treats are great for puppies because they are high in reward value, nutritious, and do not contain chemicals or preservatives.

Certain commands like sit, down, no, stay, go potty, etc. should be taught. Aside from the above basic commands, certain complex commands can also be taught over a period of time. Some dogs have inherent traits based on which they can be trained as therapy dogs, watchdogs, guide-dogs, and rescue dogs and also as hunting dogs. However, these specialized tasks need professional training.

Owners can also teach many simpler commands without any professional help. It should be kept in mind that each dog has a unique personality. It is easier to train dogs that are submissive. Dominant ones are more difficult to housebreak and owners need a lot of patience to make them fully trained.

To have a happy, well-behaved canine friend, owners should start training their dogs when they are about 4-5 weeks of age. Dogs have a habit of getting on the wrong side of other canines in the area or even strangers and thus need adequate socialization from an early age. Owners should allow their puppy to interact with other puppies in the area and also encourage them to interact with their friends who are otherwise strangers to the dog.

Behavior problems are often an owner problem rather than a dog problem. If you do not understand the nature of a dog it is easy to confuse your pet and unknowingly teach him or her bad habits or to fear you. They are very responsive to doing what you want or do not want, once they understand what you actually intend for them to do. To achieve this you need to get and hold their attention. Puppies have a short attention span and can get bored quickly. So keep your training sessions short under three minutes at first. As he matures you can gradual extend the training periods. If your puppy gets board and stops paying attention (not focused), stop and then start later. You do not want to force him, you want to encourage him. You also need to let them know you are their pack leader, and he is not your leader or just a play thing to have fun with. Don't let your puppy con you into getting what he wants.

Puppies should be properly crate-trained. Crate training is one of the most effective means of house-training. A secure spot should be selected for this purpose and covered with a newspaper. Puppies should be kept confined in a spacious crate with baby gates. Dogs usually do not defecate in the area where they stay and thus should be taught to remain in that spot unless commanded otherwise.

Owners should take their pups out after each regular meal to a selected spot. This schedule is to be adhered to. However, in spite of all the training, accidents still occur and owners should refrain from rebuking them under such circumstances but should express their disapproval explicitly. Puppies are sensitive to ruff behavior and might develop severe behavioral problems if ill-treated. They are to be taught certain commands by using the same signs and words to make them understand what is expected of them. Owners should reward them with tidbits and/or praise them amply after successful completion of each task and make their pets earn their rewards.

Dogs live in the moment. Let me say that one more time so you remember it. Dogs live in the moment. Therefor timing is a very critical component in the training process. If you discover your puppy has altered the look of you new sofa or shredded one of your shoes beyond recognition and you do not catch him or her in the act, dragging him back to the seen of the crime ten minutes later to scold him will be non productive. He will not relate to the fun he had chewing up your stuff with the attitude and actions you are now displaying ten minutes later. It does not compute for him or her that way.

The easiest way to train any animal is with food treats, praise and encouragement rewards combined with consistency and a regular training schedule of short training sessions, follow by play time with the trainer.

It is sad to find dogs ending up at the pound or in rescue shelters for no fault of theirs. They are often abandoned because their owners have failed to train them or do not know how. Owners should always make an effort to give the best possible care to their loyal canine friends and in case they are unable to properly train, a professional trainer could always be consulted.