Of all domestic animals, the dog is the one that adapted most easily to living with man, bocoming used to his presence and learning to obey him. If a reciprocal understand and affection have grown up between man and dog, it is because the domestication of the dog took place through an agreement on work and the division of food and lodging. This resulted in an affectionate and intelligent cooperation and the integration of the dog into human society. If the dog cannot live without man, human life would also be poorer without the dog.
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Dogs need consistency in their feeding schedule, exercise and potty breaks, and in the verbal commands you use.  If you use “Stay” on Monday and “Stay here, please” on Tuesday, you will confuse your dog.  Don’t demand perfect behavior during training sessions and then let him have the run of the house the rest of the day.  Above all, lavish praise on your pet consistently every time he does something right.  Positive reinforcement is the key to success.  The more he feels he is pleasing you, the more willing he will be to learn.

Aside from disease, traffic accidents are the most frequent cause of death for dogs. Thus, teaching your dog not to suddenly dash into the street is another fundamental rule. It is essential to teach your dog to obey your instruction of Stay. Even with a very obedient dog, you should never let it off its leash while walking along city or suburban streets. You can’t always anticipate what will make a dog bolt, or stop it quickly enough when it does.
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Do you think it might be too hard to bring home a puppy for training because you are not home all day?

First let me tell you that your puppy doesn’t know time, he/she is not wearing a wristwatch asking where you are.  Stop with the guilt!!

Next understand that until a puppy is 14 to 18 weeks they will not really hold bowel or bladder for more then 5 hours.  And don’t forget that a puppy is just a puppy for one full year.  My suggestion to anyone taking home a puppy 8 to 12 weeks old, will need to have lots of patience.
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I am your puppy, and I will love you until the end of the Earth, but please know a few things about me.

I am a puppy, this means that my intelligence and capacity for learning are the same as an 8-month old child. I am a puppy; I will chew EVERYTHING I can get my teeth on. This is how I explore and learn about the world. Even HUMAN children put things in their mouths. It’s up to you to guide me to what is mine to chew and what is not.
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Please be advised that your new puppy will be stressed when going to its new home. It may or may not eat well the first few days. This is somewhat normal. Do keep an eye on your pup and make sure it is eating, drinking and going to the bathroom. After the first day or two we’d like to see the pp eating well.

Allow your puppy to have plenty of rest after it arrives. We want to really stress this. Don’t over do with a lot of play for a week or so, until your pup is over the stressful time. Play with the pup, let it rest, play a little, cuddle and hold and then let it rest some more. Your puppy is still a baby and does require a lot of sleep at this time and less and less as it gets older.
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