Imprinting the first commands.

Now I've talked somewhat on the first commands in previous posts.Crate is one of the first commands that I teach my dog.I also want to teach the puppy the Sit command.I want the puppy to learn to sit when i put his food down,when coming to a door or gate,and also when I'm talking to someone in public.

I can give you some valuble info on how to make this easy.First what I do with my puppies is to teach them the "Place" command.What I mean by this is that I teach my dogs that when I give the Place command,the dog should go lay down in a place that I have gave him to lay down that is not the dogs crate!

What I do with my dogs is place a sheepskin dog bed in a spot where my dog can lay and still be in the room with me.This is great when people come over and I just want the dog to lay down,and not be under peoples feet.The dog feels like he or she is still part of the crowd but is still under my control.This is very important when going to the vets office and you have to wait in waiting room with alot of other people and animals.

My dogs learn that they are to sit and stay when in these situations.I dont know how many times I see people in vets office and they cant control their animals.Now there is exceptions to this rule(Some guard dogs and such will need you to call the vets office in advance and make arrangments so the vet knows what to expect),and with a little planning and courtesy you can make this go smoothly.
I have personally had many dogs that I had to call vet in advance and let them know I was bringing this dog in and would like to come when the vet is not that busy or could get me in and out.These kind of dogs should never be handled by anyone but very experienced handlers,and handlers that specialize in handling these very driven dogs.I have personally specialized in training and handling very aggressive and dominant dogs all my life,and I cant stress this advice enough,If you have a very dominant or aggressive dog there are plenty of experienced handlers and trainers that can help you without getting someone hurt!

I've seen so many people get bitten and all because they thought that getting aggressive with the dog would make the dog listen.Dont ever think you know everything about your dog either because every dog is different,and with out experience you have no way of telling what the dog could do or is capable of doing.We must remember dogs are pack animals,and we must take this in consideration when training them.I've personally taken,bought,or was given these type of dogs all my life.I can honestly tell you that most of these dogs previous owners said that the dogs would never amount to anything(but in the right hands anything is possible),and some of these dogs where the smartest dogs I ever owned.Just goes to show you what might work with one dog,might not work on another.

Now getting back to first simple commands:SIT , STAY , PLACE , CRATE , DOWN , HERE are all great commands to start with,but just remember only a couple times a day for a few minutes is all that is needed.We must remember that most puppies sleep more than anything at first.Another tip I can give is to get down on the floor with your puppy every couple of days for a few minutes and play with the puppy,this will help to increase the pack bond with your puppy and teach the dog that you really like having the puppy around and like to spend time with your dog.DOGS CAN REALLY TELL WHEN YOU WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!