Training provides benefits to dogs of every age and breed - and to their owners. While getting your dog to recognize and react to your verbal commands requires time, patience, and more than a few treats, the result will be a responsible, responsive, well-adjusted dog.

A good place to begin is with an obedience class. Start at a young age to accustom your dog to learning. (Obedience classes also help form a bond between owner and dog and get the dog used to socializing with other dogs and other people. For these reasons, they are strongly recommended for any new dog owner.)

The first thing to remember is to keep a positive attitude. Your dog should associate training with fun and enthusiasm, and should be rewarded whenever he does something right. Reprimands will be needed when he ignores you or does something wrong, but these should be limited to an intense stare and a gruff, low-pitched "No!" Never hit your dog; this will just make him mistrust you, making training and control even harder. Try to follow a reprimand with some affection to make your dog know he is still a welcome part of your family.

But while reprimands may be necessary as the exception, rewards should be the rule. Treats can play an important part in training. These can be specially made snacks or they can just be individual pieces of your dog's regular food. In the early stages, they should be offered with every correct action, in addition to verbal and physical praise. As your dog gets better at obeying commands, you should use the treats less and less often and rely more on encouragement and petting.

Never give a treat without a trick. There should be no free rides for dogs when it comes to treats. Always make your dog obey some kind of command before rewarding him with a treat.

There are five basic obedience commands you should start teaching your dog as soon as possible: heel, sit, down, stay and come. In order to be a good dog citizen, he should learn these commands.

Heel:

It's the dog's job to listen for commands. Once your puppy is used to his (or her) leash, you can introduce the command, "Heel." Start by standing still with your dog on a leash. Reel the dog in until his right shoulder is even with your left leg. When he is in the "sit" position, give him lots of praise. Start walking by stepping forward with your left foot saying "heel." If your dog lunges, give a quick snap on the leash and reel him back to you. Praise him when he is once again in the correct position. Repeat this practice, gradually allowing the dog to move further away each time. Once the dog has learned to respond to heel, start moving into turns.

Another technique for teaching your dog to heel begins the same way as the first. However, if you dog lunges ahead, call his name and say, "Heel," and make an abrupt U-turn to the right. He will find himself behind you and hurry back to your side.

Sit:

Teaching your puppy to sit can keep him out of a world of trouble and do wonderful things for your relationship. By about eight weeks of age, he's ready to learn this basic command. Start by getting your puppy's attention, then using his name and the command, "Max, sit." Help him into position by pulling up on the leash while pressing down on his rump. Alternatively, you can move a piece of food from in front of his face to directly over his head while pressing on his rear, then rewarding him with the food and praise. Once sitting, praise him verbally or give him a little treat. . Repeat the exercise often to reinforce the training.

"Sit" is an excellent command to teach a puppy for praise. Once it's established in his mind that sitting is the sure way to receive praise, you will never have to worry about your puppy jumping on you or other people for attention.

Down:

This command logically follows "sit." It's best to teach this from the heel position with the dog seated. From the "sit" position, say the "down" command and guide your dog's nose down with your hand or a toy or, better yet, some food. Bring the food from the nose straight down to the floor, then away from the dog. Your dog will naturally follow it. Praise and reward him when he is in the correct position. When your dog stays down and you can walk around him, you are ready for the "long down."

Stay:

This is a slightly more difficult skill for a dog to master. While on his leash, have your dog sit. Then, holding the leash up over his head, say "stay" and begin circling. Correct any attempt to follow you by pulling up on the leash and returning him to the sitting position. Reward him when he has stayed in place for a short period of time. Gradually increase the distance you move away and the amount of time required to receive a reward. You will also want to associate the verbal command with holding out your hand palm outwards, the traditional "stop" command.

This command may take your dog some time to master. Don't get frustrated, just keep practicing.

Come:

This basic training command should be started from the first day you bring your puppy home. As with all the basic commands, you should announce your intention by calling his name first, followed by the one word command - i.e., "Max, come!" Offer encouragement by making the invitation as inviting as possible. As your dog walks toward you, say "Good boy! You want the dog coming into you happy and quickly. Avoid using excited tones or praise until your dog reaches you so that he understands that he must reach you to get rewarded. If he doesn't come immediately, give a tug on his leash, then guide him to you. When he approaches, raise your body, guiding him gently into a sit position (in front of you). Make eye contact. Praise a bit but not too much (no playing here).