If you are training your dog yourself, are you sure you are not making these mistakes:

· Confusing the dog by using different words for the same command. For example if you say down, you can’t expect the dog to sit down.

· Rubbing his nose in his urine will just give him a sore nose, but won’t stop him from weeing on your carpet again.

· Smacking the dog won’t help at all so Expert Dog Trainers have found.

· Also raising your voice will confuse the dog. When giving the dog a command, it is the tone of your voice that tells him what he is supposed to do.

· Don’t let the dog eat at the same time as you do. This will give him the idea that he is your equal. Feed him before or after you have eaten. This will let the dog know that you are his master.

· Keep training sessions to about 15 minutes, otherwise the dog will lose interest and be bored. Remember dogs have a very short attention span.

· It’s easier to train a young dog than an older one. An older one can be trained but it may take longer, plus a lot of patience on your part.

· If you have to take your dog from one place to another, make sure the crate or whatever you use to put the dog into while travelling is the right size. If it is too big the dog feels insecure and is very uncomfortable. Again if it is too small the dog will be cramped and uncomfortable.

· Don’t train the dog if you are in a bad mood. The tone of your voice will be different and the dog won’t be able to understand what is expected of him.

· If the dog does what you ask him to do, be sure to praise him lavishly.

The thing to bear in mind is that your dog normally wants to please you. There are bad dogs, just like there are bad humans, but he loves you, no matter how you treat him. He may be frightened of you, but that’s not what you want is it?

So when training your dog, be patient and consistent. Eventually he will understand what you expect of him and then you will have a dog to be proud of.