Advice
Hope Verbon with Hope for Dogs Obedience Training offers free training advice over the phone to anyone who adopts a Copper's Dream rescue animal. If you need help with your dog, please call Hope at (925) 577-7700 or visit her website. Hope also offers private training classes at discounted prices for Copper's Dream rescue animals. Please contact her for more details.

The Humane Society of Silicon Valley gives free advice to dog, cat, or rabbit owners. Their website also has a lot of useful information about animal behavior. Visit their website to receive advice or read over online behavior information.

Petco offers free seminars that dog owners can attend. Their seminar topics include: potty training, puppy socialization, behavior and manners, loose leash walking, adoption/shelter dogs, canine communication, and puppy playtime. Click here for more information.

Teaching the Basics
It is best to train your dog everyday, even if you only have five or ten minutes. This way, your dog won't get bored and will get to review the commands everyday.  If you have a puppy, you should train several times a day. Try to always end your training sessions on a good note--if your dog has completely forgotten a new command and you are getting frustrated, do something easy that your dog definitely knows (such as the "sit" command) and end the session on that good note.

Some dogs are motivated by food; others by praise. Do whatever your dog works best with. Eventually, you'll want to wean your dog off of treats so you won't have to carry them around. But, you may still want to surprise your dog with an occasional treat so he stays motivated.

Clicker training is a great way to train your dog. It is used to train dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, dolphins (usually a whistle is used, but it's the same concept), basically all animals! The advantage of using clicker training is that it gives you a way of telling your dog exactly when he's doing something right (the click marks the good behavior). If you simply say "good boy" while he's doing the behavior, you might miss the moment or say it too late.  Clicker training is not used in the descriptions below, but is highly recommended. Please refer to a trainer or clicker training book (like Karen Pryor's Clicker Training for Dogs) to learn how to train with a clicker.

Sit
The "sit" command is great to teach your dog as a first command--it is easy to teach and will be used to teach harder commands later on. Hold a treat above your dog's head and slowly move it backwards. Your dog will hopefully sit; if not, gently push his rump down until he is sitting. If he stands up, correct him with a "no" and place him in a sitting position. Once he stays, praise him and give him the treat.

Down
The down command can be a little tricky to teach. Once your dog has learned the "sit" command, you should start teaching "down". Start with your dog in a sitting position. Hold a treat in front of him and slowly lower it to the ground, saying "down". If he doesn't go down completely (or at all), gently push his shoulder blades down until he's lying on the ground. If he's very strong, it may be more useful to pick up his front paws and lower them to the ground. When he stays, praise him and give him the treat. 

Stay and Come
Teach the "stay" command after your dog knows the "sit" command. That way he'll be more inclined to stay since he's sitting. After getting your dog in a sitting position, hold your hand up in front of you as if you want someone to stop. This will be the hand signal for the "stay" command. While holding your hand in the "stop sign" position, say "stay" firmly and clearly. You can repeat the command a few times if you feel that your dog is tempted to get up (but you should eventually only say it once). Slowly walk backwards, away from your dog. If he gets up, correct him with a "no" and start over. When you first start teaching this command, you shouldn't go very far--as your dog starts understanding the command, you can increase your distance. If your dog keeps getting up early, try to only make him stay for a few seconds or have someone else hold him in that position.

If your dog doesn't get up early and you are ready to call him, say "[Dog's Name] Come!" with a happy and enthusiastic tone. If he doesn't seem like he wants to come to you, try clapping your hands or squatting down so you're at his level. You can say words of encouragement, but do not repeat the command. Doing so will cause him to ignore you and only come if you call him several times.

Note: It is best to teach the "come" command on leash at first. Place a long leash on your dog so that you can reel him in if he refuses to come. Once he masters the command on leash, you can start calling him when he's off-leash. If he absolutely refuses to come, calmly walk towards him. When you reach him, hold his collar and say the "come" command again. Walk backwards and gently pull on his collar to get him to follow you; then reward him. Never punish your dog if he comes to you (even if he was taking a long time) or when you catch him. It may be frustrating, but punishing him will only make him not want to come to you even more. With a lot of patience and practice on your part, your dog will master the "stay" and "come" commands.

Walking on a Leash
If your dog doesn't know how to walk on a leash, the best way to teach him is to simply put a leash on him and walk around. If he is timid or scared, walk him on leash inside your house first, then slowly expose him to cars, etc.

\Many dogs pull when being walked, making it very unpleasant for their handler to take them out for walks. If your dog is large or very strong, it is best to use something besides a normal flat collar. 

Try a Gentle Leader or Halti for medium or large dogs. This "halter" goes around your dog's head, making it easy to control him (wherever his head goes, his body follows). This is a gentle way to regain control of your dog. But, please note that some dogs can't stand a halter on their head, so try to buy a Gentle Leader or Halti from a place where you can return it. Gentle Leaders and Haltis should only be used temporarily to correct hard-to-control dogs. After you have successfully trained your dog to walk well on a leash, go back to a normal flat collar.

Another good training tool is a correction collar. These are commonly known as "choke chains". Correction collars are good tools for fixing pulling in large or very strong dogs. Please refer to a trainer or good training book to learn how to use correction collars. If used correctly, they should never choke your dog. Make sure you put the collar on correctly (there are two ways). If you put it on the wrong way, it will not loosen after your dog stops pulling. Again, refer to a trainer or training book if you need help.

Many people believe that harnesses help correct pulling in dogs. This is NOT true. Sled dogs pull in harnesses! It is easier for your dog to pull if he's wearing a harness because it lessens the strain on his neck. There are some harnesses out there that are supposed to help pulling, but the standard harness is not meant for that purpose. Your dog should wear a harness if he is very small/has a sensitive neck, has kennel cough that is aggravated by neck strain, or has a tendency to escape from his normal flat collar. Don't purchase a harness for your dog to stop his pulling unless you are buying one specially designed to discourage pulling.

Whether you use a halter or correction collar, the basic concept for training your dog to stop pulling is the same. Don't allow him to pull at all. If you don't correct him every single time he pulls, it will be hard for him to realize that you don't want him to pull. You can either correct him by pulling on the collar (pull back gently or pull his head toward you with a halter; jerk the leash firmly but not harshly with a correction collar--make sure it loosens afterwards!) or by stopping (every time he pulls, stop walking so he learns that you will only continue to walk if he is calm).

How to House Train Your Puppy or Dog
Copper's Dream recommends house training your puppy with a crate, because it is much easier than without one. Your dog should see its crate       as a den--dogs avoid spoiling their den at all costs. However, in order for crate training to work, you never use the crate as punishment, or your dog will not see it as its den. The crate should also be small enough so that your dog can't eliminate on one end and sleep on the other. If you have a puppy, buy a crate big enough to fit him when he's fully grown. Then block off the excess space with a makeshift divider (a box or laundry basket will do) so that your dog doesn't have enough room to sleep on one end and eliminate on the other. You can move the divider as your puppy grows.

For crate training to work, you need to take your dog outside very often. You should either always be watching your dog for signs that he needs to eliminate (circling, sniffing, etc.), or he should be in his crate. Beware: If you leave your dog in his crate for too long, he will still eliminate in it even though he doesn't want to spoil his den--he has no choice. The younger the dog, the more often he will need to eliminate. You might have to get up several times during the night to take your puppy out if he's young.

Crate training is very convenient--when you need to leave your dog alone, you can put him in the crate and he will usually not eliminate unless he is left for too long. Of course, take him outside right before you leave him and right when you come back. It usually helps to pick up your dog (if he's a puppy) so that he doesn't eliminate while walking to the door.

If you find that your dog has had an accident in the house, only punish him if you catch him in the act.  Many animal behaviorists say that dogs won't connect the accident with the punishment unless you punish him while he's eliminating or just after he has eliminated (a few seconds after). Never hit your dog as punishment. Saying "no" in an angry voice will usually be enough; if not, try making loud noises by slapping the floor or picking your dog up to get him to stop eliminating. Take him outside immediately and praise him if he eliminates outside.

If you set a consistant feeding time, housebreaking will be easier since your dog will develop a schedule. Always take him out after he's eaten and remember that excercise will increase a dog's need to eliminate. It may help to limit water at night (so your dog doesn't have to go in the middle of the night), but only do this if he's had enough water to drink and it is not too hot.