So you’re getting (or have gotten) a new puppy!  With a new dog comes new responsibilities. It is going to be up to you and the other members of your family to teach your dog the rules and regulations. You’re going to want him to learn specific commands and to behave in a certain fashion. And chances are that there are behaviors that you are going to want to discourage or stop altogether. One of the keys to quick and easy dog training is consistency.

To make your pet’s training as easy as possible, it’s necessary for all members of the family including the dog to understand exactly what the rules of the house are. If you can, it would be advantageous to get the whole family together and carefully plan what the rules of the house are going to be prior to bringing your new pet home.

Your list might include things like the following:

The dog is not allowed on the beds
The dog is not allowed on the sofa
The dog is not allowed to jump on anyone
The dog is not allowed to beg at the table
The dog is to always sit before the door is open

Once you have a clear set of rules laid out that everyone understands you have to make a list of clear command words. Whatever words you decide to you use is not important, but rather that everyone in the household uses the same words for each command. To accomplish this, get your pencil and write out a list of all the basic command words you think you are going to require. Don’t worry if you don’t get them all since you are probably going to have to add to the list as times goes on anyways. It might also be a good idea to keep the list posted where everyone can see it. In addition, if you do find that you have to add to the list, be certain that the rest of the family are aware of the new additions.

This may seem a little silly but look at an example situation where you and your spouse find the puppy on the sofa. You have been using the phrase “down” to teach the dog to lay flat on the ground, and you have been using the command word “off” to tell your dog that he is not allowed to sit on the couch. If your spouse tells the dog to “get down”, what is the dog going to do? Does he lie flat on the sofa? Or does he get up and move? You have confused the dog. This is why it is so important that all members of the family know exactly when and how to use each command word.

You also have to be certain that all members of the family follow the rules. It is not fair to the dog if one family member lets the dog on the couch to watch TV and the others do not. The dog does not know which behavior is to be followed and all your dog training efforts will be for not.

So to avoid these unnecessary confusing situations, train the family, if possible, before you bring your new puppy home.