Young puppies are veritable behavioral blank slates – curious, malleable, and learning every  second. Consider this: whenever you and your puppy are together, one of you is training  the other!

 Owners who begin temperament and basic manners training using gentle positive  reinforcement methods early are much more likely to end up with sociable, well-behaved  companion adult dogs. In the case of dog behavior problems, prevention truly is the best  cure.

 Some of the benefits of early puppy training include:

• Instilling good manners before bad habits and unruliness become entrenched.
• Utilizing your puppy's critical socialization period (three to 12 - 18 weeks) to familiarize him/her with all kinds of people, other dogs, novel environments and with being handled. Doing so will help your puppy grow into a well-adjusted, friendly, safe dog.
• Stimulating your puppy's learning abilities, creating a "learning to learn effect" and paving the way for later training.
• Troubleshooting common puppy issues, such as play biting, alone training, house training and chew training, before they escalate into bigger problems.

 Best of all, early puppy training lays the foundation for a trusting, communicative relationship  between you and your dog for life. All family members, including children, can participate.  Take advantage of this special window of opportunity in your pup's life to help him be the  best he can be. For more articles, recommended reading, and helpful links, please see our  "Resources" section.