Top Tip in the form of a Trick :)

This is going to be a short one to end the weekend.

Arguably the first thing, and possibly the most important thing, you should teach your dog - be it a puppy, a rescue, new or old - is the LEAVE IT command. This command is perfect as it can be applied in almost all circumstances where your dog needs to be reminded of his manners, and is extremely easy to teach. Even the most stubborn dog can learn this command (they just might choose to ignore it is all).

Simply hold a treat in your hand visible to your dog. When the dog tries to get it, close your hand around it and say leave it. Make sure you have another set of treats in your other hand or pocket that your dog hasn't seen, and make sure these are readily available. Do not repeat the command, simply say it once, and then wait for your dog to LOOK AWAY. At the early stages this can be for the briefest moment and then woosh, give them a treat from the other hand. And from here you simply repeat and make that time where your dog looks away longer and longer. When you feel your dog is ready you then try putting a treat in your open hand and not closing it, simply saying LEAVE IT and the moment your dog backs off you give him  a treat. The same rules follow where you repeat and extend the time between when he backs off and when you give him the treat. To further the command try dropping the food by him, this is difficult for them to grasp at first so make sure you are ready to block his attempt to grab the food with your hand. Just say leave it as you drop the treat by him and wait for him to back off and reward him.

Honestly your dog will have the basics down in no time. Once he understands the basis of this command you can apply it to all of those times where you just need him to stop what he is doing. I.E. pulling on the lead, say leave it and stop walking; trying to steal food, simply say leave it and block with your hand if necessary; aggressive behaviours towards other dogs or people; dropping a ball or toy after fetch or tugging games; excessive sniffing, licking or any excessive behaviours. Obviously the more intense the behaviour, the harder you need to work on the command in that aspect but they will only need to be reminded of the basics. If he is pulling on the lead and you say leave it but he is reluctant to listen, bring some treats with you and start again with 'leave it', the moment he stops pulling give him a treat - I promise you it won't take long for him to remember the command :)

Simple things to remember when training dogs: never say the command more than once or else the realise they don't have to do as you say until the 3rd or 4th time you've said it; never use excessive force or aggression as it only causes aggressive responses as seen in children also; never tell your dog off or become impatient - if he really isn't listening or paying attention then stop the training session and go play a game with him! He is bored, most dogs don't want to sit around learning to behave themselves for hours on end, so give him and yourself a break! Figure out what your dog's currency is - my collie is obsessed with tennis balls, leave it works best with using that as his reward, however my sighthound loves treats. Be positive, remain calm and keep early sessions short. But like I have said, this command is so easy for dogs to understand - at the kennels I have taught dogs I barely know to stop reacting to the other dogs they pass with the leave it command and no treats in sight, just a good boy/girl the moment they respond in the correct way.

B.F. Skinner was the man who scientifically defined the positive and negative reinforcement and positive and negative punishment techniques of learning. He himself stated that punishment is INEFFECTIVE as the animal does not know exactly what behaviour is wrong but more importantly, does not know what behaviour is correct. By purely using positive reinforcement with commands like this your dog will quickly learn that backing off and 'leaving it' is the correct behavioural response. Also negative reinforcement is also valid with lead training or excessively boisterous behaviours (when trying to calm the dog down) as they sometimes need to know that by being so bonkers the fun will stop, only resuming when they have calmed down to a safer energy level. THEY WILL IGNORE PUNISHMENT/PUNISHMENT IS NEVER LONG LASTING. If you rely on a choke chain to teach your dog not to pull, your dog will always wear a choke chain...