The desired learning objectives deals with

• Name response, to look at and focus on you to establish a communication channel between your dog and yourself

• Clicker training as a positive reinforcement tool during training to improve criteria

• The ‘yes’ marker, teaching your dog to continue what he is doing at a given time

• The importance of socialisation and habituation

• Sit/stay

• Down/stay

• Release from the sit and down positions

• Leave it

• Recall to come when called

• Leash walking without pulling

• House training and crate training. Crate training has many advantages, but if used incorrectly could have negative consequences

• Object and food guarding behaviour

• Inappropriate chewing

• Inappropriate digging

• Excessive barking

• Resolving chasing behaviour

• Resolving jumping up behaviour

• Bite inhibition to communicate information to your puppy regarding his own bite strength and maintain bite inhibition into adulthood

• The importance of puppy socialisation. Early exposure to positive experiences with other animals and people will set the stage for confidence and positive social skills in adulthood

• The importance of habituation. Through consistent exposure to given environmental stimulus, your puppy ill adapt to the given stimulus and have a reduced response, thereby preventing the onset of fear

• Body handling techniques, teaching your puppy to happily accept all the handling he will be subjected to during his lifetime, thus preventing fear and agression.

• Desensitization and counter-conditioning