Confusing Commands A cookie is a treat is a biscuit. It may all be the same to you, but not to your dog. Decide upon your command words and stick to them. One word commands like come, sit, off, down, and heel work best and are easiest for your dog to understand. Don't mince words: if 'down' means that your dog should lie down, don't use it to get him off the furniture. If you want to command your dog to come, say 'come', not 'come here', 'here' or any other word. Also have a release word, such as 'OK', that will release your dog from the command.

Over Repetition Though certain breeds may be more prone to boredom while training than others, nearly every dog will get bored if you keep hammering at the same point over and over and over again. Don't be overly repetitious and do include some variety in every training session. If your dog's particularly prone to boredom, a good trick is to vary training with play. A good rule of thumb - if you're bored, you're dog's likely bored as well.

Lengthy Sessions Lessons should never be so long that your dog gets bored or overly tired. For the best results, keep sessions short.

Ending On A Bad Note Always end every session on a positive note, never on a bad note. You may be frustrated and ready to give up, but don't end it like that. If a session seems to be wrapping up in an unsatisfactory way, finish it with a familiar exercise that he knows, something easy if necessary. This sets your dog up to succeed and earn your praise.

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