Instructions
Feed your dog treats as rewards while training it. Treats are highly effective when training dogs because the treat acts as a reward. It enforces the fact that your dog must perform to receive a treat. Don't feed a treat every time, though, otherwise your dog will grow to expect a treat each time it sits down.
Train your dog for short periods a time. A disinterested dog is like a disinterested child and will not listen as well during the training. Each dog has a different attention level. While one dog may be attentive for 20 minutes, another dog may lose interest after five minutes. If your dog isn't looking at you or wanders away for a toy, end the training and begin again later.
Take control. Your dog will assume leadership and act as the alpha male if no one else does. You must take control of your dog and discipline him when it does something wrong. If you don't, your dog will have absolutely nothing to do with even the most basic obedience. For example, if your dog jumps onto the couch, tell it "No" and either push it down or block it from coming up. By preventing your dog from doing whatever it wants, you assume leadership.
Train your dog consistently. Training your dog everyday reinforces the training and forces your dog to learn faster and easier. If you train your dog once or twice a week, you're not allowing it to fully absorb the training.
Speak authoritatively and positively. For example, if you tell your dog to "Lay," you need to boldly say "Lay." When your dog does lie down, reward your dog with a loud and excited voice.
Speak each command in everyday situations. You can't expect your dog to continue to listen if you don't continue with basic obedience outside of training. For example, when you're eating, tell your dog to "Lay."
Train in different locations. Training in one area of the house or yard may make your dog believe that it only has to listen to you in that location.
How to Teach Dogs Basic Training
While basic obedience teaches your dog simple commands such as "Sit" and "Lay," it also teaches your dog the pecking order. A dog that's trained to listen to commands respects its owners and is less likely to assume leadership and fight for the alpha male position. Training your dog to listen to basic commands is similar to teaching a small child the rules of the house. While training your dog you must remain consistent and positive.