Early puppy-training 

(from 8 - 20 weeks' age)

Dogs training 2 0 0 0  by Dr. Roger Mugford is a recommendable book for puppy-training.

The puppy-training can be done by each dog-owner as it requires no special knowledge; 
for further training special courses/groups/trainers are recommended.

Brief summary from own experiences and excerpt from this book:

If you pick up your puppy at the breeders place being accomp. y another person who drives the car, the puppy is best placed on the futur dog-owners lap, or the dog-ower sit with the puppy on the back seat.

Body contact and to play with the puppy are important as thus will be the puppy's first impressions. For longer trips a crate for the puppy to sleep in might be a good choice too. To stop for a walk, keep the puppy on leash in any case and leave the car at the side opposite to the road as the puppy must get used to traffic-noise and new environment first (the puppy might react a bit shy or fearful if not already trained at the breeders' place).

week 8:

The first day in the new home - the dog owner should spend the time with the puppy as the puppy has to deal with separation from mother and siblings and is therefore in need of as much affection as possible.

After arrival go directly to the garden as soon as possible; for housebroken-training use always the same words and praise the puppy after being successful.
notice: after each feeding, each playing - otherwise in a 2-hours- rhythm - take the puppy outside, after successful effected "business" praise, praise, praise. 
At this age, puppy's need often still relatively short breaks to sleep. It is not to expect, that the puppy will already sleep during the first night in the new home; be prepaired to got once or twice a night (crate besides your bed will help, you will hear the puppy yearning). The first nights will be probably somewhat  troublesome.

"Cought in the act" at illegal Doing" catch in the act ", use a folded newspaper, beat on table or floor, maybe water splashers out water pistol (ha - might not work with a Leonberger or Newfie O:)) and say "NO, don't do it".

The puppy get's scared for a moment (not about the owner but about the action) and will become alert about the "No, don't". Use adequate verbalisms (no, leave it, don't do it etc.).

primary training: to come to you on command - at first totally informal, best get the puppy's attention if the puppy is already looking your way, clap the hands etc. - and give for the beginning each time, next each 2nd or 3rd time a treat, say "good boy/girl/puppy's name". 

week 9:

Since now you are probably in favour of undisturbed nights.
If several persons are shared in the bringing-up of the puppy, each human partner should bet familiar with the instructional command and use this equally. Otherwise the puppy might get confused and unsure by contrary behaviour of humans. 

Now it's a good time to introduce the puppy to other animals (such as cats, rabbits, birds, horses etc. ) and as well with dogs of any age. If the adult dog is kindly, the puppy will enjoy playing. With giant and/or possibly very temperamentfull - rough playing adults dogs one should regulating intervene, as the skeleton and musculature of a puppy is still not strengthened. Rough playing should be stopped, if necessary. 

From own experience: the owner of the adult giant dog gives the "down"-command and the puppy walks by.
In "down - position " the adult dogs doesn't play that strong, esp. a stroke with the paw hasn't the full power like in standing position.

Never keep dogs apart from each other just because of giant / small size. For an adult dachshound a St. Bernard-puppy is still just a puppy. Dogs should learn from the start that there are play-mates of various size and the so-called "fear of the dwarfts" is often just caused by keep-apart-from-each-other.

 2. training - sit 

week 10:

It's time for walks (with giant breeds take care, no long walks as the tendons and joints are not strong enough at that age ) and therewith getting accustomed to collar and leash. Some puppies make trouble to accpet the collar, still put collar on and play a bit with the puppy.
At week 9 - 10 the retrieve-instinct is especially pronounced - play with the dog and practise playfully retrieve. - Furthermore practise "come on and sit" 

week 11:

If one drives a car regularly, the puppy should get accustomed to car-rides. Short trips are ideal (e.g. to park, short shopping etc.), and the trip should always should end with a positive experience. 

start with "heel"-commands, further practise "come on, sit"

week 12

Follow you and "heel" should be advanced by now, a shorter leash get exchanged against a longer one. During the "heel"-exercises, occasionally change direction, and as a new excercise "stop" - "sit" and "down". Don't remunerations treats / praise.

duration of exercises 2 X 15 min. per day.
"Down" is easier to be trained via sit: command sit - light pressure at the back, if the puppy is sitting, take the frontlegs and move them off the body, the puppy " falls ", maybe at first on the side. the right posture get corrected after.

Exercises should take place - first at home and in garden, later also on the walks, in park etc.

week 13:

The puppy gets more independent; it deals better with separation periods. At 3 ms. 2 hours of absence should be tolerated by the puppy. It might be convenient to use the sleeping periods for the own abscence. If the puppy is yelling one can place a used T-shirt with the odour of the owner at the sleeping place; switches on the radio (some background-noise and human voices make the puppy feel "less lonely").

To walk on leash should be increased by now. 
Training of thepuppy ca. 1 hour p.d., splitted in 2 X 30 min. 
(as pups can't concentrate for a long time period).
If a park or other dog-meeting-place is near by one should start to go there; puppy-play- and training-groups would be ideal, it's not important which breeds (of which size) are present.

week 14:

regularly visitpuppy-play-and training-group;within the limits of this program there should ideally possibilities being offered for common play and early basic-obedience-training.
The retrieve-ability can be further developed now. If one realizes verbal reactions from the puppy due to the door-bell or unaccustomed noises, praise and teach "bark on command".

Now excursions  at the country-side can be made, if possibly introduce the puppy with horses, cows, sheep etc. - evtl. on long leash. Watch the puppy and stop first (undesirable) tries to chase 
- in nature the adult pack-members and pack-leader determine the time to chase.

I have learned from training with my dogs, that many puppies are interested in kind contacts to cattle and horses. This contacts should take place on a short leash (to intervene, if necessary).

week 15:

At the walks one can now the puppy teach standing or sit at the pavement - before crossing a street - and as well to stand/sit by the right side each time one stops.
Every try to chase playfully (cars, bicycles, jogger etc.) should be stopped. ( see above 14. week ) as such caprioles in road traffic can be a question of living or dying. This is also the time to explore the puppy to the public (bus, streets, people passing by etc.) and to take the puppy to shops, departmentstores and other public places.

week 16

is the end of the puppy's socialization phase. From week 8 - 16 the puppy should have learned dogs behaviour. No recognizable changes in the puppy's behaviour shall be expected (until the dog is appr. 9 - 12 months). The puppy should therefore between week 8 and 16 have had adequate opportunity to meet other dogs and to learn natural dogs behaviour.  At the age of 4 months a puppy should understand the signs of submission/dominance. 

The commands " sit, stay, heel, down" shall be furthermore regularly trained.

week  17

Continue as described before. Partly one will realize among males growing rivalry. This is a period of social experience. Immoderate aggression is always undesirable and to stop. 
If necessary, additional actions (play, obedience training etc.) will help to smooth the young rowdy; this is better than punishing the youngster. 

week 18

would be fine to test the scenting abilities of the puppy. 

The puppy might have a phase of "test the trainer's capability and provoke"; the dogowner should always remain determined. It's far better to give no command(s) and if the puppy learns that "refusing to follow a command" is possible.
As the puppy might be keen on more "freedom" it is advisable to work with the long leash in exchange with a shorter one  until this "defiance phase" is over.  The dogowner must  consolidate the emplacement a pack-leader.

week 19

The puppy's time to stay alone can get expanded (step-by-step) up to 4 hours.
Those who want the dog partly live in the kennel should now begin to practise this, first appr. one hour, step-by-step trained up to more.
Certainly no dog should be kept solely in a kennel; daily contact to the family is of utmost importance.

As the puppy is meanwhile used to the practice of hygiene, control of ears, teeth, grooming, bathing etc. must be tolerated without any defence or aggression.

week 20

Slowly the young dog loses his puppy-look and there appears the copy of the grown up dog (breed-caused very much different ); we have now the lanky, not proportionated "teenager-look".

The youngster should know all described commands and react to it.  The 20-weeks-puppytraining is finished.

Dog-owners who think of further training such as agility, obedience-training (GoodCanineCitizen) or dog-as-therapy, rescue-dog-training should look for qualified trainers/courses, to attend.