• Training begins the first day a new pup comes home. The first lesson is to bond with family members. He/she is not allowed to bite on people or people things, and he/she is introduced to their new surroundings. Allow him/her to explore, if that's they want. Given freedom, they'll eventually return to people for pets.

• Keep your new puppy in a room where they can't do any harm. I put a child gate across my family room entrance. All electrical cords were removed to stop them from being chewed, and the linoleum isn't hurt by "accidents". Direct access to the back yard is another plus, as well as room to romp.

• Provide them with the necessities. Introduce them to their food and water dishes, and give your pup some good chew toys, such as rawhide chews. Their bed can be a low basket, or just a pile of old blankets on the floor. Naturally, you'll want to avoid using anything "people" as play things. If he or she learns to chew on socks or shoes, they'll be much harder to break at a later time.

• Spend time with the pup in "there" room. Until they've learned some basic manners, New pups shouldn't be allowed free run of the house. This will avoid unwanted accidents, keep your pup safe, and make basic potty training easier.

• The first night is the roughest on everyone. Your pup has never been alone, and they are going to want company. If you have another dog, they might be happy sleeping together. In other cases, a hot water bottle and a ticking clock will help comfort them. A darkened room and soft music sometimes helps. If you go to your pup when he whimpers, the ritual will be repeated for every night for a week or more.

• Don't expect much from your pet at this age. He / she is not going to stay for long periods of time, nor are they going to be fully leash trained. Here you are just laying the foundation for future training, and helping your pet become more manageable. As in all training, we are trying to encourage good behavior, even when it's accidental, and gently discouraging bad behavior. This requires more work for the owner, but the results are much greater. Your pet's personality will bloom under this type of training.

• Begin by introducing him to basic household etiquette. This includes staying off furniture and not chewing on "people toys". Eventually you might see the light come on, as he grasps an idea.

• By this time your cocker is used to having a collar around their neck. Now is a good time to begin getting them used to a leash. At first, some dogs find this scary and will pull back on the leash. In this case, don't fight them, but approach and bring your cocker to your side. With pets and praise, they'll soon begin to realize it's not so threatening. After several sessions, short walks around the house or back yard let them know this is a good thing. This is ground work. We're trying to make it fun, and keep them from fighting the leash, and to keep from under foot.

• When going "bye bye", put the leash on your cocker, even if they are carried to the car. This associates special times with the use of a leash. Soon the sight of a leash will have your pet wagging happily.

• Avoid taking your pet to danger areas until they are fully trained. These include places of heavy traffic, around crowds and loud noises, and especially where you might encounter strange dogs. The distractions won't allow for him or her to concentrate on the training, and could put them in danger. If they get used to wandering, your cocker might even take it up himself. For now, keep them at home. If you take your cocker for a ride, remain with them constantly. "Abandoning" him or her in a car is terrifying for a puppy, and they will develop nasty habits that will be hard to break. Romps in the backyard are a treat for your cocker.

• Sit and stay are more advanced lessons, and are difficult to teach to a young dog, so you shouldn't expect too much. With gentle coaxing, by the time your cocker is 4 or 5 months of age, they might stay for a minute or two, depending on the attention span and the number of distractions. At this age a cocker has a short attention span, so keep them short at this time. This way they can grasp the significance between a successful trick and the rewards following (praise and pets).

• By now, your cocker probably has greater household freedom, so it's a good time to begin door etiquette. Even at this young age, your cocker can be taught to stay away from the front door, and to not dash outside each time it's opened. This is especially important if you live on a busy street, or your pet has a tendency to be a wanderer. A well trained dog will not run through an open door, even if it's left open for long periods of time. This requires a great deal of patience, because your pet will want to greet you upon your return. Substituting an instinct with a learned behavior is a very difficult task. Keep at it, because the rewards are worth the effort.

• I don't recommend using sit/stay for door training. For now, open the door and step through. Puppy will try to follow. Place him back inside, followed by the NO command. Another method is to place the flat of your hand in his face and push him back gently. As with other training, limit it to a couple minutes, followed by play time.

• Some houses are built with a "landing" inside the doorway, with a different type of flooring material. This makes training easier, since they can be taught to stay off this surface. I would sit on the tiled entryway and ignore my pet. When they would try to cross the line, I would place them back on there side of the floor. After a couple minutes, they'll become confused and sit. At this time, I cross to them with lots of praise. When taught properly, this makes it possible to enter loaded down with groceries without worrying about pets under foot.

• Look for a good puppy class, or read a few good books on the subject. Any dog can be trained, but it requires patience and skill on your part. Dog trainers come in two sorts, the type that train the dog, and the type that train the owner. I prefer the latter. Puppy classes usually emphasize the basics, such as health care, potty training, and perhaps some very basic obedience.

• This is the pups first introduction to the words NO and OUCH and begins his earliest language lessons. With proper training, they'll eventually learn a couple dozen commands, but training starts slowly.

• They've learned to rough-house with his/her siblings, so it's up to you to show your pup proper and improper chew things. When your pup bites or chews on "people" things, tell them NO and offer a toy as a substitute. At first, the best chew toy I've found is rawhide strips, within reason. Some Cockers learn to eat their rawhides at an early age. I find an adult dog can handle, at most, half a rawhide each day. Scale this back according to your dog's size, otherwise they won't eat properly and may have digestive problems.

• Avoid rough-housing at this time. Your pup won't understand why they're being scolded for playing too rough. As your pup gets older, they'll learn to play gently without biting hard. Others learn to avoid biting altogether. Puppy teeth are sharp! If it hurts, let your pet know.

• Potty training begins right away. Some owners like to train their pets on paper, but this can lead to later problems if you spread the Sunday papers around the living room floor. Personally, I prefer to catch them before they have to go and head outside. When they potty outside, give them lots of praise. Don't scold if he goes potty inside, but take him outside immediately. This gives your cocker the idea of where to go and they won't hesitate to potty in your presence.

• This is a good time to introduce your pet to grooming. A soft bristled brush and gentle combing can be substituted for petting. Your pup is going to spend much of their adult life being groomed, so begin preparing him now. If you have electric clippers, this is a good time to begin getting them ready for this monthly ordeal. After a few sessions, the running clippers, clipper head up, can be run down the back, and along their ears without serious protests. After each clipper session, I praise your cocker and give a doggie bone or Greenie, just as if he'd been clipped. With training, your cocker won't fear the sessions, although they might never learn to love them. It's wonderful to have a dog that sits for grooming. Your groomer will love you for it.

• Some Cockers love to chase feet, probably an expression of the instinctual love of the chase. Cute in the pup, it can be a problem when he grows up. Try to discourage this behavior while your pet is still young. A substitute can be provided. I puncture a tennis ball and run a small cord through it. Drug around, it gives your pup a chase toy and later sessions can easily be turned into fetch games. Again, this substitutes a bad habit for an allowable habit.

• Most Cockers will know the meaning of several words and the basic household etiquette behaviors. their name, potty, bye-bye and doggy-bone are probably firmly in your pet's vocabulary. By this time they might know sit, stay and get down, although they are more reluctant to perform these on command. You will see that your cocker has more patience at this age, so the sit/stay can eventually be lengthened to several minutes. Fun should always be foremost in any training, so the stay command should be of limited length at this time.

• Most pups come when called by their name, but might choose to ignore the summons at times. When this happens, walk over, take them by the collar, and gently lead them back, then give them praise. It might seem selfish, but it's important for later training. BTW, no matter what your dog has done wrong, never punish them if he comes to you. In later sessions, begin teaching the command "come".

• In the "come" session, a light line is tied to your dog's collar. They're placed a few feet away in a sit/stay. You say their name, followed by "come". If he/she doesn't come, repeat the command with a slight tug on the line. Praise them, even if you have to pull him across the room. Eventually, they'll know that his/her name is an attention-getter and the command come means you want them.

• Sit, stay, come and basic leash training are important lessons before taking your pet into the wide world. If he or she won't mind in your living room, there's little chance he'll obey in the park.

• By now you've probably read a couple books, or browsed the Internet, and picked up some excellent tips on training. Personally, I find that attending classes with a new pet, even though I've been through several, always helps me to concentrate on the basics. The "homework" required forces me to spend the concentrated effort required to sharpen my dog's abilities.

• Each trainer has slightly different methods and goals in mind. Hopefully you "audited" a class when your pup was beginning his home training. This allowed you to groom his command words towards his formal training.

• Training should be based on what you eventually wish for your pet. Show and field training are advanced classes, usually given after basic obedience training has been learned. Obedience training styles vary widely, and each trainer believes his methods work best. The eventual goal is to have a pet that you can trust in any situation.

• Classes, such as Healing Free, concentrate on teaching your dog to behave well on a lead. They will follow your every movement, watching your feet for clues. Within a week or two, your cocker will be walking by your side without tugging or getting under foot. Sit, lay down, stay and other basic commands are stressed. When successful, you'll have a dog that can be trusted, off-lead, in the most distracting situations. Classes usually last about 10 weeks, with a free follow-up class offered, and cost was around $70.

• Other trainers stress obedience ring training. When finished, your dog will perform well in all situations, as above, but will also be ready for obedience trials. This can be a fun hobby, but more expensive. Locally, these are broken into puppy, beginning, intermediate, and advanced courses. In most cases, the intermediate classes is repeated two times, and repeat classes are done on your nickel. Each class lasts 6 to 12 weeks, and concentrates on the skills you will need in competition. The puppy class is optional, but other classes must be taken in order, and they generally run from $60 to $100 per class. I recommend taking your pet through the puppy and beginning class, and leaving the more advanced classes for those who wish to compete.

• Most classes are held once or twice a week, but you should try to spend half an hour with your pet each evening in "homework". This allows for 5 minutes preparation, 15 minutes training, and 15 minutes in "wind down" play with your pet. When possible, a couple sessions per day will really make the sessions stick. You and your pet are a team, and the key to successful training is to have fun.