If you have just brought home a new puppy from the pet store then you will need to ensure that you understand the best techniques in dog obedience training. The goal of this would be to address the underlying behaviours in your pet and encourage more of the traits that you want whilst removing any negative actions.
A thorough training program should include such concepts as housebreaking, socialization, responding to commands, barking reduction, and more. The ultimate goal would be to develop a dog that responds instantly to its owner while not sacrificing its self esteem and inherent fun loving emotions.
The best dog obedience training plan would incorporate both positive and negative reinforcements. By combining the two your dog should learn what is allowed and what activities are frowned upon.
It is important to be consistent in the application of training. If you let your pet get away with bad behaviour every so often then they will not understand in full why you tell them off sometimes and are relaxed with them on other occasions.
When it comes to actually carrying out the training then you could choose to do so yourself or take assistance from a professional who has expertise in training dogs. If you have little or no experience of training pets then you should do as much reading on the topic as you can. The sooner you begin the obedience training process the better the results are likely to be. If you feel that you do not have the time to devote to the task then it may be wise to hire a professional who can condition your new pet.
Understand that many small breeds of dogs are a lot harder to train than bigger breeds. For example a tiny Chihuahua would need a greater level of input than would a large Alsatian or Border Collie.