Includes index.

Introduction -- Part 1: Setting the stage for successful training. Dog training: the key to your dog's safety and your sanity ; Getting to know your dog and how he perceives the world ; Developing training savvy ; Understanding the vital role that nutrition and health play in training ; Gearing up for training success -- Part 2: Performing puppy preliminaries. Bringing your puppy home: what you need to know ; Surviving your puppy's critical growth periods -- Part 3: Tackling training basics. The ins and outs of housetraining ; Focusing on some basic commands ; Coming and going: two essential commands to teach Buddy ; Mastering some fundamentals: Sit, down, and stay ; Going for a pleasant walk ; Going to bed and all its practical uses ; Getting in, out, on, and off and mastering door and stairs manners ; Dealing with common doggie don'ts -- Part 4: Taking training to the next level. Retrieving: time to fetch ; Trick training for fun ; Training for fun and competition ; Completing the companion dog title -- Part 5: Handling special situations. Addressing aggression ; Helping Buddy handle special situations ; Keeping your senior dog young: teaching an old dog new tricks ; Supplementing your training efforts with expert help -- Part 6: The part of tens. Ten training traps and how to avoid them ; Ten fun and exciting sporting activities ; Ten reasons dogs do what they do.