[Indyjones]

I agree totally that socialization is EXTREMELY important for a puppy. There's nothing more dangerous than a +100 pound dog that is afraid of people/animals. I started socializing my pup from the beginning, avoiding dog parks before he had his shots.

Regular training I also started straight away. I at first couldn't believe how intelligent this breed is! This little imp requires 10 Minutes and he will know a command! It's amazing. I started with "sit" and "down" first. Then "stay", "paw", and "kiss". "Up" when he was lying down to get him to stand up. "Come" is always trained in between, although when he's distracted outside, sometimes Toby still has a little difficulty coming. "Fetch" he got pretty quickly, as he likes to play ball. "Lie" (on his side) came next, as well as "crawl" (hasn't mastered that yet). And then the commands "No", "Release" and the likes.

It's really a lot of fun to see how quickly these dogs can learn. I think the earlier you start, the closer the connection of the owner to the dog.

Have fun!