Was he/she a rescue? What are he/she's habits? Does he/she listen and have regular discipline inside the family. Is he/she house trained? On any medications? Ever bitten anyone? Is your dog aggressive? Any fears? Noises? Any allergies? Does he/she get crated when leaving him/her home alone? How does your pet interact with other dogs? No preference on breed.

I like to teach the dog something new regularly. Be it sitting until I tell him to come or a new trick. As dogs get older they, too, lose their hearing so at a very young age it is good to use hand signals. For example, I would make a circle with my hand and then point in the direction of his toy, and he would go and bring it back to me. They are smart if you train them accordingly! Labs inparticular have issues with their ears and I would have to clean them regularly and all I had to do was point to MY ear and he would lay on his back and allow me to clean them. A treat of course was available at the end of cleaning but he wanted them cleaned as much as I did! Engaging with any pet is crucial to the success of him learning and obeying you.