Anyone who met Eby will notice first thing, his waggy tail. His tail wags non-stop from the moment he sees you looking at him. I think he can probably wags his tail all day long! Whenever I came back from my work, he would wag his tail furiously and jump up to give me a bear hug. I would then pass him my small bag for him to carry upstairs to my room. Eby likes his new responsibility. I think it makes him feel good. Since then, he performed his new role vigilantly everyday.

I also spend many hours on the computer doing my work. Eby seems to know when I need a break. He would nudge my hand away from my keyboard with his smooth head to play with him. He would persistently do so until he gets my attention. I usually gave up after few rounds and surrendered to his playfulness. He is really adorable and my stress reliever!

When I brought him to dog obedience school, his waggy tail became the highlight of the class. Many people were afraid when they first saw him but their fears soon proved to be unfounded. He is really a gentle giant. I recalled an incident in which a dog owner let loose a Jack Russell and it ran straight at Eby. Eby was scared stiff and I ended up carrying him on my arms and running all the way back home!

You will know just by looking into his eyes...and his tail. While other dogs struggle to learn sit command, he sits patiently wagging his tail. When I scolded him for being naughty, he still happily wags his tail. I wonder whether he ever feels down for a moment but I am really glad that he is a happy dog!

Eby is a very black dog. He has a very shiny coat of hair and it is so fine that he doesn't need to be combed! I believe this beautiful coat come from his food which I have been feeding him. I tried to avoid commercial dog food. And that is how he got his name, Eby (short of Ebony). He is so black that you can hardly see his eyes whenever you take photo of him. As he grew bigger, he is harder to control. And I became worried for his safety as being so free-will, he can run across anywhere, at anything. For his safety, I decided to enroll him in dog obedience class. To be honest, I do not have confidence that he can be trained. He hated to be confined. Carrying him into the car is already a problem. Whining throughout the journey, he seems to be telling us that he doesn't want to go to school!

I hesitated to let other dogs come near him in school. Eby is gentle but as he was not used to being with other dogs, he can be very agitated. Amazingly, he soon becomes engrossed in his obedience class. He was curious about his new friends and yet eager to show his learning prowess. I was surprised that he managed to walk through the first lesson smoothly.

Walking with him, going through the commands can be really tiring but it is a great joy to see him working side by side with me. Eby is still a young puppy. His heart is like a baby. At times, he gets distracted by noises, other dogs and people. I don't have the heart to contain his emotions and force him perform certain commands. In one training session, the instructor told me to throw a small chain at him should he be distracted. Many times, I hesitated as I can't find the heart to train in this manner until much later. However, I started to see the training takes effect. He now walks side by side with me, conscious that he has to follow me. He no longer pulls recklessly at his chain. But all these actions occur only outside home. Once home, he became my gentle, free-willed giant again.

Putting Eby through obedience class is for his own safety and others' safety. But I do not harbour thoughts of him to be a dog champion. I still want glimpses of the naughty puppy in my house. Trained or not trained, he has lighted up my life. The most important thing is I have a happy dog!

The following training tips are what I have complied from my experience in training Eby.

1. Train your puppy early!

The older the dogs, the more bad habits that require to be relearned!

2. Use positive motivational methods

Make the obedience class fun and upbeat. You don't have to be a commando at dog training!

3. One Command One Response

Don't repeat your command so many times. Telling him to "Sit, Sit Sit" isn't going to be effective. Simple give your dog a single sit command and gently place him on a sit position.

4. Don't have to shout to give command

Your tone of command should be firm, calm and authoritative rather than harsh or loud. His name should be one he responds with enthusiastically.

5. Use your dog's name positively

He will trust that good things will happen when you call out to him!

6. Never train your dog when you are grumpy or not in the mood!

I hope these tips will help you in your dog training.

Do you know that dog food can affect their mood? My Eby is most happy when he eats right. Mostly we fed him natural dog food. I am very careful with the food I feed him with.