Your puppy will not turn into a lazy, adult dog if he stops and refuses to move when you try and take him for a walk. There are so many concerns about puppy development and I hear this one frequently.

Often it can seem overwhelming when working with a new dog. Whether you have a sweet 7-week old puppy or an older dog that you adopted from the shelter, each dog has his or her issues that need to be addressed.

1. It is so easy to feel like your new puppy is taking over your life. In some ways this is true and unavoidable due to the fact that you now have a new little one that you have to take care of and keep safe.

If you are feeling frustrated or overwhelmed at all in your dog training pursuits, pay attention to the time you have when working with your dog, without setting specific training goals. You should look at the amount of time you have to train so you can find “quality” time to train where you can focus 100% of your attention on your dog’s behavior.

Many behavior problems including barking, fear aggression and separation anxiety can be prevented by socializing a puppy properly. I always tell my new puppy clients that I will “nag” them about socialization to ensure that they are spending enough time on this time-critical task. You can teach a dog of any age how to walk nicely on a leash, come when called or any other behavior. The most important socialization period occurs until a puppy is approximately 16-18 weeks of age.

Chicago is a wonderful place. It was ranked one of the most dog-friendly cities; there are lots of dog parks, a beautiful lakefront and tons of nice dogs and people for puppies to meet. However, Chicago's harsh, winter weather makes it a very challenging city to socialize a puppy in the winter months.