There is a couple of popular schools of thought when it comes to dog training at the minute and we don't want to sway anyones decision on which is best for them right now.
The "Dog Listener" method for which Jan Fennell is the author who leads the field. It’s a very hands off slow training method based almost totally on positive rewards and very little if an negative reprimand to your dog. This is an ethos followed by most of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers Certified (APDT) trainers in the UK. Its favoured by many of the dog behaviourists but can be ineffective with many dogs.
Then you have the Ceser Millan "Dog Whisperer" method which is very hands on and is based on both positive and negative interaction with your dog. Rewards for good behaviour and not scolding but appropriate negative response for unwanted behaviour. This method also relys heavily on some basic ground rules, always going before the dog, controlling the dog before it gets to eat a meal and on a great deal of exercise. But caution has to be taken trying to use some of the techniques described and are often best left to a professional.
One of the most important things from each of the techniques is making sure that everyone in your family is seen by the dog as superior.
Jaime and I sit somewhere in between these two training methods and our rescue dogs have turned out well. We exercise them for around two to three hours a day over three walks and practice training on about a third of the walks. It’s a lot of work but the dogs we have as a result are fantastic.
