Dogs are simple creatures and not complex thinkers about the situation at hand. They have very simple rules for all that they do. The way to relate best to them is by "speaking" their own language. In order to do this, you needs to understand the 3 basic areas that make sense to them.

Look Him Straight in the Eye

This is actually a lot harder than it sounds. They key to communicating with your dog in this way is to be sure you are only giving him eye contact or attention when he is calm and good. When the dog is naughty, hyper, or agitated, this is when you get do anything but look him in the eye. Your dog will soon learn that your lack of eye contact is not what he wants and if he uses different behavior he will be once again the light in your eye.

What Your Body Language Says

So I remember going to a car race once. By the end, I was shouting and quite excited. Everything was done in exaggerated gestures. Now, let's get back to the simple life of a dog. Someone comes to the door and your dog seems to have lost his mind. You can choose to be influenced by this like I was at the car race to change your own behavior, or you can calmly do the opposite. By mimicking your dog's behavior, you are telling him that this is not only acceptable but loads of fun because it seems like play hour. Watch your own actions and remember that the interpretation of them to your dog is in the simplest of terms.

It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It

So puppies have a lot to learn about behaving, but yelling them into shape will not accomplish your desired goal. Dogs don't understand words and your tone scares them. To them it sounds like barking and causes more excitement. As an owner, you need to understand and practice 3 basic tones to compliment your body language.

First one is Praising Tone. This is a calm and sweet tone that makes him feel like warm fire and Santa are on the way. The next one is a Direction Tone. This is curt and to the point. When giving this command, stand tall and give your direction. Last tone to master is the Correction Tone. This is the tone you must use when you want to redirect your dog's behavior. Remember what yelling does, this is going to be more disapproving and disappointed. With this tone it is also important that you time it as the behavior is done. Being disappointed later only makes the dog think you are disappointed in the current action.