advice for the new puppy--breed is supposedly aggressive

Question
Hi, I recently adopted a chow mix from the local Humane society.  I have been reading up on the chow breed as well as training methods for new puppies.  A few sites that I have encountered have made me very apprehensive about this breed, although I have successfully semi-trained a bull terrier previously (she lives with my parents now as their 'adopted' child). The question I have is are there any specific methods to training a chow mix that I did not use on my bully, and is keeping the puppy on a leash for the first few weeks while in the house a good method of establishing pack order as well as becoming used to a leash. My puppy is 10 weeks old, seems very mild mannered, and extremely intelligent.  Thanks for your advice.

Answer
Hello Pierce,   Thank you for adopting!  Please do not listen to everything you read about any certain breed.  You would train a chow mix the same way you would train any other dog.   Lots of socialization with people and other dogs are very important to the development of all dogs.  

I recommend crate training for all dogs.  Keeping the dog on a leash while in the house initially is good as it gives you control over the dog to prevent accidents.  

I found a great website that has good training tips.  Check out www.paw-rescue.org -- look under Robins Tips on the home page.  

Good luck with your new dog.  Whether it be a chow, a pit, or a Shih Tzu, they all need to be trained the same way -- with love.

Cathy