What is the best way to go about training a puppy?

Judging from your description of your dogs behavior, you really need to think about developing a more intense exorcise routine.

Once your dog has burned off a lot of his or her pent up energy, it'll be a whole lot easier to get them to focus and learn AFTER they have the chance to really blow off some steam.

When it comes to deterring jumping, you need to stop reinforcing that behavior. Somewhere along the way your animal learned that if they jump, they'll get attention (whether positive or negative).

SO, you're going to have to remain patient, and find it within yourself to turn your back to the jumping, and in fact be as uninterested in interacting with the dog as possible when they jump, that they'll soon put two and two together and realize that jumping gets them nothing from you.

Another approach might be that if your dog is doing alright but then starts jumping - IMMEDIATELY cease paying attention to the dog, stand up, and turn your back. More or less it should frustrate the dog into learning that as soon as he or she jumps it stops your interaction with them.

Seriously, a tired dog is a happy dog! Buy a new leash before you ever buy another book, get outside, and work out your dog!

I think the best way to train your puppy is to take him to Obedience classes. Its a great place to socialize your pup and to teach him some manners.

Exercise is the key to helping to control all that puppy energy! Make sure your pup is getting AT LEAST 45 minutes of solid exercise every day. He'll be so pooped after that it will calm him down (and in general he will be happier and better adjusted as he grows!).

I also took my dogs to Petco. They have trainers there that work with you AND your dog on taming the energy and mastering the basic commands. They will teach you about the relationship between you and your dog and really how to hone all that energy into positive training. It was super-helpful to me!

In general, if your dog is doing something that is against the behavior you would like him to have, make sure you are correcting him immediately and always. (By correcting I mean, a firm "no" and only rewarding him for positive behavior....do NOT use physical methods). With jumping, it works for me to say "NO!" and turn my back to the dogs when they jump up. When they sit down instead of jump, I SHOWER them with praises and love. They eventually tie it all together that they get NO attention as well as a strong "NO" when they jump but when they sit and wait instead of jumping, they get lots of loving (and treats, if necessary).

Good luck!

This has worked and protected me from other dogs. Raise knee and let dog bounce off gently. Do not hurt dog by hitting in stomach area. Then massage and say no. The idea is to startle and not to hurt.

I'd look into clicker training. It works well in most cases. Also, when training I would use a very special treat that he doesn't get too often (i.e. turkey or some dog treat from the store). The more desirable the treat is, the more of his attention you will have.