It is impossible NOT to train your dog. Your response to your dogs's behavior on a daily basis is going to produce results and sometimes these are not the results you intended. Many of the unwelcome behaviors a dog exhibits are the direct result of unconscious training on the owner's part.
Dogs that are raised in a home environment with daily interaction with people will learn more quickly than dogs that spend the majority of their time isolated in a dog run or attached to a chain. Dogs are pack animals, they are social animals. They are not robots, neither are they furry people. Rather than expecting your dog to think or react as a little human, try to think as though you were a dog.
Dog language is made up of body postures, tone of voice and smells. A dog is going to react to what your body is telling him rather than the specific words you speak. A command given in a hesitant, questioning voice will not produce the desired results. Plan on training with a confident, expectant atttitude. I have heard trainers say, " I don't think my dog will do this or that", and sure enough the dog does not perform. How much of this is a self fulfilled prophesy?
Good temperment is an important factor. It is difficult to determine how much of temperment is inherited and how much is the result of the puppy's environment. When choosing a puppy, watch how his dam (mother) reacts to situations. Not only has she contributed half of his genes, but she has molded his behavior for the first important weeks of his life. It is also important that the puppy's breeder has handled and interacted with the puppy from the beginning. You will find that puppies raised in the home and enjoying daily interaction with people will do better than a litter raised in the barn or kennel. Once you bring your puppy home it is up to you to socialize him. You will not be doing your puppy a favor by keeping him home and protecting him from new situations. You will be teaching him that there is something fearful out there. It is important, however, that you only take him into controlled situations so that he does not have a bad experience.
Remember that God made puppies cute so that we can forgive them for all the naughty things they will do. Now relax and enjoy your puppy. This is going to be fun!
I highly recommend the following books:
Mother Knows Best by Carol Lea Benjamin
Surviving Your Dog's Adolescence by Carol Lea Benjamin