When is it too early?

I start training the second day I have the dog.  How come you have yours so young?  What age did you get the pup at, and what breed is it?
 
Larger breed puppies shouldn't leave their parents until at least 8 weeks, toy breeds 12-16 weeks.

ORIGINAL: Xeph

I start training the second day I have the dog.  How come you have yours so young?  What age did you get the pup at, and what breed is it?

Larger breed puppies shouldn't leave their parents until at least 8 weeks, toy breeds 12-16 weeks.

 
I disagree about the toys.  10-12 weeks is fine imo. 
 
Anyways, I start doing the basic commands as soon as I get the dog and it settles in a bit.  Not too much, just laying down the basics.

You can start training right away, just be realistic about what the pup can achieve when he's still just a baby. Seven weeks is awfully young to be away from the dam & littermates so he will need extra help in bite inhibition and possibly other areas as well.

If you can find a puppy class that will let you in as soon as you get the pup, go.  More pups are PTS eventually from behavior problems than die from Parvo or any other communicable disease. 
I start training the moment the pup and I are dog and owner! 

Thanks for theadvice everyone.
 
Xeph- He's so young becuase I got him from a friend who rescued him from an owner that used his dogs to fight. She convinced the guy to let the puppy go for $200 when he was just 6 weeks old. Now he's almost 2 months old. He is an american pit bull terrier.
 

Well, I got my first puppy at 8 weeks of age (I was 13) and started him on "walk the plank", "rollover", and "speak" the very SAME day. Probably not smart of me, but luckily he made up for all my stupidities and actually learnt them all (he was very vocal, "baroooooing" all over the place).

I don't think it's ever too young if it's kept relaxing and fun. One rescue litter was with me from the time they were born, so I started talking to them as soon as they plopped out, and by the time they were 5-6 weeks or so, they already know come, sit, down, and even a sloppy heel. I, and later, the adoptes, just kept up with the fun style of training, and they're doing great with it at 9 months of age - perfectly obedient. I'd say start now, and good luck!

I agree...training starts from the first moment you have the dog.

If you can find a puppy class that will let you in as soon as you get the pup, go.

 
Would you be concerned about scaring the young puppy at all during this fear imprinting stage?  I am asking because I am studying obedience training and  wonder how detrimental could this be if the puppy was scared by another dog?? 
 
I do agree that the leading cause of death in dogs is behavioral issues, so it's a tough thing to weigh out.  Prior to learning about the fear imprinting stage, I would have taken a puppy of any age to obedience class (if they let you in without being fully vaccinated) because starting a training program immediately makes sense to me. 

ORIGINAL: Mastiff

If you can find a puppy class that will let you in as soon as you get the pup, go.

Would you be concerned about scaring the young puppy at all during this fear imprinting stage?  I am asking because I am studying obedience training and  wonder how detrimental could this be if the puppy was scared by another dog?? 

I do agree that the leading cause of death in dogs is behavioral issues, so it's a tough thing to weigh out.  Prior to learning about the fear imprinting stage, I would have taken a puppy of any age to obedience class (if they let you in without being fully vaccinated) because starting a training program immediately makes sense to me. 

Hopefully, if you go to a decent training facility, they are well aware of the usual fear periods and will separate puppies in the right groups to avoid this happening.  The danger of waiting until a pup is 12 weeks or older is that they are already past the prime socialization period by then, and it is much harder to acclimate them to the things they must face as adults trying to live in a human pack.
When socializing them on your own, you simply don't put them down on the ground, or where other dogs or wild creatures have been, so that they don't pick up disease.  It's always a trade off - risk of disease versus lack of socialization and confidence. But, when I see my poor clients trying to live life with a dog that has "issues", I think that the class might have been worth the risk, even had it turned out badly.  Some parts of the country have more of an issue with disease, too.  So, what works in New England, where people tend to vaccinate, spay & neuter, and train in higher percentages than the rest of the country, might not work in another area.  But, for my money, I'd rather have a dog with no behavior issues.

Listen, it's never too early. Depends on how you define those commands.

You just have to continually change your approach. Parents begin to interact with their kids right after birth. And successful parents know the value of interaction. If you can master to interact with your dog, instead of ordering it to do this and that.. then you would never even concider traditional dog obedience training.