Oh and don't worry about being a "dog noob" - I'm no expert by any means but I find the whole subject fascinating and I read a lot and practise with my own dogs

Dog training, I have found, is simple. Not easy - but simple.

To a dog, it is even simpler:

Dog does X. Consequence is Y.

Good or bad, dogs learn "I do this - that happens"

The main thing is consistency, and making it easy for the dog to get it right. If you are not at least 99% sure that a command will be obeyed, then don't give it. Go back a step. If a dog isn't 100% reliable in the garden, he will be even less reliable in more distracting situations.

Did you see that episode of "The Office" where Tim conditioned Keith (or was it Gareth) to hold his hand out for a Polo whenever the computer pinged?? LOL - classic conditioning! That's what you're after with a dog - he does a certain thing when he hears a certain sound without thinking about it