Can you even see the puppy way back there???

Did you know that at first I wondered if Runa was a bit ...ummm... slow? Or maybe I really wasn't as good of a trainer as I thought I was.

I wasn't having any success teaching her regular puppy things: down, stay, hand touch. In a session, we wouldn't progress at all.

Maybe I was used to border collie puppies and they really are just that much smarter than other dogs?

I was confused.

Let it all go for a bit - just play with the puppy. Enjoy her. She's very cute and very sweet! Stay at her level. Don't press things.

But then I tried 'down' again - and not only did she know what I wanted, she could respond to my cue anytime and anywhere. That's unheard of! We need to teach puppies skills in all types of environments before they can generalize like that. Don't we??

And then 'hand touch' (touch her nose to my hand). This is a basic skill that is the foundation for recall, heeling, and so many other things. Guess what.. she knew that too. She suddenly had an amazing full contact hand touch. Anytime. Anywhere.

Yesterday it was her 'stay'! Can you even see her in that picture? We are at the park and a dog is walking by. "No problem!" says Runa. I wouldn't have bet $10 on a 20 second stay at home, let alone out in a busy park.

Runa learns once she has had a chance to think about things. She doesn't think and progress as much in the moment like my herding dogs did.

Good training comes down to one thing: short, successful sessions. Some days your dog will be on fire, and some days they'll need an easier session. Both are completely fine, and your dog can change day to day, week to week..

Every dog learns in their own way, so train the dog in front of you and keep sessions light, fun, and sort. Respect how your dog learns, and you'll build skills that are stable and reliable.

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