This week, we double down on bite inhibition work, and start working really hard on the difference between “neutral socialization” and “active socialization”. We also work really hard on our on-off switch, using our nose and paws for good rather than evil, and basic manners:

ACTIVE CUES

• Get Busy
• Settle
• Sit
• Waffles! (name recognition and recall)
• Yes!
• Uh-uh
• Trade You
• Touch
• Come
• Down
• Kennel up
• That’ll Do
• Get Dressed
• Leave it
• Watch
• Drop
• Get it!
• Wait
• Pull
• Step up
• Step down
• Paw

PASSIVE CUES

• Push
• By Me
• Front
• Heel
• Finish
• Nudge
• Wave

BUTTON CUES (PASSIVE)

• Outside
• Play
• Work
• Puzzle (his favorite thing ever)

OTHER BITS AND BOBS

• Nose presses
• Dominant paw presses
• Nose push and slide
• Nose flip open
• Paw push and slide
• Paw flip open
• Loose Leash Heel
• Loose Leash square sit at Heel
• Loose Leash recall with front finish
• Loose Leash recall with spin-to-sit finish
• Tether training
• Housebreaking
• Bite inhibition
• People-neutral behavior in public
• Self-soothing and self-entertainment in a pen
• House manners
• Training sessions
• Public visits (in arms AND on floor)
• Focus
• Building a retrieve
• Grooming-specific skills
• Nose-work
• Puzzle and problem solving work
• Exploring different footing/surfaces work

Waffles now has multiple 8-10 minute training sessions every day. He also gets a lot of play time, socialization fun time, and people/animal neutral socialization time in public. He’s starting STAR Puppy kindergarten this week! Playing with other puppies is essential to acquiring proper bite inhibition skills. He’s also going to be learning the difference between “work” and “social time” and building on an already pretty good on-off switch. Hopefully this will help us when adolescence hits and the Brain Fairy makes away with his brain power.

Out of all dogs I’ve trained, Waffles is by far the most puzzle motivated dog I’ve ever had. He absolutely loves using his brain, nose, and paws to solve mechanical puzzles. We’re using this to our advantage in training! We do have some fancy puzzles, but puzzles don’t have to be fancy! Treats in a two-liter bottle (slightly crushed) without its cap… treats in boxes and wrapped in fleece… all of these things make use of brain power!

Have a good week, breakfast food fans!