Now that puppy has hit 16 weeks, I’m combining our training plans and weekly roundups in a single post. Every week, I think I’ll tackle the Waffles training update, followed by a training concept that either someone has specifically asked me to talk about, or one that I think can be universally useful! Then I’ll wrap up with our training plans.

The Breakfast Food Training Update!

A lot of our training is now going into consolidation and working on focus time increases. It’s a slow process but a very satisfying one!

Waffles has had a great week. He’s doing well in Kindergarten, had his final round of puppy vaccines (no drama this time!), and lots of new experiences. He’s teething like a fiend and still chompy, especially when he’s overtired. Thankfully he naps like a champ and settles right down when needed. I’m proud of the good habits he has managed to develop!

He’s now 24.1 pounds and has lost a couple of front teeth. He has developed some pretty funny little quirks — on leisure walks (rather than training walks) he likes to carry an emotional support pine cone or stick for the entirety of his walk. He currently refuses to do his “dirty sinful business” anywhere but home, and it must ONLY happen in his designated spot. We’ll start addressing that in the coming days and weeks and out-stubborn him if we can!

Waffles seems to have inherited Grandma Ning’s love of snuggles and cuddles. His morning routine and post-nap routines all involve cuddling up to me and being a very snuggly boy. He sure does love his belly rubs and nose boops. He’s a very affectionate little guy (without being obnoxious about it) and that is a characteristic that will serve him well for work. He really wants to please!

This week’s training concept: Capacity vs Capability

One thing I’ve learned from working with children and with dogs is that there’s a difference between capacity and capability. Though we have the capability to do something after we’ve acquired the skills required, we may not always have the capacity for it. My dog may have the capability to do amazing loose leash walking work even with tons of distractions, but on a day where he’s overtired and overstimulated, he may not have the capacity to do it. And that’s okay, especially for a puppy.

We expect a lot out of service and working dogs — we need them to get to a place where they can push through capacity and show how capable they are, even in difficult circumstances. That’s a skill that is built slowly in puppyhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. You can’t push the river, you can’t rush the process. If they grow up learning that their capacity will be respected by their leader (their handler), then that capacity will actually grow. If they’re perpetually afraid that they’re going to get worked over-capacity, they’ll always been on edge. It’s a fine balance but one that I encourage everyone to keep in mind, including when working a happy family pet. Be a leader. Be a “parent”. Recognize developmentally appropriate boundaries and capacity, and set your dog up for success!

Week 10 Training Plans: Focus, Distractions, and Chomps

Our main focus at the moment is focus (ha!), working around distractions, and reducing the frequency of chomps now that their intensity has gone down. It’s coming along really well! Half the battle is building value in the handler over all distractions. Thankfully, Waffles is quite food motivated AND toy motivated, and he absolutely loves the human-dog social connection. This gives me more options for rewarding behavior I like to see, and withdrawing my attention when he’s being a chompy doofus.

In basic training, we’re working on all the basics: Sit, down, stay, heel, loose leash walking, free, come, swing, front, stand, touch, mat/settle, trade-you, get it, drop, leave it, out… all that fun stuff. On the service front, we’re working on push, pull, problem solving, strange footing, look at that, focus, to me, by me, step up, step down, middle, watch, and nose/paw button presses and slide/flip toggle manipulation. We’re also continuing our work on exposure to new things and places, which he always enjoys. He’s doing great for a youngster, and has some solid nerves and bounce-back. He trusts the leadership (hooray!) and if something surprises or startles him, like the novelty Christmas inflatables that seem to be EVERYWHERE this year, he looks to me for input and then takes my “eh you’re fine bud, go check it out” as an invitation to go investigate. I follow his lead as far as where his thresholds are (I don’t want to force a puppy into a situation where they’re freaked out and scared and make it worse!) but also deal with the unexpected calmly so he feeds off that energy. Never forget that your energy goes right down the leash into your dog!