There’s a bunch of stuff going on in our lives right now, and every time I sit down to document another training session, I wonder if it’s worth it — it can feel like a lot of the same stuff over and over again. But that’s what good dog training actually is.

Good dog training is doing the same thing over and over with the same enthusiasm you had the first time, and the 100,000th time, with small bits of progress along the way.

That’s the whole idea behind Alice in Wonderland – the real-time record of raising and training my puppy Alice from day one. And one thing I keep coming back to with her is that you can’t work on everything at once. There have to be priorities.

In the very beginning, there’s not a ton of time for tricks and flashy stuff, because all the bandwidth goes toward socialization, recalls, food manners, house manners, potty training. Once some of that becomes automatic, I don’t stop working on it; I keep it going in the background. But, I get to start folding in new behaviors on top of it, the ones I’ll actually be using for agility and obedience down the road. Right now that’s backing up, heelwork, and positions, all stacked on top of everything that came before.

If you’ve ever felt behind with your own dog – like everyone else is out there teaching contacts and weave poles and you’re still working on a solid recall – I want you to hear this: you’re not behind.

You’re just at the stage where the foundation work is the priority, and that’s exactly where it should be. Nobody starts a puppy or a green dog by doing everything at once. You pick what matters most right now, you get it solid enough that it doesn’t need your full attention anymore, and then you add the next thing.

That’s it. That’s the whole system.I’ll also mention — as of today, Alice isn’t getting her usual walk. She ran down the stairs last night, ended up on the landing between two flights, squeaking and holding up a back leg. Fine this morning, then packed the leg again after getting up, so she’s on crate rest for a couple of days. Great for all of us. (That’s sarcasm.)

There’s so much content already in the Alice in Wonderland — Puppy Development Blog waiting for you to check it out. Members have full access, and if you’re not a member, grab the free 3-week preview here:

Alice is growing fast! Check out what’s in the puppy blog so far, there’s a TON, and I’m adding new stuff every day! And, feel free to pass along this email if somebody you know has a puppy and could benefit from watching!

The post You can’t teach everything all at once; how to decide what’s NEXT appeared first on Daisy Peel.