But maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe she doesn’t think I’m training her either. Hopefully she thinks we’re just playing a bunch of fun games. That’s the idea. Doing little bits throughout the day and incorporating them into everyday life. For example – Phenom always has to sit and wait at the door before going out. And we’re working on waiting her turn to play while the other dogs play. But it’s fun for her – which is key.

Tugging is definitely a skill. We’ve been working on that a lot. It was easier for her to tug at home than out and about. So – I got some really good advice. Make tugging harder at home. Of course! Some people are so smart. So we increased the distractions at home and that’s getting better and better.

She is such a joy to play with, and we have so much fun whatever we do. Her skills right now aren’t too “flashy,” but they are little pieces of a puzzle that should be interesting to watch form. I think it was Steve White that said in dog training – instead of seeing how few steps it can take to get from point A to point B, you should see how many steps you can break it down into. Because the more steps it takes you, the more ways you’ll have to make the journey and destination stronger. I guess that’s what a good foundation is. Brick by brick. Actually – I find it really fun. And I think Phenom does too. Here’s a little video highlighting some of her naughtiness/cuteness, a few of our adventures and some games we’ve been playing from 8 weeks to 5 months. We are having an absolute blast.

Fun with Phenom – 8 weeks to 5 months from Margaret Bond on Vimeo.