Woof! Hello to all my furiends and hoomans. It is June, and I am happy to announce the Mario Kart litter has gone on to start their careers in the yellow vest. That means that come July; I will be able to get out and about and stretch my paws. But I haven’t been twiddling my paws here at home. On no! My hoomans have made sure that I keep practicing and recognizing my cues. 

One of the things I have really worked on is going up and down stairs. It may be simple for you hoomans, but it is an important skill for us puppies in training to learn. I understand that I can’t rush ahead whether on leash or not, as I could trip up my hooman and make the fall. Even when other doggos are around, I stay close and walk calmly with my hooman. 

I have also been practicing on just being calm. My raiser calls it “impulse control.” We have lots of birds and bunnies around our house, and they are exciting!! I have been working on ignoring them even when they are close by or fly above me. Being calm, even when there are neat things nearby, is an important skill that isn’t even a cue. And I am good at it. One day I saw some hoomans, and they were hitting a ball back and forth to each other. I was really interested in the moving ball and the strange knocking sound. But I kept my cool while I watched them, and when my raiser said ‘nice,’ I looked away and focused on them. 

Well, time for me to run. But July is around the corner, and I will be able to get busy with doing puppy-in-training things. Awooo, for now. 

Submitted by: Ross / Veronica Spenard