Everything You've Wondered
About Your Dog

Potty training is one of the first great lessons of living together — it's where a puppy learns not just where to go, but how to feel safe, secure, and in rhythm with you. Consistency after meals, naps, and play; a designated spot; big celebrations for success; tight indoor supervision; an appropriately sized crate; and calm clean-ups after accidents build the pattern. Rewarding the right behavior wires strong pathways. This is a first lesson in trust.

Chewing soothes teething and explores the world. Redirect instead of punish, use a "yelp and pause" to teach bite inhibition, offer rotated safe chews, manage access, and reward gentle mouths. If biting ends fun but gentleness keeps it going, puppies adapt fast.

Crate = sanctuary. Invite with food and treats, keep the door open early, make it cozy, start with short sessions after exercise and potty, never use it as punishment, and keep hellos and goodbyes neutral. Tie the crate to calm states so it becomes an anchor of resilience.

Gentle exposure during the 3–14 week window, at your puppy's pace. Pair novelty with treats and play, vary environments in controlled doses, and watch body language closely. Safe novelty teaches the brain to label "new" as curiosity — not danger.

Day one. Routines are training. Keep micro-sessions (1–3 minutes), weave lessons into play, and remember: what you allow at 8 weeks becomes habit at 8 months. Early patterns wire curiosity and cooperation.

Name recognition, Sit, Down, Come, Leave It / Drop It, and Stay. These aren't tricks — they're safety anchors that build self-regulation and shared language between you and your dog.

Use a front-clip harness, start in low-distraction spaces, reinforce check-ins at your side, "be a tree" when the leash tightens, and keep sessions short and quality-focused. Teach that walking near you makes good things happen — and your dog will choose to stay.

Make your voice a party. Practice from easy to hard, reserve high-value rewards exclusively for recalls, play chase-to-you games, and always celebrate the return — never scold a dog who came back. Attachment wiring does the rest.

Remove all attention for jumps, reward four paws on the floor, teach a default Sit for greetings, and practice with calm helpers. You're rewriting the social script from chaos to connection.

Identify the trigger first — boredom, alarm, anxiety, or attention-seeking. Then redirect energy with enrichment, teach a "Quiet" cue, manage visual access to triggers, and meet exercise and mental needs. Solve the need under the noise.

Puppy-proof your space, offer safe and engaging chews, calmly trade items, add puzzle feeders and scent games, and meet exercise needs. Chewing self-soothes — channel it rather than fight it.

Blend physical and mental work, actively reinforce settle behaviors, break up long idle periods with enrichment, avoid over-arousing play before calm is needed, and keep predictable daily routines. Calm is a learned skill — it needs to be practiced, not just hoped for.

Gradual absences, safe spaces, low-key exits and entries, scent-based activities while alone, and professional support for severe cases. You're rewiring panic into safety in small steps — and that takes time and patience.

Map the triggers, create more distance than you think you need, countercondition with high-value food and play below threshold, use calm management tools (front-clip harness, long line), and never punish fear. Change the emotional response — not just the outward motion.

Teen brains are literally rewiring. Lower your expectations, keep sessions fun and short, raise the reward value, refresh the basics, and stay ruthlessly consistent. The storm passes — and how you handle it shapes the dog they become.

Yes — always. Give decompression time, build the bond before introducing cues, re-teach basics kindly, reinforce what you want to see more of, and favor daily small steps over big dramatic sessions. Neuroplasticity is genuinely on your side.

Never. Keep sessions gentle and short, emphasize enrichment and nose work, adapt cues to hand signals or vibration if needed, celebrate tiny wins, and prioritize comfort and dignity. Purpose keeps minds bright at any age.

No. Fear suppresses behavior but doesn't teach alternatives — and it comes with significant collateral stress. Positive reinforcement builds durable skills without the damage. Use harnesses, long lines, markers, and play instead.

Science-based, reinforcement-first methods tailored to your specific dog. Avoid harsh corrections and prioritize clarity and consistency. Methods should fit the learner — not the label or the trainer's ego.

Start with food to teach, then fade to variable reinforcement and mix in praise, play, and freedom. Keep surprise jackpots to maintain reliability — the slot-machine effect is real, and occasional big rewards keep behavior stronger than predictable small ones.

No. Interrupt safely, redirect to the right behavior, and pay the calm, quiet, and patient choices. Punishment triggers fear and shuts down learning. Reinforcement builds new neural pathways that actually last.

The alpha myth is outdated and has been thoroughly debunked by modern behavioral science. Lead with clarity, safety, and predictable structure. Dogs follow trust — not intimidation.

DIY works well for basic manners and a motivated learner. For reactivity, anxiety, or aggression, a professional's eyes and experience matter. Hybrid is often ideal — learn together so the progress sticks at home.

Look for a reinforcement-based philosophy, verifiable credentials and reviews, the ability to observe a session, a dog who looks safe and engaged (not shut down), and clear communication about follow-up support. Values alignment matters as much as technique.

Groups offer socialization practice and distraction-proofing. Privates offer tailored coaching and full flexibility. Shy or reactive dogs often start private, build confidence, then blend into group settings. It's not either/or.

Day Training keeps your dog in their home environment and you in the loop. Skills build with a professional by day, then transfer to you at pickup — better real-life generalization, less stress, and a stronger preserved bond.

Your dog trains with Lorrie, comes home each evening, and you receive coaching on the handoff so skills carry over. Accelerated learning, real-life transfer, and a relationship that stays intact throughout the process.

Yes — especially for home generalization, which is often where training matters most. Add live feedback through Zoom or video review, go at your own pace, and keep practicing between sessions. Dogs learn best in their own environments.

Record and submit clips for detailed written feedback, or train live via video session. You learn to coach calmly in your real environment — which is exactly where the skills need to live.

Basics: days to weeks. Manners, recall, and leash: weeks to months. Anxiety and reactivity: months and beyond. Consistency beats any timeline, and enrichment never stops. Training is a lifelong dialogue — not a destination.