(“Adult Dog in Training” Phase)
Welcome to the phase where your dog looks grown up…
but still occasionally makes choices you did not approve of.
By now, your puppy is:
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physically bigger
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mentally sharper
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emotionally… still a work in progress
This is where training shifts from teaching new skills to making existing skills reliable — across real life, real distractions, and real emotions.
Think of this phase as polishing the dog you’ve already built.
🎯 Primary Goals (What This Phase Is Really About)
✔ Reliability
Reliability means your dog responds:
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not just when it’s easy
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not just when treats are visible
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not just when you’re standing still
But when life is happening.
A reliable dog is one you can trust — even on imperfect days.
✔ Emotional Regulation
This phase is less about commands and more about emotions.
Your dog learns how to:
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settle themselves
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recover from excitement
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handle frustration
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stay calm when things don’t go their way
A dog who can regulate their emotions is a dog who can function in the human world.
✔ Lifestyle Integration
Training is no longer a “session.”
It’s woven into:
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walks
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meals
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visitors
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daily routines
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public outings
Your dog isn’t training for life anymore —
they’re living the training.
🧠 Focus Skills (The Adult Dog Essentials)
✔ Calm Settling Anywhere
Your dog learns:
“No matter where we are, I know how to relax.”
This includes:
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at home
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in public
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around guests
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near distractions
Calm becomes a default, not a request.
✔ Reliable Recall
Recall at this stage means:
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your dog comes back even when distracted
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your dog hesitates less
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your dog chooses you more often than the environment
Is it perfect? No.
Is it trustworthy? That’s the goal.
✔ Impulse Control in Real Life
Impulse control now applies to:
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doors
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food
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greetings
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movement
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excitement
Your dog learns that thinking first gets better outcomes than reacting.
This is what separates a “trained dog” from a well-adjusted one.
🗓️ Daily Work (This Is the Easy Part)
🔁 Maintain Routines
Routine is still your secret weapon.
Consistent:
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feeding
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walks
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rest
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expectations
Predictability keeps behaviour stable.
🧘 Reinforce Calm Choices
Watch for moments when your dog:
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settles on their own
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ignores distractions
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chooses calm over chaos
Reward those moments — quietly.
Calm behaviour grows when it’s acknowledged.
🎯 Practice Skills Casually, Not Formally
You no longer need:
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drills
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long sessions
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constant repetition
Instead:
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ask for skills during normal life
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reward compliance naturally
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move on
Training should feel automatic — not exhausting.
🏁 Success Looks Like (Months 6–12)
By the end of this phase, success looks like:
✔ Your dog fits into daily life smoothly
✔ Training feels natural, not forced
✔ You trust your dog’s responses
✔ Behaviour is predictable
✔ You feel confident handling your dog anywhere
Your dog may still:
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have off days
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test boundaries occasionally
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surprise you now and then
That’s normal.
What matters is the baseline — and the baseline is solid.
⭐ FINAL REMINDER (This One Matters)
Training is not linear.
Regression is normal.
Consistency always wins.
A fully trained dog is not created in weeks.
They are built through:
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months of repetition
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calm responses
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boring consistency
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correct habits reinforced quietly
If you’ve made it this far —
you haven’t just trained a dog.
You’ve built a partnership.
And that’s the real goal 🐾
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