(“Learning How to Listen” Phase)
Welcome to the moment where your puppy begins to realise something important:
Humans are not just furniture. Humans have information.
Up until now, your puppy has been learning how to exist in the world safely and calmly.
Now, we start teaching them how to listen, respond, and communicate — without pressure, shouting, or repeating yourself until you question your life choices.
This phase is where training starts to feel less chaotic… and more cooperative.
🎯 Primary Goals (What We’re Really Teaching)
This stage is not about drilling commands or showing off obedience.
It is about three essential skills that quietly change everything.
✔ Teach Body Control
When a puppy can control their body, they can control their behaviour.
Basic positions like Sit, Down, and Stand:
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slow the puppy down
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interrupt impulsive movement
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create thinking space before action
Position control = behaviour control.
✔ Improve Focus
Your puppy learns:
“When I pay attention, good things happen.”
This is where attention becomes a habit — not something you beg for.
✔ Build Communication
Commands are not magic words.
They only work when your puppy understands:
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what the word means
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how to respond
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that listening is worth it
This phase builds that shared language.
🧠 Focus Skills (The Core Trio + One Bonus)
✔ Sit
Sit is the puppy equivalent of:
“Pause and think.”
It builds:
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patience
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impulse control
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emotional regulation
✔ Down
Down encourages:
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calmness
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longer stillness
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settling instead of bouncing
This is a powerful calming tool.
✔ Stand
Often ignored — extremely useful.
Stand teaches:
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smooth transitions
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body awareness
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cooperation during handling, grooming, and vet visits
✔ Name = Attention (With Light Distractions)
Now we gently test attention when:
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toys exist
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food exists
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life is mildly interesting
We are not asking for perfection — just proof that the skill is real.
🗓️ Daily Work (Short, Calm, Effective)
⏱ Keep Sessions Short
Train for:
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2–5 minutes
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several times per day
Stop while your puppy is still engaged.
Ending early feels wrong — and works perfectly.
🍽 Practice Positions Before Good Things
Ask for simple positions:
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before meals
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before play
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before doors open
This teaches:
“Listening makes life happen.”
No force.
No nagging.
Just calm structure.
🎉 Reward Engagement Heavily
At this stage, reward:
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eye contact
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effort
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trying
We are building confidence, not demanding perfection.
The puppy who feels successful wants to keep participating.
🏆 What Success Looks Like (Weeks 5–6)
Success does not mean:
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instant responses
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robotic obedience
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zero mistakes
Success looks like:
✔ Puppy responds to cues indoors
✔ Attention comes faster
✔ Training feels easier — not harder
If training feels lighter, calmer, and less frustrating — you’re doing it right.
🐾 Important Reminder
Your puppy is not ignoring you out of stubbornness.
They are learning how to:
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think before acting
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process information
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respond intentionally
You are teaching them how to listen — not how to obey.
And once that clicks, everything else becomes easier.
Up Next:
In the next phase, we’ll take this listening skill and turn it into real-world safety and impulse control — where coming back and pausing matter more than anything else.
You’re building a dog who understands you — not just one who follows commands 🐶
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