Peanut’s 6 Week Journey

Training Begins: September 19th, 2025 | Training Ends: November 6th, 2025

Behaviors Peanut will learn or begin learning during her stay here:

BEHAVIOR	5 Weeks In Training
Sit	Peanut is really good at “sit”! He sits very well to be let out of the playpen, his crate, and at doorways. He also sits before he gets his meals and sits for attention. If he is jumping and I ignore him, he sits quickly.
Down	Peanut is doing well with “down” and follows a hand signal of pointing at the ground very well. He is in the process of learning the verbal cue. Dogs are very visual beings, so verbal cues can take far longer than visual cues. We introduce verbal cues in this manner: “Peanut, down.” Pause. Point to the ground. New cue (verbal) > Pause > Old cue (visual)
Name Recognition	Peanut knows is name very well!
Touch	Peanut knows “touch” very well and loves to do this behavior! I hold my hand out and say “touch” and he will touch his nose to my hand. This cue is very useful for getting them redirected and focused on us.
Recalls	Peanut has a great recall, though sometimes patience is required if he has zoomies or has found a fun leaf to play with outside. With no distractions, he recalls nearly instantly. In a stimulating environment (such as leaves blowing in the wind) it can take him a few seconds to realize he’s been called. Overall, he’s doing very well with this and we will continue to practice it around distractions.
Go Into Crate	Peanut has been doing really well with his crate, though the last week or so has been wanting to go into someone else’s crate instead of his own. Rio has the largest crate and apparently Peanut figured this out and wants an upgrade because he keeps trying to go there instead! Once he’s shown his treat is in his crate, though, he goes in and is quiet in his crate throughout nap and bed times. He is being crated for 2-3 hours at a time during the day and sleeps all night now.
Leash Walking	Peanut is doing a fabulous job heeling off leash and is starting to go on formal walks with the leash attached and is doing well! The leash is a little distracting for him (he’s a little shy around it still, which has been a work in progress. A lot of puppies have some leash aversions. He has been practicing via dragging the leash and me picking it up for short periods and treating him while the leash is being moved around and he has made a lot of progress) but is getting through his concerns and walks very nicely for me in short bursts.
Place	Peanut loves “place” with a nice, soft dog bed. He’s not a huge fan of the place board or hard cots – he likes his comforts! I think a bath mat, rug, or dog bed will make for a great “place” for him. He goes to his “place” bed when I motion toward it and is even starting to go to it with just the verbal cue.
Stay	Peanut does really well with a stay for his age! I’m able to take several steps away from him while he remains on his “place”.
Drop It	Peanut isn’t a huge tugger so we haven’t gotten to work on this too much, but he very easily exchanges objects he has for treats.
Leave It	Peanut is progressing nicely with “leave it”. He will leave treats that are in my hand and we are starting to work on him leaving dropped food.
Wait	Peanut is learning to “wait” at thresholds such as in his crate and at gates and doorways. He has never been a very pushy puppy so this has been pretty easy to work through.
Potty Training	Peanut is doing really well with potty training and hasn’t had an accident in 2 weeks. A potty schedule is essential at this age and he’s making it around 40 minutes between potty breaks while he is up and active. He does signal he needs to potty when he is in his playpen (he acts like he needs out by jumping on the side of the playpen and whining when he was previously content). He is holding it for 2-3 hours while in the crate during the day and holds it all night.

Peanut’s Midway Update

Peanut is such a sweetheart. He arrived a very shy puppy and has started to blossom. He is still shy and easily startled, but recovers far more quickly than he used to and bounces back from “scary” situations within a few minutes now. He’s a very soft dog who needs people to be gentle and understanding with him. This shy personality has its upsides, as he is a very nice, friendly, and cuddly puppy who loves to sit on my lap and soak up any and all love he can get! He’s been far more social on outings, too, and seeks attention from strangers now and really seems to enjoy attention. He does prefer quieter people. We are working on loud sounds and I also make sure he gets plenty of exposure to me making loud noises (clapping, talking loudly, etc.) If he continues to receive positive associations (lots of treats for being a brave boy!) around things he finds scary, he should continue to build confidence as he matures. Taking it slowly is best!

Peanut has some troubles focusing (he’s still a baby!) but when he is focused he is a quick learner! He picks up on what I’m wanting from him pretty quickly – and he LOVES food which makes training him so much easier. When he goes home, having a lot of a treat that is easy on his tummy (boiled or freeze dried chicken) to dole out to him will really help him settle in as food seems to be a gateway to earning his trust.

Once he settled in here, he showed me he has an energetic side, too! Peanut gets major zoomies when playing outside. He absolutely loves dashing through piles of leaves and also often carries a leaf around. He really loves the flirt pole and tug toys and has a playful side I would have never thought he had his first week here! Peanut really is a go with the flow puppy who is happy to be outside running around, but also content to relax with a chew in the evenings.

Peanut is my mom’s favorite puppy I’ve got right now (don’t tell the others!) and he absolutely adores her as well. He also gets along great with all of the other dogs and is just a really nice dog – really his only challenge is his shyness!

Peanut’s Favorites

Favorite Treats: Peanut is not picky at all but he really loves these Nibs and so do I; they break in half very easily. He also loves chicken!
Favorite Frozen Treat (to stuff his hoof/Kong/etc.): Peanut really likes this canned food and also enjoys peanut butter and cheese whiz. I use a Toppl (size small) for all of his crate snacking. I coat the inside with peanut butter and add a spoonful of canned food. I am currently not freezing, but he will probably need this snacks frozen pretty soon since he cleans them out really quickly now!
Favorite Toy: Peanut LOVES the flirt pole and also really likes this tug toy and these balls. We are still working on fetching but he does enjoy chasing them!
Favorite Bed: Flat Bed – this keeps him comfy without making him too hot. I use a Primo Pad in his crate. As it becomes chillier out, the fabric bed may be better but he does get hot pretty easily.
Favorite Chews: Beef Tendons & No Hide Chews

Peanut’s Photo Gallery

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