Sully’s 8 Week Journey

Training Begins: September 19th, 2025 | Training Ends: November 14th, 2025

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

BEHAVIOR	5 Weeks In Training
Sit	Sully is really good at “sit”! She sits very well to be let out of the playpen, her crate, and at doorways. She also sits before she gets her meals and sits for attention. If she is jumping and I ignore her, she sits quickly.
Down	Sully is doing well with “down” and follows a hand signal of pointing at the ground very well. She 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: “Sully, down.” Pause. Point to the ground. New cue (verbal) > Pause > Old cue (visual)
Name Recognition	Sully knows her name very well… whether she chooses to hear it is another story! All joking aside, she listens to her name/pays attention about 80% of the time. She’s doing quite well for an easily distracted, independent puppy!
Touch	Sully knows “touch” very well. I hold my hand out and say “touch” and she will touch her nose to my hand. This cue is very useful for getting them redirected and focused on us.
Recalls	Sully has a great recall, though sometimes patience is required if she has zoomies or has found a fun leaf to play with outside. Usually when she is overtired is the only time I have troubles with this. When she is rested, she listens really well. In a stimulating environment (basically anywhere outdoors right now) it can take her a few seconds to realize she’s been called. Overall, she’s doing very well with this and we will continue to practice it around distractions.
Go Into Crate	Sully has been doing really well with her crate and goes to it as soon as she realizes it’s bedtime. She really loves her quiet naps! When she wakes up and has to potty, though, you know about it because she has a very loud scream when she needs to potty. She is sleeping all through the night now, and takes around 2 hour naps during the daytime. She’s so tiny, it may be a while before she’s able to go longer than that during the daytime, as she needs to empty her bladder a lot due to her tiny size.
Leash Walking	This is one area Sully has needed a lot of work on and still isn’t the best at (every puppy struggles with something).If she doesn’t want to follow you, she puts her brakes on and doesn’t want to move forward – not even calling her and treats can persuade her in these instances if she really doesn’t want to walk. I have an inkling this is partially due to her size – she gets tired easily and just doesn’t want to walk anymore. I also think she just likes to move at her own pace and do her own thing. She really loves to sit in the yard and just relax in the sun, have a zoomie here and there, and then go inside and cuddle up on a lap or in her bed. She’s not super thrilled about walking at this age. As she matures, this may change, or she may just be the kind of dog who needs to walk in short bursts. A stroller can really help if you’re planning to walk her long distances. You can take her out of it, let her walk for a little, and put her back in it when she’s getting tired. During the short bursts she’s willing and wanting to walk she is doing a wonderful job following me, heeling, and being a good girl. She loves to explore here and there but is quick to come back to my side when I call her back over. We do a lot of practice indoors still and I think that will be best until she builds up some stamina and is a more willing participant. I’m a big believer in doing things that you and your dog enjoy doing, and at the moment, she doesn’t seem super thrilled to go on walks (both on and off leash she wants to sit and not go after a little while). There is no forcing this; it is just going to take time and patience. She has come a long way and we are currently putting a heavy focus on leash pressure games (you can view them here, I highly recommend you continue them after she goes home) to get her to give in to leash pressure rather than pull back. This is just one area Sully has really put her paw down about! Thankfully she is so small if she’s really struggling, I just pick her up and end the session, there’s no sense in working on it if she’s not in the right mindset.
Place	This is probably Sully’s absolute favorite behavior – she LOVES to run to her “place” when we start a training session.
Stay	Sully has an amazing “stay” while she’s on her “place”! I recommend continuing to practice this on a place mat for now, as that is the easiest way to set a boundary to work on this. I am able to walk a few feet away now while she holds a stay.
Drop It	Sully isn’t a huge tugger so we haven’t gotten to work on this too much, but she very easily exchanges objects she has for treats.
Leave It	Sully is progressing nicely with “leave it”. She will leave treats that are in my hand and we are starting to work on her leaving dropped food.
Wait	Sully is learning to “wait” at thresholds such as in her crate and at gates and doorways. She has never been a very pushy puppy so this has been pretty easy to work through.
Potty Training	Sully 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 she’s making it around 30 minutes between potty breaks while she is up and active (that tiny bladder makes it hard to extend the timing, especially because she drinks a lot when she’s busy). She does signal she needs to potty when she is in her playpen/crate by barking/screaming urgently. She will also walk around near the door when she has to potty. When she goes home, do not expect this behavior right away, she needs to learn the pathway outside before you can expect her to go to the door. She is holding it for 2-3 hours while in the crate during the day and holds it all night.

Sully’s Midway Update

Sully has a lot of personality. She’s spunky sometimes, lazy other times, and almost always an independent girl, though she likes to have you within her sight. If she doesn’t want to do something, it can be a challenge finding what is going to motivate her. She loves food – when she’s in the mood to love food. The hardest place for her to listen is outside because she’s so busy outside and wants to go off and explore on her own. She does have a wonderful recall, though, and checks in very well. She doesn’t make it far before she’s tired out, and when she gets tired her ability to listen dwindles. Once she starts getting zoomies it’s a good indicator she needs a break.

Patience is the key with Sully. She is super smart, but also has a very short attention span. Short 1-2 minute training sessions throughout the day work best for her, she’s not a puppy who will sit through a 30 minute training session and stay focused. You can break up training by training for 1-2 minutes, playing for 10 minutes, train for 1-2 minutes, etc. This is all very normal for puppies, and especially so for petites, they tend to mature slowly!

While Sully may not be the most obedient puppy, she sure makes everyone laugh. She is full of silly antics and a lot of charm. She is getting much better at cuddling, too! We have been working on that a lot and she has gone from thrashing around and never sitting still to sitting on my lap for a good 10 minutes or so before she’s bored of it. Just keep working on this and you’ll have a cuddler in no time!

Sully is an outgoing puppy, but like a lot of small dogs, has a few things she really doesn’t like when socializing. She gets a little afraid of people when she’s on the ground and they lean over to pet her. She doesn’t like her head touched but loves her back, chin, and chest pet! Avoiding head petting is very normal in a lot of dogs, but especially the small ones. People looming over them is pretty intimidating. It really helps if you get on the ground with her so you’re more at her level, she loves when people get on the floor with her! She has also had a bit of leash avoidance due to the over the head discomfort when the leash crosses over her. We have worked on this a lot and she is getting so, so much better (when I first got her she would freeze up and not move because of the leash crossing over her head, now she will kind of duck away from it but keeps moving). Don’t make a big deal of any of this, but accomodate her when you can. She actually does enjoy her head being rubbed when she is on my lap or I am sitting down with her, she just doesn’t like when people loom over the top of her. This is one of her quirks I find important to mention so you can continue to work on it, but also keep in mind her preferences for attention!

I have loved having Sully here and cannot wait for you to meet her – I know you’re going to love her so much too (I know you already do)!

Sully’s Favorites

Favorite Treats: Sully is not picky at all when it comes to treats but she really enjoys shredded cheese and turkey! Pre-packed dog treats she enjoys are Nibs and Stella & Chewy Freeze Dried treats.
Favorite Frozen Treat (to stuff his hoof/Kong/etc.): Sully LOVES this canned food and also really likes this canned food. I recommend using canned food in her snacks for at least the first week or two at home so she has something highly rewarding for going into her new crate. She also enjoys cheese whiz. I use a Toppl (size small) for all of her crate snacking. I coat the inside with peanut butter and add a spoonful of canned food. I am currently not freezing, but you can freeze treats if she starts finishing her snack too fast. So far she seems content with it not being frozen.
Favorite Toy: Sully LOVES this flirt pole and also really likes this tug toy and these balls. We are still working on fetching but she does enjoy chasing them! She also loves a variety of stuffed toys – this one is particularly loved among everyone!
Favorite Bed: Flat Bed for in the crate and she really loves donut beds like this!
Favorite Chews: Beef Tendons & No Hide Chews are favorites for sure!

Sully’s Photo Gallery

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