Cinnamon’s 10 Week Journey

Training Begins: April 7th, 2026 | Training Ends: June 2nd, 2026

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

BEHAVIOR	PROGRESS
Sit	Cinnamon 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. When they work as a group she’s always the first one to “sit” and pay attention!
Down	Cinnamon 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: “Cinnamon, down.” Pause. Point to the ground. New cue (verbal) > Pause > Old cue (visual)
Name Recognition	Cinnamon knows her name very well!
Touch	Cinnamon knows “touch” very well and loves to do this behavior! 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	Cinnamon has a great recall, though sometimes patience is required if she has zoomies or she is playing with her friends. With no distractions, she recalls nearly instantly. In a stimulating environment (such as friends running around), 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	Cinnamon has been doing really well with her crate. It took her about two weeks to fully settle in the crate, but she’s been doing great for the last several weeks. She typically runs right to her crate when I say “night night,” and happily eats her treat and goes to bed. I very rarely hear her make a peep anymore.
Leash Walking	Cinnamon is at the top of her class with leash walking! She’s able to focus for longer than anyone else and hasn’t done much pulling at all. If she does pull, simply stop walking and wait for her to return to you. She knows leash pressure means she needs to come back to me, not continue pulling. I stick to about 10-minute walks at this age, so it’s a positive experience. Most of the walk is allowing her to sniff and have fun (while maintaining a loose leash) with random, short sessions of heeling and eye contact.
Place	Cinnamon loves “place” with a nice, soft dog bed. I think a bath mat, rug, or dog bed will make for a great “place” for her when she goes home. She goes to her “place” bed when I motion toward it.
Stay	Cinnamon is progressing nicely with “stay”. She now stays while I walk several steps away and make hand motions or move back and forth. I am hoping to add in some distractions before she goes home!
Drop It	Cinnamon LOVES to play tug and is still learning “drop it”. Sometimes when she has ahold of the flirt pole, she doesn’t want to give it up, though she does instantly when I present a treat. We teach drop it by saying “Cinnamon, drop it.” Pause. Present her with a treat. As soon as she drops what she has, say “Yes!” and give her the treat.
Leave It	Cinnamon is progressing nicely with “leave it”. She will leave treats that are in my hand, and leave treats that are dropped from a small height.
Wait	Cinnamon is learning to “wait” at thresholds, such as in her crate and at gates and doorways. She was pushy around doors when I first got her, but is getting much better at waiting until she’s told she can go through them. I can open a door all the way while she is in a sit before releasing her with “ok” now.
Potty Training	This is one area where Cinnamon struggles. She hasn’t had a good “tell” until just recently. Just this week she has started to go to the door when she needs to go potty, but you have to notice it and act fast! I have also started teaching her to ring bells to hopefully help her learn how to alert to go outside. She’s down to about 2 accidents a week and is let out every 20-30 minutes while she’s active and playing, about once an hour while she’s in a playpen, and needs to go out after 2-3 hours of crating during the day. She does “hold it” all night!

Cinnamon’s Detailed Update

Cinnamon is such a sweet and loyal puppy! She loves her training sessions and is a dedicated student (ok, I think she just really loves food, but that’s a great trait for a puppy to learn everything they need to learn!) She is very focused during training sessions these days, though she wasn’t always that way. When I first got her, she had such a hard time focusing. It’s amazing how much they change in just a few short weeks!

That being said, when she is outside, she definitely has some trouble with always paying attention. She loves exploring and running, running, running, and sometimes forgets I exist. With some patience and letting her get her “zoomies” out, though, she turns back into the dedicated student I expect her to be! She certainly benefits from some time to just be a puppy and enjoy frolicking outside to burn off some energy. After she gets her zoomies out of her system, she’s such a good puppy. She often spends her time lounging on one of the dog beds with a chew.

This smart girl really benefits from getting her brain worked via training and food puzzle toys (she REALLY likes the Kong Wobbler). A puppy with an exercised mind and body tends to be a much easier puppy, and it really doesn’t take much to get Cinnamon to that easy level of energy. A good play session in the morning and evening makes her such an enjoyable puppy! We have had some days where the weather was just awful and she was cooped up inside, though, and she also does just fine with some slower days.

Cinnamon can be pretty independent, but she does enjoy hugs and spending time with the people of the house. She’s doing very well with her leash manners due to her more laid back personality (especially if she can burn some energy off before the walk!) and is always up for an adventure!

Cinnamon’s Favorites

Food: Cinnamon is eating Pawtree Whitefish. You can find a link to Pawtree products through the information Foxcreek Farm gave you.
Favorite Treats: Cinnamon is not picky at all when it comes to treats, but she really loves these Nibs, and so do I; they break in half very easily. She also loves cheese whiz!
Favorite Frozen Treat (to stuff her hoof/Kong/etc.): Cinnamon really likes this canned food and also enjoys peanut butter and 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 not freezing right now, but she will probably need her snacks frozen pretty soon since she cleans them out really quickly now!
Favorite Toys: Flirt Pole – she is obsessed with this thing! She also loves any kind of fuzzy toy. This Toy & This Toy would be good ideas for her!
Favorite Bed: This bed has become everyone’s favorite for around the house! She also likes having a Primo Pad in her crate, and I usually accompany it with a blanket like this.
Favorite Chews: Beef Tendons, Twizzies & No Hide Chews

Cinnamon’s Photo Gallery

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