The telltale sign that things are changing...starting to lose the baby teeth. With each developmental period comes new challenges, new victories, and new behaviors.
We work hard when they are young laying a solid foundation so they have a place to land once they get through some of those phases.
He's a very attentive boy but that doesn't mean we don't want to focus on that aspect of his training. He's attentive now but we want him remain that way.
We practice attention wherever we go. If we allow him to get distracted by things in his environment, that behavior will pay off for him and he's more likely to repeat it. This, of course, mostly applies to when we have him out and about but it's important that he still be responsive at home when he is off leash too. We just give him more opportunities for free at home (balance is really important for working dogs too).
He's nice and responsive now but he'll be heading into adolescence soon and he may start to test the waters a bit.
When he gets to that point, where he doesn't always listen, it's important to always follow through with him. Try not to repeat a command ("Sit...sit...sit...SIT"). You want him to learn that he needs to respond the first time you ask. If he doesn't do it, help him out by following through with a hand signal.
Also be aware of his surroundings. Are you asking too much of him based on his age and developmental period? Maybe it's too distracting? Help him out and set him up for success. You can always move him out of the distraction then repeat the command with a hand signal to help him out.
Meanwhile we'll keep building a nice, solid foundation so he's got a secure place to land.
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