Your Dog’s Confession: "Why I Forget All My Training When Life Gets Exciting!"

Hi there, my favorite human!

So…..

We need to talk about something. 

You know when you’re in the kitchen and you ask me to “sit” and I plop my butt down super fast because I know there’s a treat coming? 

Yeah, I’m pretty much a genius then, right?

But then we go to the park and suddenly I act like I’ve never heard that word before in my ENTIRE LIFE? I can explain!

See, your kitchen is BORING. Like, really boring. There’s nothing happening except you and maybe that cup of coffee you’re pouring. So when you say “sit,” it’s the most interesting thing going on, and I’m like, “Sure, why not?”

But then we go outside… OH MY DOG! 

Do you even SMELL what I smell out there?!? 

There are 547 different pee messages from other dogs, squirrels leaving breaking news updates everywhere, and that annoying Poodle from down the street who thinks he’s sooooo fancy!

When you say “sit” at the park, in my doggy brain it sounds like this: 

“Hey buddy, could you please ^%#@! SQUIRREL! @#%^ other dog ^%#@ bacon someone dropped #@%^& CAT IN WINDOW!!!“

It’s not that I’m ignoring you. It’s just that my brain explodes with excitement! 

I really want to be good for you. I see how happy you get when I listen, and I love making you happy! But these things are HARD for me when there’s so much going on

My doggy friends tell me there are trainers who can help us with this stuff. They don’t just teach us tricks in boring rooms – they help us learn to listen even when the world is super exciting!

One of my buddies, Max, used to go CRAZY when the doorbell rang. Now he can actually sit while people come in! He says his humans took him to this trainer who helped him practice with lots of distractions, and now he’s, like, a superstar or something.

I heard this trainer person has pockets FULL of treats and knows all the best sniff spots. 

Maybe we could go see them? I promise I’ll try my very best at school!

I love you even when I pretend not to hear you!

Love,

Your sometimes-obedient-but-always-loving pup

P.S. There’s a tennis ball under the couch. Just thought you should know.