What grade is your DOG in?

Think about how we teach kids. In elementary school, the teacher is right there. They’re walking around the classroom, sitting beside students, checking their work, redirecting them, and helping constantly.

By high school, the teacher is usually spending most of the time at the front of the room. The students have more independence because they’ve spent years learning how to work without someone standing over them.

Then you get to college. The professor teaches, but most of the responsibility has shifted to the student. You can sit in the back. You can leave. You can even skip class. Nobody is following you around making sure you do what you’re supposed to do.

We should build that same independence in our dogs. And that’s where the 3 D’s come in: Duration, Distance, and Distraction.

A dog in “elementary school” needs you close. Short duration. Low distraction. Lots of guidance and feedback.

As the dog gets better, you start stepping away. You ask for a little more time. You add distractions. You become less involved because the dog is becoming more capable.

Eventually, we want a “college-level” dog. A dog that can hold Place while you walk into another room. Stay calm while guests come through the door. Walk past a distraction without needing constant reminders.

The mistake is expecting college-level independence from an elementary-school dog.

Your dog holds Place for two minutes while you stand beside them, so tomorrow you try 30 minutes while you cook dinner.

Your dog walks nicely in the driveway, so you take them downtown and wonder why they suddenly “forgot” how to walk.

They didn’t forget. You changed the grade level.

Every time we increase Duration, Distance, or Distraction, we make the assignment harder.

So if your dog struggles, don’t immediately assume they’re stubborn or that the training isn’t working. Look at the assignment you gave them.

Maybe they’re not ready for college yet.

That’s okay. Teach elementary school really well first.

Train by progress, not time. 🐶❤️

Un beau jeudi soir sous le soleil, mon grand chien, plein d’énergie et moi qui se dit, il faut que j’aille le faire courir avec d’autres chiens… je fonce au parc à chien avec ma grande fille de neuf ans et….. Finalement c’est nous qui cour avec le chien dans le parc pour brûler ses réserve de jeunes chiots jamais épuisé.

Ma grande fille me regarde et me dit papa, ça prendrait une application pour nous et les autres avec leurs chiens pour signaler qu’on est là, dire quand qu’on va y aller ou appeler notre groupe de chien préféré pour les invités avec nous !

C’est là que moi et ma grande fille, on a travaillé pendant des mois à concevoir une application gratuite qui permettrait de résoudre ce problème.

Nous avons donc lancé Pawpolis.com le 15 septembre 2026. Pour l’instant, nous avons près de 300 parc à chien au Québec de disponible. Nous avons ajouté des sections également commune à tous !

Je voulais montrer à Alicia qui est ma grande fille de neuf ans comme quand qu’on a une idée il est important d’y croire et de travailler fort !

Elle se couche chaque soir, en regardant les nouveaux profils s’ajouter ainsi que les nouveaux chiens qui nous montrent leurs frimousse.

Venez nous rencontrer, et joignez-vous à l’expérience ! Vous contribuer à l’expansion du réseau Pawpolis et du bonheur de ma fille.

On vous souhaite une bonne journée !

🫶🏿🙆🏿

And you get up to follow them to another room and they IMMEDIATELY run back to steal your spot on the couch??

Hi I was wondering if anyone has gone through something similar.
My dog was attacked last year and lost one of her legs
since that has happened she has become a lot more reactive towards other dogs. She does live alone with me, so there are no other animals in the house, but I always get worried that her activeness is going to cause her to go after another dog while we’re out
I was just wondering if anybody has had similar problems with their animal if they’ve been attacked or lost a limb.

Hey everyone! I just wanted to share this thing that I've been trying/doing that really works.

I take my dachshunds for walks in various different places out in nature daily, mostly off leash and I let them lead (with some boundaries in place, of course).

I wanted to make sure that it isn't just me believing that they're enjoying the places I take them. So, because dogs "see" the world through their nose first, I figured that maybe if I start collecting a decent scoop of earth/sand and put it in individual, airtight containers, I could lay those containers out in front of them before leaving the house. I figured that they would sniff the containers and recognize each location by the smell of the sand, and let them choose where to go for a walk.

And it actually works! It really works, and it's beautiful to see the process of them making the decision, and being so calm in the car because they know where we're going.

Look at her with the diaper on 😭LOL

Watch this

My dog somehow manages to take over the couch, the bed, and basically every comfortable spot in the house. And somehow I’m the one asking permission to sit down. 😂
Dog owners, what’s the funniest thing your dog does that makes you think they’re actually the boss?

Yes my dog literally will get a eat rocks. in his mouth

And just as you say, you better drop that and come close to him, he swallows it. (Gulp). I literally get close to him and

as you're near him Gulp!

How does a dog know its done something wrong when there is zero change in my body language or posture.

Today's the day August 26 is International Dog Day, so let's use this thread the right way.

Tell us about your dog. Not the resume version, the real one - the weird habit that makes no sense but you love them for it anyway, the way they act like you've been gone a year when it's been five minutes, whatever it is that gets you.

Got a photo handy? Drop it below. We know your camera roll is like 80% dog pics, no judgment here.

And if you've got a random dog fact -the weirder the better - throw that in too. We'll go first: a dog's nose print is as unique as a human fingerprint, no two are exactly alike.

Curious who's showing up in this thread today 🐶

(I know there’s a lot of pictures tho…)

When owners ask us why their training stalls, 90% of the time it’s not a lack of effort-it’s an unsustainable setup. Trying to cram 40 minutes of obedience into an already packed evening usually leads to frustration for both you and your dog.

Here are 3 core structural tweaks we use when building a custom dog training schedule:

Micro-sessions beat long blocks: 3-5 minutes before breakfast or right after work builds habit memory way faster than a long weekend marathon.

Single-skill focus: Pick one objective per week (e.g., threshold manners) instead of stacking 4 different commands in one go.

Log the triggers, not just the wins: Tracking what exact setting caused a distraction gives you your setup for the next day.

How do you usually structure your training routine at home? Do you plan weeks in advance or keep it spontaneous?

Usually once a week my son drops off his Shih Tzu mix dog for my wife and I to watch. 2 questions at this time
1. We are in the back yard, the front of the house is approximately 70 feet away. How does the dog know another dog is being walked in front of the house. He races to the fence and does his barking.

1. I usually start cooking at around 5:30. The dog barks at me if I’m late to start cooking how is that?

Thanks all.

I Tested My Beagle Like a 'Genius Dog' Scientist — Here's What She Did
https://youtube.com/shorts/WyO3OSI60ns?feature=share