[lgslgs]

When we were teaching our two puppies about walking on a leash, they had very different reactions. One was always eager to follow on the leash and leash training was very easy with her.

The other one just needed much more time to mentally process things that were new to him. He'd follow along eventually, but he needed some time first to get his head around all of the new things to see and smell. He did not respond well to pressure on the leash, and we just had to work slower with him. Once he figured something out he'd be eager to be cooperative until the next new thing - then it was slow down and think about it time while his sister just dove in.

This happened with leash work, learning to cross the little wooden bridge over our stream, learning about stairs, and pretty much with most new things. Georgia Rae barrels in - Luther stops and ponders first. Luther always catches on and gets the skill, but it takes extra time compared to his sister.

In our current training, doing down/stays with us going in and out of the living room, Luther's tendency to think things through and mull them over has actually been quite a plus. He doesn't just get up and toddle off - but holds an alert down posture and observes the goings on as he figures out what is expected of him. With this skill he's learning much faster than his "ants in her pants" sister.


I'd take a good look at your girl and question whether "stubborn" is the right way to think about her behavior. With Luther, we could make him act stubborn by being too firm while he was in processing/learning mode. I doubt your 8 week old girl could truly be considered rebellious or dominant. At that age, she is just learning how to process the world around her, and she might need a few minutes to take in new situations. Trying to speed that process up beyond her ability to mentally process it will only stress her out and slow everything down.


Lynda