We started a puppy training class when our dog was about six months old. The class was about eight weeks long. At first, we didn’t realize how much our dog could learn in just eight weeks. The instructor was teaching the owners as much or more than the puppies. Our puppy was a labrador retriever mix. He chewed everything all the time. We learned that labs and other retriever breeds need to have something to carry in their mouths in order to stay calm. Rawhide chews did the trick for us. We also learned how to teach our puppy to sit, lie down, and to stay. After he learned those things we learned to walk together. That didn’t take nearly as long as I though it would. Within just a couple of weeks my dog was paying more attention to me than to all of the distractions around him. Finally, our puppy learned to be around other dogs without getting agitated or fearful. Watching that class of puppies graduate as fairly calm, obedient dogs was incredible.