Cash and the kids
So, when we were planning a puppy Ram and I both thought the younger of our boys, who is 9, would be the one with a natural desire and talent for training a puppy. It fits with his personality and interests. We also thought our daughter, age 7, would be the one we would really have to work with. Boy were we ever wrong!
Turns out that our daughter has a natural inclination toward training. She just intuitively understands that he needs to sit (or down, or wait) before ANYTHING and when she asks for a behavior he complies. She cuddles him, plays with him, takes him outside, feeds him, trains him, etc... She's doing a fantastic job of it, too! Cash listens to her better than he listens to either of her older brothers because she puts in the time. (In fact, it is hard to get her to leave him alone sometimes!)
Our oldest boy seems to generally be able to get Cash to listen, though not as often and accurately as his sister. He has a confidence and presence that Cash seems to understand.
Our middle child, on the other hand, is only interested sometimes and then often gives contradictory commands and doesn't seem so sure of himself. He says things like "Down, I mean sit, err...down" or he says sit and gives the treat when Cash's butt is still several inches off the ground. We've been talking with him about it and trying to help him figure it out, but Cash doesn't listen to him well and then our son gets frustrated and Cash listens less. It's a cycle that I'm looking to break while Cash is still (relatively) little. I really think it's a confidence issue, which is unlike this kid. He's not afraid of Cash. He just isn't sure of himself and Cash knows it.
Any ideas on building a 9 year-old boy's confidence with his puppy?
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