Impulse Control: It's Your Choice
Impulse control - the ability to think, rather than automatically act, in response to an impulsive desire - falls squarely into the category of life skills, encompassing a range of behaviours that may later have names, but that ideally form a valuable part of your puppy's default behaviours. In this game, show your puppy a treat, close your fist around it, and extend your closed fist, allowing your puppy to attempt extraction. The instant he disengages, click and feed a treat. Either use a verbal marker in this exercise, or hold your clicker in the hand farthest from your puppy's sensitive ears, not the bait hand! If your puppy is having difficulty, you can start without any bait in your hand, and when you do add bait, you can use your other hand to deliver a higher-value treat after the click.
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