Last night as I started to prepare dinner, I had SIX SCREAMING PUPPIES just outside the kitchen (the back of the house is gated off towards the french doors for outside potty access). They could see me but not get to me (obviously it's too hard to make dinner with 3 adults and 6 puppies underfoot).
They were too LOUD to ignore but since they do not know "no" or "quiet" or "no bark" I had to try something else: the solution was baby carrots. I broke several in half and as I leaned over the gate I tried to get each pup to "sit" (or at least put their butt down for a split second) for their treat. It's a healthy treat that takes them a few seconds to devour/chew. We did this a couple times . . .
I then redirected them to play with their toys, and they started having (another) wrestling match so I could cook in peace (at least temporarily).
The moral of the story: You need to be smarter than the puppy to train the puppy.
