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Description
This story took place about 5 years ago.

Rosemary and Cedar were quite happy about their little family so far. They were happily in love, and they had three healthy, happy kids so far. However, there was still something missing. Cedar grew up with dogs all his life, so he brought up the idea of getting their first family pet. Rosemary's side of the family was always a cat family, so she wasn't as sure at first, but she too loved the idea of a family pet, and between her husband's pleading, and later him getting the kids on board, she just couldn't say no.

Luckily, at around that time, a litter of Jack Russel terrier puppies was brought to the animal shelter and was being advertised as being almost ready for adoption. Rose and Cedar thought these puppies were so cute, but Cedar knew that Jack Russel terriers were energetic dogs, so he made sure Rose knew this before considering adopting one. Rose understood, but still liked the idea of getting one, since the puppy would have the kids and a big backyard to play with and help get its energy out by bedtime. Not to mention that Cedar's workplace allowed dogs, so the puppy would have more playmates during the day. Once they talked it over, they inquired about getting one of the puppies, and just a few weeks later, they brought home their little 10-week-old puppy that they named Patches, since she has orange and white patches in her fur.

The most important thing Rose and Cedar needed to do was to train their new puppy. However, neither of them were sure how to start because Rose never owned a dog before, and while Cedar did, his parents were always the ones to train them. They tried getting Patches to come to them when they called her, but she wouldn't respond. They couldn't get her to sit or lie down on command, their clothes and the kids' toys were getting chewed up, and don't even get them started on housebreaking. Above all this, Rose just found out she was pregnant with baby number 4. It was obvious that they were going to need help training this puppy, or they'd have to rehome her, which, of course, no one wanted.

Luckily, Rose knew exactly who to call to help them. Her brother Turmeric was working on becoming a vet, and he had just finished training his own dog Zeus at that point, so he was the perfect person to call for help. Rose phoned him, and he agreed to come over right away.

The next day, the kids were in school (except Lily, who was napping when this happened), and both Rose and Cedar were off from their jobs. When Turmeric arrived, he found his sister's new puppy chewing on a piece of newspaper that Rose and Cedar had put out to help with housebreaking, pulling on it as if it were a toy. Of course, the first thing Turmeric did was let Patches sniff his paw before picking her up.

TURMERIC: Aww! Hi, Patches! You're a little cutie, but very energetic.
ROSEMARY: You have no idea!
TURMERIC: Don't worry, we'll get this little pup acting like a civilized lady in no time.

He then put Patches down on the floor.

TURMERIC: First thing's first. Let's start by teaching her to come when you call her.
ROSEMARY: Alright.
TURMERIC: Dogs learn best through positive reinforcement, so go grab some treats, then sit near her, and call her with a cheerful, happy voice.
ROSEMARY: Ok.

So Cedar went to get some treats, then Rose sat down on the floor while Patches kept chewing on the newspaper. Cedar brought the treats, then Rose tried calling Patches.

ROSEMARY: Patches! Come here, Patches! Wanna treat?

It took a minute, but Patches noticed the treat, then went over to Rose, who then gave her the treat and excitedly started petting her.

ROSEMARY: Yay! Good girl!
TURMERIC: Great! You even praised her when she came. That was perfect! You'll have to keep practicing this until she can come without needing a treat. Alright, Cedar, you try.
CEDAR: Ok.

So Cedar tried calling Patches too, and when she saw the treat, she came. They practiced this a few more times before moving on to the next thing.

TURMERIC: Great job! Just keep at this and she'll do it every time without needing a treat soon enough. Now I'll show you how to teach her to sit. To do this, take a treat, say 'sit', then lift the treat over her nose until she's in the sitting position, which is when you give her the treat.
ROSEMARY: Ok, let me try.

So Rose grabbed another treat, then sat near Patches. She held the treat up.

ROSEMARY: Patches, sit.

She did what Turmeric said and moved the treat over Patches' head. Patches' nose followed it, and before she knew it, she was sitting. Rose then gave her the treat.

ROSEMARY: Good girl!
TURMERIC: Very good! Keep practicing, and soon she'll sit without needing a treat. But you don't wanna let training sessions go on for too long, about 15 minutes per session. We don't wanna overwhelm her.
ROSEMARY: Oh, good point.

Cedar then tried it, then once they understood how to practice teaching Patches to sit, they moved on.

TURMERIC: Finally, for today, let's talk about housetraining.
ROSEMARY: Yes, please! My rugs are a mess!
TURMERIC: Ha ha, yep. Just be glad your dog's not part Great Dane like Zeusey. I swear, his bladder's the size of a cantaloupe.
ROSEMARY: Oh, wow!

TURMERIC: So first of all, paper training isn't going to cut it. What we need is a crate.
ROSEMARY: A crate? We already have a crate for her, but how will that help with potty training?
TURMERIC: Once she's familiar and comfortable with her crate, she won't want to go to the bathroom in it, so you'll be able to take her outside as soon as she comes out of her crate, whether it's in the morning or when you come home from somewhere.
ROSEMARY: Ohh!
TURMERIC: Now, you should take her outside every 2 hours or so, or after a meal or nap, then give her a command like "go potty" to help her understand that it's time to go. Then, of course, when she does go where you want her to, just like with everything else you teach her, give her lots of praise.
CEDAR: Kinda reminds me of when you potty train a child, taking them to the bathroom every 2 hours or so, and offering tons of praise.
ROSEMARY: I was just thinking that.

TURMERIC: Yep, you just gotta be consistent, and she should be house trained in no time.
ROSEMARY: I think we can manage that.
TURMERIC: I think you can too. Oh! One more thing. I actually have a good cleaning spray in my car that's ideal for pet stains. It takes the smell out so that she doesn't get the idea to go there again. Let me grab it for you.
ROSEMARY: Thank you so much!

Turmeric grabbed the spray from his car before coming back inside. When he got back, Rose and Cedar weren't there, and neither was Patches. He then heard voices coming from the backyard, so he went out there. Rose and Cedar had brought Patches outside.

ROSEMARY: Go potty, Patches!
CEDAR: Go potty!

Patches sniffed a bit, then, amazingly, she went. Rose and Cedar went up to her as Turmeric watched.

ROSEMARY: Good girl, Patches!
TURMERIC: Wow! That was perfect!
CEDAR: Yeah, she was sniffing around the room, looking like she was about to go, so we brought her outside.
TURMERIC: Great job, you two! And great job to you, Patches! I think you guys are gonna do great with puppy training!
ROSEMARY: Thank you so much for all your help, Turmy!
TURMERIC: No problem at all!

So Turmeric said goodbye to his sister and brother-in-law before heading home, while Rose and Cedar kept celebrating Patches' little victory, and their victory too. Training Patches took a lot of work between Rose and Cedar, but they loved her enough to stay consistent in everything they taught her, and they offered tons of positive reinforcement in the whole process.

Patches is now a full grown dog, who now knows how to sit, lie down, come when called, and go potty outside. Of course, Patches isn't perfect. She can get energetic at times and get herself in a bit of trouble, but that doesn't stop her family from loving her deeply, and feeling accomplished in their effort to help her learn these important skills that she'll carry for the rest of her life.

Description
This story took place about 5 years ago.

Rosemary and Cedar were quite happy about their little family so far. They were happily in love, and they had three healthy, happy kids so far. However, there was still something missing. Cedar grew up with dogs all his life, so he brought up the idea of getting their first family pet. Rosemary's side of the family was always a cat family, so she wasn't as sure at first, but she too loved the idea of a family pet, and between her husband's pleading, and later him getting the kids on board, she just couldn't say no.

Luckily, at around that time, a litter of Jack Russel terrier puppies was brought to the animal shelter and was being advertised as being almost ready for adoption. Rose and Cedar thought these puppies were so cute, but Cedar knew that Jack Russel terriers were energetic dogs, so he made sure Rose knew this before considering adopting one. Rose understood, but still liked the idea of getting one, since the puppy would have the kids and a big backyard to play with and help get its energy out by bedtime. Not to mention that Cedar's workplace allowed dogs, so the puppy would have more playmates during the day. Once they talked it over, they inquired about getting one of the puppies, and just a few weeks later, they brought home their little 10-week-old puppy that they named Patches, since she has orange and white patches in her fur.

The most important thing Rose and Cedar needed to do was to train their new puppy. However, neither of them were sure how to start because Rose never owned a dog before, and while Cedar did, his parents were always the ones to train them. They tried getting Patches to come to them when they called her, but she wouldn't respond. They couldn't get her to sit or lie down on command, their clothes and the kids' toys were getting chewed up, and don't even get them started on housebreaking. Above all this, Rose just found out she was pregnant with baby number 4. It was obvious that they were going to need help training this puppy, or they'd have to rehome her, which, of course, no one wanted.

Luckily, Rose knew exactly who to call to help them. Her brother Turmeric was working on becoming a vet, and he had just finished training his own dog Zeus at that point, so he was the perfect person to call for help. Rose phoned him, and he agreed to come over right away.

The next day, the kids were in school (except Lily, who was napping when this happened), and both Rose and Cedar were off from their jobs. When Turmeric arrived, he found his sister's new puppy chewing on a piece of newspaper that Rose and Cedar had put out to help with housebreaking, pulling on it as if it were a toy. Of course, the first thing Turmeric did was let Patches sniff his paw before picking her up.

TURMERIC: Aww! Hi, Patches! You're a little cutie, but very energetic.
ROSEMARY: You have no idea!
TURMERIC: Don't worry, we'll get this little pup acting like a civilized lady in no time.

He then put Patches down on the floor.

TURMERIC: First thing's first. Let's start by teaching her to come when you call her.
ROSEMARY: Alright.
TURMERIC: Dogs learn best through positive reinforcement, so go grab some treats, then sit near her, and call her with a cheerful, happy voice.
ROSEMARY: Ok.

So Cedar went to get some treats, then Rose sat down on the floor while Patches kept chewing on the newspaper. Cedar brought the treats, then Rose tried calling Patches.

ROSEMARY: Patches! Come here, Patches! Wanna treat?

It took a minute, but Patches noticed the treat, then went over to Rose, who then gave her the treat and excitedly started petting her.

ROSEMARY: Yay! Good girl!
TURMERIC: Great! You even praised her when she came. That was perfect! You'll have to keep practicing this until she can come without needing a treat. Alright, Cedar, you try.
CEDAR: Ok.

So Cedar tried calling Patches too, and when she saw the treat, she came. They practiced this a few more times before moving on to the next thing.

TURMERIC: Great job! Just keep at this and she'll do it every time without needing a treat soon enough. Now I'll show you how to teach her to sit. To do this, take a treat, say 'sit', then lift the treat over her nose until she's in the sitting position, which is when you give her the treat.
ROSEMARY: Ok, let me try.

So Rose grabbed another treat, then sat near Patches. She held the treat up.

ROSEMARY: Patches, sit.

She did what Turmeric said and moved the treat over Patches' head. Patches' nose followed it, and before she knew it, she was sitting. Rose then gave her the treat.

ROSEMARY: Good girl!
TURMERIC: Very good! Keep practicing, and soon she'll sit without needing a treat. But you don't wanna let training sessions go on for too long, about 15 minutes per session. We don't wanna overwhelm her.
ROSEMARY: Oh, good point.

Cedar then tried it, then once they understood how to practice teaching Patches to sit, they moved on.

TURMERIC: Finally, for today, let's talk about housetraining.
ROSEMARY: Yes, please! My rugs are a mess!
TURMERIC: Ha ha, yep. Just be glad your dog's not part Great Dane like Zeusey. I swear, his bladder's the size of a cantaloupe.
ROSEMARY: Oh, wow!

TURMERIC: So first of all, paper training isn't going to cut it. What we need is a crate.
ROSEMARY: A crate? We already have a crate for her, but how will that help with potty training?
TURMERIC: Once she's familiar and comfortable with her crate, she won't want to go to the bathroom in it, so you'll be able to take her outside as soon as she comes out of her crate, whether it's in the morning or when you come home from somewhere.
ROSEMARY: Ohh!
TURMERIC: Now, you should take her outside every 2 hours or so, or after a meal or nap, then give her a command like "go potty" to help her understand that it's time to go. Then, of course, when she does go where you want her to, just like with everything else you teach her, give her lots of praise.
CEDAR: Kinda reminds me of when you potty train a child, taking them to the bathroom every 2 hours or so, and offering tons of praise.
ROSEMARY: I was just thinking that.

TURMERIC: Yep, you just gotta be consistent, and she should be house trained in no time.
ROSEMARY: I think we can manage that.
TURMERIC: I think you can too. Oh! One more thing. I actually have a good cleaning spray in my car that's ideal for pet stains. It takes the smell out so that she doesn't get the idea to go there again. Let me grab it for you.
ROSEMARY: Thank you so much!

Turmeric grabbed the spray from his car before coming back inside. When he got back, Rose and Cedar weren't there, and neither was Patches. He then heard voices coming from the backyard, so he went out there. Rose and Cedar had brought Patches outside.

ROSEMARY: Go potty, Patches!
CEDAR: Go potty!

Patches sniffed a bit, then, amazingly, she went. Rose and Cedar went up to her as Turmeric watched.

ROSEMARY: Good girl, Patches!
TURMERIC: Wow! That was perfect!
CEDAR: Yeah, she was sniffing around the room, looking like she was about to go, so we brought her outside.
TURMERIC: Great job, you two! And great job to you, Patches! I think you guys are gonna do great with puppy training!
ROSEMARY: Thank you so much for all your help, Turmy!
TURMERIC: No problem at all!

So Turmeric said goodbye to his sister and brother-in-law before heading home, while Rose and Cedar kept celebrating Patches' little victory, and their victory too. Training Patches took a lot of work between Rose and Cedar, but they loved her enough to stay consistent in everything they taught her, and they offered tons of positive reinforcement in the whole process.

Patches is now a full grown dog, who now knows how to sit, lie down, come when called, and go potty outside. Of course, Patches isn't perfect. She can get energetic at times and get herself in a bit of trouble, but that doesn't stop her family from loving her deeply, and feeling accomplished in their effort to help her learn these important skills that she'll carry for the rest of her life.