I didn't want to jinx it yesterday, but for the second consecutive morning I arose to sunlight and silence. Both mornings came with feelings of shock, gratitude, disbelief, and a sudden pang of "Oh my God, I hope he's still alive!"
(That doesn't mean I didn't hear a few shorter bouts of barking a couple times during the night or early morning, but they didn't last forever. Can't blame a guy for trying, right?)
Whether it's Shadow's age, our training, or simply a sore throat from his Sunday night bark fest... it seems we have steered past one of the toughest stretches of the puppy journey and are nearing temporarily calmer waters.
Letting him practice being alone several times a day for short periods of time has definitely accelerated Shadow's development. If repetition is key to training a dog, it makes sense that 10 small quick exercises per day help prepare for the seven-hour overnight drill. Would you run a marathon without first practicing shorter distances every day?
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