Episode #232 Patience is a Puppy Virtue — Teaching Your Dog to Wait for Good Things

Do you have a puppy that bounces, barks, or grabs for anything they want? You're not alone! In this episode of Paws & Reflect, host Amy Jensen from BAXTER & Bella dives into one of the most important life skills we can teach our dogs — patience.

Discover why puppies struggle with impulse control, how waiting leads to better behavior and safety, and exactly how to teach your puppy to pause before good things like meals, leash walks, and play. Amy shares easy-to-follow steps, positive reinforcement techniques, and fun games like “Treat on the Floor" and “Doorway Wait” that make learning enjoyable for both you and your pup.

Perfect for new puppy parents or anyone who wants to raise a calm, polite, and thoughtful dog. 🎓🐾

➡️ Resources, training guides, and weekly live classes available at www.baxterandbella.com/learn-more

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Puppy Patience
• 1:29 Why Patience Matters for Puppies
• 2:53 Teaching Patience in Three Steps
• 5:11 Patience Games That Work
• 7:48 Tips for Training Success
• 9:18 Final Thoughts and Resources

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

On today's episode, we are talking about something that puppies don't have right away, but they definitely need it, and here's how to teach it. Stay tuned. Welcome to the Puppy Training Podcast. I'm Amy Jensen, founder of Baxter and Bella, the online puppy school. Here we are all about helping you create the best possible experience raising a puppy, from training tips to practical tricks, all aimed at fostering a happy, well-behaved dog who truly feels like part of the family. So if you are ready to enjoy the journey and strengthen the bond with your dog, let's get started. Hey everybody, welcome to the Puppy Training Podcast. I'm Amy Jensen. I started Baxter and Bella with my husband, scott, 10 years ago, this summer. Isn't that crazy, super exciting, and we appreciate all of you for listening, participating, being clients, just wanting to do good things, wanting to train your dog, learn how to do it in a positive way. So thank you for your support.

Speaker 1: 1:06

Today we are talking about patience. Puppies don't have a lot of it. In fact, most come with zero amounts of patience, and so we have to teach them how to wait for something, and I want to dive into that topic today, because when you're getting a new dog and that puppy is jumping or biting or barking for things, it's because they're a dog and they want something. So that's how they get it. And if we can teach them that, actually, if you wait for good things instead of jumping, barking, grabbing or demanding, that's when good things happen in the human world. So if you've ever wondered why is my puppy so impatient, or how do I stop my dog from jumping every time I pick up the leash or try to pour out their food, this episode is for you. Why does patience matter? Puppies, you guys are like toddlers. They live in the moment. When they want something, they want it right now. But here's the thing Life doesn't always deliver what we want right away. And learning to wait is not only important for good manners. It's really important for emotional regulation, safety and long-term behavior success. Think about waiting at doorways instead of rushing out, waiting for food instead of jumping on the counter, waiting before dashing into a car, off-leash park or greeting a new person. Patience equals self-control, and that's a skill we can absolutely teach our dogs with positive reinforcement. Now the science behind it when we train puppies to pause, we're engaging their frontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for decision-making and impulse control. This part develops with practice over time, just like muscles do. It takes those repetitions.

Speaker 1: 2:40

By setting up gentle, structured opportunities for our puppies to wait and then rewarding them for calm behavior, we're shaping a future adult dog who thinks before reacting. We are creating a pattern of patience. So how do we teach it? There's certain building blocks that you're going to need to know. Let's break it down into three steps. First, predictable routines or patterns.

Speaker 1: 3:01

We want to start by setting up patterns in our day where our puppy begins to understand if I wait, good things happen. For example, before meals we can ask our dogs to sit and then we set the food bowl down, reward for calm behavior and say okay, and then they can go eat their food right. I like to even have my dog do a sit or a down as I'm scooping the food and pouring it into the bowl. So they're doing a nice calm behavior. You can just drop them one little tiny food reward every few seconds to every few minutes. Eventually you can build out that duration that you're rewarding them but they're learning. Oh, I just sit here calmly or I lay here calmly while Amy loads up my food bowl and sets it down for me.

Speaker 1: 3:41

Another instance would be putting on the leash. Maybe your dog gets really excited to go on a walk Instead of the chaos happening. Wait for them to sit or lay down. You can even, in the beginning, lure them into these positions to show them what you want them to do, and over time they just will start to do it on their own because they understand this is part of the pattern. So if they jump or paw, just take a breath, reset and try again. You can even back away and then let them calm down or do a downshift in behavior, I like to call it, and then, once they're calm again, then we move forward and put the leash on. Now, as I mentioned, you might need to feed them as you initially attach that leash. So at the same time you're feeding them, you clip the leash on and then pretty soon you'll be able to clip the leash on and then offer the food reward. They're learning. Okay, this is how I behave when the leash goes on and I get paid for that.

Speaker 1: 4:33

Number two is use a release cue. So teach your dogs what it means or what it sounds like when they are released from a behavior. So if my puppy knows that they have to wait for something, how do they know when the waiting is over. We like to use a very clear signal, so I often use the words like okay or free as a release cue, and you guys can pick a word that works for you. We could practice this by asking our dogs for a sit. Wait for one second, then say okay and toss a food reward. Gradually build the time between the sit and the release. This builds delayed gratification, a concept that helps your dog understand waiting equals a reward.

Speaker 1: 5:11

Number three is play waiting games. Learning is more effective when it's fun. If I can turn something into a game, I'm doing it. Here are some easy games you can start playing today with your dog. Game number one is the treat on the floor game. I want you to place a food reward on the floor and cover it with your hand If your puppy tries to grab it. Keep your hand down the moment they back off or look at you instead. Say yes and give them the food reward. Progress to uncovered treats that they can just see, but they're waiting, they're looking at you for you to say yes and then the food reward comes, and you can build this up to longer and longer durations of waiting. This teaches impulse control through real world temptation.

Speaker 1: 5:49

Game number two is a doorway wait. Stand at a door and ask your puppy for a sit. Begin to open the door slowly. If your puppy moves, I want you to gently close the door and reset. If they stay seated, open it fully. Then release them with an okay. This is great for safety and it prevents door dashing or bolting into busy streets. If your dog just gets used to I wait at the door for my okay, then I can go out. Game number three has to do with greetings. Have your puppy sit next to you while they're on a leash and then ask somebody a guest or a friend to walk towards the puppy to be greeted. Now the puppy's in charge. If the puppy sits and waits, the person can come a step closer. If the puppy gets up and gets really excited, I want the person to turn and go back to start.

Speaker 1: 6:31

You can feed your puppy food, rewards for the good waiting as they're learning this game because we want to set them up for success in any game we play. We want them to win enough that they want to keep playing. Have you ever played a game and you're just really bad at it and you kept losing? Do you want to keep playing that game? Or how often do you want to get together with your friends and be like, yeah, let's play that game. Not so right. We only really like the things that we're good at. Let's be honest, puppies are the same way. If they're not good at it, they're like I don't want to play anymore, I'm done. So let's help our puppies win to the point as your puppy is being successful at waiting. Feed them a food reward and then, yeah, we build out some duration. Feed them another food reward. Build out some duration. Feed them another food reward. And we don't want that to be really predictable. We want it to be a little bit random, so that they're guessing when's my next food reward coming? This all helps make these games exciting, and they're willing to wait one second more for that next food reward to come.

Speaker 1: 7:31

For more games and activities, check out our website, baxterandbellacom. Once you become a member, you have access to our members only area and we have a games and activities page inside there. This page contains games and activities all about patience and impulse control. Here's a few tips for success. Number one be patient with yourself. Your puppy is learning.

Speaker 1: 7:51

I find that just having the expectation and knowing that my puppy has zero patience to begin with helps me be more patient. The next tip would be to keep sessions short. Remember they don't have a lot of patience and that means very short attention spans. We want to keep training sessions three to five minutes throughout the day, so we're not doing one big long training session in the morning and calling it good. It's three minutes here, two minutes here, five minutes there, spread throughout the day. Whenever we see an opportunity to practice some of these good patterns that we're trying to establish with our dogs, we're taking advantage of those times. Always use positive reinforcement. This could be food, praise, toys, whatever your puppy loves and that might change throughout the day. So whatever your puppy finds exciting and rewarding, let's use those things to help them want to keep playing these games. And the last tip if your puppy gets frustrated, that's okay. Go back to an easier version of the game and build slowly. Maybe you need to show them what you're wanting them to do before just expecting that they know it. Some final thoughts would be patience, again, is not natural for puppies, but it's something they can learn beautifully with the right guidance.

Speaker 1: 9:00

Teaching your puppy to wait isn't about control. It's about building trust, clarity and confidence in your relationship. Remember, what you reward, you get more of. So sometimes it's us just taking a step back and taking a deep breath and us waiting because we might be in a rush to do this or to get out the door to. We want our dog to do this right away. Or I need to open this door and we need to go outside right now. If you can just take a deep breath, wait, allow them time to figure it out. Like, oh, I need to sit and be patient here, I need to lay down and be calm here before that door opens, they figure it out faster. So let's reward calm, thoughtful behavior, starting now.

Speaker 1: 9:41

If you'd like a step-by-step guide or video demos, or you just want to join one of our weekly live training classes, head to Baxter and Bellacom. We are here to help you every step of the way. We want you to be successful at training your dog. Thanks for being here today. You guys have a wonderful week and happy training. Thanks for tuning in to the puppy training podcast. I hope today's tips help you feel more confident and excited about raising your dog. Remember, with a little patience and consistency, you can create a loving bond and a well-behaved pup who's a joy to have in your family. If you found this episode helpful, be sure to subscribe, leave a review and share it with fellow puppy parents. For more resources, visit Baxter and Bella online. Until next time, happy training.