Scruffy is a Cairn Terrier puppy in Lenexa who came to Marquis Dog Training for mouthing and nipping during play. Across 7 in-home sessions between 29 May and 22 July 2026, every one graded improving, he went from greeting people by climbing up their legs to lying down and waiting for attention. He now signals at the door before he needs out, sleeps 9pm to 6:30am in his crate, and settles asleep on his cot while the room carries on around him. Every session is logged below.
Week 6 · 2026-07-10
Scruffy, a Cairn Terrier puppy in Lenexa, spent Week 6 learning that calm gets him what he wants. Six weeks ago he greeted everyone by climbing up legs. Today he lay down on the floor and waited patiently for attention, no jumping, no grabbing.
Our trainer ran an impulse-control game built around one idea: let go on cue, hold the sit, then earn the reward. It teaches patience and gives a busy terrier brain a real job, which is exactly what settles the evening zoomies.
The key: reward calm, ignore the excitement. Scruffy’s already holding his down longer and greeting people with four feet on the floor. Smart pup.
Wins: puppy impulse control · calm greetings · down command · Cairn Terrier puppy