Lecture on Brainwork.... again!!

One of my cutest little daycare dogs just went home for the day. She is a rambunctious 9 month old puppy. Full of beans. She is very, very sweet, but quite the handful.
Today, she was in Destructo Mode. I turned my back for less than a minute, and she had ripped up a doggy bed. (my fault for not watching closely enough!!). Then she went into the garden and decided the little watermelons were the most fun thing to play with in the world. She harvested them all, and went running around with one in her mouth, playing what I call the 'Screw You' game. She knew I was going to take that prize away from her, and there was NO WAY she was going to get caught!
She doesn't know me very well...! I did end up catching her, then had to put her in a time out. Not for her sake, but for mine... I needed the time out!

When her mom came to pick her up, I asked how much training a brainwork she had done this week.
The answer... NONE.
It wasn't the puppys fault she went into Destructo Mode. She did it because she hasn't been asked to use her brain for an ENTIRE week. That's a long time for a naughty little puppy. I don't think dogs need to get long, drawn out training sessions. I recommend just 2 minutes once or twice a day. That's it! That's not too hard.
So, the poor owner got a little lecture. She promised to start training again. If she does, there will be a big change in puppy when she comes back on Monday! Training should be something fun you do with your dog everyday. I LOVE training my dogs... whether it's just a bit of obedience, or a new trick, or going over what they already know. I just integrate training into our everyday lives. They never know when they will be asked to do something, but they all love working, and it's a fun thing for us to do together. Every day.