Dog’s Best Friend: Puppy training continues

Young Telluride families are like families all over the world: parents anticipate terrible twos with the same dread accorded to a trip to the dentist.

The terrible twos is the age when their adorable babies turn into toddlers, experience frequent mood changes, temper tantrums, hit, bite, and say “No!” to just about every request.

Experts are quick to remind parents, however, as they tear out their hair and cry into their pillows, that their children are not trying to be defiant or rebellious on purpose. They are simply expressing a growing sense of independence and don’t have language skills to articulate their needs.

Ditto for puppies. At four months, the little ball of fluff and love you have been bonding with turns into a toddler, which is exactly the age to begin formal discipline, according to “Telluride Inside and Out” regular and dog trainer Ted Hoff, owner of Cottonwood Ranch and Kennel in Crawford, Colorado.

Click the “play” button and listen to Ted’s tip’s on early training for pup toddlers.