08/18/2026
One of the things I think we sometimes forget when raising young dogs is to let them be dogs.
We spend so much time teaching them what not to do.
Don’t pull.
Don’t jump.
Don’t chase that.
Don’t get dirty.
Don’t go in the mud.
Don’t do this. Don’t do that.
And yes- training matters. Boundaries matter. Learning how to exist appropriately in our very human world matters.
But so does this! 🤎
Run through the mud. Get absolutely filthy. Sniff something for five minutes. Splash through the water. Explore the woods. Climb on things. Play. Run. Investigate. Make choices. Be a dog.
Especially with puppies and young dogs, I don’t want every interaction with the world to become an obedience exercise.
There is a time for structure, a time for training, and a time when I genuinely could not care less that my freshly bathed dog has turned himself into a mud-covered swamp creature 😂
I want my dogs to know how to work with me, but I also want them to feel confident enough to experience the world without me micromanaging every second of it.
Training should never take the dog out of the dog.
Sometimes the best thing you can do for them is loosen up, let them explore, and accept that you’re probably going to need a bath afterward 🐾🤎