The Valkyrie's Training Hall

Your quest for today, shield-maiden.

Today's Theme Impulse Control Games

🔥 Opening Rite ~2 min

Name/Focus (Watch Me)

Teaching Bryn to look at you when she hears her name — the gateway to every other skill.

Adolescent Note

An adolescent dog's attention is pulled in every direction by a brain that's wired for novelty. Name focus may regress — this is normal. Go back to high-value rewards and short durations when it does. Don't blame Bryn; just make responding to her name pay better than whatever else is happening.

🎯 Main Quest ~5 min

Foundations

Stay / Wait

Teaching Bryn to hold her current position until released — the backbone of impulse control and safety.

Adolescent Note

Stay directly opposes an adolescent dog's desire to be in motion and investigate everything. Expect regression. Shorten the criteria dramatically (back to 5-second stays if needed) and rebuild with high-value rewards. Adolescent dogs benefit enormously from stay practice — it's mental exercise disguised as stillness.

🎉 Victory Lap ~3 min

Enrichment

Impulse Control Games

A collection of games that teach Bryn to think before she acts — building the self-control muscle that adolescent dogs need most.

Adolescent Note

The adolescent brain has poor impulse control by nature — it's neurological, not a character flaw. These games literally help build the neural pathways for self-regulation. Play them daily. They're the most valuable training investment you can make for a teenage dog.

Session Reminders

• Keep each slot to its time. Short and sweet beats long and sloppy.
• End on a win. If the Main Quest is hard, finish with an easy rep.
• Bryn should succeed 80% of the time. If not, make it easier.