You see, puppies have short attention spans. They are easily distracted and bored. However, their little minds are like sponges which soak in all they can. Your Lilly is just as eager as all the sponges out there. Be patient with her.

Let's start. Take Lilly outside first thing in the morning. Have her go to the bathroom, and bring her right back in for a five minute training session.

Do not yell at Lilly if she stands up when you told her to stay. She is allowed to make a mistake. Bring her back to the spot and do it over. Mix up the commands and put an appropriate challenge with them to keep Lilly interested.

For example, when you tell Lilly to stay, change your place a bit. Do not change hers for the puppy training session. Use a different place for your own position each time. Move yourself back and fourth, away, in back of her, to the side . . . Be creative, but do not overwhelm her.

If Lilly has clearly had enough, end her puppy obedience training session with her obeying a command. You always want to end on a positive note. She will remember her pack position at the time you stopped -- her submissive and compliant mode or her willfulness in doing what she wanted to do. She will come back to that the next time you start dog obedience training, so this does matter -- and matters a lot! Do not cater to her or stop because she wants to stop.

After the puppy obedience training session, take Lilly outside and play with her for an equal amount of time that she worked. You may take off her leash for that time, but be sure the time is equal so Lilly sees that the leash being off does not mean for her to take off. As in raising your child, freedom must be given in doses.

After play, bring Lilly back inside and let her cool off for at least ten minutes. Only then give her water. Make Lilly wait a little bit before you let her eat, and feed her a piece or two out of your hand. This avoids dog food aggression and dog possessive behavior.

Work with Lilly four times a day, and you will be astounded at how quickly she masters the commands. (Some trainers suggest six times a day, but that is rarely necessary and is too much for many puppies and dogs.)

Puppy Training Tip: Never forget the playtime. It is special bonding time for you and her. It is natural for her. Even the oldest members of the wolf pack play with one another.

Keeping Lilly on a routine like this will bring you one awesome dog. By the time she is four months old, remember to walk her for forty five minutes each morning on a leash for her to expend excess energy and to be mentally and physically challenged. A dog who receives no challenge or just one of them is likely to have some bad dog behavior problems.