Whisper was a  little puppy with big brown ears. He liked chasing leaves, digging holes and wagging his tail at everyone he met.

But Whisper had one problem.

He didn't follow the rules.

He chewed shoes.

He jumped on guests.

And even.. stole sandwiches right off the counter.

"Whisper!" laughed Mia, his owner.  "Your silly, but it's time you learn."

Whisper lifted his head.

Learn?

That sounded interesting.

The next morning, Mia held a treat in her hand.

“Whisper,” she said kindly, “sit.”

Whisper bounced in circles instead.

Mia waited patiently.

Then she gently lowered the treat over Whisper’s nose.

Plop!

His bottom touched the floor.

“Sit! Good boy!”

Crunch! Whisper gobbled the treat happily.

His tail swished back and forth.

Maybe learning was fun after all.

Every day, Mia taught Whisper something new.

“Stay.”

“Come.”

“Leave it.”

First, Whisper made mistakes.

Sometimes he ran after squirrels.

Sometimes he forgot to stay.

And once, he brought Mia a dirty sock from the garden.

But Mia never yelled.

She used calm words, happy smiles, and lots of practice.  Positive reinforcement.

“Little steps make big progress,” Mia said.

Whisper didn’t know what progress was…

…but he loved treats.