The Bark Side Chronicles: (Chapter 10) Finding the Balance — How Three Wildly Different Dogs Training Routines Gave Me Perspective
- Happy Paw'llidays Admin
- Jul 25
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 30
It begins, as it often does, in absolute chaos. Mesa is ricocheting between furniture like a possessed tumbleweed. Milo is barking full-volume into the stairwell — again. And Mila is stationed atop her regal pillow fortress, snarling like the disgruntled monarch she is, enraged that peasants dare to move in her presence.
And me? I’m standing there with a leash, a lukewarm coffee, and a face that says, “I clearly lost control somewhere around dog two.”
How It Started: One Dog, One Dream & A Dog Training Routine Shattered
Back then, it was just Mila.
A cranky, snorting, 14-pound gremlin with trust issues and the loyalty of an old cat. Training plan? Nope. It was more like “cohabitation negotiations.” But I had hope — visions of peaceful walks, matching bandanas, and a cozy lapdog life.
Then came Milo, the sensitive, velcro-hearted Vizsla who responded to structure and exploded with affection like a firework on the 4th AKA (EVERYWHERE) . He brought balance. Hope. Actual trainability. After those initial puppy years.
Naturally, I decided to ruin the illusion of control by adding Mesa — a German Shepherd puppy who entered our lives like a fur-covered espresso shot with legs. She is chaos wrapped in ears.
And just like that, I wasn’t raising dogs. I was running a circus with no ringmaster.
Age & Instincts: Why Dogs Train So Differently
Training is never one-size-fits-all — especially when each dog is living in a totally different phase of life. Why age matters with you dog training routines.
🐾 Mila: The Grumpy Queen (Age 8+)
Mila is officially a senior. Behaviorists agree: once dogs hit 7+ (especially small breeds), they become less adaptable, more independent, and somehow even more opinionated.
Training Mila is like trying to install software updates on a rotary phone. She doesn’t “perform” for treats — she grants small mercies. Sit? Maybe. Stay? Only if she was already sitting. Come? Only if you’re standing near cheese.
But then, one night, something shifted.
I was sitting on the couch after a rough day. Milo was asleep beside me. Mesa was gnawing a toy like it owed her money. And Mila — slowly, defiantly — climbed into my lap.
No growl. No bite. Just weight. Presence. She rested her head on my chest and stayed.
Ten minutes of truce. A tiny miracle
🐾 Milo: The Gentle Scholar (Age 3)
Milo is in his behavioral prime. Research says dogs aged 2–6 are at their best for learning: focused, emotionally mature, and still eager to please.
Milo is all of that — plus theatrical. He doesn’t just sit — he presents his sit like it’s a TED Talk. He doesn't just give me a paw he is slapping me before I even get the treat out. He doesn’t ignore a command; he feels too guilty to fail me.
And once, during a thunderstorm, he proved how far we’d come. While Mesa barked at the sky and Mila yelled at both of them, Milo curled at my feet and sighed.
He’d found calm. Safety. That was his breakthrough. And I didn’t even need a treat pouch.
🐾 Mesa: The Adrenaline Puppy (8 Months)
Mesa is currently in the chaos age. Six months old, right in the middle of adolescent regression — a phase where puppies “forget” what they’ve learned and test every boundary.
Training Mesa is like teaching a kangaroo to do yoga. She’s smart, fast, and ruled by impulse. But one day, during a walk, something clicked.
Watching and learning I said "PAW" at Milo and without missing a beat Milo is slapping an invisible button like he's on Jeopardy. But a few seconds later nervously Mesa did it, she held her paw out tilting head as if to say "Like this" . Still. Focused. Calm.
For four seconds. But still — that was her moment. A tiny shift toward the dog she’s becoming.
Live Training Session: Operation “SIT”
Let’s relive a special day: teaching “Sit” to all three dogs at once.
Step 1: Drop a treat. Mesa lunges. Milo flinches like I betrayed our bond. Mila appears from nowhere and steals it.
Step 2: Say “Sit” with authority. Mesa stares at it… then starts hopping all over the place like a cartoon character. Milo freezes in a Shakespearean display of guilt. Mila takes another treat — this time from Milo’s side.
Step 3: Give up. Everyone gets a treat and I lie on the floor in defeat.
Trainer’s Notes: Performance Files
🐶 Milo
Sit: Overachiever
Stay: Solid
Come: Only if emotionally supported
Barking: Only at ghosts or unresolved trauma
🐕 Mila
Sit: If convenient
Stay: She already was
Come: She doesn’t
Bite: Selective and strategic
🐾 Mesa
Sit: 50/50
Down: If she’s tripped
Stay: For 1.2 seconds
Jump: Olympic-level
When Peace Sneaks In
I’ll never forget it — one late morning, the house was strangely quiet.
Mesa was asleep, upside-down, tongue out. Milo was curled up on the sofa, softly snoring. And Mila… Mila was lying near them. Not on her throne. Not growling. Just there.
They weren’t trained to do this. They weren’t commanded. It happened on its own.
And in that moment, I realized: this is peace.
Not the absence of barking. Not perfect obedience. Just... balance.
🧘♂️ 10 Things I’ve Learned from Raising a Dog at Every Stage
Puppies destroy everything except your hope. (And sometimes that too)
Seniors can learn, but mostly choose not to.
Middle-aged dogs are your emotional life rafts.
Training is about trust, not tricks.
If it’s too quiet, someone’s eating doing something the shouldn't.
Each dog teaches you a different kind of patience.
Mila always wins. Always.
Consistency beats intensity.
A tired dog is a good dog. But you’ll be exhausted too.
Love looks different at every age — and it’s all beautiful.
🌅 Final Thought — The Truth I Didn’t Expect
I used to think peace came from control. From perfect training. From dogs that sat on cue and stayed when told.
But peace — real peace — doesn’t come from obedience.
It comes from understanding.
It’s in the way Milo leans on me when I don’t realize I need comfort. In the way Mesa watches me, just for a moment, before bolting into the yard as if to say "dad look what I can do". In the way Mila, old and stubborn and wise, allows herself to be vulnerable — just once — and calls it love.
Each of them has taught me something about growth, patience, and letting go.
Peace isn’t stillness. It’s balance. Between past and future. Discipline and forgiveness. Energy and rest.
And balance doesn’t come when you command it. It comes when you stop trying to force it — and simply hold space for it to arrive.
In the tangle of fur and bark and wildly different souls, I found something better than control.
I found connection. And in that, I found peace. My peace.
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