She transformed into a wild, thrashing banshee!

The moment the excited family opens their front door, Jay smiles with teeth gleaming and hands them the perfect puppy.

Fur gleaming like polished silk.

Eyes twinkling with an almost supernatural wisdom.

This little bundle of fluff is

everything Jennifer said it would be!

With one graceful bound, the puppy sits neatly at their feet, tail wagging in sync with their heartbeats.

No accidents.

No barking.

No biting.

Just pure, serene tranquility.

The children giggle as the puppy nuzzles them gently.

When the playful toddler pulls its tail, puppy sits down and licks the baby’s face.

When the shy teenager plops down on the side of the couch farthest away, deliberately hiding in a book, puppy walks over and snuggles in for a nap on the teen’s sock-covered toes.

At bedtime, the puppy trots obediently to its crate, curling into a perfect ball of fluff without a peep, as if it's been doing this its entire life.

There are no chewed shoes.

No midnight wake-up calls.

Just the quiet, almost magical certainty that this puppy was born to be the epitome of canine perfection.

The family can hardly believe their fortune!

It’s as if the universe hand-delivered their dream dog, fully trained, perfectly behaved, and bursting with unconditional love.

Spoiler alert!!

This is SO not what happens.

Not even with the best puppies on the planet from the Dire Wolf Project coming home in the next couple weeks.

I know… I know!

It’s hard to believe.

But if you’re not careful, the following horror story may not simply be only in your dreams!

The Johnson family, fresh off a thrilling adventure of choosing the cutest puppy, is bouncing with excitement as they bring home their fluffy new addition, Bella.

“This is going to be amazing!” they declare, imagining snuggles, wagging tails, and Bella perfectly obeying commands like some kind of doggie genius.

They step into their home, let Bella run free, and what does she do?

Immediately sprints under the couch to claim it as her personal den.

“Okay, okay,” says Mr. Johnson, “She’s just a little nervous. We’ll get her to come out.”

Mistake #1: Allow puppy to roam free.

“We’ll just coax her out with the promise of hugs.”

So, they call her sweetly, clapping, cooing … and an hour later, Bella finally emerges.

Victory!

Or not.

They don’t want that to happen again, so they reason it’s time for the crate.

But, oh no!

Bella does not agree with this whole "crate" situation.

The moment Bella’s placed inside, her adorable little face transforms into a wild, thrashing banshee.

She lets out a blood-curdling scream so dramatic, it could win an Oscar!

“She’ll calm down, right?” Mrs. Johnson asks hopefully, as Bella’s decibel level rises.

Mistake #2: Waiting it out.

Bella does not calm down.

Bella is convinced her life is over!

The Johnsons decide this would be a great time to open a bottle of wine and brainstorm ways to make their house soundproof.

After what feels like hours, Mrs. Johnson cracks and thinks, "Maybe she needs to go potty!"

So, they let Bella out and take her to the yard.

And Bella?

Well, she has the time of her life.

Running in circles, chasing leaves, rolling around—

She’s on a puppy joyride.

Except for one small detail: no pottying happens.

They figure, “It’s getting cold outside, and she’s not going to go. Let’s go in.”

Mistake #3: Bringing her back inside too early.

Two minutes later?

Bella rewards their optimism with a nice puddle in the middle of the living room.

And so begins the endless loop of:

"crate scream-piddle-outside-play-inside-piddle"

Until…

At 2 a.m., exhausted and defeated, they turn to each other with desperate, sleep-deprived eyes and mutter, “We should called Jennifer.”

The next morning, barely awake and possibly hallucinating from lack of sleep, they pick up the phone.

Jennifer’s calm voice on the other end gives them a glimmer of hope.

"Let me guess," Jennifer says. "Squawking in the crate, endless playtime outside, and piddling when you come back in?”

“YES!” they exclaim in unison, wondering if Jennifer has some kind of magical puppy crystal ball.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. First, ditch the free-for-all. Put Bella on a leash, in a crate, or in a pen when she’s outside. Second, bring her out for potty, and potty only. No play until she’s done. Stay consistent. Then, crate training is about small, calm steps. It’s not about locking her up and hoping for the best—she needs to learn that it’s her safe space. I’ll send over my potty training, socialization, and confidence-building plan.”

Armed with Jennifer’s wisdom, the Johnsons implement the strategy.

Day one?

Bella still gives them a little side-eye about the whole "no play until potty" rule,

But within hours … success!

Bella potties outside and heads back in with no indoor accidents.

And the crate?

Well, after Jennifer’s advice, Bella doesn’t squawk like she’s auditioning for a horror movie.

She whimpers a little, but with patience, the crate transforms from an evil prison to a cozy den she can call her own.

Fast forward a week, and Bella has become the model puppy.

The Johnsons finally sleep through the night,

Bella potties outside like a pro,

And their communication with her is clearer than ever.

They marvel at the progress and call Jennifer back to say:

“You were right. Again.”

Jennifer just smiles knowingly on the other end.

Another puppy crisis solved, one squawk at a time.

But thankfully…

YOU are subscribed to the Dire Wolf Project’s members only Inner Circle email list!

When your perfect puppy arrives, you’ll be READY!

You are already armed with this weekend’s shopping list.

You have a good understanding now of what type of leader you’re going to step up to become.

Now…

Let’s learn WHY you should provide

100% containment

for your new puppy when it arrives.

Click the link below to learn everything you need to teach your puppy how to love to be confined.

https://direwolfproject.com/direwolf-guardians/puppy-training/containment-training/

That’s right!

Your new puppy will love to be confined in its safe space if you teach it properly.

Think about this comprehensive free training article while you are out at the pet stores this week shopping for all of the fun items you’ll need for your new puppy’s arrival.

Imagine how lucky you are to have such a wonderfully dedicated and thoughtful breeder who has taken countless hours to be there for you BEFORE you make the most common puppy training mistakes.

It’s my gift to you.

In hopes that your new puppy will be everything you imagined in your mind when you picked up your computer or phone to contact me about a loving furry companion.

Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.