Wheaten Terrier board and train in Gloucester, MA

On the AKC's scales the Wheaten scores four for energy, three for trainability and five for affection with family. The breed page says that energy does not diminish, even in old age, and describes a dog that is keenly smart and willful, often has its own agenda and can be challenging to train. It asks for obedience training to start early, before bad habits become ingrained, and for consistency, while warning that a Wheaten is sensitive to harsh treatment and has to be trained without breaking its spirit.

The job history fits. The AKC says Irish farmers expected Wheatens to handle rustic chores such as ratting, guarding the chicken coop and even herding, then sit by the fire in the evening. It also notes a strong prey drive, with an urge to chase just about anything that moves, from squirrels to cars, and advises secure fencing and walks that are always on a leash. The Wheaten that launches at a visitor and the one that lunges at a passing car are showing the same thing: a lot of dog, moving fast.

AKC trainers say dogs usually jump because they are excited and want attention, and that the only way to end a behavior is to stop rewarding it. With a Wheaten the reward is almost always a person: eye contact, a laugh, a hand on the head, even a push away. During the stay, everyone the dog meets follows one rule. Paws up and the person turns away; paws down and the hello begins, low and calm, ending before the excitement can climb again.

Kneeing the dog, grabbing its paws or pushing it off all count as attention, the AKC notes, and with a dog that is sensitive to harsh treatment they can also cost trust. Management covers the gaps while the new habit forms: a leash or gate when visitors arrive, and a mat the dog goes to before the door opens. Crane Beach's off-season rules ask that a dog in the No Leash Zone stay close enough to obey a voice command and not approach other visitors unless invited, which describes good Wheaten manners anywhere.

Your timing is what the closing lessons at Dogtown sharpen, one for a Foundation week and two for Advanced. At home, raise the difficulty one step a week, as in the plan below, and drop back a step if the bounce returns. Exercise matters as much as manners. A Wheaten that has had a long sniff walk and a game of fetch in a fenced yard is likely to greet visitors more calmly than one that has waited all day.

Cape Ann gives you seasonal practice ground. Rockport bans dogs from its public beaches from June 1 to September 15 and requires every dog to be leashed or under direct voice control at all times, and Gloucester's beaches reopen to dogs in the off-season. For a dog with a chase reflex, a long line on an empty winter beach is a safer test than a busy one. Dogtown Academy days, $89 full or $69 half, keep the greeting rules in use with a trainer.