One minute your puppy is an angel.
The next, they’re a tiny land shark doing laps around a puddle while barking at the vacuum like it owes them money.
That’s why these books exist.
Not as “someday” reading. Not as theory you’ll forget by lunch. Eight focused dog-training guides for the problems that show up fast and loud: potty accidents, biting and destructive chewing, crate and sleep chaos, leash pulling, selective hearing on recall, door greetings that turn into a launch sequence, and the puppy who needs a little help feeling brave in a big world.
If you’re here for a weird puppy calm trick, you’re in the right place. The trick is not magic. It’s a plan you can actually follow.
Start with the problem happening right now. The first-30-days book for brand-new puppy life. A true potty training reset when the routine fell apart. A step-by-step bite and chew fix kit. Crate, sleep, and alone time without the war zone. Loose-leash walking that doesn’t become an arm workout. Come-when-called that holds up outside. Calm greetings at the front door. Confident socialization that protects curiosity instead of crushing it.
Real dogs. Real problems. Clear next steps.
The front door clicks.
Your puppy launches like he’s been training for the Puppy Olympics. Someone’s coffee goes airborne. Someone’s shoulder takes the leash hit. And somehow there’s also pee on the rug.
So, yes, start with the problem that’s making life difficult today.
It Was the Dog is Johnny Stegmeier’s 8-book puppy training series built for real homes with real schedules and real puppies who did not read your calendar. Each book stands on its own, so you can grab the one you need right now, fix the mess in front of you, and come back for the next chapter of chaos when it shows up. No dominance tactics, no “be the alpha,” no theory marathon you have to finish before your dog stops biting your hands.
Pup to Speed: Your First 30 Days Together
Routines, potty habits, sleep, socialization, leash basics, recall foundations, and handling… without pretending you have unlimited time or a silent house.
Digital PDF eBook · Downloadable file · No physical book will be shipped.
Get Pup to SpeedOptional $9 30-Day Puppy Planner & Tracker — a downloadable digital PDF to help organize and track your puppy's progress. Available at checkout.
The Potty Training Reset
Built around a Five-Day Potty Reset Protocol that finds the real gap (timing, supervision, routine triggers) so accidents stop being a daily surprise attack.
Digital PDF eBook · Downloadable file · No physical book will be shipped.
Get The Potty Training Reset
Stop Puppy Biting & Destructive Chewing
Why puppies bite so hard, plus a simple, fast protocol you can actually repeat all day, including the 10-second move that starts slowing it down today.
Digital PDF eBook · Downloadable file · No physical book will be shipped.
Get Stop Puppy Biting & Chewing
Crate, Sleep & Calm Alone Time
Includes the exact first-night routine that cuts crying down fast, then builds calm, successful alone-time.
Digital PDF eBook · Downloadable file · No physical book will be shipped.
Get Crate, Sleep & Alone Time
Loose-Leash Walking Without the Tug-of-War
A step-by-step system that teaches the one rule your puppy actually understands. The goal is slack leash, steady pace, and yes, coffee still in your hand.
Digital PDF eBook · Downloadable file · No physical book will be shipped.
Get Loose-Leash Walking
Come When Called
Learn how to protect the cue, rebuild it if it’s been accidentally poisoned, and make coming back feel like the best option in the entire universe… even when a squirrel files a motion to distract.
Digital PDF eBook · Downloadable file · No physical book will be shipped.
Get Come When Called
Calm Greetings
This is the “stop dreading every knock” book. Clear setups, simple mechanics, and a plan that doesn’t require your puppy to become a statue to be polite.
Digital PDF eBook · Downloadable file · No physical book will be shipped.
Get Calm Greetings
The Confident Puppy
Socialization without flooding, confidence without forcing, and a calmer dog who can notice something new, recover, and move on.
Digital PDF eBook · Downloadable file · No physical book will be shipped.
Get The Confident PuppyIf you’re worried you “don’t have time to train every day,” start anyway. These are written to be practical, fast to apply, and easy to follow when your puppy can’t focus for 30 seconds and you’re running on questionable sleep. Pick the book that fixes today, then build the well-behaved family dog you actually want to live with.
The front door opens, and suddenly it’s a full-contact sport.
There’s also a puddle behind you. And your hands look like you tried to pet a tiny shark.
If your puppy is piling problems on top of problems, the collections make it simple: grab the set that matches the mess you’re in now, without getting blindsided by what’s next.
Puppy Problem Solver Collection
- The Potty Training Reset,
- Stop Puppy Biting & Destructive Chewing,
- and Crate, Sleep & Calm Alone Time.
Potty gaps get fixed with a 5-day reset, biting gets interrupted with a 10-second move you can actually remember, and bedtime stops being a screaming match with a first-night crate routine that doesn’t require nerves of steel.
Digital PDF eBooks only · No physical books will be shipped.
Get the $59 CollectionWell-Behaved Dog Collection
- Loose-Leash Walking Without the Tug-of-War,
- Come When Called,
- Calm Greetings,
- and The Confident Puppy.
Slack leash walks, a recall word that cuts through distractions, door manners, and the social skills that keep your dog from melting down in the real world.
Digital PDF eBooks only · No physical books will be shipped.
Get the $79 CollectionComplete 8-Book Collection
The Complete 8-Book Collection includes all eight guides (from Pup to Speed through The Confident Puppy). Buy them individually for $216, or get the full It Was the Dog library for $137
and save $79.
Digital PDF eBooks only · No physical books will be shipped.
Get All 8 Books
Compared to $100–$200 trainer sessions, $200–$500 puppy classes, $300–$500 behaviorist visits, or $30–$50/day daycare just to survive, this is the practical, research-based, no-dominance way to get your house back.
First week home can feel like a spinning top:
naps, accidents, biting, and a puppy who suddenly has opinions. With It Was the Dog ... Puppy Training Series, start with the “start-here” guide if everything’s a little messy at once. If one behavior is the main headache, grab the book that targets that issue. Seeing a whole mix already? The full series makes sense.
Last night felt loud. This week doesn’t have to.
This is an 8-book puppy training series that helps you pick one problem and get a clear plan that fits the dog in front of you, in a real house with real distractions.
Start where it hurts most: accidents, biting too hard, first-night crate chaos, leash pulling, or recall that disappears when a squirrel shows up. Even the weird puppy calm trick is in here.
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