hi all, first post on here. technically two things i need help with. i got my first puppy, a now 5 month old hound mix, a few months ago. immediately i started training the basics - she wasn’t perfect by any means but even with occasional distractions she could listen to me. but lately, she has started to have a harder time listening, with and without distractions. how do i teach her that commands are not optional? i try not to repeat the command, but after a few seconds of her not listening i don’t know what else to do.
also… she’s insane around other animals and people. super friendly, almost too friendly. she needs to say hello and play with everybody, or she will bark and cry and pull on the leash. any tips on how to get her to settle? i’m worried she’s going to injure herself playing too hard with my mother’s cat, and i really want to nip both concerns in the butt before she gets to the 70 pounds she’s expected to be