It’s no secret that puppy training can be challenging, but one man has left the internet in hysterics with his hilariously generous training tactics.
An adorable video of the moment John was trying to train his family’s new puppy, named Cannoli, was shared on the dog’s dedicated TikTok page (@cannolithedood). During the clip, John tried to get the 4-month-old goldendoodle to stay, and let’s just say she didn’t exactly do what she was told.
Nonetheless, John couldn’t bear the thought of not rewarding Cannoli for being so cute. He could be heard saying, “that’s not very good, but you can have a treat anyways.”
This leniency didn’t come as a surprise to John’s daughter Anna, 19, of Massachusetts, who told Newsweek that Cannoli and her dad are “best friends,” and he’s definitely got a soft spot for her.
“When my dad sent this video to the family group chat, it was so cute to see,” Anna said. “I love her little paws and her scurry to get a treat. Cannoli knows she’ll most likely get a treat from my dad, despite not listening to the command.”
Anna continued: “We thought the video was hilarious and heartwarming, but we definitely held a family meeting to tell my dad to lock in. We don’t want her progress to be slowed by his soft spot for Noles.”
Internet users can’t get enough of John’s unconventional training methods. In the days since the video was shared, it’s generated over 9 million views and more than 2.1 million likes on TikTok at the time of writing.
The caption layered over the video jokes, “why is your dog so badly behaved?” only for the footage to show exactly why.
“Cannoli and my dad sit on the couch together every night and she always sits on his shoulder (we call her a ‘darrot’—half dog half parrot). She has been the perfect addition to our family, and she fits right in,” Anna said.
For the most part, Cannoli’s training is going well. The family began teaching her simple commands the day they brought Cannoli home, such as “sit” and “paw.” She has also made great progress with house training and sleeps for eight hours most nights without having any accidents.
Of course, there’s been some challenges and the family are still working on improving Cannoli’s attention span. Nonetheless, Anna tells Newsweek that she wouldn’t change her pup for the world and loves seeing all the progress she’s making.
“Cannoli is responding very well to her training,” Anna said. “She is a very smart girl, and she knows when we are trying to teach her something. It usually takes a few tries, but she is very friendly and catches on quickly. For her age, she’s very well behaved, besides the puppy teething and the occasional accident.”
The online response to the TikTok video is beyond anything Anna expected. The reaction has been mostly positive and supportive, as fellow dog owners could relate to the perils of training a bundle of fluff and mischief.
“It’s been so lovely to see how much joy our Cannoli has brought to the internet, so it makes all the negative noise go away,” Anna said.
Of course, the training continues and members of the family have urged John to try and be more stern with Cannoli (hard as that may be).
With over 1,800 comments on the TikTok post so far, many people lauded the adorable bond between John and Cannoli.
One comment reads: “it’s giving Phil Dunphy omg.”
Another TikTok user wrote: “He’s not running a strict program.”
Another person replied: “Participation Treat.”
While one commenter joked: “See he didn’t say how long she should stay for.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@newsweek.com and they could appear on our site.