Dixie, You're right, of course but I haven't dealt with a true "puppy" is a long time!! My Duncan is ~a yr old and very large! I've had him for 6 months. I CANNOT walk away from him unless he is preoccupied with food. He is always in the same room with me in the house and I have developed a strange way of walking to avoid him or to get him to move. (Those of you with large dogs and small rooms will know EXACTLY what I mean!) It's funny and I don't even think about it anymore! When outside off lead, he is always aware of where I am and what I'm doing. UNLESS (and this is where everyone here can help w/ advice) there is a cat or a squirrel! Believe it or not, he will come when called from another dog but once that cat/squirrel is spotted and starts running, Duncan is GONE!! He'll come back all happy after the "prey" has found a tree and he's barked at it for a minute or two to make sure it knows not to come back down...