While the Lorraine dogs are playing in the mud, Mariella is holding flowers, Danny is trying on a new outfit, and Helen is assembling a model solar system. Danny collides with Helen, then with Mariella, but thankfully, neither drops what they were carrying. Unfortunately, however, when they go out, Skits jumps on them, covering them in mud and making Mariella drop her flowers and Helen drop her model.
Danny scolds Skits, then the female Lorraines try to rebuild their objects. Helen isn't mad at Skits since he didn't mean to misbehave, but Danny enters and tells her that since she was the one who brought Skits into the family, she is responsible for training him.
She and T.D. go to the library and take out a lot of books about dog training, then they watch a dog training video. Helen and Martha think the trainer in the video is mean, but T.D, thinks he's just establishing authority. He tries to demonstrate by glaring at Skits to get him to stop begging for a sandwich, but fails when Skits glares back. Helen and T.D. then watch another video with a trainer who is nice, but his methods take too long. Then, they watch a yoga video, but it doesn't work either.
That evening, Helen complains that she's tried everything and Skits is still impolite. Mariella threatens to confine Skits to the outdoors if he doesn't learn manners, and states that dogs rely on rules. Unfortunately, when Danny comes home, Skits jumps on him again, making Mariella spill the dinner and the dogs eat it. The Lorraines decide to go to the burger restaurant, bringing Martha, but not Skits, since he was too jumpy the previous time. When they get home, Skits has trashed the living room, so Mariella puts him outside. This worries Helen, especially when Mariella suggests sending him to live on C.K.'s farm. Martha, however, is more optimistic.
The next day, Helen complains to T.D. outside the cafe, and she wonders why Skits is such a slower learner than Martha. Martha admits that while she didn't jump up, she did have problems wetting the rug as a puppy because she didn't realise she was supposed to do it outside. Martha says that it's just practice, then Helen realises that she shouldn't expect Skits to learn right away just because dogs on TV did.
She and T.D. then try to start training Skits again over a few days, and while it starts out imperfectly, he does gradually learn manners over the course of sixteen days. When Danny and Mariella learn of Skits's new skills (in addition to learning a few tricks), they are impressed.
This episode provides examples of
- Affection-Hating Kid: Helen says, "Oh, brother!" when her parents kiss.
- Ahem: Martha clears her throat to get Skits to hand over the sandwich.
- And Call Him "George": Mariella expresses worry about Skits injuring Grandma Lucille or Jake by jumping on them.
- Buffy Speak: Helen describes Skits's behaviour as "jump-uppy".
- Continuity Nod: Mariella brings up a time Martha had fun at C.K.'s farm, which happened in "Down on the Farm".
- Covered in Mud: The whole Lorraine family gets covered in mud after first the dogs play in it, then Skits jumps on the humans.
- Death Glare: T.D. tries to get Skits to stop begging for his sandwich by glaring at him, but it doesn't work because Skits glares back.
- A Dog Ate My Homework: After already being dropped, Helen's solar system diorama gets damaged even further when Skits chews it. So, she says that it will sound lame when she tells Mrs. Clusky a dog ate her science project.
- Dogs Hate Squirrels: Even when Skits starts to get better at heeling and staying, he still chases after a squirrel. Even when he learns not to, he's clearly tempted.
- Dog Walks You: Skits ends up pulling Helen along on his leash when he tries to chase a squirrel.
- Doomed New Clothes: Skits gets mud on Danny's new outfit.
- Extreme Omnivore: Danny jokingly says, "I'm so hungry I could eat my tie", and then when Mariella spills the food, she says, "You may have to."
- Facepalm: Helen puts her palm to her face when she feels like a "goof" for expecting Skits to learn quickly.
- Filthy Fun: The Lorraine dogs play in the mud at the beginning.
- Flashback: When Martha explains that she used to wet the rug, we see a scene of it happening in the past.
- Hard Truth Aesop: The episode gives off the moral that training a dog takes time and you can't always expect results instantly.
- Howl of Sorrow: Skits howls when he isn't allowed to go to the burger restaurant.
- Nice Guy: One trainer Helen and T.D. watch on TV praises dogs a lot and talks about developing a trusting relationship with them.
- Pun: The "yoga for dogs" book is said to come with a "me-dog-tation".
- Shout-Out: Helen and T.D. watch a parody of The Dog Whisperer called The Mutt Murmurer, about a dog trainer who literally murmurs.
- Slapstick:
- T.D. falls off the couch after trying a yoga pose, then he falls over with Helen when trying to make Skits sit.
- Danny bumps into both of the female Lorraines, then later they get Covered in Mud alongside Danny and Jake.
- Helen gets kicked off the couch by Skits, then later falls over when trying to make him sit.
- This Is Reality: Helen says that the shows had the dogs being trained instantly "but that's TV".
- Tough Love: The "Mutt Murmurer" trains dogs with intimidation.
- Training the Pet: This episode follows Helen's attempts to train Skits after Danny decides that his unruly behaviour has gone too far.
- Urine Trouble: Martha reveals that as a puppy, she had a habit of wetting the rug.
