Wrigley is pretty well-known around here...
We never had a dog before. Brought him home and found out a guy I'd been working with for 12 years had a dog-training business.
By the time he was here 6 weeks, he was trained to the point he could have earned the AKC CGC certificate. I'm pretty anal about things, but I didn't need a trophy for the dog.
The 6 week course incorporated distraction. Heavy distraction.
The early part of the week was teaching the dog what you wanted him to know and by the end of the week, we were out in front of Walmart, inside Petsmart, at the mall etc. Yes, even outside Wrigley Field.
2 months after that novice course was done, we did 5 more weeks of the advanced course.
By 9 months, he was fully trained, off leash.
I can't imagine any other way to have a dog.