Hello Paw-lite Manners 201 Pet Degree Class!

Here is your continued practice Homework for Week 5 of Paw-lite Manners 201.

  • Stand – Stay (please see the video below)
    Goal for this week: Your dog will be able to maintain a Stand for four seconds while you begin to add Distance.
    Video: Stand Stay (by DogStarDaily)
    NOTE: If your dog is finding it challenging to hold a Stand, you can apply pressure to the back while feeding him or her. Remember all the handling and Collar Grab games we practiced in your 101 class? That will come in handy now, especially if your dog is hand shy. It’s important that your dog not find this level of pressure uncomfortable or invasive. If he or she does, then go back to capturing the Stand-Maintain. Once your dog understands the idea of planting his or her feet, you can begin to add a little bit of duration and move your hand away from your dog’s mouth more reliably without he or she moving forward.

  • Emergency Recall – Distractions (please see the video and NOTE below)
    Goal for this week: Your dog will be able to come away from a plate with food or kibble on it, a thrown toy from two-three feet with the Emergency Recall word. You may use a long line.
    Video: How to Teach Your Dog Recall With Distractions (by Tails of Connection)
    NOTE: Practice Emergency Recalls while another person creates distractions (i.e., moving toys, jogging past, jumping jacks, etc.). Remember to set your dog up for success. If he or she is more interested in the distraction then you’re moving too fast.

  • Cues at a Distance (see instructions from Week 1 homework and NOTE below)
    Goal for this week: Your dog will Sit/Down on both a verbal and physical cue from 6 feet away.
    NOTE: As previously discussed, you can add distance in many ways (e.g., a baby gate, someone holding your dog on leash, tethering the leash to a door, while turned away, etc.). This week, come up with some creative ways to add distance and help your dog generalize these behaviors from at least 6 feet away.

  • Heel – Step 3: Adding Left and Right Turns (please see the instructions below)
    Goal for this week: Your dog will learn to speed up and slow down appropriately by Heeling during Left and Right turns.
    By this point, your dog should know how to get into position and take 15 steps with you while maintaining position. The important things to focus on this week are left and right turns.
    Practice your foot-work without your dog first. Make sure your feet are telling your dog what you want him or her to do. Be sure to practice this in a low distraction environment. Practice 90 degree turns and 360 degree turns.
    Left Turn (If the dog is on the left, turn on the same side as the dog. If the dog is on the right, turn away from your dog.): Your dog will have to collect his stride and slow down to make this turn if on the left.

    • Get your dog’s attention
    • Turn your head and shoulders in the direction of the dog and plant your HEEL foot in front of your dog’s chest to make a 90 degree turn. (You are almost blocking them off)
    • If your dog doesn’t move into heel position naturally, remember to lure (or hand target), and place reward high and close to your body.
    • Continue walking 5 steps in a straight line
    • Mark with a “Yes,” treat, and praise
    • Rinse and repeat

    Right Turn (If the dog is on the left, turn away from your dog. If the dog is on the right, turn on the same side as the dog.): Your dog will have to speed up just a little to make this turn if on the left.

    • Get your dog’s attention
    • Turn your head and shoulders in the direction away from the dog and step off with your HEEL foot in that direction. Make a little T with your feet on the first step, then straighten your feet on the next step
    • Your dog is following your left foot, which is why you need to make the turns leading with your left foot
    • Continue walking 5 steps in a straight line
    • Mark with a “Yes,” treat, and then praise
    • Rinse and repeat

    If your dog doesn’t move into heel position naturally, remember to lure (or hand target), and place reward high and close to your body

  • Door Dashing/Wait at the Door (please see instructions and video from Week 3 below)
    Goal for this week: Your dog will respond to the Wait cue at a door and maintain the Wait with a distraction on the other side of the door, such as a bag of food, a person, or a favorite toy. Your dog will only release when given the Release cue.
    Please refer to the video, “Wait! There is a Snake at the Door!” Stay requires your dog to maintain the position he is in. Wait suggests a pause or halting of action until you provide a cue. Practice asking your dog to Wait while you walk 20 feet away, and come when you cue the Emergency Recall or Name Recognition. With Stay, we recommend returning to your dog and releasing while right in front. With Wait, you can Release whenever you want.
    Video: Wait! There is a Snake at the Door! (by Pamela Johnson)
    At doors: Practice at home on INSIDE doors until your dog understands well. Then move to outside doors. USE A LEASH to ensure safety, in case the dog does try to bolt out the door. Get in the habit of asking your dog to wait before you go in and out of any doors from now on (not just in the house, but at the vet, at PetSmart, in class, etc.).

    • Practice with your dog on a leash. If you prefer that your dog be in a Sit, you are welcome to cue that behavior first. However, it is not necessary for a Wait. The criteria is that your dog halts and doesn’t take a step forward when you cue the Wait. Once you have cued Wait, you can begin touching the door, turning the knob, rattling the knob, knocking on the door, etc. If your dog takes a step toward the door, just reset him or her. After each door interaction, Mark with a “Yes” and then reward.
    • Open the door slightly, Mark with a “Yes” and then reward. If your dog has trouble with this step, you can open the door and then close as a step in between. If your dog cannot be successful with the open and close method, then go back to step 1 until he or she is ready for step 2.
    • Open the door more or all the way, mark with a “Yes” and then reward. Go at the dog’s pace. If you cannot open the door all the way, that is perfectly fine. Keep your body positioned in front of your dog to provide an additional barrier between him/her and the open door. This will also help if you need to recue your dog to Wait.
    • With the door wide open, take a step toward the open door, mark with a “Yes” if your dog continues to Wait and then reward. It helps to close the door at times and start the process again so that your dog doesn’t anticipate that he or she will always be able to go through the door every time you open it.
    • Repeat step 4, increasing the difficulty until you can walk all the way out of the door while your dog remains in a Wait. Once your dog can do this, provide the Release cue. When giving the Release, there is no need to treat because being released is a reward itself.
    • Drop the leash or long line. Practice without the leash in your hand. Initially, you want to do this from step 1 again because now your dog is aware of the freedom you are trusting him or her with. When you are ready to do this without the leash in your hand and the door wide open, please make sure that you start at doors to outdoor areas that are either fenced in or have another person out there to ensure your dog doesn’t dash out. You can also try putting your foot over the leash to prevent your dog from making any mistakes.
    • Add distractions on the other side of the door or people.

Try to set aside 15 minutes a day (or 3 five minute sessions a day) to set your dog up for success and meet your homework goals for this week.

Please let us know if you have any questions or if there is anything you need more clarification on.

See you in class next week!

Happy Training!