Dog program lesson plan

Weeks 1-4: Motivation, commands, and cues

During weeks 1-4, we get your dog self-motivated to do desired behaviors that will help you achieve your dog training goals. There are three key elements to our initial approach to training:

• Environment: Dogs associate behaviors with environments and people. That's why we start training in your dog's primary environment—your home
• Motivation: We get your dog motivated by the job, not by the trainer. That way, the behaviors work for you as the owner when the trainer isn't there
• Time scarcity: You want your dog to perform desired commands immediately. By limiting sessions to 20-30 minutes, dogs gain a sense of urgency to perform

Commands during weeks 1-4:

• Come when called: Come beside me and stay beside me whether I'm moving or staying still
• Free: Your dog is released from a command
• Down: Stay and relax, such as when you open a door
• Heel: Staying beside you when moving or standing still
• Sit: The dog will move to a sitting position

Visual cues during weeks 1-4:

• Door manners: When you open the door, your dog will associate that with backing up
• Default down: When people are seated, the desired behavior is to lie down and give space
• People manners (open arms): Your dog will associate that they are invited to receive affection
• People manners (closed arms): Your dog will associate to give that person space

Additional elements:

• E-collar training: We use a vibration/stim collar to motivate the dog by associating the vibration with a reward. Your dog will understand how to respond to the e-collar
• Off-leash training: Your dog will learn all of the commands and visual cues on and off the leash. This will give you the safety and security to give your dog the freedom it deserves

Weeks 5-11: Owner training, guests, and public outings

Weeks 5-6 focus on training you. This is the most important part of the program because we get your dog to associate these new behaviors that it has learned with you.

Our trainer will guide you through each session and focus on:

• Commands: Sit, heel, down, free, come when called, and visual cues
• E-collar usage: Showing you how to use the E-collar effectively
• Guest preparation: Preparing your dog for visitors
• Leash skills: Teaching you how to walk your dog without pulling and staying beside you
• Program preparation: Preparing you for the rest of the program
• Off-leash behavior: Getting your dog to behave on and off the leash

Week 7: Guest manners off-leash

In week 7, we have one lesson focusing specifically on guest manners off the leash. Often, dogs become overly excited and ignore the owner when guests come. In this lesson, we like for you to invite a guest over to practice.

We'll focus on:

• Door safety: Making sure your dog doesn't bolt out the door or jump on your guest when you open the door
• Default down: Associating a seated guest with lying down
• Mealtime manners: Handling guests eating and your dog giving your guest space
• Greeting behavior: Receiving affection while keeping four feet on the ground
• Name response: Getting your dog to respond to its name when called
• Recall: Getting your dog to come when called and to ignore house guests

Week 8: New environment training

On week 8, we meet at Half Price Books to show you how to get your dog to behave in a brand-new environment. This is important because dogs will associate behaviors with environments. In this lesson, we teach your dog that these are the desired behaviors no matter where you go.

Weeks 9-11: Practice on your own

Once we are confident that you can practice on your own successfully, we allow you to have four weeks to practice. You have video content with all the lessons so you can practice with guidance, and you can contact us at any time.

Week 12: Assess your skills

In Week 12 of our training series, participants join a group class to master all cues and commands, both leashed and unleashed, without the need for visible rewards.

What to expect:

• Group class: Practice alongside other dogs and owners
• Command mastery: Demonstrate all learned cues and commands
• On and off-leash: Perform behaviors both leashed and unleashed
• No visible rewards: Your dog responds without needing to see treats

Upon completion:

You will have a well-behaved companion. For unique needs based on temperament, age, or environment, we can customize further training to ensure your dog's success.