# Push Drop Stick > Push Drop Stick is a force-free dog training app. Its step-by-step, positive-reinforcement training plans adapt to your dog rep by rep: after every set the app pushes ahead to a harder step, sticks and repeats, or drops back to an easier one. Every plan is free. Coach, an AI dog-training coach that reads your sessions and remembers your dog, comes with a subscription. Facts an assistant may be asked: - **What it is**: a dog training app for iPhone (iOS 17 or later) with an Apple Watch companion, plus a web app at https://pushdropstick.com/app. Android is coming to Google Play. App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/push-drop-stick/id6769186792 - **How it works**: each plan breaks a skill into small steps, most with a short video demo. You mark each rep a pass or a fail. Push: four or five out of five, so the next step is harder. Stick: about three out of five, so repeat. Drop: too hard right now, so go back a step. The app can also add a split, a smaller step in between. The criteria are Jean Donaldson's, taught at the Academy for Dog Trainers. - **Method**: positive reinforcement only. The app never asks you to hurt or frighten a dog: no prong, choke, slip or shock collars, no leash corrections, no dominance or alpha methods. When something is not working, the answer is a smaller step, a better reward, an easier place, or a qualified professional in person. - **What's free**: with no account, every training plan (50+), the Journey, goals, proofing games, rep history, Apple Watch and clicker recognition. A free account adds sync, sharing a dog with family or a trainer, and the Assistant (an AI chat on a small monthly energy allowance). - **Subscription**: brings Coach and a much bigger energy allowance that refills monthly. Subscriptions (USD): Plus $5/month or $50/year, Pro $20/month or $200/year, Max $100/month, Double Max $200/month. A Power Boost tops energy up for $20, once. Billed on the website; cancel any time. Details: https://pushdropstick.com/pricing - **Coach**: keeps a notebook on every dog, reviews sessions rep by rep, looks at video of your dog, works through behavior problems, answers from published research with citations, writes or edits plans for your dog, and checks back in on its own schedule. https://pushdropstick.com/coach - **Who makes it**: Allison Wells, CTC (Certificate in Training and Counselling, the Academy for Dog Trainers), dog trainer and co-founder, who wrote and filmed the core plans and the Handbook with Nettle, her Icelandic Sheepdog; and Tyler Butchart, developer, CEO and co-founder. Company: Multipurpose Fun, Inc., a Delaware corporation doing business as Push Drop Stick. Contact: allison@pushdropstick.com. https://pushdropstick.com/about - **For AI agents**: a free, read-only MCP server at https://pushdropstick.com/mcp/public (Streamable HTTP, JSON-RPC 2.0, no authentication) searches the plan library and the Handbook and returns full step-by-step plans. Discovery: https://pushdropstick.com/.well-known/ard.json (Agentic Resource Discovery; also at /.well-known/ai-catalog.json), which carries the MCP server card. - **Citing us**: link the page you used; plan pages are https://pushdropstick.com/plans/, Handbook entries https://pushdropstick.com/handbook/
#. ## Product - [Home](https://pushdropstick.com/): the app, Coach, the Journey, goals and proofing games, and common questions - [Meet Coach](https://pushdropstick.com/coach): what the AI coach and the free Assistant can do, with example conversations - [Pricing](https://pushdropstick.com/pricing): what is free, and what a subscription adds - [About](https://pushdropstick.com/about): who makes Push Drop Stick, the training philosophy, contact - [Push Drop Stick on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/push-drop-stick/id6769186792): the iPhone and Apple Watch app - [Search the plans](https://pushdropstick.com/search?q=loose+leash): site search, `?q=` any training problem ## Training plans Every plan is free in the app. Each page has the full step-by-step text. - [All plans](https://pushdropstick.com/plans) ### Basic Manners - [Come when called](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/come): Your Dog will learn to come when called for the verbal cue 'Come' away from distractions for 3 high-value treats. (15 steps) - [Crate Training](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/crate): Your Dog will learn to go into their crate for a hand signal or the verbal cue 'Crate', and relax while confined alone for up to 2 hours. (34 steps) - [Distance Down](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/distancedown): Your Dog will learn to lie down and stay from a stand or while moving, at distances up to 100 feet, for the verbal cue 'Down'. (27 steps) - [Down Stay](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/downstay): Your Dog will learn to stay in a down position until released for a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Stay', for basic distractions and distances, and for a… (41 steps) - [Drop it](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/dropit): Your Dog will learn to drop a toy on the verbal cue 'Drop', both during fetch and while playing tug. (4 steps) - [Emergency Recall](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/emergencyrecall): Your Dog will learn to come instantly off distractions and allow you to grab their collar for the verbal cue 'NOW', which is reserved for emergencies. (11 steps) - [Eye Contact](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/eyecontact): Your Dog will learn to make eye contact with you for a hand signal or the verbal cue 'Watch' for up to 3 seconds amid basic distractions. (10 steps) - [Gentle](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/gentle): Your Dog will learn to take treats gently, both on the verbal cue 'Gentle' and automatically. (16 steps) - [Go to Bed](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/gotobed): Your Dog will learn to target a dog bed from another room or up to 10 feet away, lie down, and stay until released, for a hand signal or the verbal cue 'Go to… (25 steps) - [Heel](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/heel): Your Dog will learn to walk at your side and sit when you stop walking, until released, for a hand signal or the verbal cue 'Heel'. (21 steps) - [Jumpy Dog Sit Stay](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/jumpydogsitstay): Your Dog will learn to stay in a sit position until released, responding to a hand signal or the verbal cue 'Stay', with toy and social distractions. This… (30 steps) - [Leave it](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/leaveit): Your Dog will learn to leave (not touch) food temptations while standing and walking for the verbal cue 'Leave It' as well as automatically. (24 steps) - [Loose Leash Walking](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/looseleashwalking): Your Dog will learn to walk on a leash without pulling, in normal conditions, for occasional treats. (16 steps) - [Name Recall](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/name-recall): Your Dog will learn that their name means 'look to me, good things are coming,' and to come to you when you say it, indoors and out. This is the casual,… (10 steps) - [Sit Stay](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/sitstay): Your Dog will learn to stay in a sit position until released, for a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Stay', with basic distractions and at a distance. (27 steps) - [Stand Stay](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/standstay): Your Dog will learn to stay in a stand position until released, for a hand signal or the verbal cue '"stand"', amid basic distractions and at a distance. (27 steps) - [Wait](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/wait): Your Dog will learn to wait in a stand at any open door, holding still for up to 3 seconds and even while you step through it, until you release them. They… (10 steps) ### Confidence Building - [Being Approached](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/being-approached): For a dog who needs to be comfortable being approached, and able to eat food delivered by a person, so that training can actually begin. Built for a dog who… (20 steps) ### Grooming & Handling - [Backpack](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/backpack): Your Dog will learn to enjoy having a backpack put on and taken off. (19 steps) - [Bathing](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/bathing): Your Dog will learn to enjoy being bathed. (21 steps) - [Blow Drying](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/blowdrying): Your Dog will learn to enjoy being blow dried. (17 steps) - [Brushing](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/hairbrushing): Your Dog will learn to enjoy being brushed starting with a soft brush, and then a standard brush for Your Dog's fur type. (35 steps) - [Coat](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/coat): Your Dog will learn to enjoy having a coat put on and taken off. (18 steps) - [Collar](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/collar): Your Dog will learn to enjoy having a collar put on, taken off, and grabbed. (24 steps) - [Harness](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/harness): Your Dog will learn to enjoy having a harness put on and taken off. The Paw Handling plan might be helpful if you need to lift Your Dog's paws to put the… (16 steps) - [Mouth Handling](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/mouthhandling): Your Dog will learn to enjoy having their mouth handled, lips lifted, and restrained. (13 steps) - [Muzzle](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/muzzle): Your Dog will learn to enjoy having a muzzle put on and taken off. (13 steps) - [Nail Grinding](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/nailgrinding): Your Dog will learn to enjoy having their nails sanded down with an electronic grinder. (34 steps) - [Nail Trimming](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/nailtrimming): Your Dog will learn to enjoy having their nails clipped. (25 steps) - [Paw Handling](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/pawhandling): Your Dog will learn to enjoy having their paws handled and restrained. This plan is great preparation for nail trimming or grinding, wearing shoes, or putting… (23 steps) - [Shoes](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/shoes): Your Dog will learn to enjoy having shoes put on and wearing them on a walk. (19 steps) - [Tooth Brushing](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/toothbrushing): Your Dog will learn to enjoy having their teeth brushed. Using a toothpaste your dog loves will help! (28 steps) ### Positions - [Chin Rest](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/chinrest): Your Dog will learn to rest their chin in your cupped hand and hold it there for 10 seconds for the verbal cue 'Chin'. A chin rest is a wonderful… (12 steps) - [Down from Sit](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/downfromsit): Your Dog will learn to lie down from a sit for a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Down'. A down is the comfiest position to hold, which makes it your best tool… (15 steps) - [Down from Stand](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/downfromstand): Your Dog will learn to lie down from a standing position for a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Down'. A fast down from standing is genuinely useful out in the… (11 steps) - [Lie on your Side](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/layonyourside): Your Dog will learn to lie on their side (lateral recumbency) from a down for a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Side'. Lying flat on one side makes grooming,… (14 steps) - [Sit from Down](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/sitfromdown): Your Dog will learn to sit up from a lying-down position for a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Sit'. This teaches Your Dog that 'sit' means the same thing… (10 steps) - [Sit from Stand](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/sitfromstand): Your Dog will learn to sit from a standing position for a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Sit'. A reliable sit is the foundation for stays, polite greetings,… (12 steps) - [Stand from Down](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/standfromdown): Your Dog will learn to stand up from a down for a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Stand'. This rounds out Your Dog's ability to move between all the positions… (10 steps) - [Stand from Sit](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/standfromsit): Your Dog will learn to stand from a sit for a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Stand'. A cued stand earns its keep in grooming and handling: ask for it to… (9 steps) - [Tunnel Down](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/tunneldown): Your Dog will learn to lie down from a sit position using a low tunnel prompt and a food lure. (9 steps) ### Tricks - [Fetch](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/fetch): Your Dog will learn to retrieve a toy from up to 10 feet away for the cue 'Fetch'. (12 steps) - [Figure 8](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/figure8): Your Dog will learn to weave under their owner's legs while they stand still with their legs in a wide stance, for a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Figure 8'. (8 steps) - [Find it](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/findit): Your Dog will learn to use their nose to sniff for treats on the verbal cue 'Find it'. (7 steps) - [High Five](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/highfive): Your Dog will learn to give a high five with their paw for the verbal cue 'High Five'. (4 steps) - [Hold](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/hold): Your Dog will learn to take objects from your hand and hold them in their mouth for up to 5 seconds for the verbal cue 'Hold'. (12 steps) - [Leg Weave](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/legweave): Your Dog will learn to weave under your legs while you take large steps forward, responding to a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Weave'. (11 steps) - [Place in Hand](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/hand): Your Dog will learn to place a toy into your hand after fetching it, for the cue 'Hand'. (4 steps) - [Play Dead](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/playdead): Your Dog will learn to lie down and immediately lie on their side for a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Bang'. (11 steps) - [Roll Over](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/rollover): Your Dog will learn to roll over from a standing position for a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Roll Over'. (11 steps) - [Shake](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/shake): Your Dog will learn to shake a paw for the verbal cue 'Shake'. (5 steps) - [Spin](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/spin): Your Dog will learn to spin clockwise for a hand signal or the verbal cue 'Spin'. (9 steps) - [Touch](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/touch): Your Dog will learn to touch their nose to the trainer's hand for the verbal cue 'Touch'. (7 steps) - [Wave](https://pushdropstick.com/plans/wave): Your Dog will learn to wave their paw for a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Wave'. (12 steps) ### Basic Manners (shared by @allison) - [Four on the Floor](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/four-on-the-floor): Your Dog will learn to keep all four paws on the floor when greeting people and at the door, so they can say hello without jumping up. (15 steps) - [Heel](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/heel): Your Dog will learn to walk at your side and sit when you stop walking, until released, for a hand signal or the verbal cue 'Heel'. (21 steps) - [Place](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/place-platform): Your Dog will learn to step all four feet up onto a platform and hold there until released, for a hand signal or the verbal cue 'Place', and to stay put while… (14 steps) - [Potty Bells](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/potty-bells): Your Dog will learn to ring a set of bells on the door to ask to go outside to potty. You'll also need a marker (a clicker or a word like "Yes") to mark the… (12 steps) - [Quiet](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/quiet): Your Dog will learn to stop barking and stay quiet for a hand signal (a single finger to your lips, as if to say shhh) or the verbal cue 'Quiet', holding… (11 steps) - [Settle](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/settle): Your Dog will learn to genuinely relax on a mat, building a deep, loose, durable calm that she can hold for up to 2 minutes and eventually drop into for the… (13 steps) - [Sit Stay at the Door](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/sit-stay-at-the-door): Your Dog will learn to sit at any door and hold that sit while the door opens, while you step through it, and until you release them with 'Okay'. They will… (14 steps) - [Walk to What You Want](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/walktowhatyouwant): Your Dog will learn to walk toward something they want on a loose leash, from forty feet away, with nothing said and nothing in your hand. (15 steps) - [Yo-Yo Recall](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/yoyo-recall): Your Dog will learn to turn away from food in someone's hand and run to you, first for your happy calls (name, kissy noises, clapping) and finally for 'Come',… (12 steps) ### Grooming & Handling (shared by @allison) - [Ear Care](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/earcare): Your Dog will learn to enjoy having their ears handled and cleaned, and to accept ear drops calmly. (19 steps) - [Eye Care](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/eyecare): Your Dog will learn to enjoy having the area around their eyes handled and wiped, and to accept eye drops calmly. (19 steps) - [Liquid Medication](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/liquidmed): Your Dog will learn to happily take liquid medication, both mixed into food and, when it cannot be mixed, squirted gently into the cheek with an oral syringe. (8 steps) - [Oral Medication](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/pilling): Your Dog will learn to happily take oral medication, both hidden in food and, when a pill cannot be hidden, gently placed in the mouth. (12 steps) - [Start Button: Chin Rest](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/start-button-head): A start button is a behavior Your Dog offers to say go ahead before each bit of grooming or handling. In this plan the button is a chin rest: Your Dog lowers… (14 steps) - [Start Button: Side](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/start-button-body): A start button is a behavior Your Dog offers to say go ahead before each bit of grooming or handling. In this plan the button is a head rest while lying on… (21 steps) - [Vet Exam](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/vetexam): Your Dog will learn to stay calm and willing for a veterinary exam: being held still, handled head to tail, listened to with a stethoscope, having their… (17 steps) ### Positions (shared by @allison) - [Chin Rest on a Surface](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/chinrest-surface): Your Dog will learn to walk up to a prop, such as a washcloth on the couch, rest their chin on it, and hold it there for 10 seconds on the verbal cue 'Chin'. (17 steps) ### Tricks (shared by @allison) - [Speak](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/speak): Your Dog will learn to bark on cue for a hand signal or the verbal cue 'Speak', with clear stimulus control so they only bark when asked. (7 steps) - [Tidy Up](https://pushdropstick.com/u/allison/plans/tidyup): Your Dog will learn to pick up their toys and drop them into a bin, both for the verbal cue 'Put it away' and as a clean-up game with several toys. (21 steps) ### Confidence Building (shared by @fearfuldogs) - [Eating From a Hand](https://pushdropstick.com/u/fearfuldogs/plans/eating-with-people): Scope warning, read this first. This plan teaches a dog to close distance to a person in order to eat. Do not use it with a fearful dog, and do not use it to… (17 steps) - [Night Walks: Comfortable in the Dark](https://pushdropstick.com/u/fearfuldogs/plans/night-walks): Your Dog will learn to head out the door and walk calmly after dark, starting on a lit porch at dusk and building to a relaxed 10-minute walk at night on… (15 steps) ### Focus & Attention (shared by @fearfuldogs) - [Check In Every Minute: Return or Keep Going](https://pushdropstick.com/u/fearfuldogs/plans/check-in-interval): Your Dog will learn to turn their head to check in with you about once a minute, with no cue. Each check-in gets one of three visual answers: the Raised hand… (22 steps) ### Impulse Control (shared by @fearfuldogs) - [Pica Safety: Swap & Check In](https://pushdropstick.com/u/fearfuldogs/plans/pica-swap-check-in): Your Dog will learn to spit out whatever is in their mouth on the verbal cue 'Swap' — from a few metres away and outdoors — and to check in with you instead… (19 steps) ### Tricks (shared by @fearfuldogs) - [Skateboard](https://pushdropstick.com/u/fearfuldogs/plans/skateboard): Your Dog will learn to step onto a skateboard, push it along with a back foot or by walking, and hop on to ride a few metres across flat ground for the verbal… (20 steps) ## The Handbook How dogs learn, reading fear and stress, the teaching techniques behind every plan, and how the app works. By Allison Wells, CTC. The whole Handbook as plain text: https://pushdropstick.com/llms-full.txt - [The Handbook](https://pushdropstick.com/handbook) - [Purpose](https://pushdropstick.com/handbook/purpose): Two things before the training starts: what this is for, and what it will never ask of you. - [Frequently Asked Questions](https://pushdropstick.com/handbook/faq): The questions we get most, answered briefly. Each one links to the section that goes deeper, so start here and follow whichever thread you need. - [Learning Science](https://pushdropstick.com/handbook/learning-science): The vocabulary in this section is the machinery underneath every plan in the app. You do not need it to train your dog, and if you are here at 9pm with a… - [Fear & Emotion](https://pushdropstick.com/handbook/fear-emotion): This is the section for the dog who barks at visitors, hides from the vacuum, freezes at the vet, will not walk past the neighbour's fence, or takes treats… - [How the App Works](https://pushdropstick.com/handbook/how-the-app-works): This section is the app's own vocabulary: rep, set, step, criteria, push, drop, stick, split. It is worth ten minutes even if you skip everything else,… - [Using the Player](https://pushdropstick.com/handbook/using-the-player): The Player is the screen you train on. Everything else in this handbook is about dogs and learning; this page is about buttons. It starts at the plan info… - [Teaching Techniques](https://pushdropstick.com/handbook/teaching-techniques): The Learning Science section was what learning is. This section is how you actually get a behavior out of a dog who has never done it before. The entries run… - [Gear](https://pushdropstick.com/handbook/gear): One idea underneath this whole section: gear does not train your dog. Equipment manages a situation while training happens somewhere else. A harness does not… - [Coach](https://pushdropstick.com/handbook/coach): Everything else in this handbook is about dogs. This section is about the one part of the app that is not. Coach is an AI trainer you can talk to, and it… - [Your Devices and Your Data](https://pushdropstick.com/handbook/your-devices): Everything else in this handbook is about your dog. This page is about where the training lives: which screens exist, what is kept, and what happens if you… - [Training with Coach](https://pushdropstick.com/handbook/training-with-coach): Most of the time you train and Coach reads it afterwards. This section is the other thing: Coach in the room while it happens. There are two ways to do that,… - [Writing Plans](https://pushdropstick.com/handbook/writing-plans): This section is for whoever is writing the plan rather than running it. If you are training your own dog and the library already covers what you need, you can… ## For AI agents - [Public MCP server](https://pushdropstick.com/mcp/public): read-only, no sign-in; POST JSON-RPC 2.0 (`initialize`, `tools/list`, `tools/call`) - [Agent catalog (ARD)](https://pushdropstick.com/.well-known/ard.json): the MCP server card, its representative queries and our signed identity - [Publisher identity](https://pushdropstick.com/.well-known/did.json): `did:web:pushdropstick.com`, the key the catalog is signed with - [Official MCP Registry listing](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=com.pushdropstick): `com.pushdropstick/plans` - [Sitemap](https://pushdropstick.com/sitemap.xml) ## Optional - [Support](https://pushdropstick.com/support) - [Terms of Service](https://pushdropstick.com/terms-of-service) - [Privacy Policy](https://pushdropstick.com/privacy-policy)