Dog training plans

Basic Manners

Come when called — 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 — 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. (33 steps)
Distance Down — 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 — 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 duration up to 2 minutes between treats. (41 steps)
Drop it — Your Dog will learn to drop a toy on the verbal cue 'Drop', both during fetch and while playing tug. (4 steps)
Emergency Recall — 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 — 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)
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)
Gentle — Your Dog will learn to take treats gently, both on the verbal cue 'Gentle' and automatically. (16 steps)
Go to Bed — 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 Bed' amid basic distractions, distances,… (25 steps)
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 — 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 helps teach Your Dog what to do instead of j… (30 steps)
Leave it — Your Dog will learn to leave (not touch) food temptations while standing and walking for the verbal cue 'Leave It' as well as automatically. (23 steps)
Loose Leash Exercise — Your Dog will learn to walk at a slow pace on-leash without pulling toward a visible pile of high-value treats, 30 feet away. (8 steps)
Loose Leash Walking — Your Dog will learn to walk on a leash without pulling, in normal conditions, for occasional treats. (16 steps)
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, everyday layer of a reliable recall: say Your … (10 steps)
Place — 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 you handle them. Any position is fine, a… (14 steps)
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 exact moment the bells jingle. (8 steps)
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 quiet for up to 10 seconds and through real t… (11 steps)
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 soft verbal cue 'Settle'. (13 steps)
Sit Stay — 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 — 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 — 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 will respond to a hand signal or the verbal… (10 steps)

Grooming & Handling

Backpack — Your Dog will learn to enjoy having a backpack put on and taken off. (19 steps)
Bathing — Your Dog will learn to enjoy being bathed. (21 steps)
Blow Drying — Your Dog will learn to enjoy being blow dried. (17 steps)
Coat — Your Dog will learn to enjoy having a coat put on and taken off. (18 steps)
Collar — Your Dog will learn to enjoy having a collar put on, taken off, and grabbed. (24 steps)
Ear Care — Your Dog will learn to enjoy having their ears handled and cleaned, and to accept ear drops calmly. (19 steps)
Eye Care — Your Dog will learn to enjoy having the area around their eyes handled and wiped, and to accept eye drops calmly. (19 steps)
Hair Brushing — 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)
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 harness on. (16 steps)
Liquid Medication — 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)
Mouth Handling — Your Dog will learn to enjoy having their mouth handled, lips lifted, and restrained. (13 steps)
Muzzle — Your Dog will learn to enjoy having a muzzle put on and taken off. (13 steps)
Nail Grinding — Your Dog will learn to enjoy having their nails sanded down with an electronic grinder. (34 steps)
Nail Trimming — Your Dog will learn to enjoy having their nails clipped. (25 steps)
Oral Medication — 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)
Paw Handling — 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 on a harness, coat, or backpack. (23 steps)
Shoes — Your Dog will learn to enjoy having shoes put on and wearing them on a walk. (19 steps)
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 station: Your Dog settles onto it to begin, and stepping off or lean… (12 steps)
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 their chin into your cupped hand to begin… (10 steps)
Tooth Brushing — Your Dog will learn to enjoy having their teeth brushed. Using a toothpaste your dog loves will help! (28 steps)
Vet Exam — 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 temperature taken, and getting an injection. (17 steps)

Positions

Chin Rest — 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 cooperative-care behavior: it gives Your Dog a calm w… (12 steps)
Down from Sit — 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 for settling: ask for it while you eat, … (15 steps)
Down from Stand — 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 world: ask for it to let a bike or anoth… (11 steps)
Lie on your Side — 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, handling, and vet visits far easier, from… (14 steps)
Sit from Down — 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 from any position, which is the rep that mak… (10 steps)
Sit from Stand — 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, and waiting at doors, so it is a great fi… (12 steps)
Stand from Down — 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 on cue. Once they can, put it all togeth… (10 steps)
Stand from Sit — 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 towel off muddy paws, clip on a harness or co… (9 steps)
Tunnel Down — Your Dog will learn to lie down from a sit position using a low tunnel prompt and a food lure. (9 steps)

Tricks

Fetch — Your Dog will learn to retrieve a toy from up to 10 feet away for the cue 'Fetch'. (12 steps)
Figure 8 — 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 — Your Dog will learn to use their nose to sniff for treats on the verbal cue 'Find it'. (7 steps)
High Five — Your Dog will learn to give a high five with their paw for the verbal cue 'High Five'. (4 steps)
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 — 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 — Your Dog will learn to place a toy into your hand after fetching it, for the cue 'Hand'. (4 steps)
Play Dead — 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 — Your Dog will learn to roll over from a standing position for a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Roll Over'. (11 steps)
Shake — Your Dog will learn to shake a paw for the verbal cue 'Shake'. (5 steps)
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)
Spin — Your Dog will learn to spin clockwise for a hand signal or the verbal cue 'Spin'. (9 steps)
Tidy Up — 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. (19 steps)
Touch — Your Dog will learn to touch their nose to the trainer's hand for the verbal cue 'Touch'. (7 steps)
Wave — Your Dog will learn to wave their paw for a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Wave'. (12 steps)