welcome to week 3!
In Week 3, we will build on the foundation skills we learned last week.
Below is information on:
1. Voluntary check-ins: Step 2
2. The Name Game: Step 2
5. Calling All Dogs!: Additional tips for building a reliable recall.
7. Greeting people politely: Learning not to jump up excitedly. Video by Chirag Patel.
8. Greeting other dogs politely:
9. Too cool for school! Having fun with your teen tyrant!
Below is information on:
1. Voluntary check-ins: Step 2
2. The Name Game: Step 2
5. Calling All Dogs!: Additional tips for building a reliable recall.
7. Greeting people politely: Learning not to jump up excitedly. Video by Chirag Patel.
8. Greeting other dogs politely:
9. Too cool for school! Having fun with your teen tyrant!
VOLUNTARY CHECK-INS! STEP 2

Checking in with us is one of the most important habits we want our dogs to develop. We start teaching this when they are babies by rewarding eye contact whenever it is offered to us. We want our dogs to offer it easily and without really thinking about it throughout their lives.
What does checking-in look like? Your dog momentarily connects with you through eye contact, without being cued to do so.
There are many reasons to encourage your dog to check in with you. When he is unsure what to do in a given situation, he'll learn to check in with you for guidance. If he needs your help with something, he will know that he can get your attention by looking at you, instead of whining or barking. Connecting with us through eye contact is a behaviour we want our dogs to rely on throughout their lives.
Checking in is a behaviour that needs to be captured and reinforced as often as possible during regular day-to-day life, and not something that should be reinforced only during formal training sessions. No matter where you are or what you are doing, if you catch your dog looking your way, capture it and reward it!
This week you praticed rewarding voluntary check-ins whenever your dog offered it to you inside your house. Now that your dog is in the habit of checking in with you, we can add some distractions and a leash and harness, in order to create different contexts. Note that this is different from the "yield to leash pressure" exercise - in these exercises we are not applying any pressure.
Always start in a low distraction area and work your way up to areas with higher distractions. 'The sequence is:
Step 1: Inside your home off leash - you practised this last week.
Step 2: Outside but in lower distraction areas such as a deck or yard. Watch Nancy Tucker and her dog Benni in the yard.
Step 3: Going in and out the main door of your house - the door you use to go for a walk. Watch Nancy Tucker and her dog Benni at the door.
Optional Step 4: Getting in and out of the car if this is a time your dog gets really excited. Start in your driveway.
Follow the detailed, step-by-step instructions in this file. Make sure that you are successful at each step before you proceed to the next step.
What does checking-in look like? Your dog momentarily connects with you through eye contact, without being cued to do so.
There are many reasons to encourage your dog to check in with you. When he is unsure what to do in a given situation, he'll learn to check in with you for guidance. If he needs your help with something, he will know that he can get your attention by looking at you, instead of whining or barking. Connecting with us through eye contact is a behaviour we want our dogs to rely on throughout their lives.
Checking in is a behaviour that needs to be captured and reinforced as often as possible during regular day-to-day life, and not something that should be reinforced only during formal training sessions. No matter where you are or what you are doing, if you catch your dog looking your way, capture it and reward it!
This week you praticed rewarding voluntary check-ins whenever your dog offered it to you inside your house. Now that your dog is in the habit of checking in with you, we can add some distractions and a leash and harness, in order to create different contexts. Note that this is different from the "yield to leash pressure" exercise - in these exercises we are not applying any pressure.
Always start in a low distraction area and work your way up to areas with higher distractions. 'The sequence is:
Step 1: Inside your home off leash - you practised this last week.
Step 2: Outside but in lower distraction areas such as a deck or yard. Watch Nancy Tucker and her dog Benni in the yard.
Step 3: Going in and out the main door of your house - the door you use to go for a walk. Watch Nancy Tucker and her dog Benni at the door.
Optional Step 4: Getting in and out of the car if this is a time your dog gets really excited. Start in your driveway.
Follow the detailed, step-by-step instructions in this file. Make sure that you are successful at each step before you proceed to the next step.
the name game! step 2

Last week we played The Name Game, teaching your dog to pay attention when she hears her name until you release her. You are teaching her dog that her name means "the next instruction is for me so I had better pay attention!"
In Step 2, you can begin adding some cues that your dog already knows. You play the same way but instead of clicking and treating your dog just for orienting towards you, you give her a cue and ask her for a behaviour.
Here's how to play:
Note: You don't have to click and treat every time your dog responds to a cue. When we train with positive reinforcement, a cue is like a click because your dog knows a cue will lead to reinforcement.
Practise The Name Game again but this time, click and treat for every other response to a cue. Watch Remi and me play.
(Coming soon!)
In Step 2, you can begin adding some cues that your dog already knows. You play the same way but instead of clicking and treating your dog just for orienting towards you, you give her a cue and ask her for a behaviour.
Here's how to play:
- Count out five treats.
- Hold the treats out of sight and say your dog's name.
- When your dog looks at you, click and treat.
- Stay silent and move away a few steps.
- When your dog follows you and orients towards you, give her a cue to do something (for example, sit).
- Click and treat when your dog does the behaviour and move away again.
- When your dog follows you and orients towards you, give her another cue (for example, touch).
- Click and treat when your dog does the behaviour and move away again.
- And repeat until your treats are gone and release your dog.
Note: You don't have to click and treat every time your dog responds to a cue. When we train with positive reinforcement, a cue is like a click because your dog knows a cue will lead to reinforcement.
Practise The Name Game again but this time, click and treat for every other response to a cue. Watch Remi and me play.
(Coming soon!)