Foundation — the language of training
Before you can teach a dog to walk nicely, you need a shared language. These five weeks are about your dog learning that paying attention to you is the most rewarding thing they can do. Everything else follows from this.
- Try small pieces of chicken, cheese, and kibble — find what makes them light up
- Say their name once. If they look at you, reward immediately
- No commands yet — just name and reward
- 10 repetitions, then stop
- Say name once. Wait up to 3 seconds for eye contact
- Reward with treat and a calm, warm "good dog"
- Move to a different spot and repeat
- 10 reps. Finish before your dog loses interest
- Practise in kitchen, lounge, backyard — each is a new challenge
- Reward generously in every new location
- Keep sessions short and cheerful
- End every session with play or affection
Only say your dog's name once. If they don't respond, wait — then walk away and try again later. Repeating it teaches them they don't have to respond the first time.
Your dog reliably looks at you when they hear their name at home. You've started building the most important habit: looking to you for guidance.
- Hold a treat at your dog's nose, move it slowly back over their head
- Their bottom will lower — the moment it touches the ground, say "yes!" and reward
- No verbal cue yet — the hand movement teaches it first
- 8 reps, then a short play break
- Once sitting reliably from the lure, say "sit" just before you move your hand
- Reward every correct response
- The word is new — be patient if they seem confused
- 10 reps, then free time
- Ask for sit before putting the food bowl down — every meal, every time
- Bowl goes down only when they sit, not before
- This is now a permanent part of mealtimes
Say "sit" once, then wait. Dogs need a moment to process. Repeating the word over and over teaches them it means nothing. One word, one chance, then reward.
Your dog sits on a single verbal cue at home. Mealtime sit is consistent. This is their first piece of real two-way communication with you.
- Ask for sit first, then lower a treat slowly from nose toward the ground between their front paws
- The moment elbows touch the ground, say "yes!" and reward
- Drop is harder than sit — 6 reps only, and be patient
- Say "drop" as you lure — reward when they're down
- After they drop, count 1–2–3 silently, then reward before they get up
- Introduce a release word: "free" or "ok" — you decide when stay ends
- Sit → stay 3 seconds → reward → release
- Drop → stay 3 seconds → reward → release
- Keep durations very short — 100% success rate is the goal this week
If your dog keeps getting up during the stay, you're asking for too long. Drop back to 1 second and rebuild. A stay your dog succeeds at is worth more than a long stay they break.
Drop on cue with some help, a 3-second stay in sit and drop, and a reliable release word. Three weeks in, your dog knows more than most.
- Crouch down, open arms, say name + "come" in a happy voice
- When they reach you: best treat, praise, and a pat — make it a party every time
- Start 2 metres away, build to 10 metres across the yard
- Go to a different room, call once and wait
- When they arrive, big reward
- Never call them to you for something unpleasant — go to them instead
- Wait until they're sniffing something in the yard, then call once
- If they come: jackpot reward — this is genuinely hard
- If they don't come: don't repeat — go back to easier distance next session
The recall is the most important skill you will ever teach. Protect it — never call your dog to you and then do something they dislike. Bath time, going inside, nail trims — go to them for those. Coming to you must always mean something good.
Reliable recall at home and in the yard from short distances. Your dog is starting to run toward you with enthusiasm. That enthusiasm is what you're protecting.
- The reward must come within 1–2 seconds of the behaviour
- Say "yes" the instant bottom hits the floor, then reach for the treat
- The "yes" marks the exact moment — the treat can follow a second later
- Run through sit, drop, recall — focus on your timing, not theirs
- Sit-stay: build gradually to 10 seconds before rewarding
- Drop-stay: same — 10 seconds
- Take one step away while they hold — return before they move
- Any breaking = reduce duration next rep, never scold
- Sit → stay → release → drop → stay → recall
- Keep energy positive throughout
- End with play every single session
Keep sessions under 10 minutes. A sharp 8-minute session is better than a dragged-out 20-minute one. Tired, bored dogs don't learn — and neither do frustrated owners.
Your dog knows their name, sits and drops on cue, holds a 10-second stay, and comes when called at home. That is a genuinely trained foundation. Phase 2 builds on all of it.
Leash skills — learning to walk together
Loose-leash walking is what most owners struggle with most. These weeks build it properly from the ground up — starting in the yard and working up to real street walks. There are no shortcuts, but there is a clear path.
- Clip leash on — give a treat immediately
- Walk around the yard, let leash hang loose
- Reward any moment your dog walks near your leg
- If they pull, stop completely. Restart when leash is loose.
- Take a few steps and reward when they walk with you, not ahead
- Change direction often — teach them to watch where you go
- Reward rate very high — every 5–10 steps
- Every time the leash goes tight — stop completely
- Wait until they turn back and the leash loosens — then walk again
- This rule applies for the entire programme. Every single time.
The most common mistake is continuing to walk while the leash is tight. Your dog learns that pulling works. Stopping the moment there's tension is the whole game.
Your dog is comfortable on leash in the yard and is beginning to understand that a tight leash stops everything. Short sessions, no frustration — you're laying the groundwork.
- When your dog walks level with your leg — reward
- When they look up at you while walking — jackpot reward
- You want them choosing to be beside you, not just tolerating it
- Quiet street or path, early morning if possible
- Walk 50–100 metres and back — that is enough
- New smells will be exciting — reward frequently
- Stop if they pull. No exceptions.
- Walk in random directions — reward your dog for following your lead
- This teaches them to watch you rather than lead the way
Your dog checking in — glancing up at your face while walking — is the behaviour you're building toward. Every time it happens, reward it as if it's the best thing they've ever done.
Short stretches of genuine loose-leash walking in low-distraction environments. Your dog is starting to look at you while walking.
- 15-minute walks in quieter streets
- Allow sniff breaks — sniffing is mentally tiring and helps dogs settle
- Stop-when-tight rule continues — no exceptions
- Ask for sit before crossing every road, every time
- Bowl goes down only when sitting — same principle
- This is a safety habit. Start it now, keep it forever.
- Occasional passing traffic and pedestrians
- Higher reward rate when distractions are present
- Watch for your dog looking at you in busy moments — reward that
Allow your dog to sniff. A walk where they can't investigate is frustrating for a dog — like being taken to a party and told not to talk to anyone. A good walk is a sniff-walk. Loose leash just means you move through the world together.
Manageable 15-minute walks on quiet streets. Kerb sits are becoming habit. The walk still isn't perfect, but you're both enjoying it more.
- When your dog notices something — say "look at that" calmly
- When they glance back at you after looking — reward
- You're teaching them: noticing things = look back at me
- This is the foundation of preventing reactivity
- When something ahead looks too exciting, turn and walk the other way before they react
- This is management, not retreat
- Reward when they follow your turn calmly
- Use this tool freely — it is not failure
- At what distance does your dog start to fixate on another dog?
- That is their threshold — note it
- Work at comfortable distances this week, not at the edge
Reactivity almost always happens because a dog has been pushed too close to something before they were ready. The U-turn and the look at that game prevent this from becoming a habit.
You know your dog's threshold. You have two practical tools to manage encounters before they escalate. This week you're preventing problems before they start.
- Longer walks — your dog can handle this now
- Reward check-ins every 20–30 steps rather than every 5
- Kerb sit at every road — this should be automatic
- Walk somewhere you haven't been before
- Higher reward rate in new environments — always
- Apply look at that and U-turn as needed
- Take your regular route — this is your benchmark
- Count how many times you stop for a tight leash
- Under 3–4 times: ready for Phase 3. More: stay another week — that's fine.
Progress in dog training is not a straight line. Some weeks feel like a leap; others feel like nothing moved. That's normal. If you need to repeat a week, you're being honest — not failing.
Loose-leash walking in quiet to moderate environments. Kerb sits. Check-ins on walks. Two tools to manage distractions. This is a real transformation from Week 6.
Social skills — the world is full of people and dogs
A dog who is good at home but falls apart around visitors or other dogs needs social skills, not punishment. These weeks build calm, polite behaviour around the things that excite dogs most.
- Your dog gets attention only when all four paws are on the ground
- Jumping: visitor turns away, crosses arms, no eye contact
- Paws back down: visitor gives calm attention
- Every person in the house must apply this — inconsistency ruins it
- Ask for sit before opening the door
- Open only when sitting — reward
- If they leap up: close the door, reset, try again
- Greet everyone the same way — at home, on walks, at the vet
- Reward every time they choose to keep paws down when excited
Jumping is almost always accidental — dogs get excited and people unintentionally reward it with eye contact or by pushing them away. The fix is consistency from every person your dog meets.
Your dog is learning that jumping doesn't work and sitting does. Visitors who follow the rules will see results fastest.
- Ask for sit before allowing anyone to pet your dog
- "Could you wait until he sits?" — most people are happy to help
- Your dog only gets greeted when sitting
- Children are exciting — manage the energy before greetings
- Ask children to crouch and be calm before approaching
- Short, calm greetings only — you control the interaction
- When visitors arrive and your dog stays calm — reward heavily
- Build toward: visitors arrive, dog sits, everyone is relaxed
If your dog jumps on a visitor who wasn't expecting it, don't over-apologise — just calmly reset and try again. One mistake doesn't undo weeks of work. What matters is what you do next.
Jumping is noticeably less frequent at home and on walks. Your dog is choosing to sit for greetings without being asked. This is consistent training working exactly as it should.
- Place a mat or bed in the room — reward any time your dog steps on it
- Build to: dog goes to mat, lies down, gets rewarded
- Add "place" once they go reliably
- Never use it as a time-out or punishment
- Send to mat, then do something nearby — make a cup of tea
- Reward calmly every minute while they stay
- Build to 5 minutes of settle while you move around
- Ask for mat when visitors arrive — gives your dog something to do instead of getting overexcited
- Visitor can approach and greet after dog has settled
Calm is a learnable skill, not a personality type. Teaching a mat behaviour gives your dog an answer to "what do I do when I don't know what to do?" — one of the most useful things you can give them.
Your dog goes to their mat on cue and settles for several minutes. This is one of the most practically useful skills in the entire programme.
- Far enough that they notice the dog but aren't fixated
- Look at that game: they look at dog, look back at you = reward
- Do not move closer if they're stiff, staring, or pulling
- Same direction as another dog at 15–20 metres
- Reward every calm check-in
- Reduce distance only if they're genuinely relaxed — not just tolerating
- What is their working distance now compared to Week 9?
- Has it reduced? That is progress, even if slow
Dogs who bark and lunge at other dogs are often not aggressive — they're over-excited or frustrated. The goal is to give them a different response: look at the dog, look back at me, get rewarded. That's what these weeks are building.
Your dog notices other dogs and looks back at you — the beginning of a trained response. Working distance may have reduced. Stay patient.
- Walk toward an oncoming dog — give as much space as needed
- High reward rate as you pass — treat every few steps
- Keep walking; don't stop to let them interact this week
- Past the other dog: big reward
- With another dog nearby, ask for sit — can they do it?
- If yes: big reward. That is excellent work.
- If no: too close — increase distance and try again
- How many encounters went well this week?
- What still needs work — people, dogs, or both?
- That is your Phase 4 focus
You don't need your dog to love other dogs — you need them to be able to pass calmly. If your dog is still struggling significantly at Week 15, this is a good time to book a one-on-one session. Some dogs need a professional eye on what's happening.
Polite greetings, reduced jumping, and a dog who can pass another on the footpath. You've built a socially functional animal. The last five weeks take it into the wider world.
Real world — life skills for a lifetime
The final phase takes everything you've built into the messiness of real life — busy places, off-leash opportunities, and the unexpected. This is where a trained dog becomes a genuinely easy dog to live with.
- Quiet time — early morning or weekday
- Walk the strip, reward check-ins, sit at kerbs
- 20 minutes is enough — end before they're tired
- Dog-friendly outdoor spot
- Ask for settle — bring their mat if needed
- A dog lying quietly under a cafe table: that is the goal
- Weekend market or busier street
- Higher reward rate throughout — always in busy places
- Apply all tools: look at that, U-turn, sit for greetings
Busy environments ask more of your dog than quiet ones — their brain is working harder. Thirty minutes in town is equivalent to a two-hour walk for many dogs. Short, successful outings beat long, exhausting ones.
Your dog manages short visits to busy environments with your help. The skills are transferring to the real world.
- Sit-stay and drop-stay — build to 60 seconds
- Reward every 15 seconds to keep them engaged
- Walk around them, step behind them, vary your position
- Drop-stay, then step just out of sight — 2 seconds, return and reward
- Build to 10 seconds — big reward when they hold it
- If they get up: reduce time and rebuild, no frustration
- Stay while someone else walks through the room
- Stay while a treat is dropped nearby (you give the reward)
- Reward every 5–10 seconds in difficult conditions
A solid stay is your dog choosing to stay because they trust good things come when they do. Build that trust slowly. Every successful stay strengthens the behaviour.
30–60 second stays in sit and drop. Brief out-of-sight stays. Stays under mild distraction. Genuinely useful at the vet, the cafe, and when guests arrive.
- Let them explore freely, then call — one time, happy voice
- When they come: best treat, biggest praise, play session
- Send them back to explore after — recall doesn't mean fun ends
- Securely fenced areas only at this stage
- Call when they're sniffing something intently
- Jackpot when they leave it and come — this is hard for a dog
- No punishment if they don't come — make yourself more interesting next time
- A 5–10 metre long line lets you practise recall with safety
- Never yank it — use it as a safety net only
- Reward every return heavily, regardless of how long it took
A reliable off-leash recall in a distraction-filled environment takes months, not weeks. Do not let your dog off leash in an unfenced area until the recall is solid in a fenced one with other dogs present. If you're not sure — keep the long line on.
Reliable recall in a safe, fenced space. Off-leash freedom is getting closer — but it's earned, not assumed.
- Loose leash, kerb sits, look at that, polite greetings
- Reward moments of brilliance generously
- Notice how far you've both come
- Run through: sit, drop, stay, recall, mat
- Reduce treats to every second or third behaviour
- Praise and play still count as rewards
- Beach, market, or a busy street
- Apply everything you know
- Celebrate what works. Note what needs more time.
Reducing treats doesn't mean stopping them — it means making them unpredictable. A dog who gets rewarded sometimes works harder than one who always gets a treat. Always reward the genuinely good moments.
Your dog is performing reliably across real-world environments. The skills are no longer just "training session" behaviours — they're becoming habits. One week to go.
- Take the walk you took in Week 1 — notice the difference
- Your dog knows their name, sits, drops, stays, recalls, walks nicely, and greets people politely
- That is twenty weeks of consistent work. It is not a small thing.
- A trained dog who stops being trained will drift
- 5 minutes of practice woven into daily life keeps everything sharp
- Sit before meals, kerb sits, mat at the cafe — these are habits now
- Consider a class for social proof and new challenges
- Trick training is great for mental enrichment and your bond
- If reactivity is still a challenge, a one-on-one session will help
- Contact Darren to discuss next steps
Dogs are not problems to be solved. They are animals who needed to learn the rules of a human world — and you helped them do that. The relationship you've built over these twenty weeks is the real result. The sits and recalls are just the visible part of it.
You started with a new dog and no experience. You now have a dog who walks on a loose leash, comes when called, greets people politely, stays when asked, and can manage most environments calmly. Well done — both of you.
Stuck or need hands-on help?
This programme is designed for first-time owners to follow independently. If you're hitting a wall with reactivity, pulling, or anything else — Darren is available for one-on-one sessions in Albany or online anywhere in Australia.
