Puppy Training Week 3: Mastering Sit, Down, and Attention in Distracting Environments
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Topics this Week
Sit
Down
Attention game
Come
Stay
UH UH (new)
Heel (new)
Spin (trick)
Building on Last Week
Sit
Last week: verbal and non-verbal - said “sit” before moving my body.
This week:
🔹 Verbal only- I said “sit” without moving. As soon as she sat, MARK & REWARD.
🔹 Visual only- I used a closed fist (my visual cue for sit); once she sat, MARK & REWARD.
The goal this week is for Emma to respond to just verbal and visual cues equally.
Once your puppy masters these tasks, you can reduce the number of treats they receive, so it is more of an intermittent reward. Your REWARD can be praise, ear rubs or playing tug with a toy instead.
Down
Last week: Lured Emma to the floor with a treat by moving my hand all the way to the ground.
This week:
🔹 I worked on reducing the amount of movement I made with my body by pointing to the ground and moving the treat only halfway.
🔹 If Emma followed the treat and all 4 legs were “down,” I would MARK & REWARD.
🔹 Once she mastered this, I would put the treat in my left hand, point to the floor with my right hand, and if she completed the task correctly, I would quickly pop the treat from my left hand into her mouth.
Lie down can be more difficult, so continue to reward 100% of the time.
Attention Game
Last week: Emma knew I had treats. When she gave me eye contact I would throw a treat on the ground to her left or right side.
This week:
🔹 I rewarded Emma when she gave me voluntary attention in a distracting environment.
🔹 I did not let her know I had treats ahead of time, so she learned surprise rewards come from checking in with me.
🔹 As soon as she gave me eye contact, I MARK & REWARD.
I did this while in puppy kindergarten class and in the car with Ellie.
Come When Called
Last week: I called Emma to come ~5 feet away.
This week:
🔹 I held high value treats (Emma goes crazy over these salmon treats) and called Emma from 10-20 feet away.
🔹 When she arrived to me, MARK & REWARD.
If you puppy does not come, shorten the distance until they are consistently successful.
Avoid saying “come” more than once. If you need to, lure them toward you.
Stay
Last week: I asked Emma to stay for a brief second and provided a lot of visual cues.
This week:
🔹 I placed a treat in my left hand and asked Emma to “sit.”
🔹 I held my right palm out toward her, took 2-3 steps backward, then slowly moved back toward her.
🔹 If she stayed in place, MARK & REWARD
The goal is to return to your dog to teach them they have to stay in place and you will come back to them.
Do not push it this week. Work on having your puppy stay 2-4 seconds max. It is important to have a solid foundation for “stay” before increasing the difficulty.
New This Week
UH UH
Emma loves to chew on the artificial plant in our living room or take out the grass and throw it in the air like confetti. Training “uh uh” is working on reducing misbehavior.
🔹 As soon as I saw Emma walking toward the plant, I said “uh uh” in a low-pitch voice.
🔹 If she turned her head away from the plant, I immediately MARK & REWARD.
🔹 If she decided to carry on, I used a treat to lure her away from the plant.
It is also helpful to have toys around and use them to lure your puppy away. This is positive reinforcement to play with a toy rather than chewing the plant. You are showing your puppy what behavior you would rather they choose.
Heel
🔹 With Emma attached to the leash, I walked around the apartment like I had no idea where I was going. By constantly changing direction, Emma thought it was a game and tried to keep up with me.
🔹 When Emma followed me for 3-4 strides, I MARK & REWARD.
🔹 I kept this exercise short and sweet, only 30-60 seconds at a time.
When you reward, keep walking and lean down to bring the treat directly to your puppy’s mouth.
Week 3 Trick
Spin
🔹 Using a treat, I started slightly above Emma’s nose and moved in a clockwise direction.
🔹 Emma naturally kept her eye on the prize and turned her body around to follow the treat.
🔹 After she circled, I MARK & REWARD.
Socialization
We are still working on exposing Emma to 100 people in her first month home. This week, Emma went to:
Puppy party (puppy socialization hour)
Puppy Kindergarten
Friends came to the apartment
DC monuments (while held)
Car rides
Pro Tips
⭐️ Pro Tip #1: Keep sessions short and frequent throughout the day
As the weeks continue, training can begin to feel overwhelming. Remember training sessions can and should be 3-5 minutes.
We use Emma’s puppy’s food for training and she absolutely loves it!
⭐️ Pro Tip #2: Pay attention to your cues
Keep verbal cues short and upbeat!
Choose: “Sit!” over “Emma sit please, sit, sit, Emma I said sit.”
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