What is the First Thing to Teach?

Overview

Focus on Fun and Engagement

  • Training should be enjoyable, not stressful. The more fun it is, the easier it is to teach new behaviors.

  • Make training enjoyable so your dog always wants to engage and work with you.

First Week Goals

  • Spend the first week conditioning markers, building engagement, and luring the dog into desired positions.

  • Ensure the dog understands markers, enjoys engaging with you, and associates following your hand with rewards.

Build a Strong Foundation

  • Once your dog is conditioned to markers and enjoys engaging with you, progress to the next steps.

 
 

Three Foundational Keys

Engagement Training

  • Focus on getting your dog invested in training.

  • Encourage them to focus on you and teach two markers that predict positive reinforcement.

  • Helps with operant conditioning and strengthens your bond.

Luring

  • Teach your dog to follow your hands to earn rewards.

  • This enables you to show multiple desired behaviors, creating a strong positive association with training.

Leash Pressure

  • Teach your dog that following leash pressure leads to good things.

  • Helps with loose leash walking, stay, confidence, and understanding boundaries without corrections.

Training Timeline

Steps for Training Your Dog

1. Condition the Markers

  • Focus on getting your dog conditioned to the markers, engaging with you, and enjoying training.

2. Teach Desired Behaviors

  • Use luring to show the behaviors you want, then turn those into hand signals.

3. Add Verbal Cues

  • Name the behaviors by saying the verbal command before performing the hand signal/physical cue.

4. Generalize Commands

  • Teach the behavior in various locations and scenarios to ensure consistency.

5. Adjust as Needed

  • It’s okay to revisit previous steps if needed to reinforce learning.

Example

If you're on step 3 and your dog is hyper and distracted, go back to step 1 to work on engagement. Focus on getting their attention and teaching them that paying attention to you earns rewards.

You may need to move to a quieter area with fewer distractions. Spend more time on engagement until the dog understands that looking at you results in a reward. Many dogs don't naturally look at your face, so you’ll need to show them that it’s beneficial and rewarding.