Four Easy Steps to Teach DOWN

1. Use a tasty treat held with your first two fingers and thumb as a lure.
 2. With your dog sitting, hold the tasty treat directly in front of his mouth, almost touching his lips. Slowly lower the lure straight down to the ground, under his nose. Most dogs will follow the treat with their noses causing them to end up in a Down.
3. When (as soon as) your dog’s elbows touch the ground, Click and Treat. The click is used to tell your puppy that he did right and why he is being rewarded.
4. After  several times of doing steps 1-3 begin to add the verbal cue (command) “Down” before you move the treat. Continue to use the clicker to Mark the Behavior.

Polite Walking

Pulling on lead is one of the most common owner complaints a trainer hears. Leash problems like most behavior issues can be prevented with early training. Some things to keep in mind for training your puppy to walk politely:
1. Decide that you will not tolerate pulling and stick with it! Reward your puppy when he is walking politely. Turn or back up whenever he starts to pull. Make sure that pulling never allows your puppy to get what he wants.
2. Choose a position.  Left side or right side are fine although heeling is easier to teach if you start with the left side.
3. Leash walking and Leadership. Your puppy needs to respect you as his leader. One way you can encourage this is through leash walking. Be aware of what your dog is doing on leash and how you are reacting. Are you in control of the direction and speed that you are walking?
4. Walk your dog often. Practice makes perfect with any behaviors and this is no exception. Your puppy will develop leash manners easier and quicker if you walk him often. If the only time he is on leash is to come to class, leash manner skills will be difficult to teach. Walking is not only great practice - it’s great exercise for you and your puppy. A tired puppy is a good puppy!