Practice

• 10-20 minute practices

Items Needed

1. Treats in treat pouch
2. Dog bed, bath mat, folded up towel

The Game

1. Set a flat dog bed in a central area.
2. Stand in front of it.
3. Wait for your pup to walk onto it and sit or down.
   Say “yes” and reward with a treat fed to the mouth for staying in a sit or down on the bed.
4. Repeat the “yes” reward a few times without moving away.
5. Then begin taking (mix it up) 1-4 steps away from the bed at different angles (not going behind your pup), and say yes at the furthest point before you head back (even if you are only 1 step away) and then walk back and slowly treat.
6. If your pup hops off the bed, walk back in front of it calmly and wait until he or she goes back on it. Start the game again calmly from step #3.
7. Then work up to doing random things close by that aren’t too involved, like
   pulling a book out of the shelf and putting it back, or walking to a window and looking out the window, etc. Always say “yes” when you are the furthest away just before heading back to reward, and return to the dog and treat to the mouth.