Basic Manners for Puppies 8 weeks to 6 months / 6-week Lesson Plan
Week 1 - Presentation for handlers (no dogs)
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Shopping list -
The science of how dogs Learn
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Handler mechanics
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Using the marker system
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Charging your marker
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Management for unwanted behaviors/Life enrichment skills/potty training/Puppy biting and chewing
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No-pull gear
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Normalizing common dog behaviors
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Ways to enrich your dog’s life
Week 2 - Building engagement and establishing a bond
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On the leash: Loose leash walking skills (leash manners)
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Teaching the cue “Let’s go”
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Teaching the dog left and right turns and 180 degree turns while walking on a leash.
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Teaching attention and focus
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Teaching stationary attention
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Hand targeting
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Hand targeting/nose touch exercises
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Recalls
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Backway recalls
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Recall off a food distraction
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Socialization challenge
Week 3 - Down and sit for hand signals
Sit
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Lured sits
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Sit for empty hand (fading your lure)
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Sit for a smaller hand signal
Down
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Lured downs
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Down for empty hand (fading your lure)
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Down for smaller, higher hand signal
Recalls
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Run with me game
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Restrained recall game
Week 4- Impulse control / Adding verbal cues to behavior
Adding Verbal cues
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The correct order of events for adding verbal cues
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Pairing verbal cues with hand signals
Leave it
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Anti-and mugging exercises
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Adding the verbal word “Leave it”
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Food on the Floor “leave it”
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walk by food distraction
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Taking treats gently
Down-stays
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Down-stay in one-step increments around the dog
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Down-stay bungies
Recalls
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toss and run games
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Recall to front sit
Week 5 - Impulse Control (Polite Greetings)
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Anti-jump exercises for jumping on the handler
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Teach the “off” cue
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Food coming down from above (dogs stays in a sitting position).
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Knee and chest taps (dog remain in a sitting position---devil’s advocate exercises)
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Greeting control
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Approach and retreat (dog remains on all 4s)
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Hand-touches while greeting
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Walk by’s
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Turn and go’s
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Alternative behaviors for polite greetings (sit or watch)
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Recalls
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Increase distance and speed
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Recalls using the long line
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Recall between the people (distraction exercise)
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Down -stay duration
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Duration exercises
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Recalls
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Increase distance and speed
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Recalls using the long line
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Recall between the people (distraction exercise)
Week 6 - Generalizing learned behaviors to new locations and different contexts
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Discussion about fluency
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Eliminating treats from your body (home set up)
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Moving to a variable reinforcement schedule
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Adding distractions to recalls
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Discussion about safety during on-leash meet and greets with unknown dogs
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Discussion on no-pull gear for problematic pullers