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🐕‍🦺🦮🇺🇸 Our Professional boarding agreement is commonly cover health/vaccine disclosure, aggression, normal risks of supervised dog play, boarding-related stress and stomach upset, emergency veterinary authorization, communicable illness, pre-existing conditions, and accurate owner disclosure. IMPORTANT CLIENT AGREEMENT — SITTING, BOARDING & TRAINING Our goal is simple: return your dog to you safe, comfortable, clean, and well cared for while providing the level of structure, supervision, enrichment, and training appropriate for that individual dog. We take our responsibility seriously, and we also believe that clear communication protects the dog, the owner, and the people providing care. FULL DISCLOSURE BEFORE THE STAY Owners are expected to provide complete and accurate information about their dog before boarding or training begins. Please tell us about any current or previous medical condition, injury, medication, digestive problem, allergy, skin problem, hot spot, mobility issue, seizure history, anxiety, separation anxiety, escape behavior, resource guarding, reactivity, bite history, dog aggression, human aggression, or other behavior that could affect safe care. A dog that has previously growled, snapped, bitten, fought, guarded food or objects, attempted to escape, or shown serious reactivity must be disclosed before the booking. Failure to disclose important medical or behavioral information can place your dog, other dogs, and caregivers at unnecessary risk. AGGRESSION & SAFETY DURING A STAY We understand that dogs can behave differently when away from home. Nervousness or uncertainty does not automatically disqualify a dog from staying with us. However, if a dog displays aggression that makes the dog unsafe to handle, feed, move, medicate, separate, or otherwise care for, we will not take unnecessary risks with your dog, our dogs, another guest dog, or a caregiver. If serious aggression appears after the stay has begun, the dog will be safely separated whenever possible. We will contact the owner and, when appropriate, the emergency contact and Rover Trust & Safety. If continued care cannot be provided safely, the stay may need to end early. We will cooperate with Rover and the owner in trying to arrange appropriate alternative care. Rover currently notes that when a provider cancellation results from pet aggression or missing information from the owner, the owner may be responsible for the cost of the replacement reservation. ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE — HEAD-TO-PAW WELLNESS CHECK At drop-off, we perform a reasonable visual and hands-on observation of your dog from head to paw. When practical, we document the dog’s visible condition with the owner present and/or with photographs. We look at the eyes, ears, mouth, coat, skin, hot spots, existing scratches or cuts, swelling, paws, pads, nails, mobility, limping, and other visible concerns. We may also note loose stool, vomiting, unusual behavior, or another health concern observed at arrival. At pickup, we conduct another head-to-paw observation whenever practical so that both parties can identify any visible change that occurred during the stay. These observations are not veterinary examinations and cannot detect every hidden, internal, developing, orthopedic, gastrointestinal, neurological, or other medical condition. NORMAL PLAY & MINOR SCRAPES Dogs use their mouths, paws, shoulders, and bodies when they play. Even during appropriate supervised play, especially with large or energetic dogs, a dog can occasionally receive a small scrape, superficial scratch, minor abrasion, broken nail, or similar play-related mark. We supervise and separate dogs when play becomes inappropriate, but the appearance of a minor superficial mark by itself does not necessarily mean that improper care occurred. Any significant injury, suspected bite wound, abnormal swelling, pain, lameness, or other concerning change will be addressed appropriately and communicated to the owner. STRESS, LOOSE STOOL & DIGESTIVE CHANGES Boarding is a change of environment, routine, people, activity, sleep patterns, smells, sounds, and sometimes eating habits. Professional boarding facilities recognize that some dogs experience stress-related digestive upset, including temporary soft or loose stool after boarding. Digestive changes can also be influenced by excitement, anxiety, medications, treats, changes in appetite, dietary sensitivity, pre-existing gastrointestinal conditions, or other causes. Therefore, loose stool that begins during or shortly after a stay is not automatically evidence that the boarding environment caused an illness or that negligent care occurred. A dog arriving with diarrhea, repeated loose stool, vomiting, or signs of contagious illness may need to be rescheduled for the protection of that dog and the other dogs in our care. If symptoms are severe, persistent, bloody, accompanied by repeated vomiting, unusual lethargy, pain, or another concerning change, veterinary evaluation should be considered. PRE-EXISTING & DEVELOPING MEDICAL CONDITIONS We cannot accept responsibility for an illness, injury, orthopedic problem, chronic condition, breed-related condition, digestive problem, skin condition, or other medical issue that existed before the stay or was already developing before arrival merely because symptoms become noticeable during or shortly after boarding. Rover’s current Guarantee also excludes many illnesses, chronic and pre-existing conditions, breed-specific conditions, gastrointestinal disorders, parasites, and preventive care. The Rover Guarantee is a reimbursement program, not pet insurance. EMERGENCY VETERINARY CARE Owners must provide a primary veterinarian, emergency contact, current medications, important medical history, and authorization information before the stay. If we believe urgent veterinary attention is reasonably necessary, we will attempt to contact the owner immediately. If the owner cannot be reached, Rover’s current terms authorize a service provider, emergency contact, and/or Rover to obtain veterinary care in an emergency. We will also contact Rover Trust & Safety when appropriate. Rover currently provides 24/7 emergency support for confirmed bookings. ROVER GUARANTEE & OUR $250 CUSTOMER-CARE PROMISE Eligible Rover bookings are currently backed by the Rover Guarantee, which may reimburse up to $25,000 in eligible veterinary expenses, subject to Rover’s terms, exclusions, documentation requirements, and a $250 minimum contribution in the United States. The Rover Guarantee is not insurance. In addition, we want our clients to know how seriously we take responsibility. If a documented incident occurs during our care and, after the facts and available veterinary/Rover information are reviewed, we determine that the incident resulted directly from our care, we will voluntarily reimburse the owner for up to the $250 Rover minimum contribution. This is our own customer-care promise. It does not change Rover’s Guarantee, determine whether a Rover claim is covered, or constitute an admission of legal liability. OUR 100% MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE We stand behind the quality of the service we provide. If you believe we failed to deliver the sitting, boarding, or training service we agreed to provide, contact us promptly and allow us to review the concern and the documentation from the stay. When appropriate, we will provide a 100% refund of our service charge. Rover fees or other amounts controlled by Rover or a third party are subject to Rover’s own policies and cannot necessarily be refunded directly by us. Our money-back promise is meant to resolve legitimate customer-service concerns fairly. It does not mean that every medical condition, behavior change, loose stool, minor play mark, pre-existing condition, or training outcome automatically establishes that improper care occurred. CLEAN RETURN FOR EXTENDED STAYS We want dogs going home looking and feeling good. For extended stays, when appropriate for the individual dog’s breed, coat, health, temperament, weather conditions, and length of stay, we will make a reasonable effort to return your dog clean and comfortable. This may include brushing, wiping paws and coat, or a basic bath when appropriate. Owners who do not want their dog bathed or groomed should tell us before the stay. Matting, specialty grooming, significant coat rehabilitation, de-shedding, medical skin care, or professional grooming services are separate from ordinary boarding cleanliness. PERSONAL BELONGINGS Please do not send irreplaceable or expensive bedding, toys, collars, clothing, or other personal property. Dogs may chew, soil, scratch, damage, or lose personal items during normal boarding. Clearly label medications and essential equipment. TRAINING SERVICES — IMPORTANT EXPECTATIONS FORMAL EDUCATION — GOODPUP ACADEMY After approximately 30 years of hands-on dog-training experience and professional mentorship, I decided to strengthen that foundation with modern formal education. I recently completed the GoodPup Academy dog-training program in approximately two months, including the required coursework, practical work, video submissions, quizzes, and final examination. I earned an 89% score on the 94-question final exam. The program introduced me to modern reward-based training methods, learning theory, behavior, safety, communication, and current professional training standards. My formal education does not replace the decades of experience and working-dog mentorship that shaped me; instead, it gives me another perspective and allows me to combine generations of hands-on working-dog knowledge with contemporary training science and methods. I am currently awaiting my final certificate/credential and look forward to adding it to my professional training background. Training improves communication and behavior, but dogs are living animals rather than machines. No responsible trainer can guarantee that a behavior will remain perfect in every environment for the rest of a dog’s life. Training results depend on the individual dog, genetics, temperament, age, health, previous learning, motivation, environment, difficulty of the behavior, owner participation, consistency, and continued practice after the dog returns home. Board-and-train programs establish and strengthen behavior, but owners must learn and maintain the same communication system. That is why owner instruction and follow-up are an important part of our programs. Off-leash reliability, behavior modification, reactivity work, service-dog development, medical-response tasks, and advanced work are training goals rather than blanket guarantees. Service-dog candidates require ongoing assessment, and not every dog is physically or temperamentally suitable for service work. OWNER ACKNOWLEDGMENT By booking with us, the owner confirms that the information provided about the dog’s health and behavior is complete and accurate to the best of their knowledge; understands that boarding, supervised play, transportation when necessary, and training involve normal risks that cannot be eliminated completely; authorizes reasonable emergency action consistent with Rover’s terms; and agrees to communicate promptly and honestly if a concern arises. Our commitment in return is to provide careful supervision, reasonable safety precautions, honest communication, documentation when appropriate, immediate attention to significant concerns, and the same level of care we would want for our own dogs. I would add one more short owner declaration directly above the booking/acceptance area: * “I have disclosed all known bite history, aggression, reactivity, escape behavior, medical conditions, medications, digestive problems, injuries, allergies, and special handling requirements. I have reviewed my dog with the caregiver at drop-off and understand that the arrival and departure head-to-paw observations document visible condition but are not veterinary examinations.” One important change I made from your original idea: I didn’t write “we are not responsible for loose stool” as an absolute statement. A professional version says boarding stress and digestive upset can happen and that loose stool after a stay does not automatically prove that the sitter caused it. That’s much more defensible and sounds far less like you’re trying to escape responsibility. I also separated your $250 promise from the Rover Guarantee because Rover’s current terms specifically say the Guarantee is not insurance, has a $250 U.S. minimum contribution, and contains its own coverage decisions and exclusions. Rover also says contractual assumptions of liability can affect certain Guarantee claims, so you don’t want your own disclaimer accidentally rewriting Rover’s rules. For something you intend clients to sign as a legal release in California, I’d have a California attorney review the final wording. For your Rover bio/client packet, though, this gives you a very strong, professional foundation. Some families come to us only for excellent pet sitting. Others discover that training can make life with their dog easier. Either choice is welcome. Care comes first, training is available, and the goal is always a safer, happier, better-understood dog. When appropriate for the individual dog and the stay, boarding may include approximately 30 minutes of individual training during the day. Families who want more can ask about private lessons, focused command training, customized programs, our board-and-train options, service-dog development, agility, or our à-la-carte command menu. My service dog Otto is one example of what purposeful training can become. His work includes psychiatric, medical-response and alert ,pressure therapy,mobility-related service skills, retrieval of useful items, opening and closing doors,personal-space positioning, circling me when walking in stores .advanced off leash obedience, and agility .Otto knows well over 110 commands and scenarios.we train daily for limited real world situations,he’s a life saver and rover ambassador at home.Otto is the first dog y’all will meet , regardless if we meet and greet ,you stay ,or return -to train.your family dog does not need to become a service dog to benefit from the same principles of clear communication, consistency, confidence, and useful everyday skills. That experience means your dog is not simply being watched. I observe the dog in front of me and look for the small details that can improve safety, comfort, communication, confidence, and everyday behavior. Through Rover alone, we have completed more than 1,100 reservations, cared for well over 1,350 dogs, earned hundreds of reviews, and built long-term relationships with many repeat clients. My dog-training and behavior background goes back approximately 30 years and includes professional mentorship, working-dog training, obedience, advanced obedience, behavior work, agility, retrieval, service-dog tasks, and private training clients. When your dog stays with us, care comes first. Our goal is to provide safe, individualized, comfortable boarding while paying close attention to routine, feeding, potty habits, rest, medical information, fears, triggers, social behavior, and the owner’s priorities. ══════════════════════════════════ MORE THAN PET SITTING — PROFESSIONAL CARE WITH A TRAINER’S EYE ══════════════════════════════════ INTRODUCTION — FROM FRUSTRATION TO BEST FRIEND HOW UNDERSTANDING AND TRAINING CAN CHANGE YOUR DOG — AND YOUR LIFE A DOG CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE — FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE TABLE OF CONTENTS — COMPACT QUICK FIND PART I — ROVER SITTER & CLIENT CARE (Introduction + Chapters 1–13) Intro — From Frustration to Best Friend 1 Client Care • 2 Rover Families • 3 Daily Schedule • 4 Home Schedule • 5 Questionnaire 6 Meet-and-Greet • 7 Nervous/Reactive Dogs • 8 Arrival • 9 Wellness Check 10 Amenities • 11 Safety • 12 Discounts & Complimentary Training • 13 Drop-Off Checklist PDF COMPANION — Client Care Worksheet Packet (immediately after Chapter 13) PART II — WHO WE ARE & TRAINING (Chapters 14–17) 14 Who We Are & Experience • 15 Training Approach • 16 Packages & Prices • 17 What We Can Teach PART III — PURPOSE, SPORTS, CLUBS & OUR STORY (Chapters 18–20) 18 Sports, Working-Dog Jobs & Dogs With Purpose • 19 Northern/Central California Clubs 20 From Chico to Franz to Otto — Complete Dog-Training Origin Story PART IV — TRAINING REFERENCE (Chapters 21–26) 21 Definitions • 22 Practice & Timelines • 23 Essential/Intermediate/Advanced Commands 24 Service-Dog Training Guide • 25 How to Use the Library • 26 À La Carte Command Training SEPARATE COMMAND PDFs AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST — Service-Dog Commands 1–397 • Complete Training Commands 1–1,850 Appendix — Beginning Fetch: Plush Toy Retrieve, Hold, Recall & Out Plan ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ══════════════════════════════════ PART I — ROVER SITTER & CLIENT CARE ══════════════════════════════════ Living with a dog should be one of the most rewarding relationships in your life. But anyone who has lived with an untrained, frightened, reactive, destructive, out-of-control, or simply misunderstood dog knows how difficult everyday life can become. A dog that constantly pulls can make a simple walk miserable. A dog that ignores Come can turn an open door into an emergency. A dog that jumps on everyone can make visitors stressful. A dog that destroys the house when left alone can control your schedule. A dog that guards food or toys can create tension throughout the home. A dog that barks at everything can create problems with neighbors. A dog that panics around other dogs can make ordinary outings exhausting. A dog that bolts through doors, slips out of equipment, chases animals, or runs away can turn one mistake into a tragedy. Sometimes people begin believing they simply have a “bad dog.” Often, that is not what is happening. The dog may never have been clearly taught what to do instead. The dog may be confused. The dog may be frightened. The dog may have learned that pulling, barking, jumping, stealing, or ignoring commands works. The owner may simply never have been shown how to communicate with the dog in a way the dog understands. That is where training can change everything. For a comparatively small investment of time, consistency, patience, and, when appropriate, professional instruction, a dog that currently creates stress can begin becoming the dog you hoped to have: A companion. A partner. A dog you understand. A dog that understands you. A dog you can enjoy taking places. A dog that knows what is expected. And, for many people, one of the best friends they will ever have. I TRAIN PEOPLE AS MUCH AS I TRAIN DOGS I consider myself a people trainer as much as a dog trainer. That may be one of the most important ideas in this entire guide. I can work with your dog. I can demonstrate a behavior. I can help establish a command. But you are the person who lives with your dog every day. The greatest long-term success happens when the owner understands the training too. My job is not simply to take your dog, teach something, hand the leash back, and leave you wondering: “How did he do that?” I want you to understand it. That means teaching you: • What command to use • What the command actually means • How to teach it • How to practice it • How long each practice session should be • How many times per day to practice • What reward to use • When to reward • How to recognize progress • How to recognize confusion • How to recognize stress • When to make an exercise easier • When to make an exercise harder • How to add duration • How to add distance • How to add distraction • How to use the command in everyday life • How to continue the training after our lesson ends The goal is not to make you permanently dependent on a trainer. The goal is to make you a better handler and trainer for your own dog. YOU DO NOT NEED A HUGE TRAINING PACKAGE TO ASK FOR HELP Some families need a complete training program. Some do not. Maybe you simply need help teaching two or three commands. Perhaps your biggest problem is Come. Maybe your dog needs Place. Maybe your dog pulls terribly on leash. Maybe you want your dog to wait before going through the front door. Maybe your dog needs to stop jumping on visitors. Maybe you want a better Drop It. Maybe you simply want to understand why your dog keeps doing one particular behavior. Those are legitimate training jobs. I am happy to take small training jobs. You should not have to purchase a large training package when a focused lesson may solve the problem you actually have. We can work on a few specific commands. I can demonstrate them with your dog. Then I can teach you how to continue the training yourself. If that solves your problem, wonderful. If you later decide you want more advanced training, we simply build on that foundation. THE 1,850-COMMAND TRAINING LIBRARY One of the largest resources available with this guide is the complete command-training library, provided separately as a PDF so the Rover bio remains easier to navigate. It contains approximately 1,850 commands, behaviors, exercises, routines, and specialized skills. It is not simply a list of words. The goal is to make the information usable. Entries may include: • Command name • Definition • How to train or progress the behavior • Recommended practice time • Number of practice sessions per day • Estimated learning or proficiency time • Prerequisites • Progression • Safety information when appropriate Instead of simply saying: “Practice this command.” I want owners to have answers to practical questions. How do I practice it? How long should I practice? How often? What should I reward? What comes next? Approximately how long might it take? When should I increase the difficulty? That information can make training much less intimidating. TRAINING TIMES ARE GUIDELINES — NOT GUARANTEES Dogs are individuals. Two dogs can learn the exact same behavior at completely different speeds. Progress may be affected by: • Age • Genetics • Breed tendencies • Health • Previous training • Previous experiences • Temperament • Confidence • Fear • Motivation • Environment • Distractions • Handler timing • Consistency • Physical ability • Frequency of practice • Complexity of the behavior A dog may understand a simple behavior in a few repetitions. Reliability around real-world distractions may take much longer. The estimates in this guide are intended to provide direction, not promises. EVEN IF YOU NEVER HIRE ME There is another reason I want this guide to contain so much information. I have spent roughly 30 years learning about dogs through real-world experience, mentorship, training, observation, sitting, working dogs, and the hundreds of situations that occur when you work with real dogs and real families. I believe useful knowledge should help people. If I never become your Rover sitter, I still hope something in this guide improves life with your dog. If one chapter helps you understand why your dog is reacting, that matters. If one command helps prevent your dog from running through a doorway, that matters. If one training technique makes walking your dog enjoyable again, that matters. If you learn to recognize that your dog is frightened instead of stubborn, that matters. If you teach your own dog two or three useful commands without ever paying me a dollar, I still accomplished something worthwhile by sharing the information. Of course, I also hope that some readers will decide they want my help. You may hire me as your Rover sitter. You may hire me for private training. You may ask me to teach two commands. You may eventually choose a larger training program. Or you may simply read this guide and use the information yourself. Either way, I want you to remember what you learned. REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE AND FORMAL EDUCATION FORMAL EDUCATION — GOODPUP TRAINER CERTIFICATION PROGRAM My training background is not based on one source of information. It combines approximately 30 years of hands-on experience, professional mentorship, continued study, and formal education. I recently completed the GoodPup Trainer Certification Program in approximately two months and earned an 89% score on the 94-question final examination. I have completed the coursework and practical requirements and am currently awaiting the final certificate/credential. Until that certificate is issued, I describe the program as completed rather than presenting myself as certified. I believe formal education has value. It can teach theory, terminology, learning principles, behavior, safety, and structured approaches to training. But education becomes much more powerful when it is combined with real dogs, real owners, real environments, professional mentorship, observation, timing, and years of problem-solving. A classroom can teach you what reinforcement means. Working with many different dogs teaches you how differently reinforcement may look from one dog to another. A textbook can explain fear. Experience teaches you how subtle the first signs of fear can be. A lesson can explain timing. A skilled mentor can show you the difference a fraction of a second can make. The strongest education combines both. MY TRAINING BACKGROUND For approximately 30 years, dogs and dog training have been an important part of my life. My experience and interests have included: • Basic obedience • Advanced obedience • Household manners • Behavior problem-solving • Agility • Scent work • Tracking concepts • Searching • Retrieval • Article retrieval • Working-dog concepts • Psychiatric service-dog skills • Medical-response and assistance work • Mobility-related service work • Public-access foundations • Advanced positioning • Environmental confidence • Handler-focused training • Working-dog sports and concepts My early training development also included professional mentorship that gave me something books alone cannot provide: The opportunity to observe how an experienced trainer thinks. How a trainer reads the dog. How a trainer changes the approach. How timing affects behavior. And how the same exercise may need to be presented differently to different dogs. Those lessons stayed with me. DOGS WITH PURPOSE For much of my adult life, my dogs have had meaningful jobs. That does not mean treating dogs like equipment. It means giving capable dogs appropriate structure, communication, engagement, and purpose. Dogs have worked beside human beings for thousands of years. Dogs have: Hunted. Tracked. Guarded. Retrieved. Herded livestock. Pulled loads. Located missing people. Detected odors. Worked with police and military handlers. Performed search-and-rescue work. Assisted people with disabilities. Participated in sporting events. Performed agricultural and customs detection. Provided mobility assistance. Performed psychiatric service tasks. And lived beside us as companions and family members. Many dogs enjoy having something meaningful to do. A dog’s job does not need to be extraordinary. A family dog can have purpose too. Its job might be: Wait politely at the door. Come when called. Settle on a mat while dinner is prepared. Bring a named object. Find a family member. Participate in scent games. Practice agility. Walk calmly beside its owner. Help a person with a disability. Or simply understand how to live successfully within the family. Purpose does not have to mean pressure. Purpose can mean partnership. YOUR ROVER SITTER & DOG TRAINER My background combines professional pet sitting with decades of hands-on dog training and behavior observation. My Rover experience has involved more than simply watching dogs while owners travel. Every reservation gives you an opportunity to observe another individual dog. Different breeds. Different personalities. Different health needs. Different fears. Different households. Different routines. Different levels of training. Different social behavior. Different ways of communicating. That real-world exposure has reinforced one of the most important lessons I have learned: Dogs may share common learning principles, but dogs are not interchangeable. OUR CORE TEAM Human Caregivers: Gabriel Delia Loren Resident Dogs: Otto — Service Dog and working ambassador Poppy Our goal is to provide each visiting dog with individualized, structured, safe, and comfortable care. OTTO Otto is my service dog and an important part of my personal and professional story. His training represents the type of relationship I value between dog and handler: Communication. Reliability. Purpose. Trust. Useful skills. Partnership. Service-dog work is discussed in much greater detail later in this guide. Not every dog is suited for service work. A dog should not be considered a service-dog candidate simply because someone wants the dog to become one. Temperament matters. Health matters. Environmental stability matters. Recovery from stress matters. Trainability matters. Confidence matters. And the actual tasks the dog will need to perform matter. MY BASIC PHILOSOPHY Good training should improve quality of life for both the dog and the person. Training should create communication rather than constant conflict. A dog should have a fair opportunity to understand what is expected. Owners should understand why a training exercise works. Management should help prevent avoidable problems while learning develops. Training plans should consider the individual dog. That includes: • Age • Health • Temperament • Previous experience • Motivation • Fear • Confidence • Environment • Physical ability • Owner ability • Household needs • Safety WHY ROVER CLIENTS RECEIVE SO MUCH INFORMATION A Rover client may come to me simply because they need a trustworthy place for their dog while they are away. That is perfectly fine. But because my background combines sitting and training, I want families to receive more than basic boarding whenever appropriate. A stay may give us opportunities to observe: • How your dog settles • Response to structure • Stress signals • Leash behavior • Door manners • Food behavior • Handling tolerance • Social behavior • Recall foundations • Crate comfort • Impulse control • Response to training When appropriate, boarding may also include complimentary individual training or skill practice. Owners can tell me what they would most like reinforced. The goal is not to turn every boarding reservation into an unwanted training program. The goal is to give your dog thoughtful care and give you additional value when training is appropriate. THE PROMISE BEHIND THIS GUIDE No honest trainer can promise perfection. No sitter can truthfully guarantee that a living animal will never become frightened, stressed, sick, injured, or behave unpredictably. What I can offer is preparation, observation, experience, communication, education, and individualized attention. I want you to finish this guide understanding something you did not understand before. I want you to look at your dog differently. I want you to see possibilities instead of simply problems. Because a dog that is difficult today may not have to remain difficult forever. With understanding, communication, training, consistency, and patience, the dog creating frustration today may become the companion you cannot imagine your life without tomorrow. WELCOME — CLIENT CARE STANDARDS & IMPORTANT INFORMATION WELCOME Thank you for considering our family to care for your dog. Our goal is to provide more than ordinary boarding or pet sitting. Every dog is treated as an individual, and every stay is adjusted according to the dog’s personality, temperament, health, training history, routine, comfort level, and safety needs. Dogs do not arrive as blank slates. They come with habits, preferences, fears, learned behaviors, routines, strengths, and sometimes challenges that may not appear until they enter a new environment. The more we know before your dog arrives, the more options we have. Preparation gives us choices. Surprises remove choices. There is no such thing as giving us too much useful information about your dog. OUR CORE TEAM Human caregivers: Gabriel Delia Loren Resident dogs: Otto — Service Dog and working ambassador Poppy Our goal is to provide each visiting dog with a safe, structured, individualized, comfortable environment. EVERY DOG IS DIFFERENT We never expect every dog to fit into exactly the same program. Before and during a stay, we consider: • Personality • Temperament • Age • Breed or breed mix • Medical history • Current health • Previous training • Known commands • Fears • Triggers • Social preferences • Feeding habits • Food sensitivities • Sleeping habits • Exercise needs • Potty routine • Separation-anxiety history • Crate experience • Escape history • Resource guarding • Previous aggressive incidents • Comfort around adults • Comfort around children • Comfort around dogs • Handling sensitivity • Mobility • Energy level • Ability to settle • Individual household routines A young, energetic dog may need a very different day from an elderly dog. A social dog may enjoy carefully selected interaction with compatible dogs. A dog-selective dog may be happier with limited interaction. A nervous dog may need more time, distance, and quiet. A dog with medical limitations may need substantially more rest. Individual care is not an exception to our program. Individual care is the program. PET SITTING WITH A TRAINER’S EYE My dog-training background affects how I observe dogs during a stay. A normal sitter may see a dog pulling toward a doorway. A trainer may also notice impulse control, equipment fit, escape risk, response to cues, body tension, environmental focus, and whether a simple Wait exercise could improve safety. A sitter may see a dog refusing breakfast. A trainer may also consider stress, distraction, feeding routine, social pressure, medication, prior eating habits, and whether the dog is comfortable enough to take food. A sitter may see two dogs playing. A trainer watches play style, body language, interruptions, recovery, arousal level, whether both dogs are choosing to continue, and whether either dog needs a break. Training experience does not mean every behavior becomes a training session. Care comes first. But understanding behavior helps us make better care decisions. COMPLIMENTARY TRAINING DURING BOARDING YOUR ROVER SITTER & DOG TRAINER Professional Pet Sitting • Individualized Boarding • Dog Training • Behavior Observation • Obedience • Agility • Working-Dog & Service-Dog Foundations • Owner Coaching 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE YOUR DOG. YOUR TRUST. OUR RESPONSIBILITY. When you leave your dog in someone else’s care, you are trusting that person with a member of your family. I take that responsibility seriously. My goal is 100% satisfaction with the pet care and customer service I personally provide. If you are dissatisfied with my care or customer service, please contact me promptly, explain what happened, and give me the opportunity to work with you toward a fair and reasonable resolution. Good care means preparation, communication, observation, individualized routines, safety, appropriate exercise and rest, attention to eating and bathroom habits, and respect for the dog’s normal routine whenever practical. This commitment is about the quality of my service and client care. It is not a promise that a living animal will never become sick, injured, frightened, stressed, experience a worsening pre-existing condition, or behave unpredictably, and it is not a guarantee of a particular training result within an exact period of time. When a booking is made through Rover, that booking also remains subject to Rover’s current terms, policies, support procedures, cancellation rules, and applicable Rover Guarantee provisions. DOGS ARE CAPABLE OF FAR MORE THAN MOST PEOPLE REALIZE Many people first think of dog training as Sit, Down, Stay, Come, and Heel. Those skills matter, but they are only the beginning. Dogs have worked beside people for generations, and the same learning ability that builds household manners can lead into sports, scent work, service tasks, field work, search work, advanced obedience, and other purposeful activities. • Obedience & precision sports: Competitive obedience, rally obedience, Canine Good Citizen-style manners, advanced heeling, distance control, retrieves, position changes, stays, recalls, and distraction proofing. • Agility & athletic sports: Agility, dock diving, flyball, disc dog, canine parkour, lure coursing, Fast CAT, canicross, bikejoring, skijoring, carting and draft work. • Working-dog sports: IGP/Schutzhund/IPO, French Ring, PSA, Mondioring and other working-dog disciplines combining high-level obedience, tracking or scent work, athletic exercises, and controlled protection work. • Scent, tracking & search: Tracking, scent work, mantrailing, search-and-rescue foundations, wilderness search, urban search, avalanche search, human-remains detection, agricultural detection, conservation detection and other specialized odor work. • Bird-dog & field sports: Retriever hunt tests, field trials, pointing-dog work, flushing-dog work, hound field work, water retrieves, directional handling and bird-dog foundations. • Herding & farm work: Livestock herding, stock-dog work, farm routines, livestock guardian work, vermin-control work, carting and practical property jobs. • Service & assistance work: Psychiatric service tasks, medical-response tasks, mobility-related assistance, retrieval, public-access foundations, guide and hearing-dog functions, and other individually trained disability-related tasks. • Purpose for family dogs: A family dog can also have meaningful jobs: bring the leash, find a hidden toy, retrieve a named object, go to Place when the doorbell rings, practice scent games, complete an agility obstacle, wait at doors, or settle calmly with the family. I can consult owners about appropriate directions for their dog, help build the obedience and handling foundation, explain prerequisites, and prepare teams for more specialized instruction. Some disciplines require dedicated clubs, certified evaluators, livestock, birds, professional decoys, specialized fields, or other resources; in those cases, the goal is to build a strong foundation and help owners move toward the right specialist or organization. A full Northern and Central California sports, working-dog, and breed-club directory will appear later in this guide before the command definitions and training library. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 1 — CLIENT CARE STANDARDS & IMPORTANT INFORMATION OUR CORE TEAM Human Caregivers Gabriel Delia Loren Resident Dogs Otto — Service Dog and working ambassador Poppy Our goal is to provide every visiting dog with an individualized, structured, safe, and comfortable environment. ABOUT YOUR SITTER For approximately 30 years, dogs and dog training have been an important part of my life. My background includes obedience, advanced obedience, behavioral work, agility, working-dog training concepts, scent work, article retrieval, service-dog tasks, and other advanced canine skills. I was mentored by Hollywood dog trainer and stuntman Dave Deliseguies, whose work included assisting with the training of Beasley, the Dogue de Bordeaux featured in Turner & Hooch . My current training interests include: • Basic obedience • Advanced obedience • Behavioral rehabilitation • Agility • Psychiatric service-dog tasks • Medical-response and assistance tasks • Mobility assistance • Public-access preparation • Retrieval work • Scent-related exercises • Specialized task training I also continue studying and expanding my dog-training education because there is always more to learn. My philosophy is simple: You know your dog better than anyone. We know dogs. When those two sources of information work together, we can provide better care and better training. OUR CARE PHILOSOPHY Leaving your dog in a new environment with unfamiliar people and other dogs can be a major adjustment. Preparation is one of the most important parts of providing exceptional care. Please tell us everything you believe could matter about your dog — even details that seem minor. Surprises create unnecessary risk. Information gives us options. Every dog is different. We consider: • Personality • Temperament • Medical history • Previous training • Fears • Triggers • Social preferences • Feeding habits • Sleeping habits • Exercise needs • Potty routine • Separation anxiety • Escape history • Resource guarding • Previous aggressive incidents • Comfort around people • Comfort around dogs • Individual routines We never expect every dog to fit into exactly the same program. DAILY COMPLIMENTARY TRAINING Every boarding dog receives complimentary individual training time during their stay, at no additional charge. This time can be used to: • Reinforce commands the dog already knows • Improve leash manners • Strengthen recall • Work on impulse control • Reinforce basic obedience • Introduce new skills • Improve manners • Address appropriate behavior goals • Practice owner-requested commands Advanced tasks require more time, repetition, suitability, and evaluation. Later sections of this guide contain the complete command library, definitions, approximate practice times, suggested repetition schedules, and estimated training periods. DROP-OFF & PICK-UP WELLNESS CHECKS Please allow approximately 5–10 minutes at both drop-off and pick-up. This protects your dog, the sitter, and the owner by creating a clear record of the dog’s physical condition. DROP-OFF CHECK Before the stay begins, we will review important care information and perform a head-to-paw observational wellness check. We look for visible conditions such as: • Eyes • Ears • Nose and mouth • Skin and coat • Hot spots • Scratches • Cuts • Scabs • Swelling • Bites • Irritation • Paw condition • Nail condition • Existing injuries • Unusual sensitivity • Other visible concerns We also discuss: • Food • Medication • Allergies • Medical needs • Behavioral concerns • Training goals • Equipment • Emergency contact information If a serious undisclosed condition or unsafe behavior becomes apparent at arrival, we may determine that we cannot safely accept the dog. PICK-UP CHECK At pick-up, we will review how the stay went and perform another head-to-paw observational wellness check. The goal is to compare the dog’s condition at departure with the condition documented at arrival. We want owners to leave knowing exactly how their dog did during the stay. HEALTH & ELIGIBILITY Certain medical or behavioral situations may require additional discussion before we can accept a booking. Dogs with significant ongoing medical needs, severe mobility limitations, active contagious illness, uncontrolled gastrointestinal problems, or other conditions requiring care beyond our available resources may not be appropriate for boarding. Please disclose all known medical conditions before arrival. Dogs arriving with active diarrhea, repeated vomiting, significant gastrointestinal distress, contagious symptoms, or serious undisclosed illness may need to return home or receive veterinary evaluation. Dogs with recurring hot spots or skin problems should arrive with any veterinarian-recommended treatment and properly fitted protective equipment, such as a recovery collar, when appropriate. Vaccination and parasite-prevention requirements should be current according to the dog’s veterinary care plan and applicable boarding requirements. EMERGENCY INFORMATION Owners should provide: • Primary veterinarian • Veterinary phone number • Emergency veterinary preference • Secondary emergency contact • Authorization information for emergency decisions • Current medication information • Relevant medical history If an emergency occurs, we will attempt to contact the owner immediately and obtain appropriate veterinary assistance. Formal Education & Continuing Study My background combines roughly 30 years of hands-on experience and professional mentorship with continued formal education. I recently completed the GoodPup Trainer Certification Program in approximately two months and earned an 89% score on the 94-question final examination. I am currently awaiting the final certificate/credential. I believe theory is strongest when it is combined with years of observing and working with real dogs, real families, and real-world situations. END OF CHAPTER 1 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 2 — DEAR ROVER FAMILIES Thank you for trusting our family with your dog. We understand that leaving a pet behind can be stressful. Your dog is entering a new environment with new people, new smells, different routines, and potentially other dogs. That adjustment deserves patience. We provide photos, videos, and updates so you can see how your dog is doing. We want communication to go both ways. If you remember something after drop-off — even something that seems small — please tell us. The more we understand about your dog, the better we can care for them. Our objective is not simply to supervise dogs. We want each dog to have a safe, structured, enriching experience while helping owners better understand what their dog is capable of learning. END OF CHAPTER 2 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 3 — DAILY SITTER SCHEDULE Every dog has an individual routine. Our schedule provides structure, but feeding, medication, potty breaks, exercise, rest, and sleep can be adjusted when appropriate to better match your dog’s normal home routine. 7:00–7:30 AM — Wake-Up & First Potty Break Morning wake-up, stretching, fresh air, and first bathroom break. 7:30–8:15 AM — Breakfast Dogs are fed individually in separate areas so we can monitor food intake and prevent food conflicts. 8:15–10:00 AM — Morning Activity Supervised play, enrichment, appropriate socialization, individual attention, and secure-yard or indoor activity. 10:00–11:30 AM — Exercise & Second Potty Break Structured exercise, walking when appropriate, yard activity, and another bathroom opportunity. 11:30 AM–1:30 PM — Rest & Decompression Indoor relaxation, naps, quiet time, and an opportunity for dogs to settle. 1:30–2:00 PM — Afternoon Fresh Air & Potty Break 2:00–2:30 PM — Complimentary Individual Training A dedicated training period for appropriate owner-selected goals, reinforcing known commands, manners, and skills appropriate for the individual dog. 2:30–4:30 PM — Enrichment, Agility & Advanced Play Depending on the individual dog, this may include agility obstacles, training games, enrichment, controlled yard activity, and supervised socialization. 4:30–6:00 PM — Evening Wind-Down & Indoor Rest 6:00–6:30 PM — Evening Potty & Exercise 6:30–7:15 PM — Dinner Dogs are again fed separately. 7:15–8:30 PM — Post-Dinner Relaxation & Light Activity 8:30–9:00 PM — Nighttime Potty & Settling In Late Night / Middle of the Night — Additional Bathroom Breaks As Needed END OF CHAPTER 3 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 4 — YOUR DOG’S DAILY HABITS & HOME SCHEDULE If our normal schedule differs from what your dog is accustomed to, please tell us. We want to know your dog’s: • Wake-up time • Breakfast time • Dinner time • Number of meals each day • Potty routine • Walking routine • Bedtime • Crate routine • Medication schedule • Exercise requirements • Favorite activities • Favorite treats • Sleeping habits • Furniture rules • Separation-anxiety history • Known fears or triggers • Behavior around other dogs • Behavior around adults • Behavior around children • Escape history • Resource-guarding history • Anything else that makes your dog unique END OF CHAPTER 4 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 5 — PET SITTING & DOG TRAINING BEHAVIOR QUESTIONNAIRE You know your dog better than anyone. The more information you give us before your dog arrives, the better we can prepare their environment, introductions, routine, supervision, and training. There are no embarrassing answers here. We would rather know about a problem ahead of time than discover it unexpectedly during a stay. Information creates options. Surprises create unnecessary risk. QUICK-ANSWER SYSTEM To make this questionnaire easy to complete by text, each behavior is assigned a letter code. For the behavior questions, use this scale: 1 — Never / No known issue 2 — Rare or very mild 3 — Occasional / Moderate 4 — Frequent / Significant 5 — Severe, current, or requires active management For example: A2, B1, F4, AA3 You only need to explain the answers that need additional information. BASIC DOG INFORMATION Dog’s name: Breed or best estimate: Age: Sex: Spayed or neutered: Approximate weight: How long have you owned your dog? Where did your dog come from — breeder, rescue, shelter, previous owner, other? Microchipped? Yes / No Current ID tag? Yes / No Primary veterinarian: Veterinary phone number: Emergency contact: Emergency contact phone number: HEALTH INFORMATION Is your dog currently healthy? Does your dog have any diagnosed medical condition? Has your dog had any significant past illness or injury? Does your dog currently take medication? If yes, please provide: Medication name: Dose: Time given: How it is administered: Does it need food? Does it require refrigeration? Does your dog have any allergies? Food sensitivities? Environmental allergies? History of hot spots? Ear infections? Eye problems? Skin problems? Joint or mobility problems? Seizures? Digestive problems? Recent vomiting? Recent diarrhea or loose stool? Has your dog experienced any recent change in appetite, thirst, energy, urination, bowel movements, or behavior? Please explain anything we should monitor. VACCINATION & PARASITE PREVENTION Are your dog’s required vaccinations current? Rabies: DHPP: Bordetella: Other veterinarian-recommended vaccines: Current flea prevention? Current tick prevention? Current heartworm prevention? Please tell us the product and approximate date last administered if known. FEEDING What food does your dog normally eat? Dry / Wet / Fresh / Raw / Combination How many meals per day? Breakfast time: Dinner time: Other meal times: Exact portion per meal: Does food need to be soaked or prepared? Any toppers? Supplements? Does your dog eat quickly? Slowly? Graze? Become distracted while eating? Refuse meals when nervous? Need encouragement to eat? Does your dog use a slow feeder or special bowl? What treats may we give? What foods or treats must NEVER be given? POTTY ROUTINE Is your dog completely house-trained? How often does your dog normally go outside? Usual first morning potty time: Usual final nighttime potty time: Does your dog need a middle-of-the-night bathroom break? How does your dog normally tell you they need to go outside? Has your dog ever had accidents when staying somewhere unfamiliar? Puppies: are pee pads currently used? Is there anything unusual about your dog’s urination or bowel routine that we should know? SLEEPING & CRATE ROUTINE Where does your dog normally sleep? Owner’s bed? Dog bed? Crate? Separate room? Loose in the house? Does your dog sleep through the night? Is your dog crate-trained? Does your dog voluntarily enter a crate? Will your dog settle quietly in a crate? Has your dog ever attempted to break out of a crate? Chewed crate bars? Bent a crate? Injured themselves trying to escape confinement? Does your dog become distressed when separated from people? BEHAVIOR QUICK-CODE QUESTIONNAIRE Please answer each applicable item using 1–5. A — General fearfulness or nervousness B — Separation anxiety or distress when left C — Food guarding D — Toy guarding E — Guarding bones, chews, beds, crates, or possessions F — Guarding a favorite person G — Territorial behavior around the home, yard, doorway, or gate H — Reactivity toward unfamiliar adults I — Reactivity toward children J — Reactivity toward other dogs K — Reactivity toward cats or small animals L — History of growling at people M — History of snapping at people N — History of biting a person O — History of fighting with another dog P — History of biting another dog Q — Excessive barking R — Excessive whining or crying S — Jumping on people T — Pulling strongly on leash U — Lunging while on leash V — Chasing animals, bicycles, runners, cars, or moving objects W — Jumping or climbing fences X — Digging underneath fences Y — Breaking or chewing fence boards Z — Bolting through doors or gates Continue with double letters: AA — Slipping out of collars AB — Backing out of harnesses AC — Running away or refusing to return when loose AD — Destructive chewing AE — Destroying bedding AF — Swallowing toys, fabric, rocks, socks, or other foreign objects AG — Potty accidents indoors AH — Urinating from excitement or fear AI — Crate distress AJ — Difficulty being handled AK — Sensitivity around paws or nails AL — Difficulty with grooming AM — Difficulty at the veterinarian AN — Sensitivity around ears AO — Sensitivity around mouth or face AP — Sensitivity around tail, hips, or hindquarters AQ — Fear of loud noises AR — Fear of fireworks AS — Fear of thunderstorms AT — Fear of unfamiliar environments AU — Fear of men AV — Fear of women AW — Fear or discomfort around children AX — Fear of large dogs AY — Fear of small dogs AZ — Difficulty sharing space with other dogs BA — Pacing or inability to settle BB — Excessive following or inability to be alone BC — Refusing food when stressed BD — Mounting other dogs or people BE — Overexcitement during greetings BF — Difficulty calming down after excitement BG — Guarding doorways or confined spaces BH — Aggression or startling when awakened BI — Problems being moved from furniture or a resting place BJ — Problems having an object taken away BK — History of unpredictable behavioral changes BL — Any other behavior requiring special management For BL, please explain. HOW DOES YOUR DOG GREET UNFAMILIAR PEOPLE? Choose the answer that fits best: 1 — Very friendly and immediately comfortable 2 — Friendly after a few minutes 3 — Shy or cautious but non-reactive 4 — Nervous, avoids, barks, or needs extra space initially 5 — Has displayed threatening, snapping, biting, or aggressive behavior and requires a carefully managed introduction Please explain anything rated 4 or 5. HOW DOES YOUR DOG RESPOND TO UNFAMILIAR DOGS? 1 — Very social and comfortable 2 — Generally friendly after an introduction 3 — Selective but normally manageable 4 — Nervous, reactive, vocal, or requires significant space 5 — History of aggression, fighting, or biting and requires controlled management Does size matter? Male versus female dogs? Intact versus altered dogs? Puppies? Older dogs? High-energy dogs? Dogs that stare? Dogs approaching while on leash? Please explain any known patterns. CHILDREN Has your dog lived with children? What ages? Does your dog currently interact with children? Does your dog avoid children? Become excited? Jump? Bark? Growl? Hide? Guard toys or food around them? Has your dog ever snapped at or bitten a child? Please explain any concern, regardless of how long ago it occurred. Bite, Snap & Fight History — Required Disclosure If your dog has ever bitten, snapped at, lunged aggressively toward, or fought with a person or another animal, please tell us. Please describe: What happened? Who or what was involved? How old was the dog? Was food, a toy, bed, person, doorway, leash, or territory involved? Was the dog frightened or injured? Did the dog give warning signals first? Was skin broken? Was medical or veterinary treatment required? Has it happened more than once? What do you currently do to prevent it? A previous incident does not automatically mean we will refuse your dog. Knowing the truth allows us to determine whether we can safely manage the situation. ESCAPE HISTORY Has your dog ever: Jumped a fence? Climbed a fence? Dug beneath fencing? Broken fence boards? Opened or pushed through a gate? Bolted through a front door? Slipped a collar? Backed out of a harness? Broken a leash? Run away? Ignored recall while loose? Please describe exactly what happened. SEPARATION ANXIETY When separated from you, does your dog: Pace? Pant? Cry? Whine? Bark continuously? Scratch doors? Attempt to escape? Destroy belongings? Refuse food? Follow people constantly? Have potty accidents? Have difficulty sleeping? Become destructive when alone? How long can your dog comfortably remain alone? What normally helps your dog settle? TRAINING HISTORY Has your dog received professional training before? If yes, when and with whom? What type of training? What commands does your dog currently know? Which commands are very reliable? Which commands are only partially reliable? What verbal commands do you use? What hand signals do you use? What reward words or marker words do you use? What release word do you use? What training methods have previously been used? What equipment does your dog normally use? Flat collar? Harness? Slip lead? Long line? Head halter? Other training equipment? Are there any training tools your dog has previously been conditioned to use? Are there any training tools you do not authorize us to use? TRAINING GOALS DURING THE STAY What would you most like us to reinforce or improve? Basic obedience? Sit? Down? Stay? Come? Leave it? Drop it? Place? Heel? Loose-leash walking? Door manners? Impulse control? Jumping? Barking? Recall? Crate behavior? Potty training? Confidence? Social behavior? Agility? Advanced obedience? Service-dog foundations? Something else? Tell us your top three priorities. Priority 1: Priority 2: Priority 3: YOUR DOG’S FAVORITES Favorite toys: Favorite treats: Favorite activities: Favorite place to sleep: Favorite type of affection: Favorite games: Favorite commands: Anything that reliably makes your dog happy or relaxed? FEARS & TRIGGERS Please tell us about anything your dog dislikes or fears. Examples can include: Vacuum cleaners, brooms, hats, men, children, other dogs, certain breeds, loud voices, motorcycles, trucks, skateboards, bicycles, fireworks, thunderstorms, grooming, nail trimming, being touched while sleeping, doorbells, strangers entering, people reaching over the head, being hugged, or having possessions removed. Even an unusual trigger is important. MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION Is there anything else about your dog’s health, behavior, routine, fears, habits, training, or history that we should know to keep your dog, our family, our dogs, other guest dogs, and everyone around your dog safe? Please tell us anything you think could possibly matter. There is no such thing as giving us too much useful information. OWNER CONFIRMATION I have provided accurate information to the best of my knowledge. I understand that behavior can change in a new environment and that complete disclosure helps the caregivers make safer decisions for my dog. Owner name: Dog’s name: Date: Additional comments: How To Use the Working Questionnaire The companion client-care packet included after Chapter 13 contains the current textable letter-and-number behavior questionnaire. Owners can answer with a code and a 1–5 rating, then add a short note whenever context matters. The purpose is not to label a dog. It is to give us enough information to plan safe care, introductions, handling, enrichment, and training. END OF CHAPTER 5 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 6 — MEET-AND-GREET PROTOCOL Whenever possible, we strongly recommend a Meet & Greet before a dog’s first stay. A Meet & Greet gives us an opportunity to: • Meet your dog • Observe body language • Discuss personality and temperament • Review medical information • Discuss feeding and medication • Review training • Discuss fears or triggers • Evaluate social comfort • Discuss escape risks • Answer questions • Allow your dog to explore gradually • Plan the safest introduction process If your family cannot attend a Meet & Greet, please complete the detailed questionnaire and send us all information relevant to your dog before the stay. END OF CHAPTER 6 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 7 — PROTOCOL FOR TIMID, NERVOUS, REACTIVE OR ANXIOUS DOGS Some dogs have difficulty meeting unfamiliar people or dogs. That does not automatically make them a bad dog. It means we need to manage the introduction differently. 1. CALM PRESENCE Keep voices and movements calm. Avoid surrounding the dog. Avoid highly animated greetings. Avoid forcing physical affection. Avoid hugging or restraining a frightened dog simply to make them interact. Allow the dog to observe. Give them time. 2. SPACE & DISTANCE Space is one of the most useful tools we have. If a dog becomes anxious, reactive, overstimulated, or uncomfortable around Otto, another dog, or a person, we increase distance. We do not force the dog closer simply because we want the greeting to happen quickly. 3. WATCH THE DOG’S BODY LANGUAGE We watch for signals such as: • Stiff posture • Freezing • Hard staring • Avoidance • Turning away • Lip licking • Excessive panting • Pacing • Tucked tail • Raised hackles • Barking • Growling • Lunging • Refusing food • Attempting to escape • Difficulty settling Those signals help determine whether we: • Continue • Slow down • Increase distance • Redirect attention • Separate the dogs • End the introduction 4. REWARD GOOD CHOICES If the dog breaks fixation on another dog or person and turns back toward the handler, that is an opportunity to reinforce the calmer choice. Appropriate behaviors can be marked and rewarded immediately. We want the dog to discover that calm engagement with the handler is more rewarding than fixation. 5. DO NOT FORCE SOCIALIZATION Not every dog needs a large social circle. Some dogs enjoy groups. Some prefer one or two compatible dogs. Some are happier with primarily human companionship. A dog does not need to become a “dog park dog” to have a good stay. We respect individual social boundaries. END OF CHAPTER 7 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 8 — CLIENT ARRIVAL & SETUP Please: Text us when you are on your way. Contact us when you arrive. Keep your dog securely leashed during the initial arrival period. There is no reason to rush. The first several minutes are an opportunity for your dog to: • Sniff • Look around • Listen • Take in the environment • Decompress • Become comfortable • Observe the people present OTTO — SERVICE DOG & ROVER AMBASSADOR When appropriate, Otto may be used as the first resident dog introduced to a visiting dog. Otto can remain calmly in a down-stay while the visiting dog observes him. There is no requirement that the visiting dog approach immediately. The visiting dog is allowed to proceed at their own pace. Other resident and guest dogs can remain separated during the first introduction so the new dog is not overwhelmed. END OF CHAPTER 8 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 9 — INITIAL DROP-OFF PROTOCOL & HEAD-TO-PAW WELLNESS CHECK The formal stay begins with the same general philosophy used during the Meet & Greet: controlled arrival, observation, gradual introductions, and no unnecessary rushing. CONTROLLED ARRIVAL & EXPLORATION Initial introductions begin under control. Otto may remain in a settled down-stay while the visiting dog explores, sniffs, and adjusts. Some dogs settle quickly. Other dogs may need considerably longer. TIME WITH OTTO If the visiting dog shows relaxed, appropriate body language, interaction with Otto may gradually increase. We monitor: • Posture • Eye contact • Vocalization • Movement • Play style • Stress • Excitement • Ability to disengage GRADUAL INTRODUCTION OF ADDITIONAL DOGS Additional dogs are introduced gradually and individually when appropriate. We can use: • Gates • Crates • Separate rooms • Outdoor runs • Fencing • Other physical or visual barriers This prevents a new dog from being immediately overwhelmed by an entire group. THERE IS NO RUSH Dogs are never simply thrown into a large pack because they have arrived for boarding. Some dogs may join compatible groups. Others may have only limited social interaction. Some may require individual management. Safety determines the arrangement. END OF CHAPTER 9 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 10 — AMENITIES, NEEDS & EXPECTATIONS ACCOMMODATIONS & COMFORT DEDICATED GUEST AREA Your dog has access to a climate-controlled indoor environment with heating and air conditioning. HOME LIVING Dogs spend substantial time as part of our household rather than simply being placed in kennels for the entire day. Depending upon the dog, the day can include: • Indoor family time • Secure-yard activity • Training • Rest • Enrichment • Individual attention • Appropriate supervised interaction with other dogs Crates, kennels, gates, and separate rooms are used when they provide needed safety, structure, feeding separation, rest, or management. LOW-SOCIAL OR DOG-SELECTIVE DOGS If your dog prefers to keep to themselves, we respect that. Our goal is not to force every visiting dog into group play. COMMUNICATION DURING THE STAY We want owners to feel connected to their pets. We provide appropriate: • Updates • Pictures • Videos • Behavior observations • Training information There is no such thing as giving us too much useful information about your dog. WHAT TO BRING Please bring: • Enough regular food for the entire stay • A little extra food in case travel is delayed • Written feeding instructions • Measuring scoop if portions depend upon it • All medications • Written medication instructions • Regular treats • Information about allergies or restrictions • Secure collar or harness • ID tags • Standard six-foot leash • Up to two favorite toys • Optional comfort blanket or familiar item • Any specialized equipment we have discussed in advance FOOD PREPARATION Tell us: • Meals per day • Portion sizes • Wet/dry ratios • Whether food should be soaked • Toppers • Supplements • Special preparation • Eating speed • Whether your dog is a picky eater • Whether your dog stops eating when stressed • What normally encourages them to eat Dogs are fed individually so we can prevent conflicts and monitor exactly how much each dog consumes. MEDICATION Please provide written instructions including: • Medication name • Dose • Exact time • Frequency • Administration method • Whether medication needs food • Whether medication needs refrigeration • Any difficulty your dog has taking medication WHAT NOT TO OVERPACK In most situations, you do not need to bring: • Standard food bowls • Standard water bowls • Large quantities of bedding • Large numbers of toys • Unnecessary equipment If your dog requires a specialized feeding bowl, crate, medical item, or another specific accommodation, tell us beforehand. SPECIALIZED TRAINING EQUIPMENT If your dog already uses specialized training equipment as part of an established training program, discuss it with us in advance. Provide any necessary instructions and equipment needed to continue the dog’s existing routine. Nothing should be introduced casually simply because a tool is available. LONG STAYS For extended stays, please plan ahead for: • Extra food • Medication refills • Treats • Special dietary items • Grooming needs • Any equipment that may need replacement or maintenance END OF CHAPTER 10 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 11 — SAFETY, MANAGEMENT & WHAT WE DO DIFFERENTLY DURING A STAY SAFETY & PUBLIC-AREA POLICY For safety and liability reasons, client dogs are not taken to dog parks, ordinary public parks, beaches, or uncontrolled public dog-gathering areas. Even when we have excellent control of the dog in our care, we cannot control unfamiliar dogs, unfamiliar people, loose animals, or unpredictable situations in public spaces. We prefer controlled environments where risks can be managed. Off-leash activity is limited to secure areas appropriate for the individual dog and the training situation. Dogs remain safely managed on leash in uncontrolled environments. FEEDING & SEPARATION SAFETY Dogs are fed individually. Physical separation may be used during: • Meals • Rest periods • Medication administration • Introductions • High-value chew time • Situations involving resource guarding • Any period when individual management is safer Crates, kennels, rooms, gates, and other barriers are management tools used to keep dogs safe and comfortable. COLLAR, HARNESS & LEASH SAFETY Please make sure your dog’s equipment fits securely. We specifically need to know if your dog has ever: • Slipped a collar • Backed out of a harness • Broken a leash • Bolted through a doorway • Jumped a fence • Climbed fencing • Dug beneath fencing • Broken fence boards • Opened gates • Run away An escape history does not automatically mean we cannot care for your dog. It means we need additional management. Management Is Not Failure Gates, crates, separate rooms, leashes, visual barriers, individual feeding, controlled introductions, and scheduled rest are management tools. Good management prevents avoidable problems while a dog settles, learns, or simply enjoys a safer individual routine. END OF CHAPTER 11 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 12 — DISCOUNTS, COMPLIMENTARY TRAINING & SPECIAL ASSISTANCE We welcome last-minute pet-sitting and dog-training requests whenever space allows. When possible, we try to help families dealing with genuine emergencies or difficult circumstances. Special consideration or discounts may be available for groups including: • Active-duty military • Veterans • Emergency medical personnel • Hospital workers • Educators • Postal workers • Seniors • People with disabilities • Students • Civil servants Special pricing may be limited during high-demand holiday periods. We also believe strongly in helping people who genuinely need assistance, including disabled Americans and veterans when circumstances allow us to donate training time. Small Training Jobs Are Welcome You do not need to purchase a large training package to ask for help. If you want help with two or three commands, leash walking, recall, Place, door manners, jumping, begging, or another focused problem, we can work on the problem you actually have and teach you how to continue the work at home. END OF CHAPTER 12 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 13 — DETAILED DROP-OFF CHECKLIST Before leaving your dog, confirm the following. FEEDING & DAILY ROUTINE □ Daily schedule provided □ Food supplied for entire stay □ Extra food supplied for unexpected delays □ Food clearly labeled □ Exact portion instructions supplied □ Feeding times supplied □ Measuring scoop supplied when needed □ Special feeding equipment supplied when required □ Treat instructions supplied □ Food allergies or restrictions disclosed COMMANDS & TRAINING □ List of known commands supplied □ Verbal cues supplied □ Hand signals supplied if used □ Release word supplied □ Training goals supplied □ Owner’s top training priorities supplied Please list all commands the dog knows, even if they are not yet reliable. MEDICATIONS □ All medication supplied □ Medication in clearly labeled containers □ Dosage supplied □ Exact times supplied □ Administration method supplied □ Food requirements supplied □ Refrigeration requirements supplied □ Any history of resisting medication explained IDENTIFICATION & EQUIPMENT □ Properly fitted collar or harness □ Secure identification tags □ Six-foot leash □ Equipment checked for damage □ Up to two favorite toys labeled □ Optional comfort item supplied □ Specialized equipment discussed beforehand when applicable HEALTH, BEHAVIOR & SAFETY DISCLOSURES Before the owner leaves, confirm that we have discussed: □ Veterinary contact information □ Emergency veterinary preference □ Emergency decision-maker □ Current health concerns □ Recent diarrhea or vomiting □ Hot spots or skin issues □ Allergies □ Joint or mobility problems □ Medications □ Escape history □ Dog reactivity □ Human reactivity □ Bite or snap history □ Resource guarding □ Small-animal prey drive □ Separation anxiety □ Known fears and triggers □ Any other unusual behavior PICK-UP INFORMATION Please provide: • Confirmed pick-up date • Approximate time • Primary contact while away • Backup emergency contact If your travel plans change, let us know as soon as possible. At pick-up, we will review the stay, discuss relevant training or behavior observations, and complete the departure wellness comparison described earlier in this guide. THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE Tell us everything you can about your dog. You know your dog. We know dogs. When we combine those two sources of information, we can make better decisions about care, training, socialization, safety, and comfort. The purpose of all this preparation is simple: A safe dog, a comfortable dog, an informed owner, and a successful stay. END OF CHAPTER 13 ══════════════════════════════════ CLIENT CARE WORKSHEET PACKET — PDF COMPANION ══════════════════════════════════ A printable companion packet for intake, behavior information, daily care, drop-off, wellness documentation, and pick-up. The original PDF attachment is preserved with this master copy and belongs here, immediately after Chapter 13. CLIENT CARE WORKSHEET PACKET - EMBEDDED PDF Tap the PDF attachment below if you want to view the printable worksheet packet. ══════════════════════════════════ PART II — WHO WE ARE & TRAINING ══════════════════════════════════ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━HAPTER 14 — WHO WE ARE, EXPERIENCE & WHY OUR SITTING IS DIFFERENT WHO WE ARE For us, dogs are not a side job. Professional pet sitting and dog training are both major parts of our everyday life and our business. Sitting remains the foundation of what we do, while training is naturally built into the way we observe, handle, and care for dogs. OUR OWNERSHIP & CARE TEAM Our business team includes Gabriel, Ren, Delia, and Loren. Ren is a co-owner. Gabriel, Delia, and Loren are part of the Rover and training operation, and we organize care so that additional help is available when several dogs have different needs at the same time. Loren is Gabriel’s brother and brings approximately 25 years of experience living with, handling, and working around dogs. He also holds an Associate of Arts degree in Graphic Design and has helped with our website and the professional presentation of the business. OUR EXPERIENCE Our work with dogs began long before Rover. Gabriel’s hands-on training and behavior experience goes back approximately 30 years and has included family dogs, advanced obedience, working-dog training, agility, retrieval, service-related work, behavior training, private clients, and professional mentorship. Through Rover alone, we have completed more than 1,100 reservations, cared for well over 1,350 dogs, earned hundreds of reviews, and built long-term relationships with many repeat clients. Every reservation still represents a family trusting us with a dog they love. SITTING WITH A TRAINER’S EYE When a dog stays with us, care comes first. We pay attention to routine, feeding, potty habits, comfort, crate experience, medical needs, fears, triggers, social behavior, training history, and the owner’s priorities. Training experience helps us notice small details that can improve safety, communication, and everyday behavior. When appropriate for the dog, boarding includes approximately 30 minutes of individual training during the day. That may mean basic manners, recall, Place, leash work, impulse control, crate confidence, handling, retrieval, or another owner-requested skill. We train the dog in front of us. TRAINING IS EASY TO FIND Training is not buried at the back of this guide. The next chapters explain our approach, packages, service-dog programs, à-la-carte options, and what we can teach. The full personal story behind the business—including the people, dogs, mentors, and experiences that shaped more than 30 years of work with dogs—is preserved in Chapter 20. HOLIDAY RESERVATIONS — PLEASE BOOK EARLY Holiday boarding space can fill quickly. If you are considering staying with us during a busy holiday period, please book as early as possible. END OF CHAPTER 14 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 15 — TRAINING THEORY & OUR APPROACH TRAIN THE DOG IN FRONT OF YOU Every dog is different. Age, temperament, confidence, previous learning, motivation, physical ability, health, stress level, environment, and the owner’s existing cue system can all affect how a dog learns. For that reason, training should be adapted to the individual dog rather than forcing every dog through exactly the same program. A puppy learning household manners has different needs from an adult dog learning advanced obedience. A fearful dog may need confidence-building before distraction work. A highly energetic working dog may need more structure, mental work, and purposeful activity. Training should never override a dog’s health, safety, emotional condition, or need for appropriate rest. CLEAR COMMUNICATION Dogs learn best when communication is understandable and consistent. A cue should have a clear meaning. The dog should be able to recognize: • What behavior is being requested • When the behavior begins • When the behavior is correct • When the behavior is finished • What earns reinforcement • What the release cue means Confusion slows training. Clarity speeds it up. REINFORCEMENT Behaviors that are rewarded appropriately are more likely to occur again. Rewards can include: • Food • Treats • Toys • Tug • Fetch • Play • Praise • Petting • Calm attention • Sniffing • Access to a preferred area • Going outdoors • Movement • A break • A favorite activity The best reward is the reward that matters to that particular dog at that particular moment. One dog may work enthusiastically for food. Another may care more about a ball, tug toy, praise, movement, or the opportunity to sniff. TIMING MATTERS Timing is one of the most important parts of dog training. The closer reinforcement occurs to the behavior we want, the easier it is for the dog to understand what earned the reward. If reinforcement occurs too late, the dog may associate the reward with a completely different behavior. Good timing helps create clear communication. MARKERS A marker tells the dog the exact moment the correct behavior occurred. A marker may be a word such as: Yes or another consistent sound or signal. The marker should be followed by reinforcement so that it develops meaning for the dog. Markers are useful because the trainer may not always be able to deliver the reward at the exact instant the desired behavior happens. CONSISTENCY Consistency helps dogs understand expectations. If one person allows jumping while another person corrects it, the dog receives conflicting information. If Come sometimes means “come all the way to me” and other times means “move somewhere in my direction,” reliability becomes harder to build. Family members should try to use the same: • Cue words • Hand signals • Marker system • Release cues • Household rules • Reward expectations • Boundaries The more consistent the communication, the easier it is for the dog to understand. THE THREE Ds Once a dog understands a behavior, reliability is developed by gradually increasing three important variables: DURATION How long can the dog maintain the behavior? Examples: • Sit for five seconds • Sit for thirty seconds • Place for several minutes • Down while the family eats dinner DISTANCE How far can the handler move away while the dog continues performing the behavior? Examples: • One step away • Across the room • Across the yard • At greater controlled distances DISTRACTION Can the dog perform the behavior when something interesting is happening? Examples: • Another person enters the room • A toy is moving • Food is nearby • Another dog is visible • The environment is unfamiliar • Noise or activity is occurring Duration, distance, and distraction should normally be increased gradually. Trying to dramatically increase all three at once often causes unnecessary failure. GENERALIZATION Dogs do not automatically understand that a command learned in one environment applies everywhere. A dog may perform Sit perfectly in the kitchen and struggle with the exact same command: • In the yard • On a sidewalk • Around another dog • Near visitors • In a new building • Around traffic • In an unfamiliar training area That does not necessarily mean the dog is stubborn. It often means the behavior has not yet been generalized to that environment. Training should gradually move through different locations and levels of distraction so the dog learns that the same command continues to have the same meaning. PROOFING Proofing means practicing a known behavior under gradually more difficult conditions. A command is not truly reliable simply because the dog performed it correctly several times during a quiet training session. Reliability develops through repetition in different situations. Training may progress from: Quiet room → different room → yard → controlled outdoor area → moderate distractions → stronger distractions → real-life use. If the dog begins struggling, difficulty should usually be reduced until success returns. REPETITION WITHOUT OVERTRAINING Dogs need repetition to learn, but more is not always better. Several successful short sessions are often more productive than one long session in which the dog becomes tired, frustrated, distracted, or bored. Training sessions should generally end while the dog is still engaged and successful. END ON SUCCESS Whenever practical, training should finish with something the dog understands and can perform successfully. Ending on success helps maintain: • Confidence • Motivation • Engagement • Willingness to train again Training does not need to be perfect before a session ends. It should simply leave the dog with a clear opportunity to succeed. BEHAVIOR IS COMMUNICATION Behavior tells us something. Instead of simply labeling a dog: Good. Bad. Aggressive. Stubborn. Crazy. I want to know more. What happened before the behavior? What caused it? What does the dog think is going to happen next? Is the dog: • Afraid? • Confused? • Frustrated? • Overstimulated? • Undertrained? • In pain? • Too tired? • Too excited? • Unsure what is being requested? Has the behavior accidentally been rewarded in the past? Does the dog understand the command in one environment but not another? These questions give us far more useful information than simply assigning a label to the dog. MANAGEMENT IS PART OF TRAINING Sometimes the best training decision is preventing the dog from repeatedly practicing an unwanted behavior. Management may include: • Leashes • Long lines • Gates • Crates when appropriate • Separate feeding • Controlled introductions • Distance from triggers • Removing tempting objects • Changing the environment • Structured routines • Supervision Management is not failure. It helps keep the dog safe while training catches up. REPLACEMENT BEHAVIORS Whenever possible, training should teach the dog what to do instead of only focusing on what not to do. Instead of: “Don’t jump.” Teach: Sit for greeting. Instead of: “Don’t rush the door.” Teach: Wait. Instead of: “Stop bothering everyone during dinner.” Teach: Place. Instead of: “Stop pulling.” Teach: Loose-leash walking or Heel. Clear alternatives make training easier for the dog to understand. PROGRESS IS NOT ALWAYS A STRAIGHT LINE Dogs can perform differently from one day to another. Performance can be affected by: • Sleep • Stress • Pain • Illness • Medication • Weather • Hormonal changes • Hunger • Excitement • Fear • Environment • Distractions • Changes in routine A difficult day does not automatically mean training has failed. The training plan may simply need to be adjusted temporarily. OWNER PARTICIPATION A trainer can teach and strengthen behaviors, but the owner lives with the dog every day. Long-term reliability depends greatly on what happens after a training session or program ends. Owners should understand: • Commands • Hand signals • Markers • Release cues • Rewards • Expectations • Practice schedules • How to increase difficulty • How to make an exercise easier • How to respond when the dog makes a mistake The goal is not only to train the dog. The goal is to help the owner understand how to communicate with the dog. TRAINING TIMES ARE ESTIMATES Dogs learn at different speeds. A dog may begin understanding a simple behavior during the first session, but dependable performance around significant distractions may take much longer. Advanced obedience, behavior modification, service-dog tasks, and specialized skills may require weeks, months, or longer. Training timelines are estimates rather than guarantees. TRAINING SHOULD IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE Training should have a purpose. A reliable recall can give a dog more freedom in appropriate controlled environments. Place can allow a dog to remain comfortably with the family when visitors arrive. Loose-leash walking can make daily walks more enjoyable. Retrieval can become both a useful skill and a game. Agility can build confidence and communication. Service-dog tasks can increase independence for a person with a disability. Even a family pet can have meaningful jobs. DOGS WITH PURPOSE For decades, one principle has continued to guide my work: I believe in dogs with purpose. Purpose does not mean forcing a dog to work endlessly. It means giving dogs appropriate opportunities to use their intelligence, physical ability, natural drives, and relationship with their handler. A meaningful job may be advanced working-dog training. Or it may simply be: • Bring your leash • Find your toy • Go to Place when the doorbell rings • Retrieve a named object • Complete an agility obstacle • Play a scent game • Wait calmly at a doorway • Settle beside the family The job should fit the dog. OUR TRAINING GOAL The goal is not simply a dog that performs commands. The goal is a dog that is: Safer. More confident. More responsive. Easier to understand. Better able to understand the handler. Better prepared to participate in everyday life. Training can begin with one simple skill and develop as far as the dog and owner want to go. Clear communication. Fair expectations. Appropriate reinforcement. Consistency. Purpose. Partnership. That is the foundation of the training approach used throughout the rest of this guide. END OF CHAPTER 15 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 16 — TRAINING PACKAGES & OPTIONS TRAINING BUILT AROUND THE DOG IN FRONT OF US Not every dog needs the same program. A puppy learning household manners should not be placed into the same plan as a dog working toward advanced off-leash reliability or specialized service work. The purpose of this chapter is to put the choices in one clear place. Customers can start with the program that matches their goals and customize commands when appropriate. START HERE — 10-DAY IN-HOUSE BOARD & TRAIN + 8-WEEK OWNER PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE: 10 days with us for the on-leash foundation, followed by eight weekly 90-minute owner lessons to transfer the training and work toward safe off-leash reliability. This is our primary obedience package for families who want an intensive start followed by enough owner participation to carry the training into real life. PHASE 1 — 10-DAY IN-HOUSE BOARD & TRAIN Dog stays with us for 10 days. Starting price: $1,800. Primary goal: establish a strong on-leash foundation and dependable understanding of the core behaviors appropriate for that individual dog. Core curriculum: • Sit • Stand • Down • Heel • Stay / Hold Position until released • Come / Recall — required for any future off-leash goal • Crate Training • Loose-Leash Walking • Leave It • Touch • Place / Bed • Off / No Jumping The first 10 days are meant to create the language and foundation. We work on clear cues, position changes, leash response, handler focus, impulse control, duration, beginning distance, beginning distraction work, and reliable releases according to the dog’s progress. CUSTOM COMMAND CHOICE Customers also help decide what their dog learns. In addition to the core curriculum, the owner may select from our command glossary. As a simple package rule, the custom portion may be approximately: • Three easier/foundation commands, OR • One substantially harder/advanced command. The exact tradeoff depends on the command, the dog, prerequisites, and the amount of proofing required. Some commands can be introduced quickly; others require weeks or months of development. We will explain the difference before the program begins. PHASE 2 — EIGHT WEEKLY 90-MINUTE OWNER LESSONS Duration: 8 weeks. Frequency: One 90-minute private lesson each week. Price: $1,350. This phase transfers the training to the owner and continues building duration, distance, distraction, recall, advanced leash work, long-line work, and off-leash preparation when the dog is ready. The owner learns how to give each cue, reward correctly, correct mistakes fairly, increase difficulty, maintain reliability, and continue training between lessons. Primary goal by the end of the eight weeks: progress from the on-leash foundation toward dependable off-leash reliability in appropriate environments when the individual dog is ready. Off-leash reliability is a training goal, not a blanket guarantee. Temperament, previous training, owner practice, environment, safety, and the dog’s demonstrated readiness determine how quickly leash assistance can be reduced. FLAGSHIP PACKAGE PRICE 10-Day Board & Train: starting at $1,800. Eight 90-Minute Weekly Follow-Up Lessons: $1,350. Combined starting investment: $3,150. Additional advanced or specialized commands may change the price when they require substantially more training time. 8-WEEK PRIVATE TRAINING — STANDALONE OPTION Eight 90-minute private lessons. Duration: 8 weeks. Frequency: One lesson per week. Price: $1,350. This is a good choice for owners who want to do the training themselves with weekly professional coaching rather than beginning with the 10-day board-and-train phase. Training may include foundation obedience, recall, Heel, Place, Wait/Stay, Touch, Leave It, Drop It, loose-leash walking, door manners, household manners, impulse control, crate behavior, appropriate greetings, distraction work, duration, distance, owner handling skills, and selected commands appropriate for the dog. SINGLE PRIVATE LESSON A one-on-one private lesson is available for an owner who wants help with one specific command, behavior, or training problem without purchasing a larger package. Sessions generally run approximately 60–90 minutes depending on the dog and subject. Possible topics include leash walking, recall, jumping, barking, Place, crate training, potty training, puppy development, door manners, resource-guarding management, equipment, advanced-training goals, service-dog candidate consultation, or another individually selected concern. TRAINING LEVELS FOUNDATION — clear everyday communication: Sit, Down, Stand, Come, Wait/Stay, Place, Touch, Leave It, Drop It, Kennel, Off, loose-leash walking, release cues, calm greetings, doorway control, household manners, and beginning impulse control. INTERMEDIATE — strengthening the Three Ds: duration, distance, and distraction; stronger recall; better leash manners; improved impulse control; household boundaries; and greater reliability around distractions. ADVANCED — higher-level recall, distance positions, advanced Heel, directional work, emergency stopping behaviors, advanced Place, retrieval, object identification, out-of-sight work, high-distraction proofing, and multi-step command sequences when appropriate. SERVICE-DOG PROGRAMS Service-dog training is different from ordinary obedience. A service-dog candidate should be evaluated by us or another qualified professional before advanced service-dog development begins. Not every dog is suitable for service work. Suitability can depend on temperament, health, structural soundness, fearfulness, aggression history, environmental confidence, recovery after being startled, motivation, focus, neutrality, trainability, ability to settle, handler relationship, and the disability-related work required. Assessment continues throughout training and does not guarantee that a dog will ultimately be suitable for the complete role. 8-WEEK INTRODUCTORY SERVICE-DOG FOUNDATION Duration: 8 weeks. Price: To be determined per dog. For an evaluated candidate with an appropriate foundation or a plan to build one. This introductory package can establish the training system, strengthen obedience and handler communication, assess environmental stability, identify appropriate disability-related tasks, and begin selected psychiatric, medical-response, retrieval, or non-weight-bearing mobility-related skills. An eight-week introductory package is not presented as a finished service dog. It is the beginning of a longer development path when the dog and handler are appropriate for it. 16-WEEK SERVICE-DOG DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Duration: 16 weeks. Price: To be determined per dog. This package allows more time for foundation obedience, task development, repetition, generalization, handler transfer, environmental work, and proofing of individually selected disability-related behaviors. Possible areas include psychiatric response, tactile signaling, interruption, grounding routines, medication retrieval, named-object retrieval, night-distress waking, personal-space positioning, appropriate mobility-related retrieval, finding another person, locating an exit, and other suitable assistance work. The exact task list is built around the handler’s needs and the dog’s suitability. COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE-DOG DEVELOPMENT Typical development window: approximately 1.5–2 years, depending on the dog, handler, starting point, tasks, health, maturity, and continuing suitability. Price: To be determined per dog. This is the long-form option for a suitable dog and handler pursuing a complete service-dog development path rather than a short task module. Training can progress from foundation obedience through advanced reliability, individually selected disability-mitigating tasks, environmental neutrality, handler transfer, maintenance, and real-world proofing appropriate to the work. Not every dog that begins this process will complete it. The dog’s welfare, temperament, health, confidence, and suitability remain more important than completing a package. PUPPY TRAINING Puppies may work on potty routines, crate training, name response, Sit, Down, Come, Touch, Leave It, Drop It, handling, independence, bite-inhibition guidance, appropriate socialization, confidence, calmness, beginning leash skills, Place, door manners, and household routines. The purpose is to build a useful foundation, not overwhelm a puppy with unnecessary commands. BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION Behavior work may be incorporated into private lessons, boarding training, or a customized program. Areas may include jumping, excessive barking, pulling, inappropriate greetings, leash reactivity, destructive behavior, crate difficulties, potty-training problems, fear, anxiety, overexcitement, resource guarding, dog-directed reactivity, household-management problems, and impulse-control difficulties. Serious aggression or bite-history cases require additional evaluation. Some dogs may also require involvement from a veterinarian or qualified veterinary behavior professional. Safety comes before selling a package. AGILITY TRAINING Agility can be incorporated for appropriate dogs and can develop handler focus, confidence, body awareness, directional control, impulse control, communication, problem solving, fitness, and coordination. Age, physical condition, confidence, structure, and health must always be considered before strenuous jumping or obstacle work. À-LA-CARTE COMMAND TRAINING Clients do not have to purchase a large package to receive meaningful training help. The two separate command-library PDFs can be used like a training catalog: browse the skills, identify what would improve life with your dog, and ask us about the individual commands that matter most to you. We do not print a separate price beside every command. Individual command pricing is quoted according to the dog’s starting point, the difficulty of the behavior, the amount of proofing required, whether owner coaching is needed, and whether the skill is foundation, advanced, off-leash, retrieval, behavior-related, or specialized service work. Simple commands generally require less time than advanced distance work, complex retrieval chains, public-access reliability, or disability-related service tasks. Some service-dog tasks also require candidate assessment and may make more sense as part of a larger development plan. See Chapter 26 — À La Carte Command Training, then ask for the separate Service-Dog Commands 1–397 PDF or the Complete Training Commands 1–1,850 PDF. COMPLIMENTARY TRAINING DURING BOARDING When a boarding dog is comfortable, healthy, emotionally able to participate, and training is appropriate for the stay, approximately 30 minutes of individual training may be used to reinforce an existing command or work on an appropriate owner-requested behavior. This allows families to experience structured training without automatically purchasing a larger package. TRAINING TIMES ARE ESTIMATES Dogs are individuals. A dog may understand a simple behavior quickly while another dog requires considerably more repetition. Advanced obedience, behavior modification, service tasks, and high-distraction reliability may require weeks, months, or longer. Training estimates are guidelines, not promises of an exact completion date. OUR GOAL The purpose of these options is not to sell every family the most expensive program. The questions are: What does this dog actually need? What does this owner actually want? What training will improve their life together? Then we build the appropriate program around those answers. END OF CHAPTER 16 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 17 — TRAINING PROGRAMS: WHAT WE CAN TEACH FROM EVERYDAY MANNERS TO ADVANCED WORK Dog training does not have to stop at Sit, Down, Stay, Come, and Heel. Those commands are important because they create a foundation for communication, safety, and reliability. From there, training can develop into advanced obedience, behavior work, agility, scent work, retrieval, service-dog tasks, specialized assistance skills, dog sports, and other purposeful activities. The training path depends on the individual dog, the owner’s goals, the dog’s physical and emotional abilities, and how much time the owner wants to invest in continuing the work. A family may want only better leash manners and a reliable recall. Another owner may want advanced off-leash obedience. Another may want to explore agility, tracking, scent detection, service work, or competitive dog sports. There is no requirement that every dog reach the same destination. The objective is to identify what would improve life for this dog and this owner. FOUNDATION OBEDIENCE Foundation training creates the communication system used for almost everything that follows. Skills may include: • Name recognition • Attention to the handler • Eye contact • Sit • Down • Stand • Come • Wait • Stay when that cue is part of the owner’s system • Place • Touch • Target • Leave It • Drop It • Off • Kennel • Loose-leash walking • Beginning Heel • Doorway control • Calm greetings • Release cue • Permission cues • Settling • Handling tolerance • Crate comfort • Returning to the handler • Moving away from hazards • Beginning impulse control Foundation obedience is not meant to produce a competition dog overnight. It gives the dog and owner a common language. LEASH WALKING A dog does not need to remain in a competition-style Heel throughout every walk. For most families, the more practical goal is a dog that can walk cooperatively without constantly dragging the person from one place to another. Leash training can include: • Reducing pulling • Handler check-ins • Loose-leash walking • Beginning and advanced Heel • Changing direction with the handler • Stopping when the handler stops • Passing distractions • Walking around people • Walking around dogs at an appropriate distance • Ignoring food or objects on the ground • Moving behind or beside the handler when necessary • Safe vehicle entry and exit • Waiting at curbs and doorways • Responding to emergency movement cues Equipment should be selected for the individual dog and used correctly. Training equipment does not replace teaching. RECALL — COME WHEN CALLED Recall is one of the most valuable safety skills a dog can learn. Training may begin only a few feet away and gradually progress through greater distance and stronger distractions. Recall work can include: • Name response • Come • Rapid turn toward the handler • Returning all the way to the handler • Finishing in a controlled position • Long-line recall • Recall away from food or toys • Recall away from play • Recall around moderate distractions • Distance recall • Emergency recall An emergency recall can be taught as a separate, highly reinforced cue reserved for situations where a very fast response is important. No trainer can truthfully guarantee that a living animal will respond perfectly in every possible situation. Wildlife, fear, traffic, pain, extreme excitement, unfamiliar environments, competing rewards, and other circumstances can affect even a well-trained dog. For that reason, off-leash training never eliminates the need for judgment, management, secure environments, and appropriate safety equipment. HOUSEHOLD MANNERS Many of the behaviors owners struggle with are not complicated—they simply require clear rules and consistency. Household training may include: • Door manners • Waiting before exiting • Waiting for food • Place during meals • Settling when visitors arrive • Four paws on the floor for greetings • Reducing jumping • Counter-surfing prevention • Leave It • Drop It • Appropriate chewing • Toy manners • Furniture boundaries • Kitchen boundaries • Calm behavior during food preparation • Waiting before entering or leaving vehicles • Calmness around normal household activity • Going to a designated bed or mat • Crate routines • Independence skills A well-trained household dog should make everyday life easier, not merely perform during formal training sessions. IMPULSE CONTROL Impulse control means helping a dog learn that wanting something does not always mean immediately taking it. This may include: • Waiting at doors • Waiting for meals • Ignoring dropped food • Leaving toys when asked • Remaining in Place • Maintaining Sit or Down • Calm greetings • Waiting before jumping from a vehicle • Disengaging from distractions • Looking back to the handler • Remaining composed around excitement • Taking food gently • Releasing objects • Waiting for a release cue Impulse control can improve safety while also helping dogs become more thoughtful and manageable. INTERMEDIATE OBEDIENCE Intermediate work increases the Three Ds: Duration — Distance — Distraction Training may include: • Longer Sit • Longer Down • Extended Place • Greater handler distance • Recall from longer distances • Stronger leash manners • Heel around distractions • Doorway reliability • Calm greetings • Position changes • Increased handler focus • Household boundary work • Recall around other activity • More advanced Leave It • Improved Drop It • Settling in unfamiliar environments • Maintaining commands while the handler moves At this stage, owners begin seeing the difference between a dog that knows a command and a dog that can reliably perform it. ADVANCED OBEDIENCE Advanced work can extend far beyond ordinary household commands. Depending on the dog, goals may include: • Advanced recall • Distance Sit • Distance Down • Distance Stand • Emergency Down • Emergency Stop • Off-leash Heel • Advanced Place • Place from a distance • Extended-duration positions • Directional sends • Send Away • Out-of-sight position holding • Position changes at distance • Advanced retrieval • Named-object retrieval • Object discrimination • Multiple-object identification • Complex command sequences • High-distraction obedience • Handler-neutrality exercises • Advanced impulse control • Greater public reliability • Multi-step behaviors Advanced training requires substantial proofing and maintenance. The more difficult the skill, the more important it becomes to build the behavior gradually. PUPPY DEVELOPMENT Puppies should not be treated like miniature adult dogs. They are still developing physically, mentally, and emotionally. Puppy training can include: • Potty-training routines • Crate introduction • Name recognition • Come • Sit • Down • Touch • Leave It • Drop It • Gentle handling • Bite-inhibition guidance • Appropriate chewing • Short leash sessions • Safe socialization • Confidence building • Exposure to surfaces and sounds • Grooming tolerance • Vehicle acclimation • Independence training • Brief separation • Settling • Nap routines • Door manners • Beginning Place • Prevention of unsafe habits • Appropriate play • Calm exposure to new experiences The goal is not to cram as many commands as possible into puppyhood. The goal is to create a confident dog that has learned how to learn. CONFIDENCE BUILDING Some dogs need confidence before they need more obedience. Confidence-building activities may involve: • New surfaces • Platforms • Low obstacles • Controlled exploration • Targeting • Scent games • Problem-solving activities • Appropriate agility equipment • Gradual exposure to unfamiliar environments • Calm recovery after mild surprises • Working around new objects • Learning to approach and disengage • Independent problem solving • Handler engagement Confidence cannot be forced. The dog should be challenged without being overwhelmed. REACTIVITY & OVERAROUSAL Reactivity does not automatically mean aggression. Dogs may bark, lunge, whine, freeze, pull, spin, stare, or become difficult to redirect because of fear, frustration, excitement, limited experience, barrier frustration, territorial behavior, pain, genetics, or difficulty regulating arousal. Training may focus on: • Identifying triggers • Understanding threshold • Increasing appropriate distance • Handler engagement • Disengaging from triggers • Alternative behaviors • Predictable routines • Calm movement • Short successful sessions • Recovery after reactions • Controlled exposure • Appropriate safety equipment • Environmental management The goal is not to force a dog into overwhelming situations. Improvement may mean shorter reactions, faster recovery, better handler response, greater tolerance, and improved quality of life. RESOURCE GUARDING Dogs may guard: • Food • Treats • Toys • Bones • Beds • Spaces • People • Doorways • Vehicles • Stolen items • Other valued resources Training and management may include: • Preventing access to dangerous items • Separate feeding when appropriate • Safe trading • Drop It • Leave It • Retrieval exchanges • Reducing conflict around valued resources • Teaching predictable human approaches • Managing multi-dog environments • Recognizing early warning signals Growling should not simply be viewed as a dog being “bad.” It can be important communication. Serious guarding or bite-risk cases may require additional professional or veterinary-behavior support. FEARFUL, TIMID & NERVOUS DOGS Fearful dogs often benefit from patience rather than pressure. Work may include: • Establishing predictable routines • Providing appropriate distance • Building trust • Reinforcing voluntary engagement • Confidence exercises • Safe exposure • Scent games • Targeting • Mat or Place work • Calm handling • Teaching retreat as well as approach • Recovery exercises • Owner education Progress should be judged by the individual dog. For one dog, confidently entering a new room may be a major success. CRATE & INDEPENDENCE TRAINING A crate can be useful when introduced appropriately. Training may include: • Voluntary crate entry • Comfortable resting • Short departures • Calm release • Meal associations • Safe enrichment • Independence from constant human attention • Increasing duration gradually • Preventing panic rehearsal The goal is for the crate to become a safe management and resting area rather than a place associated with fear or punishment. AGILITY FOUNDATIONS Agility is both a sport and an excellent training tool. Depending on age, structure, health, and confidence, training may include: • Tunnels • Platforms • Targets • Paws Up • Directional sends • Controlled jumps • Weave-pole concepts • A-frame foundations • Handler-side changes • Obstacle sequences • Start-line control • Impulse control around equipment Agility can develop: • Confidence • Coordination • Body awareness • Focus • Handler communication • Directional understanding • Problem solving • Fitness • Impulse control Young dogs should not be asked to perform repetitive or physically inappropriate jumping. SCENT WORK, TRACKING & SEARCH GAMES A dog’s nose provides enormous training possibilities. Introductory scent work may include: • Find It games • Food searches • Toy searches • Hidden-object searches • Named-object searches • Beginning odor recognition • Article indication • Beginning tracking concepts • Search patterns • Handler observation skills More specialized scent disciplines can lead toward tracking, competitive scent work, mantrailing, detection work, and search-related sports. Specialized professional disciplines may require additional facilities, equipment, certification, or experienced organizations. RETRIEVAL Retrieval is useful far beyond playing fetch. Training possibilities include: • Pick It Up • Hold • Bring • Give • Drop • Retrieve named objects • Retrieve a leash • Retrieve a phone • Retrieve keys • Bring a toy • Carry an object • Deliver an item to another person • Find and retrieve • Directional retrieval • Multiple-object discrimination Retrieval can become a household skill, dog sport foundation, or service-dog task depending on the purpose. SERVICE-DOG FOUNDATIONS Service-dog work requires much more than knowing obedience commands. A candidate may need: • Stable temperament • Environmental confidence • Ability to recover from surprises • Reliable obedience • Social neutrality • Ability to settle • Strong handler focus • Appropriate health and physical ability • Reliable task performance • Appropriate behavior in public Not every dog is suited for service work. Suitability should be assessed before extensive specialized training begins. PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE-DOG TASKS Appropriate individualized tasks may include: • Deep Pressure Therapy • Tactile interruption • Grounding behaviors • Waking during nightmares or night distress • Retrieving medication • Retrieving a phone • Finding another person • Guiding toward an exit • Personal-space positioning • Front positioning • Rear positioning • Interrupting repetitive behaviors • Named-object retrieval • Handler-response routines A psychiatric service dog performs trained disability-mitigating tasks; it is not simply a dog whose presence provides comfort. MEDICAL-RESPONSE SKILLS A dog may be trained to respond to a medical event or handler cue by: • Retrieving medication • Retrieving a phone • Bringing water • Bringing a medical kit • Getting another person • Activating an accessible device • Remaining with the handler • Performing a trained positioning behavior Medical response and advance medical alerting are not necessarily the same thing. A response behavior can be deliberately trained. Advance detection of physiological change cannot honestly be guaranteed for every dog. MOBILITY-RELATED ASSISTANCE Depending on the dog’s physical suitability and the handler’s needs, tasks may include: • Retrieving dropped objects • Retrieving a phone • Retrieving keys • Retrieving a leash • Bringing light objects • Opening appropriately adapted doors or drawers • Closing adapted doors or drawers • Activating accessible buttons • Finding another person • Carrying lightweight items Any task involving substantial weight-bearing, bracing, pulling, or physical support requires particular attention to the dog’s size, structure, health, and veterinary guidance. OWNER COACHING Training is not complete unless the owner understands how to use it. Owner coaching may include: • Cue delivery • Hand signals • Marker timing • Reward timing • Leash handling • Body position • Reading canine body language • Recognizing stress • Understanding threshold • Increasing difficulty • Reducing difficulty • Generalizing behaviors • Maintaining commands • Preventing accidental reinforcement • Creating realistic practice schedules The objective is not for the dog to work only for the trainer. The objective is to build communication between the dog and the person who shares everyday life with that dog. WHERE TRAINING CAN LEAD For some families, the goal is simply a dog that walks nicely, comes when called, waits at doors, and settles with the family. For others, those skills are the beginning. The same foundation can lead toward: Advanced obedience. Agility. Rally. Tracking. Scent work. Retrieval. Field work. Herding. Working-dog sports. Service work. Search work. Other specialized canine jobs. Dogs are capable of far more than many people realize. The next chapter explores those possibilities. ══════════════════════════════════ PART III — PURPOSE, SPORTS, CLUBS & OUR STORY ══════════════════════════════════ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 18 — DOG SPORTS, WORKING-DOG JOBS & DOGS WITH PURPOSE DOGS ARE CAPABLE OF FAR MORE THAN BASIC OBEDIENCE Sit, Down, Come, Heel, Place, Leave It, and other household commands are important, but they are only the beginning. For generations, people have developed dogs to perform meaningful work. Dogs have hunted, retrieved, tracked, herded livestock, guarded property, pulled loads, located missing people, detected odors, assisted people with disabilities, worked beside military and law-enforcement handlers, participated in sports, and performed countless other jobs. For approximately 30 years, one philosophy has remained central to my work: I BELIEVE IN DOGS WITH PURPOSE. Purpose does not mean forcing a dog to work endlessly. It does not mean ignoring a dog’s health, age, temperament, comfort, confidence, physical limitations, or need for rest. It means recognizing that many dogs benefit from having something meaningful to do. A job does not need to look like a traditional working-dog job. A family dog’s job might be: • Bringing the leash • Finding a hidden toy • Retrieving an object by name • Going to Place when someone comes to the door • Completing an agility obstacle • Playing a scent game • Waiting calmly at a doorway • Putting toys away • Finding a family member • Settling during dinner • Carrying an appropriate object • Practicing recall • Learning a new trick Mental work can be every bit as valuable as physical exercise. COMPETITIVE OBEDIENCE Competitive obedience develops precision, communication, focus, and teamwork between dog and handler. Exercises may include: • Formal Heel • Sit • Down • Stand • Recall • Front • Finish • Position changes • Retrieves • Distance commands • Jumping exercises • Long-duration behaviors • Distraction work Competitive obedience requires repetition and attention to detail, but many of its skills also improve everyday communication. RALLY OBEDIENCE Rally combines obedience exercises into a course. Dog and handler move together from station to station while completing behaviors shown on signs. Exercises may involve: • Sit • Down • Turns • Heeling • Fronts • Finishes • Stops • Position changes • Direction changes Rally can be an excellent introduction to dog sports because it combines obedience with movement and teamwork. AGILITY Agility is one of the most recognizable dog sports. Depending on the organization and competition level, dogs may navigate: • Jumps • Tunnels • Weave poles • Platforms • Contact obstacles • A-frames • Teeters • Directional sequences Agility can improve: • Confidence • Coordination • Body awareness • Focus • Communication • Fitness • Problem solving • Directional understanding • Impulse control The dog’s age, health, structure, confidence, footing, and physical development must always be considered. SCENT WORK Scent work allows dogs to use one of their strongest natural abilities—their sense of smell. Beginning scent work may start with simple games such as finding hidden food or toys. More advanced work may involve teaching the dog to locate a particular target odor and clearly indicate when it has been found. Scent work can build: • Confidence • Concentration • Independence • Problem solving • Handler observation skills • Mental enrichment TRACKING Tracking teaches a dog to follow a scent path. Depending on the discipline and level, a dog may learn to: • Follow footsteps • Work over different surfaces • Negotiate turns • Follow older scent tracks • Locate articles • Maintain concentration over distance Tracking requires the handler to learn to trust and read the dog. MANTRAILING & SEARCH WORK Mantrailing involves following the scent trail of a particular person. More specialized search work may lead toward areas such as: • Wilderness search • Urban search • Disaster search • Avalanche search • Search-and-rescue work • Human-remains detection Operational search-and-rescue work requires specialized training, testing, handler education, and cooperation with qualified organizations. DETECTION WORK Dogs can be trained to identify specific odors. Specialized detection dogs are used in many areas, including: • Agricultural detection • Explosives detection • Narcotics detection • Conservation work • Wildlife detection • Bed-bug detection • Human-remains detection • Electronic-storage-device detection • Food and plant detection One well-known example is the agricultural detection work performed by dogs at ports of entry, including the dogs commonly known as the Beagle Brigade. IGP / SCHUTZHUND / IPO Schutzhund, later known as IPO and now generally called IGP in modern competition, is one of the working-dog sports that strongly influenced my own development as a trainer. The sport includes three major areas: TRACKING The dog follows a scent track and identifies articles placed along the route. OBEDIENCE Dogs perform precise obedience under distraction, including retrieves, distance exercises, position changes, jumps, and other demanding behaviors. PROTECTION The dog performs specialized sport exercises while under significant excitement and must remain responsive to the handler. What impressed me most was never simply the protection portion. It was the level of control and communication required. High drive without control can become a liability. High drive combined with excellent training can become an extraordinary working partnership. Protection phases belong under experienced professional supervision and established working-dog organizations. FRENCH RING French Ring combines advanced obedience, athletic jumping exercises, environmental challenges, and controlled protection work. Dogs may be required to demonstrate: • Precision • Confidence • Speed • Athletic ability • Environmental stability • Handler responsiveness French Ring requires specialized equipment, fields, experienced decoys, and knowledgeable clubs. PROTECTION SPORTS ASSOCIATION — PSA PSA combines obedience and controlled protection exercises with changing distractions and scenarios. As dogs progress, the exercises become more difficult and less predictable. The dog must remain responsive to the handler even under substantial excitement. PSA is a specialized competitive sport and should be pursued through knowledgeable clubs and trainers. MONDIORING Mondioring combines: • Obedience • Jumping • Environmental challenges • Controlled protection exercises Competition environments may change from event to event, requiring the dog to demonstrate adaptability as well as obedience. Like IGP, French Ring, and PSA, Mondioring requires specialized training and experienced decoys. RETRIEVER WORK Retriever training can progress far beyond ordinary fetch. Skills may include: • Marked retrieves • Blind retrieves • Multiple retrieves • Water retrieves • Directional casting • Memory retrieves • Delivery to hand • Steadiness • Whistle commands • Long-distance handling Retriever foundations can also lead into practical household retrieval and service-dog tasks. FIELD TRIALS & HUNT TESTS Sporting breeds can participate in activities that preserve the abilities for which they were originally developed. Programs may involve: • Retriever hunt tests • Retriever field trials • Pointing-dog work • Flushing-dog work • Hound field work • Bird finding • Water retrieves • Directional handling • Marking • Steadiness These sports can provide an appropriate outlet for natural breed tendencies. HERDING & STOCK-DOG WORK Herding dogs were developed to move and manage livestock. Modern herding activities may involve: • Sheep • Cattle • Ducks • Other livestock Dogs must learn to combine instinct with handler direction. Beginning herding should be supervised by experienced instructors because both dogs and livestock can be injured when training is handled incorrectly. DOCK DIVING Dock diving involves a dog running from a dock and jumping into water. Different events may evaluate distance, height, or retrieval-related performance. For dogs that enjoy water, running, and jumping, it can be an exciting recreational or competitive activity. FLYBALL Flyball is a team relay sport. Dogs race over a series of hurdles, activate a box that releases a ball, retrieve the ball, and race back before the next dog begins. Flyball combines: • Speed • Recall • Jumping • Toy drive • Focus • Impulse control • Teamwork DISC DOG Disc-dog activities involve retrieving flying discs. Competition may involve: • Distance • Accuracy • Freestyle routines • Athletic catches • Jumping Safe physical conditioning and appropriate jumping technique are important. FAST CAT & LURE COURSING FAST CAT is a timed straight-line sprint in which the dog chases a moving lure. Lure coursing uses longer courses designed to simulate pursuit. These activities can provide an outlet for dogs with strong chase motivation. CANINE PARKOUR Canine parkour uses safe obstacles in the environment to develop confidence and body awareness. Dogs may learn to: • Step onto platforms • Put paws on objects • Walk over safe surfaces • Go under obstacles • Move around obstacles • Balance appropriately • Follow directional cues Parkour can often be adapted for many different breeds and ability levels. CARTING, DRAFT WORK & PULLING SPORTS Some breeds were developed to pull carts, sleds, freight, or other loads. Modern activities may include: • Draft work • Carting • Canicross • Bikejoring • Skijoring • Sled work A pulling harness is designed to encourage a very different type of movement from ordinary loose-leash walking. Equipment should always match the job being taught. SERVICE & ASSISTANCE WORK Dogs may also perform tasks that directly increase a person’s independence. Service work can include: • Psychiatric service tasks • Medical-response tasks • Mobility-related retrieval • Hearing-related tasks • Guide work • Deep Pressure Therapy • Medication retrieval • Phone retrieval • Nightmare interruption • Personal-space positioning • Getting another person • Finding an exit • Other individually trained disability-related tasks Not every dog is suitable for service work. Temperament, health, environmental confidence, recovery, social neutrality, ability to settle, and suitability for the required task should all be considered. PURPOSE FOR THE FAMILY DOG A family dog does not need a professional title to have meaningful work. Purpose can be simple. The question is not: “Does my dog have an impressive job?” The better question is: “Does my dog have appropriate ways to use their mind, body, and relationship with me?” Training should ultimately increase what the dog and owner can safely and happily do together. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 19 — NORTHERN & CENTRAL CALIFORNIA DOG CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS Northern and Central California offer opportunities for owners interested in nearly every major dog sport or working discipline. Organizations may provide training, competitions, seminars, evaluations, practice groups, breed education, working-dog instruction, or opportunities to observe experienced teams. Club status, meeting locations, schedules, instructors, visitor policies, membership requirements, and events can change. Owners should contact the organization before attending. OBEDIENCE, RALLY & GENERAL TRAINING CLUBS Northern and Central California have a long history of obedience and all-breed dog-training clubs. Organizations owners may encounter include: • Oakland Dog Training Club • San Lorenzo Dog Training Club • Deep Peninsula Dog Training Club • Monterey Bay Dog Training Club • Napa Valley Dog Training Club • Sacramento Dog Training Club • San Joaquin Dog Training Club • San Mateo Dog Training Club • Santa Clara Dog Training Club • Santa Clara Valley Kennel Club • Santa Cruz Kennel Club • Sacramento Valley Dog Fanciers Association Depending on the organization, activities may include: • Basic obedience • Advanced obedience • Rally • Scent work • Canine Good Citizen preparation • Agility • Conformation • Trials • Seminars IGP / SCHUTZHUND CLUBS Northern California has an active working-dog community. Examples of working-dog clubs and organizations associated with IGP-style training have included: • Bay Area Schutzhund Club • Central Valley Dog Club • South County Schutzhund Club • Alameda County Schutzhund Club • Peninsula Canine Corps • Pacific Coast Working Dog Club • Outlaws Working Dog Club • Gold Country Working Dog Club • Placer County Schutzhund Club IGP training generally includes: • Tracking • Obedience • Protection Potential visitors should ask whether observation is allowed before bringing a dog. PSA Protection Sports Association clubs and events can provide opportunities for handlers interested in PSA obedience and protection sport. Northern California has had PSA activity in the greater Bay Area and surrounding regions. Owners should check current PSA regional listings before traveling because active clubs and trial locations may change. FRENCH RING Northern California has also had an established French Ring community. French Ring requires specialized: • Fields • Jumps • Equipment • Decoys • Judges • Experienced handlers Owners interested in the sport should locate an established Ring club rather than attempting advanced exercises independently. MONDIORING Mondioring organizations have also operated in California, including Bay Area activity. The sport requires: • Specialized decoys • Proper equipment • Appropriate fields • Experienced instruction • Strong obedience foundations Beginners are often best served by observing experienced teams before deciding whether the sport fits their dog. AGILITY ORGANIZATIONS Agility opportunities are available throughout Northern and Central California through training schools, all-breed clubs, breed clubs, and competition organizations. Different venues may use different rules and course designs. Owners may encounter programs connected with organizations such as: • AKC • USDAA • NADAC • CPE A dog does not need to compete to enjoy agility. Many families train agility simply for: • Confidence • Fitness • Communication • Recreation • Mental stimulation SCENT-WORK ORGANIZATIONS Scent-work training and trials are offered through many obedience clubs and independent instructors. Owners can explore: • AKC Scent Work • Nose Work-style programs • Tracking • Mantrailing • Search games Dogs of many breeds and ages can participate in recreational scent work. RETRIEVER CLUBS Northern California retriever organizations have included: • Golden Gate Labrador Retriever Club • NORCAL Golden Retriever Club Retriever clubs may support activities such as: • Hunt tests • Field work • Obedience • Rally • Agility • Scent work • Conformation • Breed education POINTING & BIRD-DOG CLUBS Northern and Central California also have organizations serving pointing breeds, flushing breeds, retrievers, and other sporting dogs. Examples include organizations such as the Northern California Brittany Club. Activities can include: • Field trials • Hunt tests • Bird work • Training days • Breed events Specialized bird-dog work requires appropriate land, birds, equipment, and experienced instruction. HERDING & STOCK-DOG ORGANIZATIONS Northern California has active herding and stock-dog communities. Organizations owners may encounter include: • Redwood Empire Sheepdog Association • Northern California Herding Group Association • Shetland Sheepdog Club of Northern California Activities may involve: • Sheep • Cattle • Ducks • Herding trials • Training clinics • Stock-dog demonstrations Herding should always be introduced with knowledgeable supervision. BREED CLUBS Breed clubs can be an excellent resource even for owners who have no interest in dog shows. Northern California organizations include clubs devoted to breeds such as: • Labrador Retrievers • Golden Retrievers • Brittanys • Bernese Mountain Dogs • Belgian Tervurens • Shetland Sheepdogs • French Bulldogs • German Shepherd Dogs • Many other breeds Breed clubs may offer: • Health information • Breed education • Performance events • Obedience • Agility • Herding • Field work • Rally • Scent work • Working events • Rescue resources FINDING THE RIGHT CLUB Before attending any club, ask: Do you accept visitors? Can I observe without bringing my dog? Does my dog need an evaluation first? Are beginners welcome? Are all breeds accepted? What vaccinations or records are required? What equipment should I bring? Does the club provide instruction or only practice opportunities? What temperament and obedience foundation should my dog already have? A good club should make expectations clear and place safety above rushing a dog into work they are not ready to perform. ⸻ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 20 — FROM CHICO TO FRANZ TO OTTO MY FULL DOG-TRAINING ORIGIN STORY — A LIFETIME OF LEARNING DOG LANGUAGE My journey with dogs did not begin as a business plan. It began when I was a child. CHICO — MY FIRST TEACHER My first dog was Chico, a Standard Poodle. My mother trained dogs, so I grew up in a home where trained dogs were simply part of everyday life. Chico was extremely protective of me from the day I came home. There are family stories about him protecting me even when I was a baby. One of my favorite stories is how Chico helped me learn to walk. When I was about eight months old, I would grab his thick curly coat, pull myself upright, and hold onto him. Chico would slowly walk while I walked beside him. Before I knew anything about obedience, behavior, drives, reinforcement, service dogs or canine psychology, I was already experiencing something that would shape the rest of my life: The partnership between a dog and a person. I have essentially had a dog beside me ever since. LEARNING WITH MY OWN DOGS When I was younger passed down knowledge from my dad and mom.I began raising and training my own dogs. There was Coco, my Chocolate Labrador; Shao Lin, my smaller Boxer-type dog; Salsa, my American Bulldog; and Rossi, my Boxer/Rottweiler mix. I was not a professional trainer. I read books. I watched dogs. I practiced. I made mistakes. Then I practiced some more. There was no internet full of dog-training videos. There were no online schools at your fingertips. If you wanted specialized knowledge, you found a book or, better yet, you found somebody who actually knew the craft and convinced that person you were serious enough to teach. My dogs became remarkably well mannered. More importantly, they began teaching me that no two dogs are exactly alike. That became one of the foundations of my philosophy: Train the dog in front of you. THE HOME INVASION THAT CHANGED MY DIRECTION Years later, after living in the Oakland area, San Leandro, Hayward, and eventually the Mendocino area, a home invasion/break-in became a major turning point in my life. It was a frightening experience and it changed what I wanted from a dog. After speaking with law enforcement, I became interested in the deterrent value of having a serious, well-trained dog. I wasn’t particularly interested in depending on a firearm. A properly trained dog made much more sense to me. My friend Felipe had experienced his own problems and had purchased an American Bulldog. He had started going to a working-dog club in the Morgan Hill area and invited me down. He wanted me to see what the dogs could do. I was skeptical. Until then, most of my exposure to serious working dogs came from documentaries showing German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Dobermans and Rottweilers doing military or police work. Then I saw Schutzhund-style training in person. It opened an entirely new world. IT WASN’T THE BITE — IT WAS THE CONTROL Of course the protection exercises were impressive. But that wasn’t what really hooked me. It was the control. I watched dogs perform bark-and-hold work: locate a decoy behind a blind, confront him intensely and bark in his face while still remaining under control. A dog could go from tremendous excitement to obedience. The handler could send the dog, stop the dog, call the dog back and ask for precision again. Schutzhund combined three major disciplines: TRACKING — The dog followed scent tracks and identified articles. OBEDIENCE — Dogs performed precision obedience, retrieves, distance exercises, jumps, and other demanding behaviors. PROTECTION — The dog worked under very high excitement while still remaining responsive to the handler. A truly trained working dog was expected to work under distraction, respond immediately to the handler, track, retrieve, perform obedience at distance, navigate obstacles, control excitement, hold positions, release when told, and transition from very high drive back to obedience. The obedience included retrieves, jumping a hurdle, negotiating an A-frame, distance exercises and precision work. In protection, tremendous drive was useless unless the handler could control it. That gave me a principle I have never forgotten: High drive without control can become a liability. High drive combined with excellent training can become an extraordinary working partnership. Service-dog training is demanding in a completely different way, but to this day I consider high-level Schutzhund protection work another level of understanding drive and control. MEETING DAVE DELEISSEGUES At that club I met David Deleissegues. That meeting changed my life. At first I was paying for short obedience and protection-training sessions with Rossi. For a relatively small amount of money, I could get a short obedience lesson and then protection work. There might be dozens of people waiting. I remember watching Dave work and thinking not only about what the dogs could do, but about how valuable his knowledge was. Dave was an international Schutzhund competitor and professional trainer. His own Steinbeckland operation describes him as an international competitor and expert trainer, and his film credits include work as an animal trainer on Look Who’s Talking Now. Other published accounts connect him with training work on Turner & Hooch. Years later, other accomplished handlers would publicly describe how much they learned from Dave and credit him with helping their dogs reach higher levels of competition. Looking back, being given the opportunity to learn from Dave was like winning the lottery. But what I won wasn’t money. I learned dog language. HARK VOM HAUSE ANIN Then there was Hark. Dave’s Rottweiler Hark vom Hause Anin was a very special working dog. United States Rottweiler Club records identify him as NSchH ’96, SchH3, FH, AD and ZtP—an extraordinary set of working qualifications that included the 1996 USRC National Schutzhund Championship and the highest traditional Schutzhund level. Hark also proved that he could perform strongly beyond Rottweiler-only competition. In the 1997 American & FH Championship, Dave and Hark scored 96 tracking, 94 obedience and 92 protection for 282 points, rated SG, in an all-breed field heavily populated by German Shepherds. That is the accurate way I want to tell it. I always remembered Hark as the Rottweiler competing in a world dominated by Shepherds and Malinois. The documented 1996 championship was the USRC national event, while his other results show that he could also compete successfully in major all-breed company. To me, Hark represented what serious breeding, working ability and serious training could produce. And then Dave offered me one of Hark’s sons. FRANZ — THE ROTTWEILER LOTTERY Franz was approximately two years old when I got him. And Franz was a son of Hark. That alone made him special. But Franz came with a history. As I remember it, Dave had placed Franz with three different handlers for approximately $3,000 each time. Each time Franz came back. He had bitten his previous handlers, and by the time I came along, Dave told me that he could not continue carrying the liability. Franz was running out of chances. I was inexperienced compared with what that dog required, and Dave knew it. But he had also seen my dogs. He knew I was serious. He knew I wasn’t looking for a dog merely because I wanted to look tough. I wanted to learn the craft. Dave eventually agreed to let me have Franz for approximately $500. Think about that. A son of Hark—the national champion—who had been valued at thousands of dollars. For $500. Franz was my Rottweiler lottery. But there was a reason. I had work to do. BUILD THE KENNEL FIRST Dave told me Franz wasn’t going to arrive and immediately become a house pet. Before I came back for him, I needed to build the proper environment. My friend Newman came up and helped me. We built Franz a large secure kennel with a roof to protect him from the Mendocino weather and an insulated doghouse. We also designed a special vertical, guillotine-style door that could move up and down. That meant Franz could eventually be moved between secure areas or loaded more safely without someone having to swing a normal door open beside him. Then we went further. Using the diagrams in my Schutzhund book, Newman and I built a proper A-frame and hurdle so I could practice the sport exercises at home. At that time it felt like there was one real Schutzhund book available to me. I read that book over and over. Dave also gave me equipment to get started: a bite sleeve, retrieving dumbbells for the obstacle exercises and protective training gear. I wasn’t just bringing home a dog. I was building a training environment. THE LONGEST RIDE HOME When the day finally came to pick Franz up, I brought my son and my four other dogs. That was a mistake. For hours, Franz and the other dogs barked at one another. Franz was agitated in his crate. The other dogs were barking. We had the family in the vehicle. And we still had the enormous drive back to Mendocino. It was one of those trips you never forget. When we finally reached home, Franz could not simply be taken out casually. We carefully moved the crate to the secure kennel Newman and I had built and got Franz inside. Now the real work started. FRANZ AND I BECAME CHESS PLAYERS Dave gave me very specific rules. At first, I wasn’t to walk into Franz’s kennel and force contact. When I went outside to feed him, I would bring my daughter with me. If Franz reacted at us by barking aggressively, I was instructed to end the interaction, turn around and walk back into the house. Then we would try again later. Franz had to learn that calm behavior opened doors. Out-of-control behavior closed them. This continued for about four days. I sometimes describe those first days by saying: Franz and I were chess players. I was watching him. He was watching me. Every move mattered. Dave also wanted my daughter involved in carefully controlled ways. His thinking was important: if Franz was eventually going to live around my family, he could not merely respect me. He needed to learn that my daughter mattered too. Food became part of building that bridge. We used carefully controlled hand-feeding through the kennel barrier and taught Franz to take food gently rather than grab. By around the fifth day, I went outside and saw a different picture. Franz was relaxed. He rolled onto his back. Dave had told me about the belly behavior, and here was this dog who had arrived so tense now offering me his belly. That was a major turning point. Then I hand-fed Franz his meals for roughly another two weeks. We weren’t rushing. We were building a relationship. Eventually I could leash him. Then the next chapter started. HE HAD ONE WEEK LEFT — AND THEN HE HAD A LIFE The seriousness of the situation was never lost on me. This was not an ordinary young pet with a few bad manners. Franz had already bitten handlers. Dave had told me Franz was running out of options and that euthanasia was becoming a possibility if a workable placement could not be found. Powerful, high-drive working dogs have to be taken seriously. I sometimes describe an uncontrolled high-drive protection dog as being like a loaded gun—not because the dog is evil, but because enormous power without control carries enormous responsibility. You don’t play games with it. You learn. You respect the animal. And you build control. I thought I was saving Franz. Years later, I told Dave something different: Franz saved my life more than I saved his. EVERY FRIDAY Taking Franz came with another requirement. Dave wanted me back for training. Not occasionally. Consistently. For approximately two years, almost every Friday, I made the trip from Mendocino down to the Aromas area. It could take around seven hours to get there. We might train for two hours. The drive home could take another seven or eight. That meant some Fridays were essentially a 16- or 17-hour commitment. Then I would get up and continue training at home. The only times we regularly missed were when Dave himself was away for film work, competition or other professional commitments. I wasn’t chasing a trophy. I never earned a formal Schutzhund title with one of my own dogs. I was raising a family. Competing seriously required tremendous time, travel and money. I wanted something that ultimately became more useful to me: The education. FIVE DOGS LEARNING THE WORK Franz was not the only dog I trained. At one point I had five dogs learning different parts of this work. And some of them were not breeds people expected to see doing Schutzhund exercises. Coco was my Chocolate Labrador. People laughed at me when I brought a Labrador around protection training. But Coco loved retrieving. I used that natural enthusiasm as the doorway into working with the protection equipment. What began as a game built into more advanced control and working exercises. Eventually Coco could perform impressive distance work, return to heel, respond to commands and do the kind of controlled work people had assumed a Labrador couldn’t do. I remember bringing him back around the Bulldog club. They laughed. Then they watched him work. Afterward, they wanted to know how I had taught him. My Boxer/Rottweiler mix also became very capable. My American Bulldog learned. My smaller Boxer-type dog learned. Franz, of course, worked. Tracking. Obedience. Retrieval. Obstacles. Protection exercises. It taught me something else I still believe: Never decide a dog’s limits solely from the label somebody put on the breed. THE DOG FRANZ BECAME This is the part of Franz’s story that matters most to me. Someone reading only the beginning could imagine Franz remained a dangerous dog for the rest of his life. He didn’t. Once Franz built a relationship with us, I did not know him as a dog constantly biting out of fear or exploding from uncontrolled drive. The structure worked. The relationship worked. The communication worked. Years passed. And Franz became something that would have been difficult to imagine when we carried that shaking crate into the kennel: He became our family pet. He became one of the best dogs I ever had. That is why I hesitate when people reduce dogs to one word: Aggressive. Bad. Stubborn. Crazy. Dangerous. Sometimes those descriptions identify real risks that have to be taken seriously. But they don’t necessarily tell you the whole dog. Franz taught me to ask different questions. What happened before the behavior? What was the dog’s emotional state? What did the dog believe was about to happen? Was the dog afraid? Confused? Overstimulated? Frustrated? Was the handler unclear? Had somebody accidentally reinforced the behavior? What did the dog’s body say before the obvious behavior happened? That is where my real interest in dog psychology grew. DAVE WAS THE REAL LOTTERY For years, I thought Franz was my lottery win. A Hark son for approximately $500. A dog who eventually became one of the greatest dogs of my life. But with age, I came to realize something. Dave was the real lottery ticket. Dave gave me more than techniques. He taught me to observe. Eyes. Ears. Mouth. Posture. Weight distribution. Muscle tension. Confidence. Fear. Prey drive. Excitement. Recovery. Timing. He taught me that dogs are talking long before they bark, growl, bite, sit or heel. I learned something I couldn’t have learned simply by memorizing commands. I learned dog language. And I learned dog psychology. Years later, I remember owning a Rottweiler magazine that devoted approximately four pages to Dave and his work. I still want to find that particular issue. I haven’t identified the exact issue number yet, so I don’t want to invent one. But the Rottweiler community’s respect for Dave is independently documented; a 2009 Total Rottweiler Magazine interview specifically describes another competitor learning from conversations with Dave and watching him help club dogs reach higher levels of competition. At the time, seeing my mentor in a magazine was exciting. Looking back, I understand it differently. I understand how lucky I was. FROM FRANZ TO REMMY Over the decades, what I learned expanded beyond working-dog sport. Eventually service-dog work became an important part of my life. Before Otto there was Remmy. Remmy was primarily a mobility service dog. He represented another chapter—taking the communication, reliability and purposeful training I had learned in working dogs and applying it to helping a dog improve a person’s everyday life. Then came Otto. OTTO — MY SERVICE-DOG LOTTERY If Franz was my Rottweiler lottery, Otto is my service-dog lottery. Otto is five years old. He is my psychiatric, medical-alert and mobility service dog. His training includes responses associated with panic and anxiety and changes connected with manic episodes, as well as mobility-related assistance. He works long days with me. And he competes in agility. Agility gives us something else we love doing together. It challenges his body, his mind and our communication. Otto is extraordinary. But Franz and Otto are extraordinary in different ways. Schutzhund taught me what happens when enormous working drive is combined with precise control. Service work taught me what happens when a dog uses training, observation and partnership to improve a person’s quality of life every single day. I respect both tremendously. 1,850 POSSIBILITIES I am still training Otto every day. And I intend to keep teaching him. I have assembled a glossary containing approximately 1,850 commands, behaviors, exercises and training ideas. That does not mean I expect any dog to learn all 1,850. It means there are 1,850 possibilities. Basic obedience. Advanced obedience. Retrieval. Mobility work. Psychiatric service behaviors. Medical-response behaviors. Scent-related work. Agility. Object identification. Household assistance. And plenty of things that we can teach simply because learning together is fun. Otto is five now. If his health and comfort allow it, I hope we may have roughly another four years of active service work before retirement becomes appropriate. Until then, we’re going to keep learning. Even after retirement, he’ll still be my dog. GIVING SOME OF IT BACK There is another part of my work that matters deeply to me. Whenever I am able, I try to donate service-dog training time to veterans and other people with disabilities who need help. A properly trained service dog can dramatically change someone’s independence and quality of life, but specialized training can also be expensive. I was fortunate enough to have someone take the time to teach me. I believe some of that knowledge should be passed forward. I earn my living from my experience, and I value the decades it took to build that experience. But when circumstances allow, I also want to help people who genuinely need a service dog and may not otherwise be able to access the training. That, to me, is part of giving back. THE BUSINESS BECAME A TEAM The story did not stay only about the dogs I trained. Over time, the work became a family and business effort. Ren is a co-owner of the business. Delia is part of our care team, and Loren—my brother—became an important part of both our Rover care and training operation. Loren brings approximately 25 years of experience living with, handling, and working around dogs. He also earned an Associate of Arts degree in Graphic Design. That background became useful in a completely different way: he helped build our website and shape the professional presentation of the dog-care and training business. Having a team matters because dogs rarely need the same thing at the same moment. One dog may need medication, another a quiet break, another a potty trip, another a structured training session, and another simply individual attention. The people around me became part of the same philosophy the dogs had taught me for years: pay attention to the individual in front of you and respond to what is actually needed. FROM CHICO TO FRANZ TO OTTO When I look backward, I can see a straight line through my entire life. Chico introduced me to the bond. My mother and the trained dogs around me gave me the beginning. Coco, Shao Lin, Salsa and Rossi taught me to practice. The home invasion gave me a reason to search for something more. Hark showed me what an elite working Rottweiler could become. Dave gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. Franz taught me patience, trust, structure, control and transformation. Remmy carried those lessons into mobility service work. And now: Otto reminds me every day that learning never ends. Franz was my Rottweiler lottery. Otto is my service-dog lottery. But the greatest lottery win may have been meeting a mentor who taught me something that has lasted for the rest of my life. Franz gave me an extraordinary dog. Dave gave me the language to understand him. More than 20 years later, we are still listening to that language. We am still learning. We still training. And we are still fascinated by what becomes possible when a person stops merely giving a dog commands and begins learning how to communicate with the dog standing in front of them. Give the dog clear communication. Give the dog structure. Give the dog something meaningful to do. Never stop learning from the dog in front of you. Build a partnership that improves life for both the dog and the person. END OF CHAPTER 20 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ══════════════════════════════════ PART IV — TRAINING REFERENCE LIBRARY ══════════════════════════════════ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 21 — TRAINING DEFINITIONS & TERMINOLOGY Cue — A word, hand signal, body movement, environmental signal, or other signal associated with a behavior. Command — A commonly used term for a cue requesting a trained behavior. Marker — A signal identifying the precise moment the dog performed the correct behavior. Reinforcement — A consequence that makes a behavior more likely to occur again. Positive Reinforcement — Adding something the dog values after a behavior so that behavior becomes more likely. Negative Reinforcement — Removing pressure or an unpleasant condition when the desired behavior occurs. Positive Punishment — Adding a consequence intended to reduce a behavior. Negative Punishment — Removing something the dog wants in order to reduce a behavior. Reward — Something the individual dog values. Lure — Using food, a toy, or another target to guide the dog into a behavior. Prompt — Extra assistance used to help the dog perform correctly. Fade — Gradually reducing a lure or prompt. Capture — Reinforcing a behavior the dog naturally offers. Shaping — Reinforcing small steps toward the final behavior. Targeting — Teaching the dog to touch or move toward a particular target. Proofing — Practicing a known behavior under progressively more difficult conditions. Generalization — Teaching the dog that the same behavior applies in different environments. Duration — How long the dog maintains a behavior. Distance — How far apart dog and handler can be while the behavior remains successful. Distraction — Something competing for the dog’s attention. Three Ds — Duration, Distance, and Distraction. Threshold — The point at which a dog can notice a trigger while remaining capable of learning and responding. Trigger — Something that causes an emotional or behavioral response. Desensitization — Gradually exposing the dog to something at a tolerable intensity. Counterconditioning — Changing an emotional response by pairing something with a positive experience. Management — Changing the environment to prevent unsafe or unwanted behavior while training develops. Impulse Control — Ability to delay an immediate response and perform a more appropriate behavior. Engagement — Voluntary participation with the handler. Motivation — The reason the dog wants to perform. Drive — Strong motivation toward a particular activity. Release Cue — A signal telling the dog that the current behavior is finished. Place — Go to a designated location and remain there until released. Heel — Travel in a defined position beside the handler. Loose-Leash Walking — Walking without continuous leash tension. Recall — Returning to the handler when called. Emergency Recall — A specially reinforced recall for urgent situations. Settle — Relax calmly in a designated situation or location. Leave It — Disengage from something and do not take it. Drop It — Release something already held in the mouth. Touch — Touch a target, often the handler’s hand, with the nose. Front — Move directly in front of the handler. Finish — Move from Front into Heel position. Retrieve — Go to an item, pick it up appropriately, return, and deliver it. Named-Object Retrieval — Retrieve a particular object identified by name. Discrimination — Select the correct object, odor, or behavior among alternatives. Behavior Chain — Several trained behaviors linked together. Maintenance — Continuing practice after a behavior has been learned. Reliability — How consistently the dog performs under trained conditions. Criteria — The specific requirements defining a successful repetition. Replacement Behavior — A behavior taught instead of an unwanted behavior. Body Language — Physical communication through posture, movement, ears, eyes, mouth, tail, weight distribution, and other signals. Recovery — How quickly a dog returns toward a normal emotional state after stress or excitement. Social Neutrality — Ability to remain appropriately composed around people and animals without needing to interact. ⸻ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 22 — PRACTICE TIMES, REPETITIONS & ESTIMATED TRAINING PERIODS Training-time estimates are guidelines. They are not guarantees. A dog may begin understanding a simple command during the first training session but require weeks or months before performing reliably around significant distractions. Training speed can be affected by: • Age • Breed tendencies • Genetics • Health • Physical condition • Temperament • Confidence • Motivation • Fear • Anxiety • Reactivity • Previous training • Handler experience • Environment • Distractions • Practice frequency • Difficulty of the behavior • Sleep and recovery SHORT TRAINING SESSIONS For many foundation behaviors, a useful starting point is: Approximately 3–5 minutes per skill Approximately 2–3 sessions per day Puppies may need even shorter sessions. Advanced scent work, tracking, agility, service work, behavior modification, or complex obedience may require different training schedules. Quality matters more than simply accumulating minutes. GENERAL FOUNDATION ESTIMATES Some simple behaviors may begin developing within: Several sessions to approximately 1–2 weeks Intermediate behaviors may require: Approximately 1–4 weeks for initial understanding Reliable advanced performance may take: Several weeks to many months Complex behavior modification and specialized service tasks may take: Months or longer TRAINING PROGRESSION For many commands, progression should follow this general sequence: Understand the behavior → Learn the cue → Repetition → Duration → Distance → Distraction → New environments → Real-life use → Maintenance WHEN TO INCREASE DIFFICULTY Increase difficulty when the dog understands the current level and is succeeding consistently. Whenever practical, increase one major challenge at a time. For example, if you greatly increase distraction, reduce distance or duration temporarily. WHEN TO MAKE TRAINING EASIER Make the exercise easier when the dog repeatedly fails, becomes confused, loses motivation, becomes frustrated, becomes physically tired, or becomes too emotionally aroused to learn effectively. Reducing difficulty is part of good training. MAINTENANCE Training does not end when the dog first learns the behavior. Commands that are never practiced can weaken. Important safety behaviors such as recall should continue to be practiced throughout the dog’s life. ⸻ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 23 — ESSENTIAL, INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED COMMANDS ESSENTIAL FOUNDATION COMMANDS Name Response — Turn attention toward the handler when the dog’s name is spoken. Watch / Look — Focus attention on the handler. Sit — Place the rear on the ground. Down — Lie down. Stand — Stand on all four feet. Come — Return to the handler. Place — Go to a designated location and remain there. Wait — Pause until given permission to continue. Stay — Maintain the requested position when this cue is part of the dog’s established system. Release / Free — End the current position or exercise. Touch — Touch the handler’s hand or another target with the nose. Leave It — Disengage from something. Drop It — Release an object. Off — Remove paws or body from a person, object, or surface. Kennel / Crate — Enter a designated crate or kennel. Settle — Relax calmly. Loose-Leash Walking — Walk without constant pulling. Heel — Walk in a defined position beside the handler. Door Wait — Remain behind a doorway boundary until released. Take It — Take an approved object. Give — Deliver an object to the handler. INTERMEDIATE COMMANDS Front — Move into position in front of the handler. Finish — Move from Front into Heel. Center — Position between the handler’s legs. Behind — Move behind the handler. Cover — Position behind the handler to help create rear personal space. Block — Position in front of the handler to create space when appropriate. Back Up — Move backward. Side — Move into a specified side position. Switch — Change sides. Around — Move around an object or person. Go Out — Move away in a designated direction. Find It — Search for a target. Bring It — Retrieve an object. Hold — Maintain an object calmly in the mouth. Carry — Transport an object. Put Away — Place an object into a designated container. Go to Bed — Move to a designated resting location. Under — Position beneath an appropriate table, chair, or other space. Paws Up — Place front paws onto a target. Left / Right — Move or turn in the designated direction. Slow — Reduce speed. Easy — Reduce intensity. Close — Move nearer to the handler. This Way — Change direction with the handler. Let’s Go — Begin moving with the handler. ADVANCED COMMANDS Distance Sit — Sit while the handler remains at a distance. Distance Down — Lie down at distance. Distance Stand — Stand at distance. Emergency Down — Rapidly assume Down during movement. Emergency Stop — Stop forward movement immediately. Advanced Recall — Return from increased distance or distraction. Off-Leash Heel — Maintain Heel without leash guidance in an appropriate controlled environment. Send Away — Move away in a specified direction. Directed Retrieve — Retrieve the object selected by the handler. Named-Object Retrieve — Retrieve a particular object by name. Object Discrimination — Select the correct object among several choices. Out-of-Sight Position — Maintain a trained position while the handler is temporarily out of view. Remote Position Change — Change among Sit, Down, and Stand at distance. Directed Place — Go to a selected platform, bed, or location from a distance. Long-Duration Place — Maintain Place while ordinary activity occurs around the dog. Advanced Heel Positions — Perform turns, pivots, fronts, finishes, and side changes. Behavior Chain — Perform several trained behaviors in sequence. Directional Search — Search a selected area based on handler direction. Advanced Retrieve Sequence — Find, identify, retrieve, return, hold, and deliver an item according to specific criteria. FROM UNDERSTANDING TO RELIABILITY A command is not finished simply because the dog understands it once. Each behavior can continue developing through greater: Duration Distance Distraction Precision Environmental difficulty Handler changes Real-life usefulness That progression is what turns a newly learned behavior into a dependable skill. END OF CHAPTER 23 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 24 — SERVICE-DOG TRAINING GUIDE: PSYCHIATRIC • MEDICAL ALERT/RESPONSE • MOBILITY SERVICE-DOG TRAINING — EDUCATION, TUTORIALS & PROGRAM PATHS This chapter explains the service-dog side of our training: candidate suitability, psychiatric work, medical-alert and medical-response work, mobility and retrieval assistance, public-access reliability, training timelines, owner participation, and the difference between teaching a task and developing a dependable service-dog team. The service-dog program options are introduced with our packages in Chapter 16. The complete detailed Service-Dog Command Library is kept separately as a PDF so all 397 commands remain together and easy to reference without interrupting the tutorial material here. SERVICE-DOG TRAINING IS INDIVIDUALIZED Service-dog training goes far beyond basic obedience. A service dog must be able to perform individually trained tasks that help mitigate a handler’s disability while also maintaining the stability, control, and public behavior appropriate to the environments in which the team works. Not every dog is suited for service work. Before advanced training begins, a candidate should be evaluated for temperament, health, structural soundness, confidence, recovery after stress or surprise, environmental stability, social neutrality, ability to settle, trainability, motivation, handler relationship, and suitability for the specific tasks required. Candidate assessment is an ongoing process. A promising beginning does not guarantee that every dog will complete service-dog training. FOUNDATION BEFORE SPECIALIZED TASKS Specialized tasks are most useful when they are built on a strong foundation. Depending on the dog and handler, that foundation may include: • Name response • Handler focus • Sit • Down • Stand • Come • Place • Wait • Leave It • Drop It • Touch • Heel • Loose-leash walking • Settle • Reliable release cue • Doorway control • Appropriate greetings • Impulse control • Retrieval foundations • Social neutrality • Calmness around distractions • Ability to recover after being startled • Ability to work and settle in unfamiliar environments PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE-DOG TASKS Psychiatric service-dog tasks must be trained to perform a specific function for the individual handler. Possible tasks may include: DEEP PRESSURE THERAPY — The dog applies trained body pressure in a safe, appropriate position when cued or according to an individualized trained response. TACTILE INTERRUPTION — The dog nudges, paws, or otherwise gives a trained tactile signal to interrupt a repetitive or escalating behavior. GROUNDING RESPONSE — The dog performs a familiar tactile or positioning behavior that helps the handler reorient and engage with a trained routine. NIGHTMARE / NIGHT-DISTRESS WAKE-UP — The dog wakes the handler using a trained nose nudge, paw, lick, or other appropriate response. MEDICATION RETRIEVAL — The dog retrieves a designated medication bag or container when cued. PHONE RETRIEVAL — The dog locates and retrieves a phone or designated communication device. FIND A PERSON — The dog locates a designated family member, caregiver, or other trained person when appropriate. FIND THE EXIT — The dog follows a trained directional routine toward an exit in an environment where that task has been properly taught and generalized. FRONT POSITION — The dog positions in front of the handler to provide trained spatial support or create additional personal space. COVER / REAR POSITION — The dog positions behind the handler to provide trained rear-space positioning. BLOCK — The dog takes a trained position that helps maintain personal space without threatening or confronting other people. INTERRUPT REPETITIVE BEHAVIOR — The dog performs a trained response such as a nudge, touch, retrieve, or other task when the target behavior occurs or when cued. NAMED-OBJECT RETRIEVAL — The dog identifies and retrieves a specific object by name. INDIVIDUALIZED RESPONSE ROUTINE — Several trained behaviors can be linked into a sequence designed around the handler’s actual needs. A psychiatric service dog is not simply a dog whose presence is comforting. The useful work comes from trained tasks and reliable behavior that address the handler’s individual needs. MEDICAL RESPONSE VS. MEDICAL ALERT Medical response and medical alert should not be treated as identical terms. A medical-response task occurs after an event, symptom, or trained cue. Examples may include: • Retrieve medication • Retrieve a phone • Bring water • Retrieve an emergency kit • Get another person • Activate an accessible device • Remain with the handler • Perform a trained positioning behavior following an episode A true medical alert may involve a dog detecting a physiological or behavioral change before or during an episode. Advance detection cannot honestly be guaranteed for every dog. Some dogs may demonstrate naturally occurring recognition that can potentially be shaped and tested, while others may never develop reliable advance-detection ability. MOBILITY-RELATED ASSISTANCE Depending on the dog’s size, structure, health, training, and the handler’s needs, mobility-related assistance may include: • Retrieve dropped objects • Retrieve a phone • Retrieve keys • Retrieve a leash • Bring lightweight items • Carry appropriate lightweight objects • Open an adapted drawer • Close an adapted drawer • Open an adapted door • Close an adapted door • Activate an accessible button • Find another person • Deliver an item to another person • Pick up objects from the floor • Place items into a container Any work involving significant weight-bearing, bracing, counterbalance, pulling, or physical support requires special attention to the dog’s structure, size, health, conditioning, and veterinary guidance. Not every mobility task is appropriate for every dog. RETRIEVAL TASKS Retrieval is one of the most useful foundations for assistance work. A complete retrieve can be broken into smaller behaviors: 1. Identify the correct object. 2. Move to the object. 3. Pick it up appropriately. 4. Hold it without damaging it. 5. Return to the handler. 6. Deliver it to the requested location or hand. 7. Release it on cue. Advanced retrieval may include: • Medication bag • Phone • Keys • Leash • Wallet • Water bottle • Clothing item • Named toy • Emergency kit • Specific object among several choices • Object located in another room • Object delivered to another person PUBLIC-BEHAVIOR FOUNDATIONS Task training alone does not create a finished service dog. A working team may also need extensive preparation for calm, controlled behavior in public environments. Foundations may include: • Loose-leash walking • Controlled Heel • Settling quietly • Ignoring food on the floor • Ignoring other dogs • Ignoring unnecessary attention from people • Remaining calm around carts, doors, elevators, vehicles, sounds, and movement • Tucking safely under or beside seating when appropriate • Maintaining position without blocking walkways • Reliable toileting routines • Recovery after unexpected noise or movement • Remaining focused enough to perform required tasks Public reliability must be generalized gradually. A dog that performs perfectly at home is not automatically ready for difficult public environments. SERVICE-DOG TRAINING TAKES TIME A complete service dog usually requires far more than a short task-training package. Development may take approximately 18–24 months or longer, particularly when starting with a puppy or when complex task and public-behavior requirements are involved. Training timelines are estimates rather than guarantees. THE GOAL The goal is not to teach the largest possible number of service-dog commands. The goal is to identify the tasks that genuinely help the handler, determine whether the dog is suitable, build the foundation carefully, train the tasks clearly, generalize them to real life, and maintain them over time. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 25 — HOW TO USE THE COMPLETE COMMAND LIBRARY A REFERENCE LIBRARY — NOT A REQUIREMENT LIST The complete command library contains 1,850 commands, behaviors, concepts, positions, sport skills, household skills, retrieval behaviors, service-related tasks, scent and search foundations, agility concepts, advanced obedience behaviors, and other training possibilities. No dog needs to learn all 1,850 commands. The catalog is designed as a reference library so owners can see what may be possible, identify useful goals, and understand how individual behaviors can build into more advanced work. HOW TO READ EACH COMMAND Every command now follows the same customer-friendly core model: DEFINITION — What the behavior means and what the finished behavior should look like. HOW TO PRACTICE IT — A compact step-by-step sequence showing how to begin, reward, repeat, and progress the behavior. PRACTICE — Session length and how many times per day to practice, combined on one line whenever possible. LEARNING TIMELINE — Three separate estimates: Learn, Understand, and Master. LEARN means the dog is beginning to recognize and perform the behavior. UNDERSTAND means the dog responds to the cue with growing reliability in familiar practice conditions. MASTER means the behavior has been proofed to the appropriate level of duration, distance, distraction, precision, new environments, and real-life use. Maintenance still continues after mastery. REINFORCEMENT — Rewards or reinforcement strategies that may help strengthen the behavior. COMMON MISTAKES — Frequent handling or training errors that may reduce clarity or reliability. SAFETY NOTES — Precautions or limitations that should be considered for particular exercises. PROGRESSION — Ways to increase duration, distance, distraction, precision, environmental difficulty, or complexity. GENERALIZATION — Practicing the behavior with different locations, surfaces, people, equipment, times of day, and distractions. MAINTENANCE — Continuing to review and reinforce the behavior after the initial learning stage. WHAT THE TRAINING-TIME ESTIMATES MEAN The estimated training periods in the catalog are introductory learning estimates. They do not guarantee complete reliability. A dog may understand the basic idea of a command quickly but require substantially longer to perform it around distractions, in unfamiliar environments, at distance, for longer duration, or during emotionally difficult situations. For many behaviors, progression should follow this general path: UNDERSTAND THE BEHAVIOR → LEARN THE CUE → REPETITION → DURATION → DISTANCE → DISTRACTION → NEW ENVIRONMENTS → REAL-LIFE USE → MAINTENANCE CHOOSING COMMANDS Owners can use the library to build an individualized training wish list. Useful questions include: • What problem are we trying to solve? • What behavior would improve everyday life? • Is there a simpler foundation skill needed first? • Is the behavior physically appropriate for this dog? • Does the dog have the temperament for the activity? • Is specialized equipment or professional supervision required? • Is this a household skill, sport skill, service task, enrichment activity, or advanced obedience goal? • How will the owner maintain the behavior after it is learned? BUILDING FROM SIMPLE TO ADVANCED Many advanced behaviors are combinations of simpler skills. For example, a named-object retrieval may require: • Object recognition • Find It • Take It • Hold • Come • Bring It • Give A complex service task may require several foundation behaviors linked into a chain. An advanced agility sequence may require targeting, directional movement, impulse control, obstacle confidence, and handler focus before the full sequence can be performed. This is why foundational obedience matters even when the final goal seems unrelated to ordinary obedience. SAFETY & PROFESSIONAL SUPERVISION Some catalog behaviors should only be pursued when the dog is physically and emotionally appropriate for the work. High-impact agility, difficult pulling work, advanced mobility assistance, operational search work, livestock work, and protection sports may require specialized equipment, conditioning, facilities, veterinarians, clubs, decoys, judges, evaluators, or experienced instructors. The existence of a command in the library does not mean every owner should attempt every exercise independently. THE PURPOSE OF THE LIBRARY The 1,850-command catalog is meant to show possibility. A family may choose five commands that dramatically improve everyday life. Another dog may train in dozens of advanced behaviors. A sport dog, working dog, or service dog may develop a highly specialized vocabulary built around a particular job. The number of commands is never the most important measure of training. What matters is whether the behaviors are useful, understandable, reliable, humane, safe, and appropriate for the dog and handler. The two detailed command libraries are available separately as PDFs and can be sent to customers on request. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTER 26 — À LA CARTE COMMAND TRAINING: PICK WHAT YOUR DOG NEEDS USE THE COMMAND LIBRARIES AS A TRAINING MENU Not every family needs a large training package. Sometimes one command—or a small group of carefully chosen commands—can make a major difference in everyday life. Browse the two separate command-library PDFs. When you find a behavior that solves a problem, improves safety, adds independence, or simply gives you and your dog something useful to work toward, ask us about training that specific command. HOW À LA CARTE TRAINING WORKS 1. Choose the command or commands that interest you. 2. We look at what your dog already knows, temperament, motivation, reliability, and any safety considerations. 3. We explain how the command is taught and what owner practice will be needed. 4. We quote the command according to difficulty and the amount of training, proofing, and owner coaching required. 5. You can add more commands later without purchasing a larger program you do not need. PRICING IS BASED ON THE WORK A simple foundation command is not the same training job as an advanced off-leash behavior, a multi-step retrieval, a high-distraction public skill, or a specialized service-dog task. That is why we price à-la-carte work according to the individual skill and the dog’s starting point rather than placing a fixed price beside every command in the library. SERVICE-DOG TASKS For psychiatric, medical-alert/response, mobility, retrieval, public-access, hearing/notification, or accessible-device work, candidate suitability and the handler’s actual needs matter. Some service tasks can be taught individually; others are safer and more effective as part of a structured service-dog development plan. WHERE TO BROWSE Separate PDF — Service-Dog Commands 1–397: 397 detailed service commands. Separate PDF — Complete Training Commands 1–1,850: the original complete basic-to-advanced command catalog. END OF CHAPTER 26 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ APPENDIX — BEGINNING FETCH FOR ALL DOGS ══════════════════════════════════ PLUSH TOY RETRIEVE, HOLD, RECALL & OUT TRAINING PLAN For now, start with several plush toys the dog really enjoys. If the dog already loves tugging and carrying plush toys, that natural interest gives us an excellent foundation for teaching Take It, Hold, Come, Out/Drop, and a stronger recall. What This Exercise Teaches This one game can help teach and strengthen: Take It — Pick up the toy when asked. Hold — Keep the toy in the mouth until released. Come — Return directly to the handler. Out / Drop — Release the toy on command. Recall — Come reliably even while excited and carrying something. Impulse Control — Wait for the handler’s cue instead of immediately dropping or running away with the toy. Equipment For beginning sessions, use: Several plush toys the dog enjoys. Small, high-value treats. A leash or approximately 30-foot long line for dogs whose recall is not yet dependable. An open, safe training area without traffic, obstacles, or other dogs interfering. The long line is a temporary training tool. It prevents the dog from learning that running away with the toy is part of the game. Step 1 — Teach “Take It” Start by making the plush toy interesting. Move it around, play with it, or briefly tug with the dog. Present the toy and say: “Take it.” The instant the dog puts its mouth on the toy, praise: “Good take it.” At first, the dog only needs to grab it. Do not worry about a long hold yet. Repeat several times until the dog clearly understands that Take It means put the object in your mouth. Step 2 — Use Tug to Build the Hold For dogs that already love tugging, tug is one of the easiest ways to make holding the toy enjoyable. Let the dog take the plush toy and play a short game of tug. Then stop moving the toy. Keep your hands quiet. Say: “Hold.” The important idea is that Hold does not mean keep tugging. It means keep the object calmly in your mouth. Initially, reward even one or two seconds of holding. Gradually increase: 2 seconds 5 seconds 10 seconds 15 seconds 30 seconds 1 minute and longer Do not increase the time too quickly. A dependable short hold is much more valuable than repeatedly asking for a long hold that the dog cannot successfully complete. Step 3 — Throw the Toy and Add the Recall Once the dog understands Take It, begin tossing the plush toy a short distance. Throw the toy. As the dog reaches it, say: “Take it.” As soon as the dog has the toy, encourage the return: “Come!” At first, make yourself exciting. Move backward, clap, praise, or encourage the dog toward you. If the dog is on the 30-foot line, use the line as a safety backup rather than dragging the dog toward you. Encourage the dog to make the decision to return. When the dog gets close, praise enthusiastically. Step 4 — The Most Important Part: Don’t Let the Dog Drop Early A common problem is that the dog retrieves the toy, comes most of the way back, and drops it several feet away. We want the dog to learn: Come all the way to me while still holding the toy. When the dog starts returning, give an occasional reminder: “Hold.” Do not repeat the cue every second. Say it once when needed. When the dog reaches you, avoid immediately grabbing for the toy. Reaching suddenly can cause some dogs to spit the object out early or turn the exercise into keep-away. Instead, encourage the dog to come directly into your space. You can gently touch the dog’s chest, collar, or side while calmly saying: “Good hold.” Wait one or two seconds. Then give the release cue: “Out.” Immediately reward the release with a treat. The sequence should become: Take It → Hold → Come → Hold → Out → Reward This teaches the dog that releasing the toy only happens after reaching the handler. Step 5 — Teach a Clean “Out” When the dog reaches you while holding the toy, place a treat near the dog’s nose and say: “Out.” When the mouth opens and the toy drops into your hand or onto the ground: “Good out.” Give the treat immediately. Avoid wrestling the toy away or repeatedly pulling it from the dog’s mouth. We want the dog to understand that Out is a voluntary release command, not a contest over possession. As the dog improves, begin hiding the treat until after the dog releases. Eventually: Out → dog releases → reward instead of showing the food first. Step 6 — Prevent Early Dropping If the dog repeatedly drops the toy before reaching you, make the exercise easier. Shorten the throwing distance. Instead of throwing the toy 30 feet, begin at 5–10 feet. The moment the dog picks it up: “Take it.” Then: “Come.” As the dog approaches: “Hold.” When the dog reaches you, wait briefly: “Good hold.” Then: “Out.” Reward. Once the dog can perform that sequence successfully several times, gradually increase the distance again. Another useful technique is to back away from the dog as it approaches. Many dogs naturally continue carrying the toy while following a moving handler. Step 7 — Build a Powerful Recall Fetch makes recall training fun because returning to the handler becomes part of the game. The dog learns: Coming back does not end the fun. Coming back makes the game continue. This is extremely important. After the dog returns, releases the toy, and receives praise or a reward, immediately throw another toy. Now returning to you predicts another opportunity to chase, tug, retrieve, and play. That can produce a much more enthusiastic recall than repeatedly calling a dog only when playtime is about to end. Using the 30-Foot Long Line For a dog that does not yet have a dependable recall, begin with a long line. Let the dog chase the toy while dragging or wearing the line under supervision. Call: “Come.” Encourage the dog toward you. The long line prevents the dog from practicing: Running away with the toy. Starting a game of keep-away. Ignoring the recall and leaving the training area. As the dog’s response becomes dependable, use less and less assistance from the line. Eventually the dog should be able to perform the complete exercise without it in an appropriately secure environment. Gradually Build Distance Progress slowly: 5 feet 10 feet 15 feet 20 feet 30 feet Then gradually increase distance as the dog demonstrates reliable success. Do not increase distance, distractions, and duration all at once. Change one difficulty at a time. Final Goal The finished behavior should look like this: You throw the plush toy. “Take it.” The dog retrieves it. “Come.” The dog returns immediately. “Hold.” The dog keeps the toy securely in its mouth and comes all the way into your space. You calmly receive the dog. “Out.” The dog releases the toy cleanly into your hand. Reward, praise, and repeat. This is a fun exercise, but it is also serious foundation training. Through one structured game, we can develop retrieving, carrying, holding, recall, impulse control, engagement, and a dependable Out command. Training Tip Keep sessions upbeat and relatively short. Stop while the dog still wants to play. A dog that finishes training thinking, “I want to do that again,” will usually be much more enthusiastic at the next session. Always inspect plush toys for torn seams or loose stuffing, and do not allow the dog to swallow fabric, stuffing, squeakers, or other pieces. A long line should also be used under supervision so it does not become wrapped around people, dogs, or objects.