1. Cookies in your Hand

Place food in your hand in a closed fist, placed below or level with nose of your dog. Dog will lick, paw at your hand for a while but once it stops and sits or stands there starring at your hand and then looking up at you, open your hand, dog may dive to your hand but you close it. Again dog will lick, paw at your hand, again it will stop by sitting or just standing there. Open your hand again and if your dog just stares at the open hand give a piece of food to the dog. Keep your hand open only closing it if dog goes to help himself. This is repeated over and over again until your dog waits for you to give him a treat. No speaking or using obedience hand signals to the dog just treats given when he/she does what is expected of him/her.

2. Cookies on the Floor

Start with step 1 just to reinforce that game has been learned, now place all the cookies on the floor in a pile, hand ready to cover them if your dog goes for them. Repeat as necessary. If they don’t go for them give him/her one.

Move 1 cookie out of the pack. Now it wants that one, give it to the dog if it doesn’t go for it. Now move another from the pack but this time when it doesn’t go for it feed 1 from the pack leaving the other one separate from the pack. Switch it up each time the dog leaves the separate one as to where you give treat you feed to him/her No speaking or using obedience hand signals to the dog. Just treats given when he/she does what is expected of him/her.

3. Cookies from the Sky

Now hold the cookies in your hand standing by your dog on leash and drop one treat from above with your foot ready to cover it if your dog goes for it, let them make the choice. If they go for it, they have failed and don’t get a reward. Pick up the treat and place back in your hand. Try again, if they have 2 failures they don’t understand. Go back to “cookies on the floor” until they seem to understand, then try again “cookies from the sky” Always give them 2 Failures before returning to previous step. Be Confident and be sure dog sees you dropping the cookie from above with foot ready to cover. No speaking or using obedience hand signals to the dog just treats given when he/she does what is expected of him/her.

4. Dog on the Move

Place a bowl of food on the floor. Dog on leash walking towards the bowl of food, if your dog goes for it or tugs/drags you towards the bowl you move your hand down the leash to collar and you both back up a few steps. Try again to approach the bowl and hand down leash and back up, back up, back up.

Keep trying to pass the bowl of food without tugging or pulling. Keeping repeating back up, back up, back up. Be Confident it will happen, you will just pass it by.

No speaking or using obedience hand signals to the dog just treats given when he/she does what is expected of him/her.

5. Cookies on the Move

Place toy on the ground, if dog goes for it – hand down the leash to collar, back up, back up, back up. Try it again and back up, back up, back up until dog doesn’t go for the toy, Patience and be Confident. Place a toy on the ground – 1st toy, have a 2nd toy which the dog can have but dog is not to go for 1st toy, if they do backup, backup till they no longer go for 1st toy when walking by it. Once above has been successful, now toss the toy in the air, if dog goes for it, hand down the leash and backup, backup, backup until the dog is successful at not going for it until you give it to them. No speaking or using obedience hand signals to the dog just treat/toy given when he/she does what is expected of him/her.

6. On the Road - Testing

Have a person sit on floor with Liver Treats, walk pass the person at a distance, turn around and walk pass the person closer over and over, when the dog goes for the treat, hand down the leash and backup, backup, backup each time until successful. No speaking or using obedience hand signals to the dog just treats given when he/she does what is expected of him/her.

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