Prerequisite Skills

When embarking on any training program, having some prerequisite skills will go a long way in being able to teach your dog how to perform a specific exercise. Basic skills like Sit, Down and Stand will be necessary, but the ones we’ve listed below are also ones to establish, as these will allow your dog to perform the conditioning exercises safely and get the maximum benefit from each repetition.

Nose Target
This is exactly what it sounds like. We want your dog understand how to touch their nose against your hand or specific object when signaled.

Paw Target
Just like with a nose except, you guessed it, with their paws. Dogs should know variations of this target - for example, touch using only their two front paws, using just their two rear paws, and finally using a single paw. Additionally, we have found it useful to teach different signal words for each of these touches.

Hold Position
This is what we call a marker cue. A marker cue is a word or signal that tells your dog how and where they are receiving their reward or reinforcement. For example, the Hold Position marker cue is a signal that tells your dog to continue to do whatever exercise or action they are currently performing AND that you will be bringing the treats (or other reinforcement) to them.

Terminal Marker / All Done
This is also a marker cue similar to Hold Position, but in this case signals to your dog that they have successfully completed the exercise (or action) and now have permission to come to you to receive their reward. A classic example of a Terminal Marker is a dog clicker.