Foundational Level Training Checklists

The Name Game teaches dogs to choose to look at youth = even when there are distractions. This is the foundation for heeling, recall exercise, and leave-it cue. This is the single most important behavior you can teach a dog.

The Ketchup Game is the foundation for loose leash walking, heeling and advanced off-leash heeling exercises. The game teaches dogs that it's more fun to stay near youth than to pull on the leash. Practice this exercise until your dog masters off-leash heeling at the Novice obedience level, approximately 3rd or 4th year of participation in Dog Project.

The Popcorn Game is a pattern game to help your dog develop self-control when getting in or out of a vehicle. It also is foundation for the pause table obstacle in agility!

In obedience competition, we take steps in specific ways to communicate with our dogs. It's harder to train ourselves this new footwork than to teach our dogs, so we begin practicing without our dogs. Then we teach our dogs to follow our left leg. This is foundation for loose leash walking, heeling, long sit, long down, and even advanced obedience exercises like the moving stand in Utility obedience level, approximately the 9th year of participation in Dog Project.