Your Between-Session Homework

What you do between sessions determines how fast your puppy progresses. Five to ten minutes of focused daily practice moves a behavior forward more than any single lesson. Each assignment below tells you exactly what to practice, how to practice it, and what to send before the next lesson. Read the whole assignment before you start. Follow it in order.

5 Assignments

5–10 Minutes Per Session

90s Max Video Length

Rules That Apply to Every Assignment

Use high-value treats every session — small pieces of chicken, beef, or cheese. Save them for training only.
Say "Yes" before your hand moves toward the treat. If your hand moves first, you are training your puppy to watch your hand, not to respond to the marker.
Give a cue once. If your puppy does not respond, help them — don't repeat the cue.
End every session on a success. Stop while your puppy is still engaged and performing well.
Keep the clicker available for any new behavior that is still forming. "Yes" is your everyday field marker.

Homework 1 — After Week 1

Covers Sessions 1 & 2

Recap You charged the clicker — your puppy now understands that the click predicts a reward. You began pairing "Yes" with the click so the verbal marker starts carrying the same meaning. You marked your first behavior: spontaneous eye contact.

Continue Charging the Clicker

Run 2 sets of 15 click→treat repetitions per day. No behavior required — just click, then immediately deliver a treat.
Keep a one-second maximum between click and treat. Longer than that and the connection weakens.
Watch for the charge: your puppy's ears prick, their head turns toward you, or they look expectantly after every click. That is the behavior you are looking for.

Pair "Yes" with the Click

Run 10 repetitions per session of: say "Yes" → click at the same instant → treat. Both signals fire together, every time.
Your puppy does nothing on cue here either. You are conditioning the word the same way you conditioned the click.
At the end of each session, test "Yes" alone twice — no click. Watch for an orienting response. Note whether it is working yet.

Reward Spontaneous Eye Contact

During short walks or around the house, watch for your puppy to look up at your face on their own.
The instant eye contact happens: say "Yes" and deliver a treat. No cue needed — you are rewarding the choice your puppy made.
Do this 5–10 times per day. It does not need to be a structured session.

Test the Name Cue

Say your puppy's name once. Wait 3 seconds. If they look at you, click and treat immediately.
If they do not respond, note it — do not repeat the name. Help by moving toward them and rewarding any orientation to you.
Practice 5 reps per session, twice a day. The name should predict something good every single time you say it.

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Video Required Before Session 3 Send a 45–90 second video showing either your clicker charging session OR your "Yes" pairing reps. We need to see your timing. Film from the side so we can watch your hand, your marker, and your puppy's response. Send the video at least 24 hours before your next lesson.

Coming Up Sessions 3 & 4 introduce eye contact while you move, the name cue under distraction, and luring for sit and down. Your puppy will need a solid response to "Yes" and the clicker before these sessions — your homework this week builds that foundation.

Homework 2 — After Week 2

Covers Sessions 3 & 4

Recap You rewarded eye contact while moving, introduced the name cue, lured sit and down, and used "Yes" as a standalone marker for the first time. You removed the lure after 3 repetitions and switched to an empty hand making the same motion. Your puppy is beginning to understand that the hand signal — not the food — is the cue.

Practice Sit — Drop the Lure

Use a lure for the first rep only. On reps 2 through 5, switch to an empty hand making the same arc motion over your puppy's head.
The moment the rear hits the floor: say "Yes" and deliver the treat from your other hand.
Run 5 reps per session. If your puppy stalls at the empty hand, go back to one more lure rep — then switch again.

Practice Down — Drop the Lure

From a sit, use the lure once to draw the treat straight down and slightly forward between your puppy's front paws.
Reps 2 through 5: empty hand, same motion. Mark "Yes" the instant both elbows contact the floor — not when the movement starts, when it finishes.
If your puppy pops back up before you can mark, shorten the motion — you may be drawing too far forward.

Keep Building Eye Contact

Continue rewarding spontaneous eye contact throughout the day with "Yes" and a treat. No cue needed.
Add a moving version: walk a few steps, pause — if your puppy looks up at you, "Yes" and treat.

Collar Preparation

Put the collar on your puppy before each training session. Feed 5 treats immediately after clipping it — collar predicts food.
Leave the collar on for 15–20 minutes per day. Supervise. This builds collar acceptance before leash work begins in Week 3.

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Video Required Before Session 5 Send a 45–90 second video of sit and down practice using the empty hand signal — no lure visible in your hand. Show at least 3 reps of each. We want to see your marker timing and the moment the lure comes out of the picture. Film from the side.

Coming Up Sessions 5 & 6 introduce heel, recall, collar and leash work, and move "Yes" to your only marker — no clicker needed. Come to Session 5 with a puppy that is comfortable wearing a collar and responding to sit and down with an empty hand signal.

Homework 3 — After Week 3

Covers Sessions 5 & 6

Recap You introduced heel and recall via lure, paired the collar and leash with treats, and transitioned "Yes" to your sole marker — the clicker is now a backup for new behaviors only. You added verbal cues for sit and down: the word comes before the hand signal, every time.

Practice Verbal Cues for Sit and Down

Say "Sit" — pause one full second — then show the hand signal if needed. Mark "Yes" the instant the rear hits the floor.
If your puppy sits before you show the signal: "Yes" immediately and jackpot the reward — that is the correct response.
Same sequence for "Down": word first, pause, signal if needed, "Yes" at elbows-down.
5 reps of each, twice daily. You are training the word — not the hand.

Practice Heel

Hold a treat at your left hip. Walk forward. Your puppy should follow at your hip. After 3–4 steps, say "Yes" and deliver the treat.
After 2 lure reps, switch to empty hand at the same position. Mark and reward from the other hand.
Keep heel sessions short: 4–5 short bursts of walking, not one long march.

Practice Recall

Crouch down, open your arms, say "Come" once. When your puppy reaches your feet, mark with "Yes" and deliver a big reward — multiple treats or a toy.
Never call your puppy to you for anything unpleasant this week — a bath, nail trim, or crate when they don't want to go in. "Come" must stay a predictor of good things only.

Daily Leash Practice

Clip the leash and walk for 5 minutes per day in a low-distraction area — your yard, a quiet sidewalk.
When your puppy pulls, stop. Wait. The moment the leash goes slack and they look at you: mark with "Yes" and move forward again. Pulling stops all forward movement.
Reward check-ins — any time your puppy looks up at you while walking, "Yes" and a treat.

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Video Required Before Session 7 Send a 45–90 second video showing your puppy responding to either "Sit" or "Down" with a verbal cue — minimal or no hand signal. We want to see the timing of your cue, your pause, and your marker. Include at least one rep where the puppy responds before the hand signal comes out.

Coming Up Sessions 7 & 8 begin the proofing phase. Session 7 introduces duration — your puppy will hold sit and down for longer intervals before the reward comes. Session 8 takes everything outdoors. Come ready with verbal cues working and a puppy comfortable on leash.

Homework 4 — After Week 4

Covers Sessions 7 & 8

Recap You began proofing with duration — your puppy holds sit and down for increasing time before the marker fires. You named all four behaviors (Sit, Down, Heel, Come) with verbal cues. You took the program outdoors and saw that new locations reduce performance temporarily. That is normal and expected.

Build Duration on Sit and Down

Ask for sit. Wait 5 seconds before saying "Yes." Next rep: 8 seconds. Build to 20–30 seconds across the week.
Ask for down. Same progression — start at 5 seconds, build to 30–45 seconds by the end of the week.
If your puppy breaks early, say nothing — reset and shorten the duration by half. Rebuild from there. Do not repeat the cue when they break.

Practice Verbal Cues Without Hand Signals

Say "Sit" with your hands at your sides. Wait 3 seconds. If your puppy sits: "Yes" and a jackpot reward.
If no response in 3 seconds, show the hand signal — mark and reward the correct behavior, but note that the verbal cue is still developing.
Same for "Down". Track which behaviors respond to the word alone. Those are your strongest behaviors this week.

Daily Outdoor Sessions

Take one full training session outside per day — yard, sidewalk, quiet park. Start with sit and down before asking for heel or come.
Reward more frequently outdoors. New environments temporarily reduce reliability — higher reward rate compensates.
Practice recall: walk 10 feet away, say "Come" once, and jackpot when your puppy arrives. Do this 3–5 times per outdoor session.

Begin Adding Distance

Ask for sit. Wait for 5 seconds of duration. Take one step back. Say "Yes" — then walk back to your puppy to deliver the treat. Do not call them to you yet.
Add one step at a time across the week: 1 step → 3 steps → 5 steps. Return to your puppy each time.
If the sit breaks when you step back, you moved too far. Return to the last distance where the behavior held.

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Video Required Before Session 9 Send a 45–90 second video of an outdoor session. Show at least one sit or down with duration (hold for 10+ seconds), and at least one rep where you step back from your puppy before marking. Film from the side. We want to see your timing, your distance, and how your puppy responds to the environment.

Coming Up Sessions 9 & 10 add distance, controlled distractions, and offered behaviors. Come with a puppy that can hold a sit or down for 20 seconds and stay in position when you step 3–5 feet away. The more solid that foundation is, the faster distraction work builds on top of it.

Homework 5 — After Week 5

Covers Sessions 9 & 10

Recap You added distance and introduced mild distractions while your puppy held behaviors. You also worked on offered behaviors — your puppy began giving you eye contact and sits without being asked. These are signs that the training is becoming part of how your puppy thinks, not just a response to your commands.

Build Distance — 3 to 5 Steps

Ask for sit. Step back 3 steps. Wait 5 seconds. Say "Yes". Return to your puppy and reward. Do not call them forward.
Build toward 5 steps of distance this week. When the behavior is solid at 5 steps, try stepping to the side instead of straight back.
If your puppy breaks, say nothing, reset, and shorten the distance. Never repeat the cue after a break — ask fresh.

Add Mild Distractions

Place a toy 3–4 feet away from your puppy while they are in a sit or down. Ask them to hold it. Mark and reward for staying put.
Have a second person walk by at a distance while your puppy holds the behavior. Mark and reward for staying focused.
When you add a new distraction, reduce your distance temporarily. Do not stack both at maximum at the same time.

Reward Offered Behaviors — Daily

Every day, stand still and wait. Do not ask for anything. When your puppy offers eye contact: "Yes" and treat immediately.
When your puppy sits without being asked: "Yes" and jackpot — multiple treats or a toy.
You are building a puppy that defaults to polite behavior instead of jumping, pawing, or demanding attention.

Practice in New Locations

Take your puppy to at least two new locations this week: a neighbor's yard, a quiet parking lot, a park. Practice all four cues in each place.
In every new location: start with the behavior at short duration and close distance. Rebuild from there. Do not demand full performance the first minute in a new environment.
End each location session with recall — say "Come" once, jackpot when your puppy arrives.

Verbal Cues Only — Final Prep

Practice all four cues — Sit, Down, Heel, Come — using only the verbal cue. No hand signal, no body lean.
If no response in 3 seconds, show the signal and reward anyway. Note which behaviors still need the signal.
This is a preview of your Session 11 evaluation. The more you practice it now, the cleaner the evaluation will be.

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Video Required Before Session 11 Send a 45–90 second video filmed in a location your puppy has not worked in before — not your home or usual yard. Show at least two verbal-cue-only reps (no hand signal) of any behavior. We want to see location transfer and your marker timing under real-world conditions. This video directly prepares us for the final evaluation in Sessions 11 and 12.

Coming Up Sessions 11 & 12 are your final evaluation sessions. Session 11 tests verbal cues with no hand signals. Session 12 is a full proof in a novel environment — all four behaviors, real-world conditions, verbal cues only. This is the benchmark for a trained behavior: your puppy responds because they understand the cue, not because the environment is familiar or you are close enough to help.