6-Week Foundation Program

This plan builds your American Bully puppy's behavioral foundation over 12 sessions. You start by charging a clicker so your puppy understands exactly what a reward marker means. Once that's in place, you add a verbal marker — "Yes" — and then begin teaching sit, down, heel, and come through lure-based shaping. The final phase proves those behaviors under real-world conditions: Duration, Distance, Distraction, and Location.

6Weeks

12Sessions

4Core Skills

10Min / Day Max

The Marker Sequence

Step 1 Charge the Clicker

›

Step 2 Use Click to Mark Behavior

›

Step 3 Pair "Yes" with the Click

›

Step 4 "Yes" Works Alone

Why You Start with the Clicker, Not the Word

A clicker produces an identical sound every single time. A verbal marker — even a single word like "Yes" — changes in tone, speed, and timing depending on your mood and energy level. The clicker gives your puppy a consistent, precise signal from the first session. Once your puppy has a clear understanding that a sound predicts a reward, you transfer that meaning to the word "Yes." From that point forward, you can mark behaviors without the clicker in your hand — in any environment, at any distance.

Do not skip the charging phase. A clicker that has not been charged is just noise. The charge is what makes it a marker.

Key Principles

1Charge the clicker before you ask for any behavior. Your puppy must understand that the click predicts a reward before you use it to mark anything.
2Build engagement before you teach skills. A puppy that wants to work with you learns faster and retains more.
3Use a lure only a few times — three to five reps — then switch to an empty hand making the same motion.
4Shape behaviors by rewarding small steps. Do not wait for the finished behavior before marking.
5Say the verbal cue before you give the hand signal. This teaches your puppy to listen first.
6Keep sessions five to ten minutes. Multiple short sessions beat one long one every time.

12-Session Plan

Phase 1 — Charging the Marker (Sessions 1–2, Week 1)

Session 1 Week 1

Clicker Only

Charge the Clicker

No behavior required. Your puppy does nothing on cue
Click once → immediately deliver a treat. Repeat 10–15 times per set
Run 3 sets with short breaks between. Keep the pace quick
Watch for the "flinch" — your puppy's ears or head move at the sound of the click. That is the charge working
By the end of this session your puppy should orient to you or look expectantly after every click
Do not cue, lure, or ask for anything. Click happens first — behavior comes later

Session 2 Week 1

Click + "Yes" Pairing

Test the Charge + Introduce "Yes"

Verify the charge: stand still, click — your puppy should look at you expecting the treat
Use the charged clicker to mark the first natural behavior: eye contact. The instant your puppy looks at your eyes, click → treat
After 10 reps with the clicker, begin pairing the verbal marker: say "Yes" at the same moment you click, then treat
Run 10 reps of Click + "Yes" → treat. The puppy hears both at the same instant
Goal: "Yes" begins to carry the same meaning as the click through association

Phase 2 — Engagement with Markers (Sessions 3–4, Week 2)

Session 3 Week 2

Clicker Primary

Eye Contact While Moving + Name Cue

Walk slowly. Click and treat the instant your puppy makes eye contact while you move
Say your puppy's name once. The instant they orient toward your face, click → treat
Do not repeat the name. One cue, one chance to respond
Alternate between click only and Click + "Yes" — continue pairing the verbal marker
End of session: test "Yes" alone on two repetitions. Does the puppy respond? Note the result

Session 4 Week 2

Click + "Yes"

Lure Sit & Down — Introduce "Yes" on Its Own

Lure sit: arc treat back over the head. Click the instant the rear touches the floor
After 3 lure reps, switch to empty hand — same motion. Click the correct position
Lure down from sit: draw treat straight down and forward between paws. Click when elbows contact the floor
After 3 lure reps, switch to empty hand. Click and treat
Last 5 reps of each behavior: replace the click with "Yes" only. No clicker. Mark with the word, then treat
"Yes" should now be holding weight as a standalone marker

Phase 3 — Expanding Skills + Collar & Leash (Sessions 5–6, Week 3)

Session 5 Week 3

Click + "Yes"

Heel & Recall via Lure + Collar & Leash

Lure heel: treat at hip height, walk forward, puppy follows. Click after 3–4 steps
Switch to empty hand after 3 lure reps. Click for position at your hip
Lure recall: crouch, lure toward you at chest height. Click the moment puppy arrives at your feet
Put the collar on. Feed treats continuously for 60 seconds — collar predicts food
Clip the leash. Let it drag. Reward the puppy for moving with you with the leash trailing
Pick up the leash. Walk with loose leash, click and treat for proximity

Session 6 Week 3

"Yes" Standalone

Shape Sit & Down + Add Verbal Cues

This session runs on "Yes" only — put the clicker away
Ask for sit using empty hand signal. Mark with "Yes" the instant the rear touches the floor
Add the verbal cue: say "Sit," pause one second, then signal with empty hand
Repeat until the verbal cue alone gets the sit without the hand signal
Repeat the same sequence for down: verbal cue "Down," pause, signal, "Yes," treat
From this session forward, "Yes" is your primary field marker. The clicker stays as a precision tool for new or difficult behaviors

Phases 4–6 — The Proofing Sequence: Duration → Distance → Distraction → Location. Introduce each variable separately. Do not combine until the previous variable is solid. Use "Yes" as your primary marker throughout.

Phase 4 — Proofing: Duration & Cue Naming (Sessions 7–8, Week 4)

Session 7 Week 4

"Yes" — Duration

Duration & Stay + Name All Four Cues

Ask for sit. Wait one second before saying "Yes." Then two. Then five
Build in 1–2 second increments. If the puppy breaks, say nothing — reset and shorten the duration
Add duration to down in the same way
Name heel as "Heel" and recall as "Come" — say the verbal cue one second before the hand signal
Duration is the first proofing variable. Your puppy holds the behavior until you release it — not until they decide to move

Session 8 Week 4

"Yes" — New Location

Generalize Behaviors Outdoors

Take the session outside to a quiet, low-distraction area
Ask for all four behaviors: sit, down, heel, come
Expect a performance drop — this is normal. New location resets reliability temporarily
Reward more frequently outdoors to keep motivation high while the environment is novel
End while performance is still strong. Do not push for perfect behavior in a new location on the first exposure

Phase 5 — Proofing: Distance & Distraction (Sessions 9–10, Week 5)

Session 9 Week 5

"Yes" — Distance

Distance + Controlled Distractions

Ask for sit or down. Take one step back. "Yes" and return to the puppy to reward — do not call them to you yet
Build distance one step at a time. Always return to the puppy to deliver the reward
Once distance is working, add a mild distraction: a toy on the ground, a second person nearby
When you add distraction, reduce your distance temporarily — do not stack both variables at once
Reward heavily for maintaining the behavior with a distraction present

Session 10 Week 5

"Yes" — Offered Behaviors

Puppy Offers Behaviors Without Being Asked

Stand still. Do not cue anything. Wait
If your puppy offers eye contact, "Yes" → treat immediately
If your puppy offers a sit without being asked, "Yes" → jackpot reward
Reward any voluntary check-in or known behavior offered without a cue
This session builds a puppy that thinks and offers correct behavior rather than waiting to be told what to do

Phase 6 — Proofing: Location & Evaluation (Sessions 11–12, Week 6)

Session 11 Week 6

"Yes" — Verbal Cues Only

Verbal Cues Without Hand Signals

Give verbal cues only. No hand signal, no body lean, no extra prompting
If the puppy does not respond within 3 seconds, show the hand signal — then mark and reward the correct response
Do not repeat the verbal cue. One cue, one chance, then help
Track which behaviors respond to the word alone and which still need the signal
Word-only response is the benchmark for a trained behavior

Session 12 Week 6

"Yes" — Full Proof

Novel Environment + Progress Evaluation

Train in a location your puppy has never been to before
Test all four behaviors: sit, down, heel, come
Rate each behavior: Ready (verbal cue alone, new environment) / Needs Work (needs signal or familiar environment) / Not Yet (still forming)
This is your program baseline — it tells you exactly where to focus in the next training phase

How to Use This Plan

Train five to ten minutes daily. Multiple short sessions beat one long one every time.
Send your trainer at least one practice video between sessions.
Always say "Yes" before you reach for the treat. If your hand moves first, you train your puppy to watch your hand — not respond to the word.
Use high-value treats: small pieces of chicken, beef, or cheese. Reserve them for training only so they stay high-value.
Keep the clicker available for introducing any new or complex behavior. "Yes" is your field marker; the clicker is your precision tool.
Stay consistent through adolescence (4–12 months). Your puppy will test boundaries. The structure stays in place regardless.

Marker Timing — The Non-Negotiable

The click or "Yes" must land at the exact moment the correct behavior occurs. Not before. Not after. Late markers mark the wrong behavior. Your puppy processes the world fast — your marker must keep up. Practice your timing without your puppy first: drop a ball, click the moment it hits the floor. If you can do that consistently, your timing is ready for training.

When in doubt between the clicker and "Yes" — use the clicker. It is faster and does not vary. "Yes" is valuable at a distance and when your hands are not free. Both markers mean the same thing to your puppy once properly charged and paired.

Additional Training Advice

Socialization

Once vaccinations are complete, introduce your puppy to friendly dogs and calm people. Keep introductions positive and brief. Quality of exposure matters more than quantity. A single bad experience at this age carries more weight than ten good ones.

Crate Training

Use a crate to build confidence when your puppy is left alone. Feed meals in the crate. Keep crate time positive. A puppy comfortable alone does not develop the anxiety or destructive habits that come from unstructured alone time.

Leash Walking

Practice leash walking in low-distraction areas before moving to busy streets or parks. Build good leash manners at home first. Pulling on leash is a habit that forms fast and breaks slowly. Address it in the yard before it becomes a street problem.

Rest

Young dogs need 16–18 hours of sleep per day. Do not over-stimulate your puppy. A tired puppy makes errors and gets frustrated. Schedule rest between sessions. Learning happens during consolidation — rest is part of training.