That huge issue that you’re dealing with with your dog or puppy? What simple solutions can you think of?
Sit for: jumping on people, jumping when being petted, counter surfing, puppy biting, playing too rough, dropping things, etc.
Leave it for: jumping, counter surfing, destructive chewing, stealing things, barking, digging, etc.
Hand target for: focus, recall, leaving things, dropping things, barking, digging, not pulling on the leash, etc.
If you proof these simple behaviors, if your dog sits, etc. every single time you ask, that not only helps with any unwanted behavior, but it also sets you up for more complicated behaviors in the future. My favorite example is recall. Recall is a difficult behavior, and we often aren’t as consistent with it as we should be. But if your dog responds to a hand target cue flawlessly, then they head straight to you to touch your hand.
Don’t make training unnecessarily difficult.
