Appendix 3   |  2 5 5

Jasmine, a Boston Terrier bitch, once qualified to show at The Westminster

with her handler, Norm Randall, whose own Boston Terrier male was once a
Westminster Best of Breed winner.
At the Westminster show’s Group Judging round, each of the more than
170 Best of Breed winners is judged within one of the seven dog groups
to determine the seven Best of Group winners. In each group, the one all-
rounder judge awards four dogs a prize, but only each first-place winner
advances to the finals, where one dog is judged Best in Show.
Since 1934, the Westminster show has also featured a Junior Showmanship
competition that judges young handlers’ skills, not the dogs’ conformation.
More than 100 handlers, ages 10 to 18, who have won 10 or more Junior
Showmanship first place awards over the past year, are invited to compete.
Eight finalists compete for the title Best Junior Handler. The skill and poise
of these young people are inspirational.

Appendix 3.
Training Logs
O n the following 10 pages are blank training logs for each of the five
weeks in your dog’s Fundamentals Training Program. Each week’s log
lists that week’s lessons, and there is space for you to write detailed notes:
For example, “Mabel is getting great at reading my body language when
she’s tethered to me,” or, “Bailey loves his crate but is not ready for me to
close the door.” Even if you’re tempted to ignore the many inevitable less-
than-perfect training moments, I promise that you’ll learn more when you
write it all down. Besides, once you’ve completed the five-week program, I
believe you’ll find it instructive (and fun) to go back through your old logs.
After all, part of the purpose of these training logs is to better understand
patterns of how you and your dog learn together.
Write directly in this book, or download copies of these training logs at
positivelywoof.com.
WEEK ONE
Use this log to chart your dog training progress. See
Feeding, Potty Training, and Crating (Chapter Three, day 1 day 2
page 43) and the Fundamentals Program Week One
(Chapter Four, page 63) for review.

USING TREATS AS LURES Practice luring your dog

with treats. Page 66.

LURING TO SIT Touch treat to dog’s nose, lure up

(rump goes down), mark, praise, touch collar, treat last.
Page 70.

LURING TO RECALL, PART 1 Take 2 or 3 steps

back, lure dog. Mark, praise, touch collar, treat last.
EXTRA: If dog already sits, add a sit before the treat. Be
animated and happy when you lure. Page 73.

EYE-CONTACT EXERCISE Touch treat to dog’s nose,

then bring it to your eyes. Mark and reward for dog’s eye
contact. Page 74.

WALKING: “BE A TREE” When dog pulls leash, stop

and hold leash firmly to your body. When dog looks back
at you, mark, lure, and start again. Page 76.

LEASH TETHERING Tether your dog while moving

around your home. Page 45.

HAND-FEEDING Feed all meals by hand from dog’s

bowl. Your dog sees that you are the giver of food.
Page 47.

POTTY TRAINING Keep track of input (meals and

treats) and output (potty time). Note accidents. Page 50.

CRATE TRAINING Teach dog to love his crate. Many

treats and meals in and around crate. Page 53.

BITE INHIBITION, HANDLING, GENTLING

“Ouch” exercise. Lots of gentle handling. Touch paws and
all over body. Page 59.

GAMES AND SOCIALIZATION ACTIVITIES

Page 79.
 day 3
day 4
day 5
day 6
day 7
NOTES

From Training the Best Dog Ever

WEEK TWO
See the Fundamentals Program Week Two
(Chapter Five, page 81) for review. day 1 day 2

TETHERING EXERCISE With your dog tethered to

you, move randomly around your home or yard. Every time
dog looks at you, mark, touch collar, and treat. Page 82.

REAL-LIFE REWARDS SYSTEM Cue your dog to

sit for everything, including all meals, at start of walks and
training, before going into and exiting crate, and playing.
Page 83.

SIT: HAND SIGNAL, FROM LURE TO CUE

Try to increase your dog’s speedy response to your hand
signal (visual cue) without causing failure. Page 85.

SIT: WITHDRAW TREATS Put the treats in your other

hand while cueing sit. Then withdraw treats slowly by using
slot machine technique. Page 86.

RECALL: INCREASE LURING DISTANCE, ADD

VERBAL CUE Add sit at end of recall. Increase distance
one step at a time. Add “[Dog’s name], come here!”
verbal/visual cue. Page 87.

DOWN Start from sit. Slide treat toward dog’s chest then
lure straight down. When dog begins following down,
mark, praise, touch collar, and then treat last. Page 89.

RELEASE: VERBAL CUE After training, drop leash

and say “release” or “go play.” Pat dog and point to play
area. Page 91.

HAND-FEEDING AND CRATE TRAINING Hand-

feed all meals in and around crate. Teach dog to love his
crate. Pages 47, 53.

POTTY TRAINING Keep track of input (meals and

treats) and output (potty time). Note accidents. Page 50.

BITE INHIBITION, HANDLING, GENTLING

“Ouch” exercise. Lots of gentle handling. Touch paws and
all over body. Page 59.

GAMES AND SOCIALIZATION ACTIVITIES

Page 93.
 From Training the Best Dog Ever
day 3 day 4 day 5 day 6 day 7 NOTES

.
WEEK THREE
See the Fundamentals Program Week Three
(Chapter Six, page 95) for review. day 1 day 2

WALKING Add informal heeling with walk-stop-sit-walk-

stop-sit exercise. Troubleshoot leash pulling with “be a
tree,” leash tethering, Follow the Lure. Page 107.

SIT: ADD VERBAL CUE Combine the verbal cue with

hand signal throughout this training program. Continue
giving clear hand signals. Page 98.

PUPPY PUSHUPS Sit-down-sit. Mark each sit, down,

and sit. Praise, touch collar, and treat at end of each cycle.
Sharpen dog’s response to cues and focus on you. Page 99.

COOKIE SIT-STAY “Glue” leash hand to hip, touch

treat to dog’s nose, and toss it beyond dog’s reach. Cue sit
(then mark). Then send to take it, mark, and praise.
Page 100.

SIT-STAY (ALTERNATIVE METHOD) Dog sits,

touch treat to dog’s nose, then hold between your eyes.
Increase dog’s focus on you. Increase time when
successful. Page 103.

OFF AND TAKE IT: PHASE 1 Hold six treats, shift

one to fingers, say “take it.” On fourth rep keep quiet: If
dog tries to get it, say “off” sharply. As dog looks at you,
say “take it.” Page 104.

RECALL AND SIT COMBO WITH RELEASE

After each minute of supervised play, recall (“come here”)
and sit (mark, praise, touch collar, reward). Release to play
again. Page 98.

CATCH YOUR DOG DOING SOMETHING YOU

LIKE Evaluate yourself. How well do you recognize and
acknowledge your dog for offering behaviors without being
asked? Page 106.

POTTY TRAINING Keep track of input (meals and

treats) and output (potty time). Note accidents. Page 50.

BASELINE BEHAVIORS Hand-feeding; crate training;

bite inhibition, handling, and gentling. Pages 47, 53, 59.

GAMES AND SOCIALIZATION ACTIVITIES

Page 109.
 day 3
day 4
day 5
day 6
day 7
NOTES

From Training the Best Dog Ever

WEEK FOUR
See the Fundamentals Program Week Four
(Chapter Seven, page 111) for review. day 1 day 2

RECALLS: ADD DISTRACTIONS AND

DISTANCE Generalize to outdoor locations. With
training partner’s help, practice the Runaway and Lassie
Recall exercise. Page 113.

STAY UNTIL RECALLED: ADD DISTANCE,

DURATION, AND DISTRACTIONS Add steps and
time gradually, generalize to new locations. Circle around
dog as he sits and stays. Page 114.

DOWN: NAMING THE BEHAVIOR Practice Puppy

Pushups (sit-down-sit), adding verbal cues to hand signals.
Page 115.

STANDING POSE As dog sits at your side, lure forward

so that he stands to follow treat. When fluent, add to Puppy
Pushups sequence, and add verbal cue (“pose”). Page 115.

OFF AND TAKE IT TRADES: PHASE 2 Practice

trades for items of equal or greater value. Trade special
treats for portions of meal in food bowl. Page 117.

CLIMBING STAIRS Cue a sit. Step and block dog with

your leg. Mark, praise, and reward each step. Sit and praise
at the end. Page 120.

DOOR TRAINING Cue a sit, then say “off” before you

open door and lead through with hand signal. Then mark,
praise, reward. Later, add verbal cue “let’s go.” Page 122.

SETTLE DOWN From down-stay position, offer treats

one by one (vending machine technique). When dog
relaxes, say “good settle.” Also, hand-feed in settle
position. Page 125.

CATCH YOUR DOG DOING SOMETHING YOU

LIKE Also, use Real-Life Rewards System. Page 106.

POTTY TRAINING Keep track of input (meals and

treats) and output (potty time). Note accidents. Page 50.

BASELINE BEHAVIORS Hand-feeding; crate training;

bite inhibition, handling, and gentling. Pages 47, 53, 59.

GAMES AND SOCIALIZATION ACTIVITIES

Page 127.
 day 3
day 4
day 5
day 6
day 7
NOTES

From Training the Best Dog Ever

WEEK FIVE
See the Fundamentals Program Week Five
(Chapter Eight, page 129) for review. day 1 day 2

SIT
1. Lure with a treat to a sit. Page 131.
2. Hand signal without a treat. Page 131.
3. Sit in public at three random moments. Page 131.

RECALL AND RELEASE

1. Luring recall. Page 132.
2. Recall with verbal cue. Release. Pages 132, 137.
3. Recall-sit combination during play. Page 132.

LEASH WALKING
1. Tethering exercise. Page 133.
2. Walking exercise: change direction. Page 133.
3. Walking exercise: informal heeling. Page 133.

DOWN
1. Luring to a down. Page 134.
2. Puppy Pushups. Page 134.
3. Down and sit at a distance with verbal cues. Page 134.

STAY
1. Cookie sit and take it. Page 134.
2. Cookie sit-stay. Page 135.
3. Conventional stay cue for 30 seconds. Page 135.

STANDING POSE
1. Luring to a stand from sit. Page 135.
2. Stand visual cue without treat. Page 135.
3. Puppy Pushups: add stand verbal cue. Page 136.

SETTLE DOWN
1. Human vending machine. Page 136.
2. Settle visual and verbal cue. Page 136.
3. Real-life settle at three random moments. Page 137.

OFF AND TAKE IT TRADES

1. Cookie sit-stay. Page 137.
2. Phase 1 trade. Page 137.
3. Phase 2 trade (food bowl). Page 137.

BOUNDARY TRAINING
1. Interior doors. Page 138.
2. Visitor. Page 138.
3. Climbing stairs or steps on cue. Page 138.

GAMES AND SOCIALIZATION ACTIVITIES

Page 141.
 From Training the Best Dog Ever
day 3 day 4 day 5 day 6 day 7 NOTES

.
2 8 8   |  T R A I N I N G T H E B E S T D O G E V E R

About the Authors

B
efore becoming the dog trainer to President Obama’s family,
Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz trained each of Senator Ted Kennedy’s
Portuguese Water Dogs. Sylvia-Stasiewicz, who was a professional
dog trainer in the Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia area for more than
20 years, ran popular Merit Puppy dog training classes, training and board-
ing animals for the Washington elite. She brought a mom’s approach to
training, basing her work on theories of positive reinforcement. She died
unexpectedly in early 2011.
Larry Kay is a Los Angeles–based writer and leader of the pack at
Positively Woof. He created the award-winning Animal Wow dog care
DVD for kids, covered the Westminster Dog Show for AOL, and was a
contributing editor for Dog Fancy magazine. His writing credits include
documentaries and educational films for PBS, and edutainment software
for Disney and The Muppets. Larry continues to be inspired by Higgins,
his Golden Retriever, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge in June 2012 at
15½ years old. Visit Larry online at positivelywoof.com and facebook
.com/positivelywoof.
 Additional Praise for
Training the Best Dog Ever

Best Training and Behavior Book

—Dog Writers Association of America

The first-ever Canine Life and Social Skills Award

—Association of Pet Dog Trainers

“I love this book!

I get every training book that’s out there. This is better than good,
it’s the best one I’ve seen in a very long time.”
—Steve Dale, “Steve Dale’s Pet World,”
Tribune Media Services

“Safe and humane . . .

A sturdy foundation for a happy, well-adjusted dog.”
—Dr. E. Kathryn Meyer, VMD, Past President,
American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior

Editor’s Pick:
“A comprehensive, easy-to-follow guide
to the power of positive reinforcement training.”
—The Bark

“This is the perfect program for families seeking extensive,

detailed, and positive training advice.”
—Lt. Joel Walton, Certified Pet Dog Trainer,
author of Positive Puppy Training Works
 Copyright © 2010, 2012 by Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced—mechanically,

electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying—without written
permission of the publisher. Published simultaneously in Canada by
Thomas Allen & Son Limited.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-0-7611-6885-0

Originally published as The Love That Dog Training Program,

now revised and updated.

Design by Ariana Abud

Original interior photography by Evan Sklar
Additional photography credits on page 287.

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Printed in the United States of America

First printing August 2012
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1