Step 3 - Building Stay Distance

Prerequisite Skills:

• Marker Word

• Step 2

  • 15 second duration minimum

• Review "Setting Criteria - 3 D's"

Gear:

• Treat pouch with treats

Set Up:

• Environmental Selection: Select/Set-Up an environment where your dog is able to stay focused.

• When teaching a new skill or a new part to an existing skill it's important to reset the environment to make learning the new thing easy on your dog.

• Use your criteria setting skills to understand how to increase or decrease how difficult/distracting your dog finds the environment so that your dog is able to successfully stay focused on you

Phase 1: Walking Away - Building Distance Facing Your Dog

Any duration behavior (which includes walking away) has 3 components: The cue to trigger the behavior, the criteria for the behavior, and the termination of the behavior through a release cue

• Cue: The hand signal or verbal cue trained in Step 2

• Criteria: Detailed out below

• Release Cue: The cue that tells your dog the behavior is done. Pick 1 - common cues are "Free" and "Break"

Reminder: Don't artificially add duration to this activity. When you hit your steps immediately walk back to your dog. Mark and reward when you return to your dog and not at the furthest point away from your dog.

Stay facing your dog and start to walk away incrementally using the following criteria:

Step	Reward Criteria
1	1/2 Step - 1 foot is stationary while the other foot steps back
2	1 Step - 1 foot steps back and then the other joins it
3	2 Steps
4	3 Steps
5	4 Steps
6	5 Steps
*	Repeat in 3 different directions

Phase 2: Walking Away - Building Distance Turning Away from Your Dog

Step	Reward Criteria
1	1/2 Turn Away from your dog
2	Full Turn Away from your dog
3	Full Turn + 1 Step
4	Full Turn + 2 Step
5	Full Turn + 3 Step
6	Full Turn + 4 Step
7	Full Turn + 5 Step
*	Continue to build steps until you reach a wall.

Phase 3: Walking Away - Going Out of Sight of Your Dog

Step	Reward Criteria
1	Ensure you've built enough distance to reach the wall that will block your dog's view of you
2	Step so that 1/4 of your body is out of view
3	Step so that 1/2 of your body is out of view
4	Step so that you are just barely, fully, out of view
5	Go 1 Step out of view
6	Go 2 Step out of view
7	Go 3 Step out of view
8	Go 4 Step out of view
9	Go 5 Step out of view
*	Continue to build steps out of view until you can reach any part of your house or environment