Intermediate obedience
for greater reliability.

Sit · Down · Stay · Place · Wait

Reinforce familiar commands while helping your dog stay engaged around distractions. Begin place and introduce wait at doorways.

• Proof sit, down, and stay around distractions
• Introduce the place command
• Practice wait at doorways

Come · Place · Doorway waits

Build a more reliable come cue and raise the challenge for place and doorway waits in increasingly complex, controlled environments.

• Practice come with distractions
• Increase the difficulty of place
• Continue wait at doorways
• Build recall in more complex environments

Heel · Leave it · Stay

Introduce heel for more connected leash walking and practice thoughtful choices around tempting distractions.

• Introduce the heel command
• Practice leave it and stay
• Continue proofing place and wait around distractions

Secure area · Focus · Reliable responses

Begin off-leash practice only in a secure, trainer-approved environment while strengthening familiar commands around advanced distractions.

• Begin supervised off-leash practice in a secure environment
• Work through advanced distractions for learned commands
• Refine place and wait

Distance · Duration · Everyday distractions

Connect the new skills in varied, controlled situations so dogs can respond thoughtfully as distance, duration, and distractions change.

• Practice sit, down, stay, and come in new controlled settings
• Use place and doorway waits during realistic routines
• Practice heel and leave it around distractions
• Build handler timing, distance, and duration

Practice · Progress · Celebration

Bring the course together with a series of coached skill challenges, review progress, and celebrate the work you and your dog have done.

• Rotate through sit, down, stay, come, heel, place, wait, and leave it
• Practice a trainer-led real-world scenario
• Get individual feedback and next-step ideas
• Celebrate your progress and graduate