Glossary

Primary reward

Anything a dog wants by nature, without learning. Food, water, safety, comfort, sleep, play, smells.

Something a dog learns to want because it leads to primary rewards. A clicker sound. A praise word. A person.

By itself, a secondary reward has no value. Money is the human example. Paper is paper. People work for it because it buys primary things.

The goal of this method. The owner becomes a strong secondary reward. The dog turns to the owner first, the way a person turns to money first.

A small interaction that comes before a primary reward. The dog looks at you. Then food appears. The dog sits at the door. Then the door opens.

The gateway is short. It is the same every time. It does not change with the room.

The dog looks at you on its own, without being called. This is the small daily proof that the bond is working.

A behavior that runs every time, with no praise and no punishment. The dog learns it by repetition. After a while it is the floor of the day.

The dog can stop. The dog can leave. The dog can pick a different action.

A behavior the dog chose lasts longer than a behavior the dog was forced into.

The point where a dog stops noticing you. A loud street, a fast squirrel, a friendly stranger with food.

You build the bond by working under the threshold first. You only work above the threshold once the bond is strong.

The dog lies down within an arm's length of you and stays there. A short settle is the start. A long settle in a new place is the goal.

The dog eats from your open hand instead of a bowl. Used during the first month of feeding work.

A point on the 10-stage test. Stage 1 is the easiest. Stage 10 is the hardest. Your stage is your highest yes-answer in order.

A method that runs in daily life, not in a training session. Meals, walks, grooming, manners, and play are the work.