Program 02
Basic Obedience
Obéissance de base
Obedience training in Meteghan, Nova Scotia: core manners with real-world reliability for daily life on and off the property.
Overview
From knowing it to doing it.
Puppy Foundation teaches a dog how to learn. Basic Obedience turns that learning into reliable everyday behaviour.
A dog can know the word “sit” without having a reliable sit. This course closes that gap, so your dog responds at home, on walks, around people and dogs, and in public, not only in a quiet room with food in your hand.
Who it is for
- Graduates of ACA Puppy Foundation.
- Adolescent and adult dogs with some prior training that need dependable everyday manners. The intake assessment confirms your dog is ready.
- Families who want obedience that works in real life, and are ready to practise between sessions.
What is covered
Everyday manners you can count on.
What your dog will learn
- Sit, stay, heel and recall: plus down, stand and place, held for longer and with you farther away, and a recall built safely on a long line
- Loose-leash walking, on and off the property
- Doorway and greeting manners: waiting at doors, gates and the vehicle, and calm greetings with four paws on the floor
- Engagement: paying attention to you and coming back to you after a distraction
- Leave it, and neutrality around other dogs, people and busy places
What you will learn
- Handler consistency and clear cues: one clear cue, consistent rules
- Timing, reward placement and leash handling
- Raising difficulty one step at a time
- Spotting when your dog is struggling
- Stopping unwanted habits before they are rehearsed
- How to keep the training going on your own
How it works
Train the dog you have, where you need it.
- Baseline assessment. Every dog starts with an intake assessment showing what it can actually do, how reliably, and where that breaks down. We score each skill and test it in more than one environment. If more groundwork is needed, we may recommend Puppy Foundation first.
- Training plan. We choose the main focus and set measurable targets for the first 30 days.
- Practise at home. Short sessions and homework built into daily life: structured walks, recall games, place during household activity and calm greetings.
- Proof and generalize. Each behaviour moves from home, to the yard, to quiet public places, to real-world distraction.
Can't make it to Meteghan? Our obedience approach is also in General Obedience by Ryan R. McKenzie, a practical guide you can follow at home. Training an older dog? Try Old Dogs New Tricks. Signed by the author. $12 shipping in Canada or free pickup in Meteghan.
Order Signed Copy: General Obedience ($41.99) Order Signed Copy: Old Dogs New Tricks ($27.99)
Expectations for graduation
Reliability, not a list of commands.
A dog does not graduate because it can perform a list of commands. It graduates when it shows functional reliability in more than one environment, and when you can run the training on your own. We measure success by what happens when things get difficult: can your dog hear you, disengage, hold a behaviour, recover and make the right choice?
- Engagement and responsivenessPays attention to you and responds promptly to known cues without constant prompting.
- PositionsClear, reliable sit, down, stand and place.
- Duration and distanceHolds behaviours for useful lengths of time, and while you move away.
- RecallComes back reliably as controlled distractions are gradually increased.
- Loose-leash walking and heelWalks on a loose leash on and off the property, and holds a recognizable heel over short distances with turns and stops.
- Doorway and greeting mannersWaits at doors, gates and the vehicle until released, and greets people with four paws on the floor.
- Impulse controlWaits for access instead of acting on every impulse.
- NeutralityStays functional around people, dogs and environmental distractions.
- Generalization and recoveryPerforms known behaviours in several environments, and returns to work after excitement or distraction.
- You, the handlerGive one clear cue, keep your criteria consistent, and can run the training on your own.
After graduation: graduates are ready for Advanced Obedience, which builds on this foundation without starting over.
Not ready yet? That is information, not punishment. We record what broke down and why, change the plan, and reassess once the gap has been built. We do not lower the standard.
Safety comes first. A serious safety concern at any stage takes priority over course completion and may lead to a referral to the Rehabilitation program or a veterinarian.
Build manners that hold up.
Tell us about your dog and where things break down. We typically respond within 1 to 2 business days.
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