by Roger Twose

Created on: May 15, 2009   Last Updated: May 16, 2009

The Family Pack Leadership Exercise is the single most important puppy training technique available for dogs.

You could start with a strange dog, and in fifteen minutes of work, have him responding just as though you've been 'good buddies' for a 'dogs age'! Once again, things seem simple enough, so we'll throw in a little extra.

Initially, just getting Rover to come, in response to the "recall" command, close enough to be able to pat him, would seem to be sufficient. While that may be good enough for most people, the Wits' End Dog Training Method promises and requires strict, exacting, discipline.

For now, in this initial phase of puppy training, it would be counter productive to be any more exacting. However, after this initial phase of training is complete (maybe just one session of work, but do follow directions, and do this four times), you will be expected to cause your dog to sit directly in front of you during the "recall" or "come" exercise.

This will be extremely important in the "big picture". But, for now, we do not need to be so exact.
The hard part is done!

* The "Hot And Cold " Exercise

Remember the children's game where an object is selected, and the one who is "it" is directed to find same based on directions of "hot or cold" to indicate proximity to the object?
(We call this the hot and cold exercise. Actually, we hate calling this the "hot and cold exercise", and do so, simply for lack of a better name for it!)

We are going to do the same with your dogs attention, with you being the selected object. This "hot and cold" exercise takes about two minutes to perform. Done properly, this exercise will have the effect of shutting off his attention to anything other than you.

This practice should be used any time your dog becomes distracted or is not keeping his attention focused on you. Our objective is to cause your dog to always have one ear and one eye focused on you.


Done properly, your dog will end up directly in front of you, relaxed, and waiting for your next idea. As your dog moves forward and back, around and in front of you, allow your lead to flow smoothly through your hands, the free hand reaching out to collect your lead at its mid point, and place it in the palm with the handle, playing it out as he moves away, collecting it as he returns.

Just get used to the feeling of allowing your lead to flow through your hand, collecting it again, and allow it to feed out as your dog moves.
Be sure not to pull or allow tension on the collar.

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