Premier MannersMinder Instruction Manual page 40

Chapter 9: Rewarding Calm Behavior
routine. Soon sitting politely for pats on the head
will be a habit and Fido will no longer think of
jumping on family members or guests for attention.
As an added bonus, Fido will also be more focused
because he's now used to controlling himself when
excited. So now, instead of going off and doing his
own thing or being sidetracked by the smallest
distraction, he'll pay better attention to you.
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NOTE: Once he's consistently calm for petting,
you can let him run around exuberantly for praise
and attention when you want to play with him.
He should immediately sit and calm down though
when your body posture tells him to.
Step 3: Changing the Calm Behavior to "Down"
To speed up training of the down-stay and to
strengthen Fido's calm behavior, you can require
that Fido earn all petting and attention by lying
down. As with the sitting exercise, Fido may at first
wiggle or put his paws on you as soon as you start
petting. If he does this, immediately remove your
attention so that the message is clear. Pet only
when he's lying calmly. Pet him in a slow, relaxed
stroking at first. Once you're good at this, then
increase the exuberance with which you pet. If you
also only pet Fido when he's on his rug during the
days or weeks of training, this will speed up learn-
ing that lying down on the rug is his favorite thing.
Fido will pull and tug at first, but if
you're completely still, he'll finally
realize he's going nowhere, then sit
Practice this consistently.
Fido will soon understand that even
when he's maximumly excited, he has
to be calm to be rewarded.
To strengthen Fido's calm behavior, you
can require that Fido earn all petting
and attention by lying down.
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to receive a reward.