Front Door Recall - practice calling your dog from outside, say the car, to the house. Have a buddy (or spouse) hold the dog and call. Work this exercise on a long line. Make a huge deal over your dog when he gets inside, treat, praise, kiss, treat, hug, praise, treat, treat.

Stay Inside Recall - On a long line, practice having your dog stay inside, without charging the door. Unless you request him to go outside. You can practice this alone at first. Then you can knock on the door or ring the doorbell. Then you can have a buddy come by at a prescheduled time to knock or ring.

Greeting Visitors - Gather two or three friends to help on this one. Have your dog on a leash, practice having folks come to the door at about ten minute increments. Get your dog to sit nicely, wait for a pet or treat from the visitor and then invite them inside. Work this as a swap with your friends from class, if you’ll help visit them, they’ll visit you and your dog.

Emergency Drop - This one you’ve probably already started. To train this exercise, frequently call your dog in to a down position. Dog should stay in a down until you release - 10 seconds, 30 seconds or a minute and a half. Keep perfecting this by finding new locations to practice this in. You never know when the cat next door will spring out of the hedges and into the street. "DOWN!"

Calm Down - Play with your dog, actively. Now get them to down or sit and stay in place for 30 seconds. Then play again. After three repetitions, get him to lie on his side, you begin to talk softly and calmly while slowly petting him. Add a command, "Relax" or maybe "Tranquillo".

Fetch - So, your dog can pick up a dumbbell and a tennis ball for flyball. How about training him to fetch the paper? Or what about dropped keys, a remote control or the laundry? How about a dropped pencil or flatware? Essential for the klutzy dog trainer. By teaching and training these life skills, your dogs will truly become Companion Dogs.