1: Offered Sit: The handler/owner/family can practice this. When the dog sits…toss a treat. Repeat until the dog is readily sitting with no prompting. If the dog does not offer a sit but does respond to the verbal cue…. cue the behavior, reinforce. Repeat 5-10 times and then wait and see if the dog will sit.
2 Sit for Petting: The owner practices petting the dog. Clicking for a still dog (at the hardest point of the petting), stop the petting, feed a treat. Pet, Click/Stop, Feed. Repeat. Work up to enthusiastic petting.
3: Rotate, Offered Sits: Everyone sets some treats on a chair 5-10 feet away. One at a time, the instructor holds a dog (reinforcing for quiet, stillness, etc) while the student goes around the room. S/he picks up a treat, approaches the dog, waits for a sit. Reinforces, then goes back for another treat. We do 3 repetitions per dog, then to the next student dog. It goes much quicker than it sounds. Those who are waiting for turns can practice offered sits and sits for petting. If the dog is doing well, we can add in duration to the sitting or add in petting from the visitor.
4: Sit with Handler: This time, instead of the visitor feeding the dog, the owner will feed the dog for offering a sit. The owner holds the leash at half length so that the dog can’t get too far away. Repeat 3x per visitor, per dog. If the dog is doing well, we can add in duration to the sitting or add in petting from the visitor.
5: Turn Away: Any extra people/instructors are used, ideally one per dog. The dog and owner walk towards the person, then the owner moves backwards, reinforcing the dog for turning and coming with the owner. This is done at a distance where the dog is likely to succeed. This is repeated, walking closer to the person for greater challenge. For some dogs we have the person sitting, offering food, making eye contact, talking, etc.