Spring Into Training: A Weekly Dog Training Challenge

Brush off those winter cobwebs and spring into simple, rewarding training sessions with your dog with this free 4-week challenge in March. Have fun, build your bond, and grow skills one shared activity at a time.

  • Each week in March, we'll reveal one short video by our Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partners.
  • Have fun & practice the skill for 3–5 minutes a day. Progress over perfection. Every repetition counts!
  • Share your progress if you’d like (tag @clickertraining on Facebook or Instagram), or keep it just for you.
  • Take advantage of trainer-recommended tips, helpful tools & gear (& online store savings!), and courses to level up your training.

Come back each week for more training fun!

Week 1Week 2 (Coming Soon!)
Week 3 (Coming Soon!)Week 4 (Coming Soon!)

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Week 1: Mat Skills in the Making!

The video, presented by Fatima Hyder, a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, demonstrates how to turn mat or place training into a fun, confidence-building game. Small steps, happy reps, and lots of learning along the way!
Happy training! We'd love to follow your learning and progress! Share photos and videos from your training with @clickertraining on Facebook and Instagram.

About Fatima Hyder, KPA CTP

She/Her

Fatima Hyder is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, having graduated from the KPA Dog Trainer Professional (DTP) program under Terry Ryan in 2022. Fatima  works with dog guardians around the world and specifically in Singapore, virtually coaching them on living with, managing, and resolving big behaviors such as leash reactivity, resource guarding, and aggression towards humans and other dogs. So many of these behavior challenges require simple foundations, such as the mat behavior demonstrated this week.
20220825_144958 - Fatima H (1)

Week 1 Training Resources:
Level Up Your Training

Solidify the Go to Mat/Place Behavior: Build Duration, Distraction, & Distance

In the video, Fatima Hyder explains how to level up your go-to-mat/place training by increasing duration, distractions, and distance. 

To learn ways to systematically build duration, distance, and duration into your training plan, check out the relevant sections of this article, "How to Write a Training Plan."
 
For additional resources to help strengthen and expand your skills, check out the following articles in our free resource library:
Tools & Resources to Level Up Your Training (+ Save 10%)

Thoughtfully chosen training tools and evidence-based books can accelerate learning and improve clarity for both humans and dogs. These resources support effective reinforcement, clean mechanics, and continued growth at every stage of training.

Save 10% on the following products with code SIT10.

  • Click-A-Trick Cards—Teach your dog useful skills and cool tricks while you both have fun! Includes an i-Click clicker.
  • FitPAWS Targets—Target-training games can be a fun and engaging way to teach your dog. The training possibilities are limited only by your imagination!
  • Clickers—for clear communication with your dog.
  • Terry Ryan Treat Pouch—for keeping your rewards close at hand for easy delivery.
  • On Cue! Training Treats— 
    • Easily separated into smaller pieces so you can teach small dogs, large dogs, and multiple dogs!
    • Treat and Repeat. These treats stay where you toss them. Your dog will consume them quickly—ideal for all training sessions and repetitions.
    • No Mess. Non-greasy and won’t crumble, keeping your hands, pockets, and treat pouches clean.

And more! Shop the Karen Pryor Clicker Training store.

Structured Learning to Build Your Skills

Build your training skills with on-demand courses, from beginner to advanced, or find personalized support with a KPA Certified Training Partner, online or in person.

 

Keep the Progress Going with Streaming Videos (+ Save 10%)

Stream videos by world-renowned positive training experts.

Save 10% on the following videos with code SIT10.

And more! Learn with over 400 videos covering hundreds of training and teaching skills for dogs, horses, and other animals.

Week 2: 1, 2, 3 Pattern Game

The video, presented by Anna Wong, a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, demonstrates how to play the "One, Two, Three Pattern Game", a game created by Leslie McDevitt as part of her Control Unleashed series. Play along with Anna's dog, Kempie, and a couple of clients' dogs.
In addition to being a fun game for both training partners, it also teaches a dog to stay close during walks and assists in overwhelming environments.
Happy training! We'd love to follow your learning and progress! Share photos and videos from your training with @clickertraining on Facebook and Instagram.

About Anna Wong, KPA-CTP, CCUI

She/Her

Anna Wong is both a Certified Control Unleashed Instructor and a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP), having graduated from the KPA Dog Trainer Professional (DTP) program under Sarah Owings in 2019. Anna currently lives in Oakland CA and runs Mutts Have Fun: Training You & Your Dog.
dog mom - Anna Wong (1)

Week 2 Training Resources:
Level Up Your Training

Take the 1-2-3 Game to the Next Level: Bonus Training Tips

These training tips show you how to gradually increase difficulty while paying attention to what your dog is telling you. Each step helps you build engagement, clarity, and trust as you practice the 1-2-3 game.

  • Start simple: Practice off-leash in a safe, low-distraction environment.
  • Add challenge gradually: Begin working both on- and off-leash as you introduce more distracting (and safe) environments.
  • Mix up reinforcement: On “3,” feed the treat directly to your dog’s mouth, or place it on the ground.
  • Reset the game: After your dog eats the treat and looks back at you, start counting again.
  • Try the “voluntary” version: When you place the treat on the ground and wait for your dog to look at you before restarting the count, you’re using the voluntary 1-2-3.
  • Read the feedback: If your dog eats the treat but doesn’t re-engage, that’s useful information. The environment may be more interesting than the game.
  • Adjust as needed: Increase treat value, create more distance from distractions, or take a break and try again later.

For additional resources to help strengthen and expand your skills, check out the following articles in our free resource library:
Tools & Resources to Level Up Your Game (+ Save 10%)

Thoughtfully chosen training tools and evidence-based books can accelerate learning and improve clarity for both humans and dogs. These resources support effective reinforcement, clean mechanics, and continued growth at every stage of training.

Save 10% on the following products with code SIT10.

And more! Shop the Karen Pryor Clicker Training store.

Structured Learning to Build Your Skills
Build your training skills with on-demand courses, from beginner to advanced, or find personalized support with a KPA Certified Training Partner, online or in person.

 

Keep the Progress Going with Streaming Videos (+ Save 10%)

Stream videos by world-renowned positive training experts.

Save 10% on the following videos with code SIT10.

And more! Learn with over 400 videos covering hundreds of training and teaching skills for dogs, horses, and other animals.

Week 3: Jumping Over

Turn two stools and a pool noodle into a confidence-building training game! This beginner-friendly video presented by Terrie Hayward, a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, shows how to mark and reinforce calm behavior, introduce a brand-new object, and strategically reward your dog for choosing the side and movement you want, then shape that into a jump. You’ll see how to support hesitant dogs, adjust for smaller dogs by lowering the obstacle, and build the foundation for adding a jump cue. A fun, practical way to practice observation, timing, and shaping while growing your dog’s confidence and skills.
Happy training! We'd love to follow your learning and progress! Share photos and videos from your training with @clickertraining on Facebook and Instagram.

About Terrie Hayward, KPA-CTP

She/Her

Terrie Hayward, KPA-CTP, is a Karen Pryor Academy Faculty Member. She teaches the Dog Trainer Professional program and is herself a graduate of the program. Terrie also coaches students of  KPA's Dog Trainer Comprehensive course.

Terrie is the owner of PAW-Positive Animal Wellness, LLC in Rincon, Puerto Rico, where she specializes in canine Separation Anxiety cases. She works in person and remotely with families and their animal companions, presents workshops, travels, and consults focusing on positive reinforcement interactions and modifying behavior through applications in behavior analysis. She is also the author of the pocket guide to working with deaf dogs titled, "A Deaf Dog Joins the Family, Training, Education, and Communication for a Smooth Transition," "Your Ten Minute a Day Dog" with daily exercises for limited time, and co-author of "Grooming Without Stress" which focuses on positive husbandry and handling. Terrie teaches the Dog Trainer Professional program on both her adopted home island of Puerto Rico and on the mainland USA.
Terrie-Hayward

Week 3 Training Resources:
Level Up Your Training

Take the Jump Over Skill to the Next Level: Bonus Training Tips

Want to take your "jump over" training to the next level? Terrie suggests adding a cue to the behavior. What does that mean, and how does one do that? We've an article for that!

Want more information on the various techniques Terrie is using? Check out the following articles in our free resource library:

Tools & Resources to Level Up Your Game (+ Save 10%)

Thoughtfully chosen training tools and evidence-based books can accelerate learning and improve clarity for both humans and dogs. These resources support effective reinforcement, clean mechanics, and continued growth at every stage of training.

Save 10% on the following products with code SIT10.

  • FitPAWS CanineGym Dog Agility Kit - including 6 cones and 3 collapsible, interlocking jumping rails. 
  • Terry Ryan Clik Stik® - an all-in-one clicker and retractable target stick—perfect for trick and target training! 
  • Clickers—for clear communication with your dog.
  • Terry Ryan Treat Pouch—for keeping your rewards close at hand for easy delivery.
  • On Cue! Training Treats—
    • Easily separated into smaller pieces so you can teach small dogs, large dogs, and multiple dogs!
    • Treat and Repeat. These treats stay where you toss them. Your dog will consume them quickly—ideal for all training sessions and repetitions.
    • No Mess. Non-greasy and won’t crumble, keeping your hands, pockets, and treat pouches clean.

And more! Shop the Karen Pryor Clicker Training store.

Structured Learning to Build Your Skills
Build your training skills with on-demand courses, from beginner to advanced, or find personalized support with a KPA Certified Training Partner, online or in person.

 

Keep the Progress Going with Streaming Videos (+ Save 10%)

Keep learning with Terrie! Stream videos by world-renowned positive training experts, including Terrie Hayward.

Save 10% on the following videos with code SIT10.

And more! Learn with over 400 videos covering hundreds of training and teaching skills for dogs, horses, and other animals.

Week 4: Backing Up

Make “back up” a fun, confidence-building game for your dog! In this step-by-step demo with Sydney Bleicher, KPA CTP, Fear Free Pro, TAGTeach Level 2, and her border collie Fen, you’ll use a chair and a textured mat to create a clear, beginner-friendly setup. Learn how to capture and reinforce natural backward movement, use tactile targets to guide your dog's paws, and prevent forward motion so success comes easily. Then build distance, add the verbal cue, and smoothly transition from seated practice to standing without the chair.

Backing up on cue is incredibly useful at doorways, gates, counters, and other tight spots, and it’s a great addition to your dog’s physical workout, too. Use tiny, soft treats that are easy to handle and quick for your pup to eat, and keep practice sessions short (just 1–2 minutes). Try these simple steps to kick-start your pup’s backup. You’ll be surprised how often this handy skill comes into play.
Please note: Always practice on a surface with good traction, and avoid slippery surfaces. 
Happy training! We'd love to follow your learning and progress! Share photos and videos from your training with @clickertraining on Facebook and Instagram.

About Sydney Bleicher, KPA CTP, Fear Free Pro, TAGTeach Level 2

She/Her

Syd Bleicher is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP), having graduated from the KPA Dog Trainer Professional (DTP) program under the guidance of Carolyn Clark in 2017. Syd currently lives in Toronto, Canada. She coaches folks both in person and virtually, and she also creates resources for dog people and pros, all available at ultimatepuppy.com. Syd is always inspired by her students and their interest in providing a full, rich life for their dogs. Syd has had many wonderful mentors, but Dr. Susan Friedman's Living and Learning with Animals course and Theresa McKeon's guidance during the TAGteach certification are standouts! 
Sydney Bleicher

Week 4 Training Resources:
Level Up Your Training

Take the "Back Up" to the Next Level: Bonus Training Tips

Want to take your "back up" training to the next level? Sydney suggests the following next steps:

  • adding a verbal cue,
  • gradually increasing the distance, and
  • starting to use the skill in 'real life' situations.
What does that mean, and how does one do that? We've got articles for that! For more information on ways to add a cue or to systematically change the picture/scenery and build duration and distance into your training plan, check out our resource library! There's even an article specifically on backing up: Teach Your Dog to Back Up to a Target.
Tools & Resources to Level Up Your Game (+ Save 10%)

Thoughtfully chosen training tools and evidence-based books can accelerate learning and improve clarity for both humans and dogs. These resources support effective reinforcement, clean mechanics, and continued growth at every stage of training. 

Save 10% on the following products with code SIT10.

  • FitPaws® FitMat—Increase foot awareness, paw grip, proprioception, and neural stimulation during any training, fitness, or rehabilitation exercise with this anti-slip mat featuring sensory bumps.
  • FitPAWS Targets—Target-training games can be a fun and engaging way to teach your dog. The training possibilities are limited only by your imagination!
  • FitPAWS K9FITbone - as seen in the background of this video.
  • Clickers—for clear communication with your dog.
  • Terry Ryan Treat Pouch—for keeping your rewards close at hand for easy delivery.
  • On Cue! Training Treats—
    • Easily separated into smaller pieces so you can teach small dogs, large dogs, and multiple dogs!
    • Treat and Repeat. These treats stay where you toss them. Your dog will consume them quickly—ideal for all training sessions and repetitions.
    • No Mess. Non-greasy and won’t crumble, keeping your hands, pockets, and treat pouches clean.

And more! Shop the Karen Pryor Clicker Training store.

Structured Learning to Build Your Skills
Build your training skills with on-demand courses, from beginner to advanced, or find personalized support with a KPA Certified Training Partner, online or in person.

 

Keep the Progress Going with Streaming Videos

Stream videos by world-renowned positive training experts.

Save 10% on the following videos with code SIT10.

And more! Learn with over 400 videos covering hundreds of training and teaching skills for dogs, horses, and other animals.

Real people. Real training. Real progress. 

These photos and videos come from members of our community who’ve been learning, practicing, and sharing their training journeys with us.