Chapter 7
🐾 Add the first step without the hand cue
Once your dog can reliably keep the focus under the armpit, we can move on to the next step:
taking one step.
The setup stays very simple.
Start again in the basic position:
➡️ The dog sits next to you
➡️ Your right hand starts under the left armpit
➡️ Then the hand moves down to your side
➡️ The dog continues to focus under the armpit
Now give your familiar cue, for example “Come”, and take one single step forward.
🎯 Stop, mark and reward
At first, this step may look a little bumpy — and that is completely normal.
After the one step:
➡️ Stop immediately
➡️ Give your marker word, for example “Yes”
➡️ Bring the hand back under the armpit
➡️ Reward the dog in the correct position
Really make sure that you take only one step at first.
Not two. Not three.
Some dogs understand this very quickly, while others need several repetitions before the picture becomes stable.
👀 Watch your own body language
Again, try not to look down too much.
Your face naturally attracts your dog’s attention, and we want the focus to stay under the armpit.
Also make sure the reward always comes from the correct point:
right under the left armpit — not somewhere in front of the chest.
💡 Don’t rush now
This is a step where many people progress too quickly because the final goal already feels very close.
But remember:
If you can eventually walk 10 clean steps like this, your heelwork is almost finished.
So do not rush and risk losing the position you have worked so hard to build.
🐕🦺 Stay precise, repeat the single step until it looks clean and confident, and only then move on.