Chapter 4
🐾 Now we build the first part of the cue
In this step, we finally start building the “S” cue that will later create the small hop.
Stand slightly to the side of your dog and have some food ready in your hand.
At first, hold the food a little higher and encourage your dog to jump up toward the hand.
You can help by:
➡️ using a release cue such as “Okay”
➡️ slightly moving or wiggling the hand
As soon as the dog jumps toward the hand, he gets the reward directly from it.
🔁 First build the movement
Repeat this a few times until your dog clearly understands:
“When the hand goes up, I jump toward it.”
Only once this movement is reliable do we add the verbal cue.
🗣️ Now add the “S”
It does not matter whether your dog starts from a Sit or a Stand.
You remain neutral and follow this sequence:
➡️ Say “S”
➡️ Then move the hand upwards
➡️ The dog makes the small hop
➡️ Reward directly from the hand
This helps the dog connect the verbal cue with the movement.
⚠️ Do not rush this step
A common mistake is moving on too quickly.
If the dog has not really understood the hop yet, the movement can easily become smaller or disappear too early.
We do want to reduce the hop later — but not yet.
💡 For now, focus on building a clear, confident little jump before moving on to the next step.