In order to maintain accreditation from Assistance Dog International Inc.,
we strive to go above and beyond the standards set by the organization.

Alisby Training Program

PERMISSION ALLOWED
Copyright © 2008 Sue Alisby.
Full credit to Sue Alisby.
Thanks Sue!

These training levels are designed to produce a dog that is three weeks short of a title in any dogsport,
or three weeks from learning the basics of any job. A dog that thinks, that eagerly goes into new situations,that performs reliably, that is comfortable in public, a good traveler, capable of giving full attention to the handler and working at any reasonable distance.

LEVEL 1
This color indicates behaviors that are mandatory

COME the Come Game with handlers 20' apart	DOWN dog lies down with no more than 2 cues	HOMEWORK 5 things you hope to accomplish by working the Levels
SIT dog sits from a standing position with no more than 2 cues	TARGET dog touches handler's hand with nose on 1 voice cue only	ZEN dog stays off a treat in the hand for 5 seconds with 1 voice cue only

LEVEL 2
This color indicates behaviors that are mandatory

This color indicates behaviors that must be done without food,
clicker or other training aid, in a ring or similar

COME the Come Game with handlers 40' apart	CRATE dog enters crate with no more than 2 cues, and remains while handler closes and opens door	DISTANCE dog goes around a pole 2' away with no more than 2 cues
DOWN dog downs from site with 1 voice cue only	DOWN STAY dog stays in down position while handler walks 20' out and back	GO TO MAT dog goes to a mat 5' away with no more than 2 cues
HANDLING handler fondles ears, tail, feet on table or floor	HOMEWORK describe the 4 legs of operant conditioning, and give the definition of Reinforcement and Punishment	LEASH MANNERS dog maintains a loose leash for 60 seconds with 1 distraction while the handler doesn't move
SIT dog sits from standing position with no more than 1 cue	SIT STAY dog stays in sit position while handler walks 20' out and back	STAND dog stands from sit or down on no more than 2 cues
STAND STAY dog stands still for 10 seconds	TARGET dog targets end of stick with nose on 1 voice cue only	TRICK Handlers choice
WATCH dog finds and holds eye contact for 10 seconds with no more than 2 cues	ZEN dog stays off hand for 5 seconds and chair for 10 seconds, 2 cues only	OPEN

LEVEL 3
This color indicates behaviors that are mandatory.

This color indicates behaviors that must be done without food,
clicker or other training aid, in a ring or similar.

This color indicates behaviors that are optional, dog/handler teams must pass a certain number of them but may choose which ones they want to work on depending on the paths they want to follow.

Mixed colors in one line indicate all that are applicable (it is both optional and done without treats).

To pass Level Three, dog/handler teams must pass 4 of the 8 optional behaviors.

COME the dog must come from 40’ away on one cue only	CONTACTS the dog walks a flat board with a click on or immediately after the down contact	CRATE the dog enters a crate on one cue only and remains quietly for one minute with the door closed
DISTANCE the dog goes around a pole 4’ away on one cue only	DOWN the dog Downs from a Sit on one cue only from 10’ away	DOWN STAY the dog Downs and stays while the handler walks 20’ out, stays for one minute and comes back
FINISH the dog is able to follow eye contact while the handler pivots to the left	FRONT the dog must hit the center line of a Front-Ray diagram three times in a row, with no more than five tries	GO TO MAT dog goes to his mat, bed, etc from 5’ away, one cue only, lies down, 1 cue only, and remains Down without fussing with no additional cues for one minute
HANDLING dog eliminates on cue	HEEL dog and handler heel an about turn with eye contact OR do a conformation about turn without using a leash and without eye contact	HOMEWORK the handler lists, in writing, ten reasons why a dog might not perform a required behavior
LEASH MANNERS the dog maintains a loose leash while walking 40’ in a straight line, with no more than two cues, with one distraction	ON THE ROAD the dog must pass the Level One tests in a strange outdoor area of the tester’s choice	RETRIEVE the dog nose-targets four different objects including a dumbbell, on one cue each
SCENTING the dog finds a treat hidden under a cup or piece of cloth	SIT the dog Sits from a Stand on one cue only from 10’ away	SIT STAY the dog Sits and stays while the handler walks 20’ out, stays away for 30 seconds, and comes back
STAND the dog Stands from a Sit on one cue only	STAND STAY the dog Stands and Stays for examination	TARGET the dog targets a spot on the floor with his nose or his foot from 10’ away, with no more than two cues
TRICK the dog performs a shaped trick of the handler’s choice	WATCH the dog finds the handler’s face and holds eye contact for 30 seconds with as many voice cues as necessary	ZEN the dog stays off a treat in a stranger’s hand for 20 seconds, one cue only

LEVEL 4
This color indicates behaviors that are mandatory.

This color indicates behaviors that must be done without food,
clicker or other training aid, in a ring or similar.

This color indicates behaviors that are optional, dog/handler teams must pass a certain number of them but may choose which ones they want to work on depending on the paths they want to follow.

Mixed colors in one line indicate all that are applicable (it is both optional and done without treats).

To pass Level Four, dog/handler teams must pass 4 of the 8 optional behaviors.

COME the dog comes from 40’ away on one cue only through milling dogs	CONTACTS the dog walks a flat board and stops on, in the middle of, or after, the down contact on his own	CRATE the dog enters the crate on one cue and remains quiet for 2 minutes with the door closed
DISTANCE the dog goes around a pole 10’ away on one cue only	DOWN the dog Downs from a Stand on one cue only	DOWN STAY the dog Downs and Stays for 3 minutes while the handler walks 40’ away, turns and faces the dog, and makes a formal return
FINISH the dog demonstrates a swing finish into Heel position while the handler pivots to the left with voice cues only	FRONT the dog hits the bull’s-eye of a Front-Circle three times in a row with no more than 4 tries	GO TO MAT the dog goes to his mat, bed, or pause table from 10’ away, lies down and remains Down with no fussing for 2 minutes. appropriate cues
HANDLING the dog allows handling of muzzle and teeth by the handler	HEEL the dog Heels an about turn and walks 10’ with eye contact, one cue only OR gaits (trots) 10’ looking ahead on a loose (or no) leash, turns smoothly with no contact, and gaits 10’ on the return	HOMEWORK the handler describes, in writing, 10 slices in shaping the dog to go 10’ out to go around a pole
JUMP BOARD the dog jumps 2 boards from 4’ back with handler 5’ away. Dogs under 18 months may jump 1 board from 5’ back with handler 5’ away	JUMP HIGH the dog performs a 10’ Retrieve over a 2” jump. Appropriate cues	LEASH MANNERS the dog maintains a loose leash while walking from the car into a building with other people. No cues other than the leash
ON THE ROAD the dog must pass his Level Three behaviors in a strange outdoor area	RETRIEVE the dog performs a 20’ Retrieve of three objects including one metal. Appropriate cues	SCENTING the dog finds the correct article of two, three times, with hand scent only, on one cue each
SIT the dog Sits from Down with one cue only	SIT STAY the dog Sits and stays for 2 minutes while the handler walks 40’ away, turns and faces the dog, and makes a formal Return	STAND the dog Stands from Sit on one cue only with the handler 10’ away
STAND STAY the dog Stands and Stays for examination	TARGET the dog follows and catches a touch stick, on the end only, with his nose, eager to touch the stick	TRICK the dog and handler demonstrate “101 Things To Do With A Box” or chair
WATCH the dog finds the handler’s face and holds eye contact for 30 seconds from 10’ away with no more than two voice cues OR the dog approaches a strange “judge” on a loose or tight lead, assumes a semi-stacked position, makes and holds eye or hand contact with the “judge” for 20 seconds from 5’ away	ZEN dog must stay off treat on floor for 30 seconds, 2 cues only	OPEN

LEVEL 5
This color indicates behaviors that are mandatory.

This color indicates behaviors that must be done without food,
clicker or other training aid, in a ring or similar.

This color indicates behaviors that are optional, dog/handler teams must pass a certain number of them but may choose which ones they want to work on depending on the paths they want to follow.

Mixed colors in one line indicate all that are applicable (it is both optional and done without treats).

To pass Level Five, dog/handler teams must pass 8 of the 11 optional behaviors.

COME the dog does a full Novice Recall Sit-Stay, 40’, one cue, Front, Finish, appropriate cues OR the dog must come when called away from several people petting it or feeding it.	CONTACTS the dog does an appropriate jump, then commits to and walks a board and performs an appropriate down contact.	CRATE the dog enters the crate on one cue, remains quietly for 5 minutes with the door closed
DISTANCE the dog goes over a jump 10’ away from the handler in the same manner as going around a post	DOWN the dog Downs from Stand on a hand signal only	DOWN STAY the dog Downs and stays for one minute with the handler out of sight
FINISH the dog hits a half-point-off Finish three times in row with three tries, starting from the Front position OR the dog maintains the Front Stack position while the handler turns 360 degrees to the left, 360 degrees back to the right, then the handler walks forward two steps with the dog backing, then back two steps with the dog coming forward, maintaining position and resuming a Free Stack at the end	FRONT the dog hits a half-point-off front three times, three tries only, appropriate cues	GO TO MAT the dog goes to his mat, bed, or pause table from 20’ away and remains down for 5 minutes
HANDLING the dog allows handling of muzzle and teeth by the handler	HEEL the dog Heels an about turn, a 10’ straight line, and another about turn with eye contact and one distraction OR the dog Gaits all the way around the ring on a loose lead with five pieces of bait on the floor (this is a conformation exercise and may be done with bait on the handler). The dog must a) assume the trot and do it well; b) maintain an appropriate speed and gait based on the handler’s position and body language only; c) not hesitate over the bait on the floor; and d) stop when asked and assume a FreeStack	HOMEWORK the handler lists, in writing, the three effective ways of getting behavior, and list five behaviors that might be best suited for each
JUMP BOARD the dog seeks out and jumps over one board on body language cues only, with the handler 3’ away from the jump	JUMP HIGH the dog seeks out and takes a 2” jump over and back with body language cues only (being near the jump, the dog should commit and jump following the handler’s body language for direction)	LEASH MANNERS the dog must maintain a loose leash while walking 80’ through milling dogs. Appropriate cues - that is, as many cues as necessary, but the dog must appear to be in control and willing to maintain the loose leash without excessive interference from the handler
ON THE ROAD the dog must pass Level Two in a strange outdoor area	RETRIEVE the dog takes two objects in his mouth (one at a time), one of them metal	SCENTING the dog finds the correct dumbbell of five, three times in a row
SIT the dog Sits from Down on a hand signal only	SIT STAYthe dog Sits and stays for 30 seconds with the handler out of sight. Appropriate cues	STAND the dog Stands from Heeling on a hand signal only
STAND STAY the dog does a Stand-Stay for examination. The handler may remain by the dog’s side. Appropriate cues	TARGET the dog paw touches from 10’ away	TRICK the dog demonstrates a captured trick
WATCH the dog finds the handler’s face and holds contact for 30 seconds, the handler not watching the dog (could look in a mirror, or have the tester determine what is happening). Appropriate cues. Handler may talk intermittently to dog. OR the dog finds and holds the handler’s face or hand while maintaining a free stack for 30 seconds	ZEN the dog stays off a treat on the floor while gaiting or walking on a loose leash. Appropriate cues	OPEN

LEVEL 6
This color indicates behaviors that are mandatory.

This color indicates behaviors that must be done without food,
clicker or other training aid, in a ring or similar.

This color indicates behaviors that are optional, dog/handler teams must pass a certain number of them but may choose which ones they want to work on depending on the paths they want to follow.

This color indicates a new behavior.

Mixed colors in one line indicate all that are applicable (it is both optional and done without treats).

To pass Level Six, dog/handler teams must pass 8 of the 16 optional behaviors.

COME the dog Downs from a Sit-Stay 10’ away on one cue, then comes to a Front with one cue only	CRATE the dog enters a crate on one cue only and remains quiet with the door closed for 15 minutes	DISTANCE the dog performs three jumps in line in a 20’ diameter circle, in both directions. One starting cue only in each direction, and body language cues
DOWN the dog Downs from Stand on signal from 10’ away	DOWN STAY the dog performs a full out of sight Down Stay for four minutes. Appropriate cues	FINISH the dog must hit two out of four perfect Finishes from Front on one cue only OR the dog must sidestep to maintain the Front Stack position while the handler steps two steps to the left, four steps to the right, then two steps back to the original position, upon which the dog resumes the Free Stack
FRONT the dog hits two out of four perfect fronts with one cue only, starting with the dog a minimum of five feet from handler	GO TO MAT the dog goes to his mat/bed/pause table from 20’ away and stays there for 15 minutes. Appropriate cues	HANDLING dog stays on a grooming table for 30 seconds, handler 10’ away. Appropriate cues
HEEL the dog Heels 80’ with one about turn, a fast, a slow, and two Halts. Appropriate cues	HOMEWORK the handler lists, in writing, the four worst behaviors of his/her own dog(s) and presents a written plan for eliminating or improving them	JUMP BOARD the dog performs a full broad jump exercise over a half width jump. Appropriate cues
JUMP HIGH the dog does a 20’ official Retrieve over a half height jump. Dogs under 18 months may do this over an appropriate jump, but it must be 30’ long	LEASH MANNERS dog and handler are in a car. The handler opens the door and gets out of the car. The dog remains in the car WITH NO CUE FROM THE HANDLER before or after the car door opens. The handler cues the dog to get out of the car. Dog and handler walk in the door of a building and into class on a loose lead. Appropriate cues	ON THE ROAD the dog must pass Level Four in a strange outdoor area
RETRIEVE the dog performs three 40’ Retrieves - one metal object, one official dumbbell, one article of the handler’s choice. Appropriate cues	SCENTING the dog finds the correct article of twelve, three times. Appropriate cues	SIT the dog Sits from Down on a hand signal only at 10’
SIT STAY the dog performs a full out of sight Sit Stay for two minutes. Appropriate cues	STAND the dog Stands from Heeling, the handler does not stop. Two cues are allowed	STAND STAY the dog performs a full Group Examination for one minute with the handler 20’ away. Appropriate cues
TARGET the dog paw touches a wall 20’ away with two cues only	TRICK the dog performs a lured trick	WATCH the dog holds contact for 30 seconds, one cue only
ZEN the dog stays off five treats on the floor during a Recall. Appropriate cues	OPEN	New Behavior

LEVEL 7
This color indicates behaviors that are mandatory.

This color indicates behaviors that must be done without food,
clicker or other training aid, in a ring or similar.

This color indicates behaviors that are optional, dog/handler teams must pass a certain number of them but may choose which ones they want to work on depending on the paths they want to follow.

This color indicates a new behavior.

Mixed colors in one line indicate all that are applicable (it is both optional and done without treats).

To pass Level Seven, dog/handler teams must pass 10 of the 16 optional behaviors.

COMEthe dog does a complete formal 20’ Drop On Recall	CRATE the dog enters a crate on one cue only and remains quietly with the door closed for 30 minutes	DISTANCE the dog performs two directed jumps 10’ apart and 10’ away from the handler
DOWN the dog Downs from Stand on signal in line (Stand, Down, Sit, Come). No distance is required	DOWN STAY the dog performs a full out of sight Down Stay for five minutes. Appropriate cues	FINISH the dog must hit three out of four perfect Finishes from Front on one cue only OR the dog must sidestep to maintain the Front Stack position while a strange handler steps two steps to the left, four steps backward, four steps forward, then two steps right back to the original position, upon which the dog resumes the Free Stack
FRONT the dog must hit three out of four perfect fronts on one cue each	GO TO MAT the dog goes to his mat/bed/pause table from 20’ away on one cue and remains there with no fuss for 30 minutes	HANDLING the dog lies down on its side on a grooming table while the handler puts a nail clipper over one of the dog’s toenails. Appropriate cues and minimal fuss allowed
HEEL the dog performs a full formal Heel Free exercise, complete with Figure 8, maintaining contact throughout	HOMEWORK the handler defines, in writing, default behavior and describes how to achieve it, with examples	JUMP BOARD dog performs the full Broad Jump exercise
JUMP HIGH dog performs the full Retrieve Over the High Jump exercise	ON THE ROAD the dog must pass his Level Five behaviors in a strange outdoor area	RETRIEVE the dog performs an 80’ Retrieve of any object. Appropriate cues
SCENTING the dog finds a hidden article in the ring. Appropriate cues	SIT the dog Sits from Down on signal in line	SIT STAY the dog performs a full out of sight Sit Stay for three minutes. Appropriate cues
STAND the dog Stands from Heeling, the handler does not stop. Two cues are allowed	STAND STAY the dog performs a full Group Examination for one minute with the handler 20’ away. Appropriate cues	TARGET the dog paw touches a wall 20’ away with two cues only
TRICK the dog performs a lured trick	WATCH the dog holds contact for 30 seconds, one cue only	New Behavior