Here’s how to structure it:

Week 1: Build the Behavior (Continuous Reinforcement)

Goal: Teach new behaviors clearly, with a reward every single time.

Focus areas:

• Introduce new cues (sit, down, touch, stay, come)
  
  
• Pair verbal cues with clear hand signals
  
  
• Use a marker (“Yes!” or click) for every correct response
  
  
• Reward every correct behavior with food

Environment:
Start in your quietest, easiest environment — like your living room or backyard.

Session Structure:

• 3 to 5 minutes per session
  
  
• 3–5 sessions per day, spaced out
  
  
• 5–10 repetitions of each behavior per session

Training Tip:
Focus more on quality reps than quantity. End every session on a success, even if it’s a tiny one.

Week 2: Strengthen and Start to Generalize

Goal: Begin adding mild distractions and new environments.

Focus areas:

• Practice known behaviors in different rooms
  
  
• Practice outside in the backyard or driveway
  
  
• Introduce mild distractions (family members walking by, a ball sitting nearby)

Reinforcement Strategy:

• Still reward every correct response in new environments.
  
  
• Begin slowly fading treats in familiar environments only (reward 80% of the time, then 60%).

Session Structure:

• 5-minute sessions
  
  
• Mix short “pop-up” training moments into daily life (before meals, during walks)

Training Tip:
Keep the energy upbeat and sessions short. If your dog seems distracted, make it easier — don’t just “push through.”

Week 3: Move to Variable Reinforcement in Familiar Settings

Goal: Build persistence through unpredictable rewards.

Focus areas:

• Practice all known cues
  
  
• Add slightly stronger distractions (kids playing across the street, distant dogs barking)
  
  
• Start rewarding randomly: treat sometimes after one sit, sometimes after three sits

Environment:
Work in slightly busier places — maybe a quiet corner of a local park.

Session Structure:

• 5–7 minutes per session
  
  
• 2–3 mini sessions daily in different spots

Training Tip: Mark (say “Yes!” or click) every correct behavior, even if you don’t always deliver food afterward. Your dog should still feel acknowledged for making good choices.

Week 4: Build Real-World Reliability

Goal: Generalize behaviors to busier, real-world environments.

Focus areas:

• Practice loose leash walking past other dogs
  
  
• Practice recall (“Come!”) from mild distractions
  
  
• Work on longer stays (30 seconds, then a minute)

Environments:

• Busier parks, sidewalks, and dog-friendly store parking lots
  
  
• Start mixing easy locations with harder ones

Reinforcement Strategy:

• Mix food, toys, and praise
  
  
• Occasionally give jackpot rewards for exceptional effort

Session Structure:

• 5–10 minutes, depending on distraction level
  
  
• More spontaneous training moments during walks and outings

Training Tip: If your dog struggles in a hard location (too distracted, slow response), immediately lower the difficulty: Create distance, ask for a simpler behavior, and reward generously to rebuild confidence.

Daily Mini-Session Templates

If you’re looking for a real nuts-and-bolts structure, here’s a super simple daily model you can follow:

Morning (3 minutes):

• Practice 2 behaviors you’re reinforcing (sit, touch)
  
  
• Focus on speed and engagement

Afternoon (5 minutes):

• Practice with mild distractions (neighbor’s dog barking, kids biking by)
  
  
• Focus on calmness and staying connected

Evening (3–5 minutes):

• Play-based training (incorporate tug, fetch, or chase games)
  
  
• End on a big success and a high note

Training woven into daily life builds habits without feeling like a chore.