$99.00
The whole program: both halves, all twelve units, twelve months. It starts with a dog who may not yet look at you when you say their name, and ends with a dog who settles when the doorbell goes, finds a hidden toy by scent, greets a visitor politely and takes a bow.
Everything is taught as a game and filmed with our kid trainers, and it includes our SAFE dog bite prevention lessons. You get 133 training videos, 12 printable activity guides and 61 printable training cards — $19 less than buying Basic and Advanced separately.
Built for families with children ages 5 to 12 and their dogs. Nothing is mailed and nothing is scheduled: you buy it, log in, and start the same day.
Most dog training happens to a dog and one adult. Then the rest of the household carries on as before, and the dog has to work out which rules apply to whom. This program puts everyone on the same page — videos the whole family watches, activity guides a child can follow, and training cards that keep practice going between sessions.
Jenn, Royal, Bernie and the kid trainers walk you through it. Nothing is mailed and nothing is scheduled: you buy it, log in, and start.
133 training videos
This is the whole program — Basic and Advanced, Parts 1 and 2, twelve units over twelve months. It starts with a dog who may not yet look at you when you say their name, and ends with a dog who settles on a mat when the doorbell goes, finds a hidden toy by scent, greets a visitor politely and takes a bow. All of it taught as games, filmed with our kid trainers, for families with children ages 5 to 12.
You get 133 training videos, twelve printable activity guides (one a month) and 61 printable training cards — one per game. At $99 it’s $19 less than buying the two halves separately. Written by Jenn Merritt, a former CPDT-KA reward-based dog trainer.
Your dog learns to look at you when you say their name — the skill everything else is built on.
20-page activity guide · Introductions for parents and for children · Learning about your dog: whole body · Loving your dog: helping them feel safe · How to give your dog a treat · Training tool: treat pouch · Games: Doggie Yo-Yo, Magic Hands, Say My Name, Hide and Seek, Magic Hands Advanced · TTouch: introduction, Noah’s March, Llama
Sit on cue, then sit without being asked: at the door, before dinner, before a fuss.
16-page activity guide · Learning about your dog: mouth · Loving your dog: does my dog like to be petted? · Training tool: Halti harness · Games: Doggie Ping Pong, Let’s Sit Parts 1–3, Treats On a Seat, Sit Treat Repeat, Sit For Everything · TTouch: Tiger, Chimp
Coming back when you call, even away from something good. And lying down on cue.
16-page activity guide · Learning about your dog: eyes · Loving your dog: dog-proofing your home · Training tool: 4- and 6-foot leashes · Games: Come for Good Stuff, Come Away From Good Stuff, Catch and Release, Down Treat Repeat, Advanced Hide and Seek · TTouch: Raccoon, Raccoon on Feet
Loose-leash walking indoors first, where it’s quiet enough for your dog to get it right.
16-page activity guide · Learning about your dog: ears · Loving your dog: playing mental games · Training tool: how to stuff a Kong · Games: Walk This Way, Walk Together, Three’s Company, Moving Down Treat Repeat Parts 1–2, Advanced Hide and Seek 2 · TTouch: Ear Slides, Zig Zag
Leave it starts to mean leave it — and the leash walking moves out of the front door.
16-page activity guide · Learning about your dog: tails · Loving your dog: keeping your dog healthy · Games: Leave It Parts 1–2, Down Treat Repeat Part 3, Walk This Way Outside Advanced · TTouch: Jellyfish, Tail Work
Staying put while you walk away, and holding a leave it around real temptation.
16-page activity guide · Games: Down And Stay, Leave It Parts 3–4, Penalty Yards On The Road, Come When Called Toy Challenge · TTouch: Zoom Groom brush, Noah’s March with the Zoom Groom
A mat your dog goes to and settles on while the rest of the household carries on.
12-page activity guide · Learning about your dog: canine calming signals · Loving your dog: keeping your dog’s teeth clean · Games: Chillax On The Mat Part 1, Come When Called Food Bowl Challenge, Leave It — The Oops Game, Super Sits, Daring Downs · TTouch: Mouth Work, Turtle
SAFEHow to be safe around a dog you don’t know. Plus crawl and roll over.
12-page activity guide · SAFE: Be SAFE Around Strange Dogs, Keeping Kids SAFE Around Dogs, printable SAFE game · Loving your dog: healthy food and treats · Games: Chillax On A Mat Part 2 (go to your mat), Guess What’s Next, The Oops Game Part 2 · Tricks: Crawl, Flop & Roll Over · TTouch: Springbok, Clouded Leopard
SAFEWhy even a family dog can bite, and how to be safe with dogs you know.
8-page activity guide · SAFE: Be SAFE Around Dogs You Know, Even Family Dogs Can Bite, printable SAFE game · Loving your dog: making sure your dog has proper ID · Games: Chillax On A Mat (down on a mat), Grocery Bag Relay, Drop It, Come When Called Leash Walk Challenge · Tricks: Shake Paws · TTouch: Hair Slides, Python Lift
Touching a target on cue, and not bolting the moment the front door opens.
12-page activity guide · Learning about your dog: how animal services helps my community · Loving your dog: helping your local animal shelter · Games: Basic Targeting, Moving Target, Come When Called Front Door Challenge, Chillax On The Mat (stay on the mat) · Tricks: Spin · TTouch: Inchworm, Tarantula Pulling The Plow
Waiting for the food bowl and at the door — and finding things by scent.
12-page activity guide · Learning about your dog: sense of smell · Loving your dog: playing nosework games · Games: Nosework Box Game, Find Your Best Friend, Wait For The Food Bowl, Wait At The Door, Chillax On The Mat Part 5 (doorbell settle) · TTouch: Jellyfish Jiggle with the Zoom Groom, Lick Of The Cow’s Tongue
Meeting a new person or a new dog politely, out on a walk and at your own front door.
12-page activity guide · Learning about your dog: canine cognition · Loving your dog: being an advocate for your dog · How to meet a new dog · Games: What’s Under The Cup Pup?, Meet And Greet On A Walk, Meet And Greet At The Front Door · Tricks: Take A Bow, Sit Pretty · TTouch: Abalone
Units 8 and 9 carry our SAFE dog bite prevention lessons — Be SAFE Around Strange Dogs, Be SAFE Around Dogs You Know, Even Family Dogs Can Bite, Keeping Kids SAFE Around Dogs and the printable SAFE game. Unit 12 adds How to Meet a New Dog. Safety isn’t a bolt-on chapter here; it sits inside the months where your child is handling the dog most.
The units all run the same way, so your family gets into a rhythm by about month two. Each one opens with a printable activity guide, then a short Learning About Your Good Dog video about a part of your dog — ears, eyes, tail, mouth — and what it tells you about how they feel. Loving Your Good Dog covers care; Teaching Your Good Dog sets up the month’s skill. Then come the training games, each filmed with our kid trainers and each paired with its own printable training card, and the month closes with Tellington TTouch relaxation exercises you can use any time.
There are I Can statements in every unit too, so your child can see for themselves what they’ve learned to do.
None of these are included — they’re the kit these exercises assume you have, so it’s worth checking the cupboard before your first session. The full kit, across both parts — though not all at once. Each one comes in when its exercises do.
Dog Smart Card Game
A treat pouch
4′ and 6′ webbed leashes
A harness — we recommend a Halti
A Kong
A Zoom Groom brush
Dog treats
A stuffable food-dispensing toy
A dog toothbrush and toothpaste
A Clix target stickBrands are what we use, not what you must buy — anything equivalent is fine. Please don’t use a retractable leash.
After unit 12 there’s a bonus unit on how to meet a new dog, a short conclusion, a course evaluation and a certificate of completion for your child. Your access doesn’t end with it — the videos, guides and cards stay open, and most families go back through the games more than once.
Right after you buy, we’ll email you an invitation to create a password and log in to our online learning system, where your program is waiting. Nothing is mailed, and nothing is scheduled — the whole program is open from day one and stays open.
These exercises are built for children ages 5 to 12, and every one of them should be actively supervised by an adult. Children should be supervised around any dog, including a family dog they have known for years.
This is not an instant fix. Every dog learns at their own pace, and repetition and consistency are what get results — we suggest five to ten minutes at a time, once or several times a day. The program does not address aggressive or fear-based behavior, which needs a reward-based dog training professional working with you in person.
What your family learns
Ages 5 and up, with an adult alongside
The grown-ups in the house
What’s included
Every game filmed with our kid trainers, so you can watch it before you try it. The count for this program is at the top of the page.
One a month, written for a child to work through — word finds, puzzles, things to colour in and the month’s exercises.
One per game. Print the one you’re working on and keep it where you’ll see it: the fridge, the treat pouch, your pocket on a walk.
Practice that doesn’t feel like practice.
What comes in the online program
Watch
Your guides
They walk you through every exercise, every safety game and every bit of the fun. Nobody is lecturing a camera: these are real sessions with real kids and real dogs, filmed so your family can copy them.
Suitable for everyone in the house from five up, with an adult alongside.
Testimonials
“Your materials I think are wonderful for professionals who work with kids and dogs, but also for families… they are very playful and attractive that kids would enjoy.”
“Jenn & Kim have done a great job of providing what kids need to know, with a great blend of hands-on, video… Kids and dogs can be perfect together!”
“Good Dog in a Box is a great idea. I love the emphasis on compassion and gentle training. Your program is great!”
“We love it! My son couldn’t stop watching the videos. I finally had to say, ‘No, it’s time for bed!’ I’m really surprised by how much of an interest he now takes in our dogs. Him having these exercises as a step-by-step guide is amazing. He’s excited and wants to work with the dogs every day. I think if I would have tried to do these things on my own, it would not have been successful. He needed this in a program that was for HIM.”
“I found this all to be very complete and easy to follow. The creative games were a hit and really made learning about dogs and behavior fun.”
“What I love about what you have created is the whole concept that this — dog bite prevention — doesn’t have to be scary.”
“Good Dog in a Box is fabulous for educating people with your tools.”
“It’s brilliant. The whole program that you have. To make it so easy for families and people to learn more about their dogs and get involved in their training. I think a lot of new pet owners know they need to train the dog, but aren’t as well equipped to know how to help that dog through stress, anxiety, and some of the other triggers or issues it may be experiencing.”
As seen in
FAQ
If your dog hasn’t done formal training, start with Basic Part 1. If they’ve been through a basic class already, Advanced Part 2 picks up from there. If you want the lot, the 12-month program is both halves for $99, which saves you $19.
Right after you buy, we’ll email you an invitation to create a password and log in to our online learning system. Everything is there immediately — no waiting for a box.
It depends which part you’re doing. Basic, Part 1 calls for the Dog Smart Card Game, a treat pouch, a 4′ and 6′ webbed leash (no retractable leashes), a harness — we recommend a Halti — a Kong, a Zoom Groom brush and dog treats. Advanced, Part 2 calls for dog treats, a stuffable rubber food-dispensing toy, a dog toothbrush and toothpaste, and a Clix target stick. If you’re doing the 12-month program you’ll want all of them, though not all at once — each one comes in when its exercises do. The list for the program on this page is in the description above.
One unit a month. Basic is units 1–6, Advanced is units 7–12, and the 12-month program is all twelve. Work at whatever pace suits your dog — we suggest training sessions of five to ten minutes, once or several times a day.
No. This is the virtual version — same material, delivered online and available instantly. The monthly box is a separate thing; ask us if that’s what you were after.
Five and up, with an adult alongside. Children under twelve should be supervised around any dog, including a family dog they’ve known for years.
Yes. The training is yours for the term, so use the same exercises with any dog in the household.
No. Those need a reward-based dog training professional working with you and your dog in person.
Sit, Stay, Down: Online Dog Training for Families
