Puppy Pushups is great temporary substitute for other mental and physical activity, like when you aren’t able to take your dog out for a walk because it’s raining.

This activity will exercise your dog physically, but as they focus on you and work to process rapid-fire commands, this exercise will help meet their mental needs as well.

Setting up for the Activity

• In order to do Puppy Pushups, you and your dog will need to be very familiar with the commands “Sit” (Apply #6) and “Down” (Apple #12). Your dog should be able to respond to both of these commands without food lures.

• If you are not feeling kind, calm, and confident, do not train your dog until you are in a better mental state. Kindness is a choice, calmness takes practice, and confidence comes with education, which will grow as you master this activity.

Activity Steps

• Stand in front of your dog, and with them facing you, start by giving the “sit” command.

• Once your dog sits, give them the “down” command. Then, when your dog goes down on their belly, give them the “sit” command again.

• It’s that simple. Keep alternating the commands so that your dog is exercising in a sit-up-like cadence.

• There’s really no set length for this activity—maybe 10 minutes or so? Mainly, you’re looking to see when your dog starts to gets tired. You’ll know you’ve succeeded if your dog is more calm and relaxed when you’ve finished, and you’ve really given them a good work out if they curl up and fall asleep afterwards!

Training Over Time

• If your dog struggles with this activity, it’s time to go back to the “sit” and “down” commands taught in Apples #6 and #12, and work on those individually until you can successfully use them for this activity.