The Table: PRIME Off-Leash

What you're seeing

Simon, Toby and Kaiser take turns hopping onto a grooming table on cue and holding their position there, off leash. No clickers, no treats, no e-collar, no leash. It looks like a simple trick that takes just over a minute to show. It is the whole P.R.I.M.E. framework in one exercise: five concepts, one practical application, one result.

The five concepts in one drill

Proximity: each dog stays where it is told, at the distance it is told. Resources: in this case, the table and the space between Shawn and the table are claimable resources. Interactions: a dog responds to Shawn's voice, body language, gestures, and touch. Movement: Shawn directs who moves and when. Elevation: a dog is on the high ground by direction, which is the exact opposite of a dog that claims the couch or the bed. Five concepts, one result: off-leash obedience.

Why it matters at home

You will not need a grooming table. You will need a dog that waits at the door, gets off the bed when asked, holds a place while dinner is served, and stays put while another dog, or a child, gets attention. Every one of those is the table exercise in a different setting. The dogs in the video are not performing; they are showing the everyday habits that make them easy to live with, and those habits transfer to your kitchen because they were never about the table in the first place.

Get this with your dog

P.R.I.M.E. is the foundation of every program we run, taught through in-home dog training and board and train. Read The PRIME Method: How We Train Dogs Without Treats, or get a free phone consultation to see how it applies to your dog.