90-Day Foundations Program - Complete Hub
Building Excellence While Preventing Problems.
This is your 90-day roadmap to transform your dog’s training. You’ll build handler focus, emotional regulation, and impulse control through three intensive cycles and a daily non-negotiable anchor session.
Quick Overview
Timeline: November 20, 2025 - February 20, 2026 (90 days)
What You’re Building:
- Rock-solid marker response
- Default handler focus
- Emotional regulation and arousal control
- Impulse control and patience
- Foundation ready for advanced obedience
The Core Promise: By February 20th, Melon can confidently perform all 15 games from the three cycles in any situation, with handler focus as her default and the ability to regulate her own arousal.
The Three Cycles
| Cycle | Dates | Focus | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cycle 1: Confidence & Engagement | Nov 20 - Dec 20 | Building confidence, problem-solving, handler focus | 5 games mastered, handler focus as default |
| Cycle 2: Emotional Regulation | Dec 21 - Jan 20 | Arousal control, drive channeling, start/stop switches | 5 games mastered, go from 100 to 0 in 30 seconds |
| Cycle 3: Impulse Control & Precision | Jan 21 - Feb 20 | Patience under pressure, frustration tolerance, reliability | 5 games mastered, rock-solid impulse control |
The Non-Negotiable: 3PM Courtyard Session
This session happens every single day, no matter what. This is your foundation anchor.
Duration: 10 minutes Structure:
- Minutes 0-4: Marker Conditioning (15-20 reps, high energy)
- Minutes 4-10: Engagement Work (eye contact, proximity, sit reps)
Why This Matters:
- Builds bulletproof marker response
- Creates default handler focus
- Establishes daily training habit
- Takes 10 minutes but compounds over 90 days
Learn more: Daily Structure & Routines
The Daily Structure
All three cycles use the same daily schedule. This consistency is what builds the habit.
| Time | Activity | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| ~4:00 AM | Wake, Potty #1 | Bathroom break |
| ~4:30 AM | Breakfast | Bowl/scatter/Kong |
| ~5:00 AM | Gym | Your workout |
| ~6:00 AM | Morning Marker Session | Quick marker work, sit/down maintenance |
| ~6:00 AM | Potty #2, #3 | Before work |
| 6-2pm | Crate Time | While at work |
| ~3:00 PM | Potty immediately | First thing home |
| 3:00 PM | COURTYARD SESSION | Marker + Engagement (ANCHOR) |
| ~3:15 PM | Decompression | Crate/tether/settle |
| ~3:45 PM | BONUS TRAINING SESSION | This week’s game |
| ~4:30 PM | Dinner | Meal #2 (scatter/training/Kong) |
| ~4:30 PM | Exercise Outlet | Walk/play/field work + check-ins |
| ~5:30 PM | Puppy Parking | Settle work |
| ~6:00 PM | Evening (optional) | Light work if energy allows |
| ~6:45 PM | Final Potty | Before bed |
| 7:00 PM | Lights Out | Crate/bed for night |
Full breakdown: Daily Structure & Routines
Cycle-by-Cycle Breakdown
Cycle 1: Building A Dog’s Confidence (Nov 20 - Dec 20)
Goal: By December 20th, Melon can confidently perform all 5 games from the Confidence cheatsheet in sequence.
Games:
- Middle - Handler proximity, trust, physical confidence
- Scent Trails - Focus, calmness, nose work foundation
- Box Feeding - Environmental neutrality, trust, impulse control
- Touch the Object - Problem-solving, confidence on new things
- Step Up - Problem-solving, confidence on new surfaces
Weekly Focus:
- Week 1: Middle (walk in middle position)
- Week 2: Scent Trails (follow trails)
- Week 3: Box Feeding (keep head in box)
- Week 4: Touch the Object + Step Up (explore and climb)
- Week 5: Integration & Assessment (run all 5 in sequence)
Cycle 2: Emotional Regulation (Dec 21 - Jan 20)
Goal: By January 20th, Melon can regulate her arousal - go from high-energy play to calm settle within 30 seconds.
Games:
- Red Light, Green Light - Start/stop arousal control
- Tug With Rules - Drive + boundaries
- Knock Over Water Bottle - Frustration tolerance
- Herding Step 1 - Physical boundaries + impulse control
- Scatter Feeding - Post-arousal reset
Weekly Focus:
- Week 1: Red Light, Green Light (stop on cue)
- Week 2: Tug With Rules (drop toy immediately)
- Week 3: Knock Over Water Bottle (work through frustration)
- Week 4: Herding + Scatter (boundaries and calm resets)
- Week 5: Integration & Assessment (arousal spike → regulated settle)
Cycle 3: Impulse Control & Precision (Jan 21 - Feb 20)
Goal: By February 20th, Melon has rock-solid impulse control. She can wait patiently, hold behaviors with distractions, and work through frustrating challenges.
Games:
- Pause for Food Challenge - Impulse control with high-value reward
- Stack an Object - Precision + sustained focus
- Crawl Under Obstacles - Body control + patience
- Ignore That - Delayed gratification
- (Integration & Assessment) - Run all 5 in sequence
Weekly Focus:
- Week 1: Pause for Food (wait for permission)
- Week 2: Stack an Object (precision work)
- Week 3: Crawl Under Obstacles (body control)
- Week 4: Ignore That (look at you, not the food)
- Week 5: Integration & Assessment (patience under pressure)
Key Success Principles
Progress, Not Perfection
- Some weeks will be great
- Some weeks will be harder
- Both are part of the journey
- Imperfect consistency beats perfect planning
Weekly Reflection
At the end of each week, reflect on:
Avoidant Goals (Preventing Problems):
- Did we avoid rehearsing bad patterns?
- Did I keep her under threshold?
- Did I manage high-arousal situations well?
- Is she checking in MORE, not less?
- Are recovery times getting faster?
Aspirational Goals (Building Excellence):
- Did we make progress on this week’s game?
- Is her marker response getting faster?
- Is her engagement improving?
- Is she showing toy/tug drive?
- Can she problem-solve without giving up?
Flexibility
- If you need to repeat a week, that’s fine
- If she’s ahead of schedule, that’s also fine
- The timeline is a guide, not a prison
- Celebrate small wins - every phase completion matters
Where 90-Day Foundations Fits In
This program is designed to integrate with:
- Teaching Down: Down is the foundation skill taught alongside Break during weeks 1-5
- Full Integrated Training Timeline: This 90-day program is the first 15 weeks of the 150-day arc
- Advanced Work: After 90 days, you’ll have the foundation for formal recall, heel, sport foundations, and more
Success Metrics: What You’ll Have After 90 Days
✅ Marker Response: Bulletproof, automatic response to YES and GOOD ✅ Handler Engagement: Default check-in behavior, looks to you before reacting ✅ Arousal Control: Can go from high-energy to calm within 30 seconds ✅ Impulse Control: Waits for permission, doesn’t steal food or toys ✅ Problem-Solving: Works through frustration, doesn’t give up ✅ 15 Games: All games from 3 cycles mastered ✅ Confidence: Tries new things, explores confidently ✅ Real-World Skills: Settles in public, holds positions with distractions
Getting Started
Before You Start
Make sure you have:
- High-value treats (small, soft, smelly)
- A quiet area for training (courtyard, living room)
- A way to track weekly reflections
- Understanding of your dog’s current skill level
- Realistic expectations (she’s already good, you’re building great)
Start with These Pages
- Daily Structure & Routines - Understand the daily rhythm
- Cycle 1: Building Confidence - Your first 30 days
All Resources
- Daily Structure & Routines - The non-negotiable daily schedule
- Cycle 1: Building Confidence - Weeks 1-5 (Nov 20 - Dec 20)
- Cycle 2: Emotional Regulation - Weeks 1-5 (Dec 21 - Jan 20)
- Cycle 3: Impulse Control - Weeks 1-5 (Jan 21 - Feb 20)
Related Programs
- Teaching ‘Down’ - Complete Training Guide - Foundation skill woven throughout
- Full Integrated Training Timeline - 150-day program that extends beyond this
- adding-duration-to-any-behavior-universal-protocol - Protocol used in Cycles 2-3
Final Reminders
For Your ADHD Brain
- 🧠 You don’t have to invent the plan - it’s already done
- 🧠 You don’t have to decide what to train - you know based on the week
- 🧠 You don’t have to track everything - just weekly reflections
- 🧠 Imperfect consistency beats perfect planning - just show up
For Melon
- 🐕 She’s already good - you’re building great
- 🐕 She’s not broken - you’re preventing problems before they start
- 🐕 She’s got high potential - you’re setting her up for excellence
- 🐕 She’s learning - trust the process
For You
- 💪 Progress, not perfection
- 💪 One day at a time
- 💪 One cycle at a time
- 💪 One game at a time
Let’s Go
You’ve got this. Start with Cycle 1: Building Confidence and take it one week at a time.
🐾