BallerMelon

Full Integrated Training Timeline (150 Days)

8 min read

Full Integrated Training Timeline

150 Days to Excellence: Foundation + 3 Complete Cycles

Timeline: November 20, 2025 - April 20, 2026 (5 months)

This is your complete roadmap for 150 days of systematic training that builds a high-performance dog from the ground up.

The Big Picture

What You’re Building

  • Foundation skills: Break, Down (verbal cue → duration → distance/distractions)
  • Cycle 1: Confidence & Engagement (5 games)
  • Cycle 2: Emotional Regulation (5 games)
  • Cycle 3: Impulse Control & Precision (5 games)

Total Output

  • ✅ 15 Games Mastered across all three cycles
  • ✅ Rock-solid foundation skills (Break, Down with duration/distance/distractions)
  • ✅ Bulletproof marker system and handler engagement
  • ✅ Real-world skills (settles in public, holds positions with distractions, ready for advanced work)

Timeline at a Glance

PeriodWeeksFocusOutcome
Foundation1-5Break + Down phases 1-5Verbal down solid, Cycle 1 starts
90-Day Program6-15Cycles 1, 2, 3 + Down continuationAll 3 cycles complete
Advanced16-20Generalization & advanced prepReady for formal obedience/sport

The Three Pillars

1. The Daily Non-Negotiable: 3PM Courtyard Session

Every single day, all 150 days.

  • 10 minutes
  • Marker conditioning + Engagement work
  • This NEVER changes
  • It’s the anchor that holds everything together

Learn more: Daily Structure & Routines

2. The Three Complete Cycles (90 Days)

90-Day Foundations Program

  • Cycle 1: Confidence & Engagement (Nov 20 - Dec 20)
  • Cycle 2: Emotional Regulation (Dec 21 - Jan 20)
  • Cycle 3: Impulse Control & Precision (Jan 21 - Feb 20)

3. Foundation Skills Progression

Teaching Down - Complete Guide

Down is woven throughout the entire 150-day arc:

  • Phases 1-5 during weeks 1-5 (verbal cue)
  • Phase 6 (duration) during weeks 6-9
  • Phase 7 (distance/distractions) during weeks 10-15
  • Maintenance and generalization during weeks 16-20

Timeline Overview

Weeks 1-5: Foundation Building

What’s Happening:

  • Break teaching (complete)
  • Down Phases 1-5 (lure intro → verbal cue solid)
  • Cycle 1 games begin

By End of Week 5:

  • Break solid across all contexts
  • Down on verbal cue (8-9/10 success)
  • Cycle 1 complete (all 5 games)
  • 3pm courtyard habit established

Milestones:

  • ✅ Week 3: Break solid
  • ✅ Week 5: Cycle 1 complete + Down verbal cue solid

Weeks 6-10: Arousal Control + Duration

What’s Happening:

  • Down Phase 6 (duration work, 2-10 seconds → 10-30 seconds → 60+ seconds)
  • Cycle 2 games (arousal regulation, drive channeling)

By End of Week 10:

  • Down holds 60+ seconds with mild distractions
  • Cycle 2 complete (all 5 games)
  • She can go from 100 to 0 in 30 seconds

Milestones:

  • ✅ Week 9: Down duration solid (60+ seconds)
  • ✅ Week 10: Cycle 2 complete

Weeks 11-15: Distance + Precision

What’s Happening:

  • Down Phase 7 (distance and bigger distractions)
  • Cycle 3 games (impulse control, patience, precision)

By End of Week 15:

  • Down fully proofed (distance + distractions combined)
  • Cycle 3 complete (all 5 games)
  • Rock-solid impulse control across contexts

Milestones:

  • ✅ Week 15: All 3 cycles complete + Down proofed

Weeks 16-20: Advanced Applications & Generalization

What’s Happening:

  • All foundation skills in maintenance mode
  • Real-world testing (busier parks, cafes, etc.)
  • Prep for advanced work (formal recall, heel, sport foundations)

By Week 20:

  • Everything solid and generalized
  • Ready for advanced obedience or sport
  • Training habit fully established

Milestone:

  • ✅ Week 20: 150 DAYS COMPLETE

Detailed Breakdown by Phase

90-Day Foundations Program

This is your core program, weeks 1-15:

Teaching Down Progression

Down is taught in phases alongside the cycles:

Adding Duration to Any Behavior

Universal protocol used throughout, especially:

  • Down duration work (Weeks 6-9)
  • Games with duration components
  • Any behavior needing extended holds

The Non-Negotiables (All 150 Days)

Every Single Day

  • ✅ 3pm Courtyard Session (10 min) - Marker + Engagement
  • ✅ This week’s bonus game (10-15 min) - Based on timeline
  • ✅ Exercise outlet (20-30 min) - Walk/play + check-ins
  • ✅ Meals - Break/Down practice opportunities
  • ✅ Morning session (5 min) - Quick marker/maintenance

Every Week

  • ✅ Reflection (5-10 min) - Review weekly progress
  • ✅ Progress check - Is this week’s focus improving?
  • ✅ Adjustment - Make it easier or harder as needed

Every 30 Days (At Cycle Ends)

  • ✅ Cycle assessment - Full skills inventory
  • ✅ Next cycle planning - What’s next?
  • ✅ Celebrate progress - Look how far you’ve come!

Key Success Principles

Progress Over Perfection

  • Some weeks will be great
  • Some weeks will be harder
  • Both are part of the journey
  • Imperfect consistency beats perfect planning

Flexibility Within Structure

  • If you need to repeat a week, that’s fine
  • If she’s ahead of schedule, keep to timeline
  • The timeline is a guide, not a prison
  • Adjust based on HER progress, not the calendar

The Anchor Holds Everything

The 3pm courtyard session is non-negotiable because:

  • It’s short (10 min) = sustainable
  • It’s consistent = builds habit
  • It covers the basics = everything else builds on it
  • It compounds = 150 days of daily work = transformation

Real-World Integration

Training shouldn’t be separate from life. It IS life:

  • Meals = training opportunities
  • Walks = training time
  • Play = training
  • Settle time = training

What You’ll Have After 150 Days

Skills

  • ✅ Rock-solid down (verbal cue, 60+ seconds, distance, distractions)
  • ✅ Release cue (Break) solid across all behaviors
  • ✅ Bulletproof marker system (YES and GOOD)
  • ✅ Default handler focus
  • ✅ Arousal control and regulation
  • ✅ Impulse control and patience
  • ✅ Problem-solving ability

Games

  • ✅ 5 Confidence games (Cycle 1)
  • ✅ 5 Regulation games (Cycle 2)
  • ✅ 5 Precision games (Cycle 3)

Real-World Ability

  • ✅ Settles reliably in public
  • ✅ Holds positions with distractions
  • ✅ Channels arousal toward handler
  • ✅ Works through frustration
  • ✅ Checks in automatically before reacting
  • ✅ Ready for advanced obedience
  • ✅ Ready for sport foundations (if you want)

System & Habit

  • ✅ You have a systematic training habit
  • ✅ You know how to progress skills phase by phase
  • ✅ You have protocols for teaching anything new
  • ✅ You understand your dog and how she learns
  • ✅ You built a genuine working partnership

90-Day Foundations (Core Program, Weeks 1-15)

Teaching Down (Weeks 1-15)

Supporting Protocols

Getting Started

Before You Begin

NOTE

Week 1 Starts

NOTE

  1. Begin Cycle 1, Week 1 - Middle game
  2. Begin Teaching Down, Phases 1-2 - Introduce lure
  3. Do the 3pm courtyard session EVERY DAY
  4. Track how it feels

Rest of Timeline

Follow week by week. Each week has a clear game and focus. You know what to do.

Final Reminders

For Your ADHD Brain

  • 🧠 You don’t have to invent the plan - it’s all here
  • 🧠 You don’t have to decide what to train each day - the timeline tells you
  • 🧠 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 week at a time
  • 💪 One cycle at a time
  • 💪 One game at a time

You’ve Got This

150 days seems like a long time. It’s also not.

By April 20, 2026, you will have:

  • Trained consistently for 150 days
  • Mastered 15 games across 3 cycles
  • Built a rock-solid foundation
  • Created a working partnership with your dog
  • Established a training habit that works for YOUR brain

It all starts with the 3pm courtyard session tomorrow.

One 10-minute session. Every day.

That’s it.

Let’s go build something amazing.

🐾

Start here: 90-Day Foundations Hub

Questions about Down? Teaching Down Hub

Need details on structure? Daily Routines

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