Your Back Cheat Sheet

Five steps, in order:

• Step toward your dog and mark the instant a paw moves back
• Toss the treat behind them to reward the backward direction
• Add the word "back" once the step-back is automatic
• Fade your body from full step, to lean, to word alone
• Start in a hallway so the walls keep the line straight

Back feels optional until you own it. Then you reach for it daily and forget how you ever managed the doorway without it.