The original cue was "Two Paws". Mishka would put her two paws on a stool. To make it fluent, I added distance from me and her to the stool. The stool is 5-6 feet away and I am sitting on a stool.

Cue: Two Paws

Environment: In my living room with no distractions

Fluency: 6 feet of distance, with me sitting away on a stool

Down

Cue: Belly

Environment: In my living room with no distractions

Details: Mishka already knew "down", so I changed the nuance of this command and had Mishka lay on her side (showing her belly).

Go To Mat

Shaping the action

Environment: In my living room with no distractions

Adding Cue: Place

Fluency: Doing the cue 3 times, with me sitting away on a stool.

Fluency: Holding "place" for 10 seconds