Who Angus is
As the trainers describe him
The trainer who describes the sanctuary in June says he is training each dog and getting them ready.
On film
they built like a big sanctuary area for all these dogs and basically i'm training each one and getting them ready and then and then we're trying to place them
Shy, and unsettled by the unfamiliar. Two separate occasions name it: in the store ('kind of a shy dog', 'a little nervous') and on the walk with Teddy, where his handler calls it the thing he has been working on and sets it against Teddy's over-arousal.
On film
yeah he's just learning to come in that's why i came here yeah because i'm like oof that's gonna be a lot for him especially he's kind of a shy dog yeah he's a little nervous yeah it just takes time yeah he's getting there
That's kind of generally like one of the things I've been trying to work on with him is he just gets like really like like that. When he hears things or sees things that he's not used to, he just gets like, he gets sketched out. Teddy gets amped a good percentage of the time, but Angus gets sketched.
Very food-motivated - the trait that changes how he is trained.
On film
Mr. Angus loves the food.
boosts his mood and so do the treats because he's really treat motivated
Small, but fast by the trainer's impression of his build. The June guess of 'a pointer mix of some kind' is one trainer's guess; there is no intake and no breed on record.
On film
i feel like angus's body type he would just totally leave me in the dust
the ones that we've been getting asked about are the ones that are like completely ready um so we've only had interest in like the teddy uh rufus angus is like ready he's like a pointer mix of some kind
An explorer rather than a velcro dog, in the group trainer's comparison: he, Teddy, Brody and Irwin 'want to go see everything', where Egg and Rufus stay close. On his own walks he sniffs, marks almost everything and goes in the water.
On film
but it's not quite like teddy where teddy like wants to go do stuff same thing with Brody or with with Angus or with with Erwin they really want to go see everything
he has a tendency to not care about leash tension
Fixates on other dogs. A barking dog changed how he took the collar; passing dogs made him ignore the recall; an off-leash dog that came up to him drew a growl.
On film
So it looks like he got a little surprised by that e-collar because he was really fixated on the dog sound.
all I did was make sure because Angus went to growl he was not gonna not gonna handle that well but we de-escalated it
Affectionate and, by the trainer's account, smart. He climbs into the truck on his own.
The program, stage by stage
Stage
Before 2026-04-09 (upload of the Rufus day-five walk).
On Rufus's day five the trainer sorts the group into easier dogs (Rufus, Teddy) and harder ones (Egg, Irwin, Angus) and says all of them will get to the same place. He also names Angus as an explorer, which matters to him because an explorer can be given the distance a recall needs. Angus is not on this recording.
Day three or four: the trail walk, recall made non-optionalTurning point
Uploaded 2026-04-13 (watch, and probably watch).
The richest session in his file. On a flat collar with an e-collar, the trainer pairs recall with a sit on arrival, uses let's go to move on, and lets Angus sniff, mark and swim. Three events shape it. A barking dog makes Angus react more strongly to an unchanged collar level, and the trainer names the variable as context, not level. Passing dogs on flexi leads make him ignore the recall; the trainer holds the standard ('recall is not optional'), then turns the level down slightly. An off-leash dog comes up while its owner fails to call it back; Angus starts to growl, the trainer de-escalates and moves on, and tells viewers not to let a dog off leash before it has a great recall. The heel at the end is still unclear to him, so the plan is less duration and heel-entry work. The '#2' recording, on the way back to the truck, is almost all cues; the trainer says Angus was 'so much better than when we started the walk' and 'learning a lot'.
On film
i'm getting him used to sitting when he comes back to me when he recalls work those two things together
so he was definitely blowing me off 100 with those dogs but it's a good opportunity to to proof it so he sees he has to he has to do it either way it's not optional recall is not optional that's how you get in big trouble with a dog that's how they hurt someone else or they get hurt or they run into traffic
you did so good there's so much better than when we started the walk bud
About session five: the field trip, and the turn toward foodTurning point
Uploaded 2026-04-23 (watch, then watch). Part 1 is not in the library.
The trainer states the plan (positions including place on a table, heel, let's go and recall) and that Angus will probably be ready for a store soon. He checks the down, which Angus has 'retained', though it needs 'all the way down' prompting, and says it will now be proofed. In the second half he refines it: Angus is downing while still moving forward, alongside the trainer, instead of dropping where he is. They run together and he gets salmon treats because both lift his mood. Here the trainer first says out loud that he has been using food with Angus, and that he is uneasy about it. The heel is 'a little rough' but 'getting there'.
On film
All right. So he retained the down command that I taught him. He's doing really well with it.
so what I'm trying to fix there with the down is that he's trying to move forward because he's downing right next to me instead of staying in place so I'm just kind of clarifying that for him
and then we ran together because that boosts his mood and so do the treats because he's really treat motivated so I have been working him some with food which since I don't use food all the the time uh it makes me i feel a little awkward
First time in a store: the method adapts to himTurning point
Uploaded 2026-04-30 (watch).
Outside the store the heel falls apart: he wants to sniff everything and is 'blowing off the e-collar'. The trainer switches to treats and gives the clearest statement of Angus's case: learning through negative reinforcement is hard and uncomfortable for him at first, though he does very well once he knows what to do, so treats are used for more and more of his training. Inside, sniffing is allowed and marking is not; he has to be corrected four or five times. A staff member gives him a treat. The trainer says he brought a shy, nervous dog here to learn to come in, and that 'it just takes time'. He buys small salmon training treats and a light tie-out to use as a short long line, 'an easy graduation from the 50 footer'. Sit and down are asked in the store, and he is praised for his first trip.
On film
Angus does really good with treats. So I'm using treats for more and more of Angus's training because he tends to do better with the treats and sometimes he feels uncomfortable at first learning with negative reinforcement once he's figured out what to do he does really really good but learning with negative reinforcement is tough for Angus
you can sniff but you cannot pee
i i had to correct him like four or five times he really wants to
The walk with Teddy: nerves named as the work
Uploaded 2026-05-13 (Teddy's microphone, watch) and 2026-05-19 (Angus's microphone, watch).
Angus is worked on come, sit, down and heel with salmon treats; he ignores one early recall, which sets off a joke about his 'terrible trainer in the past'. A local loose dog comes at the pair for the third time and is shouted away. Afterwards Angus will not go into the water, the handler who did the shouting apologises to him, and the staff describe him as 'a little freaked out'. Angus's handler says his reaction to unfamiliar sights and sounds is what he has been trying to work on. Later in the walk his heel earns repeated 'Good heel'. This is the last recording in which he is trained.
On film
He's a little... suppressed.
That's kind of generally like one of the things I've been trying to work on with him is he just gets like really like like that. When he hears things or sees things that he's not used to, he just gets like, he gets sketched out. Teddy gets amped a good percentage of the time, but Angus gets sketched.
Very good. Good heal.
'Prepping to Head Out' - near-silent
Uploaded 2026-05-26 (watch).
The title says he is being got ready for an outing. Nothing about the dog can be established from the audio; it is recorded, not discounted.
June: 'ready', second-hand
Uploaded 2026-06-24 (watch, a go-home lesson for Apollo the Bully).
Answering a family's questions about the sanctuary's dogs, the trainer says interest has only come for the dogs that are completely ready, and in the same breath 'angus is like ready' and 'a pointer mix of some kind'. The sentence can be read as Angus being among the dogs people have asked about, or only as Angus now being ready. Either way it is a claim, second-hand, not film of Angus.
On film
the ones that we've been getting asked about are the ones that are like completely ready um so we've only had interest in like the teddy uh rufus angus is like ready he's like a pointer mix of some kind
'Return Home after Training' - pending
The title is the only information. Treat the title as a claim.
Skills
Recall (come), with a sit on arrival
How it was taught
Come, then sit on arrival, with 'uh-uh' for a missed sit; the e-collar backs the recall at a level that stays the same through the walk and is turned down slightly after the dog-distraction episode. Food is used for the recall by May.
On film
i'm getting him used to sitting when he comes back to me when he recalls work those two things together
I did have to get on up with the e-collar a little bit there.
So, we've gotten to do let's go. We've gotten to do sit. We've gotten to do down. We've gotten to do the recall. All that stuff's going well.
completely ignored it
Down
How it was taught
Cue, prompt 'all the way', treat on completion; 'ah ah' when he creeps forward, 'a little guidance', reward by running together and treats.
On film
Angus down all the way but all the way down
That's fantastic. We'll just proof that and make it stronger as we go along.
so what I'm trying to fix there with the down is that he's trying to move forward because he's downing right next to me instead of staying in place so I'm just kind of clarifying that for him
Heel
How it was taught
Heel cues with 'nope'/'uh-uh'; planned reduction of duration and work on the heel entry; 'look' with treats from the field trip on.
On film
i'm gonna have to do for a lot less duration next time because i think that that was still a little bit unclear to him there in the heel we've worked on it a little bit but it looks like to me he's still very unclear on what he's supposed to be doing so i'm probably gonna work the heel entry a little bit so he he knows the position better.
So I'm going to have to keep shaping that heel command, good boy.
Very good. Good heal.
Let's go and leash manners
How it was taught
Let's go to move on from sniffing and marking; the e-collar is introduced alongside let's go on day three or four.
On film
He's testing out his e-collar levels there with the let's go command.
he has a tendency to not care about leash tension
Public manners: sniff, don't mark
How it was taught
Sniffing allowed throughout; the attempt to mark interrupted with 'no, don't do that'.
On film
you can sniff but you cannot pee
i i had to correct him like four or five times he really wants to
Down
On film
Angus down. Down. Down. Down. Nope. Down. Nope.
Go find it
down down good job go find them there's three
Down
On film
they're pretty resistant to it they don't want to go into the down so i'm taking a little bit
i'm not pressing the issue yet because it's not that that important quite yet i will have to press the issue at some point
Angus. Down. Down. Good boy. Come on. Down. All the way.
Public manners: sniff, don't mark
On film
Angus, sit, sit, sit, sit, okay, good boy, good job Mr. Angus, now you can go pee on stuff,
Angus is going to want to pee on something. I'm not going to let him do that.
I'm going to walk around over there first. Make sure he doesn't need to use the bathroom.
NEW (not in the arc): Wait and release before moving off
On film
all right Angus ready wait okay good boy
make sure he knows his release
NEW (not in the arc): Loading into the truck
On film
Just needed a little bit of a nudge to get in there.
Look, he got in before I told him to.
Heel
On film
There you go. I was like, what is he looking at? Come on Angus
He's doing good.
From the Shorts
Short clips posted from Angus's training. They are undated, so they sit beside the program rather than inside it.
A treat hunt after the down
On two walk clips the down still takes several asks, with 'nope' or 'ah ah' when he does not go down. Once he is down, the handler tells him 'go find it' and helps him hunt for pieces ('there's three'), praising him when he finds the last one. The handler mentions salmon treats on the same walk.
On film
Angus down. Down. Down. Down. Nope. Down. Nope.
Go find it
You did good Angus.
my hand smells like salmon treats
angus down down down down ah ah down
down down good job go find them there's three I think you can find them
Angus right here right here good boy you found it
The down was his hard one
Talking about several dogs in training at the time, the trainer says the down came easily to most of them, but Angus resisted going into it. So the trainer was taking it slower with him and not pushing it yet, while he made progress in every other area. A walk clip shows the down being worked: repeated cues, 'all the way', and praise each time, with the handler remarking that the down is one of the hard ones for some dogs.
On film
for brody super easy for angus and egg
they're pretty resistant to it they don't want to go into the down so i'm taking a little bit
slower on that one for them they're making progress in every other area
i'm not pressing the issue yet because it's not that
Angus. Down. Down. Good boy. Come on. Down. All the way.
Down is one of the hard ones for some of these dogs.
Marking is allowed, but only when he is told
Angus likes to mark on everything. On the way out he is told not to; at the truck he is asked to sit, released with 'okay', and only then told he can go and mark. On another outing the handler says plainly that he will not be allowed to mark on the walk, then lets him at the truck. Before going into a store the handler walks him around outside first so he can relieve himself.
On film
Come on. Don't pee on that thing.
Angus, sit, sit, sit, sit, okay, good boy, good job Mr. Angus, now you can go pee on stuff,
Angus is going to want to pee on something. I'm not going to let him do that.
Oh, you can pee on that if you want. I don't care.
I'm going to walk around over there first. Make sure he doesn't need to use the bathroom.
Wait, then 'okay', before setting off
At the start of outings the handler asks Angus to wait and lets him go with the release word 'okay', saying the point is to make sure he knows his release. In the clip where this is filmed the handler says he is doing really well, about five or six days in.
On film
Angus is doing really well in his training. Good boy. I think this is like day five or six for Angus.
all right Angus ready wait okay good boy
okay good boy make sure he knows his release come on let's
Getting into the truck
Around what the handler thinks is day four, Angus needs 'up, up' and a small nudge to jump into the truck. In other clips he jumps in on 'up up', and once gets in before he is asked; the handler says he likes truck rides.
On film
I think this is day four with Angus now.
Boy, Angus. Up, up. Come on, Angus.
Just needed a little bit of a nudge to get in there.
Angus, up up. Get in there.
Look, he got in before I told him to.
Yeah, Angus likes going for rides in the truck, bud.
Trained on a flat collar
The handler says Angus is on a plain flat collar and that they train everything on flat collars. Before one outing a collar turns out too loose for his 'skinny neck' and is swapped for one that fits.
On film
Okay. Angus is just on a flat collar.
We train all on flat collars.
Let's see if this fits or if you've got a skinny neck.
Let's see if that fits better.
How the method adapted
Angus is not a bite case and not a severe fear case. What his file shows is a trainer changing his usual way of working to suit a shy, food-loving dog, and saying why. The adaptations are few and clearly stated.
Food became the main currency, against the trainer's own preference.
Because learning under negative reinforcement is uncomfortable for Angus at first, and he does better with treats. The trainer says he dislikes what food does to the relationship, and uses it anyway.
On film
so sometimes as you're training you have to start adapting to the individual dog not every dog trains the same way so you have to Really really work hard at getting to know the dog and figuring out exactly what works for them and for Angus Treats are a big help.
you see how he's nudging my hand and looking in my hand that's one of the things that i dislike about food it kind of changes the relationship that you have with the dog and makes it a little bit less natural
Running together, used as a mood lift.
Stated alongside the treats: both boost his mood.
On film
and then we ran together because that boosts his mood and so do the treats because he's really treat motivated
When his reaction to the collar changed, the trainer read the context, not the level, and turned the level down rather than up.
The level had not changed; his fixation on a barking dog had.
On film
is that the e-collar level did not change from there to any of the other ones that we used any of the other times we use it it's been the same his reaction was different there again because of something i've explained in a lot of different videos it's the context
so let me turn it down just slightly it's not up very high to to begin with, but again, context matters.
Heel duration cut, heel entry added.
The position was still unclear to him.
On film
i'm gonna have to do for a lot less duration next time because i think that that was still a little bit unclear to him there in the heel we've worked on it a little bit but it looks like to me he's still very unclear on what he's supposed to be doing so i'm probably gonna work the heel entry a little bit so he he knows the position better.
A store chosen for a shy dog's first indoor exposure, with the expectation that it takes time.
So he learns to come in; the trainer expected it to be a lot for him.
On film
yeah he's just learning to come in that's why i came here yeah because i'm like oof that's gonna be a lot for him especially he's kind of a shy dog yeah he's a little nervous yeah it just takes time yeah he's getting there
Noise aimed at another dog was treated as having landed on him.
After the loose dog was shouted away he would not go in the water; the staff apologise to him and let him sniff. This is how the staff read it, not something they planned.
On film
angus does not want to go in
He's a little... suppressed.
He doesn't know what that is.
What the family was told
Off leash only after a great recall, friendly dog or not
that's why it's important not to let your dog off the leash until they have a great recall even if they're friendly because not all dogs are friendly
In the family's own words
None. There is no family.
Outcomes
What the trainers reported
Doing well and learning a lot on day three or four.
The trainer, on the walk back to the truck (uploaded 2026-04-13)
On film
He's learning a lot.
Down retained; let's go, sit, down and recall going well.
The trainer, on the field trip (uploaded 2026-04-23)
On film
So, we've gotten to do let's go. We've gotten to do sit. We've gotten to do down. We've gotten to do the recall. All that stuff's going well.
'Ready' by late June.
The trainer at Apollo the Bully's go-home lesson (uploaded 2026-06-24); second-hand and grammatically ambiguous
On film
the ones that we've been getting asked about are the ones that are like completely ready um so we've only had interest in like the teddy uh rufus angus is like ready he's like a pointer mix of some kind
What the footage shows
A dog who, on day three or four, pulls, ignores the recall near other dogs and growls at an approaching off-leash dog, and who is kept out of trouble by the handler.
A down that holds between sessions but drifts forward, being corrected toward downing in place.
A first store visit with repeated marking attempts, sit and down on cue with treats, and a treat taken from a stranger.
In May, a heel praised repeatedly, and a dog still unsettled by a loud event and by novelty.
The ideas Angus's case runs on
- 'Let's go' is not 'Come' - and the recall has an ending
- Clarity is the kindness
- Food facilitates calm, it cannot create it
- Freedom is given in measured steps
- Generalisation is the whole job
- Heel entry versus heel in motion
- Pick the place for what it contains - life is the training ground
- Play becomes the reward - and play is a contest
- Reading the dog
- Show what not to do, allow everything else
- The dog tells you the reward
- The flight-risk protocol, and the one command that matters
- The handler is a variable: nerves, tension, voice and energy
- The level is not a number