Who Apollo (the Bully) is
As the trainer describes him
Nervous on arrival, barking at people to make them go away, and excited and jumpy once comfortable.
On film
dog engaging right so with him he was a little nervous when we first got here
So he was barking a lot and just trying to kind of get people to walk away.
And then once he got comfortable, he'd be excited and he would jump and engage and things like that.
Food-motivated rather than a player at first; tug had to be built.
On film
so he's willing to play with me a little bit but he's still like not a big player
that kid that dog's uh very food motivated
Early fixation on other dogs, including through fences, which by the first owner lesson had turned into play; an especially sharp worry about men approaching quickly.
On film
that right now he's you know like in the beginning he did fixate a little bit
he'll bark back and forth and have fun and he'll like do stuff but he's not
especially guys like there's a lot of cases where like out in public
specifically if a guy came up too quick you get really really anxious with it
Selective with strangers rather than reactive: he steps back from pushy people without barking, and the trainer treats the step back as enough.
On film
they come up too fast, he doesn't bark or anything, but he will just be like, you're being kind of
A predictor. The trainer's whole explanation of why consistency matters for him is that he is always forecasting, and that a hard-to-read handler is what would make him nervous again.
On film
Because everything especially with like a dog like him everything is always going
it's easy to predict he'll follow the predictions okay right if it's hard to
A tester, who knows the commands and checks for exceptions - with new venues, with the owner handling, and with friendly strangers.
On film
of the proofing part of it, right, so with the proofing, he knows the commands, he knows
right, that's him going, maybe if I go to the right side, dad won't make me do it, right,
Physically a rough player with a hard head, attached more strongly to the husband than to the wife, and a bully-breed dog by every spoken reference.
On film
just playing and doing stuff he's like oh he's just a he's just kind of a rough player and dog
The struggle is definitely gonna be more like he's gonna try to go to him and avoid like because
uh-huh bullies do like all bully breeds like have that butt wiggle thing
As the family describe him
Good at home; the problem is taking him out. He would not drop or leave things.
On film
It's mainly taking him out that's the problem.
Except for, like, when we used to tell him to drop stuff or leave it alone, he wouldn't.
Protective of a six-month-old baby - reported at the first lesson as not letting others near her, and at home as lying beside her. Owner report only; the footage shows him marking near her once.
On film
he was very protective of her he
ground or something he just lays next to her yeah it's his baby
In fights with the household dogs before the program, and blamed in a public incident the family attribute to his breed.
On film
will he be okay with our dogs
considering they were always fighting
The program, stage by stage
Intake, off camera
Form submitted 4/29/2026; preferred pickup 5/1/2026. Nothing filmed.
A young bully mix, a stray taken in the year before, living with two other dogs, a Malinois called Zeus and a smaller female called Rebel. He had fought Zeus, rushed out of the front door after a delivery driver, was frantic when left crated too long, and was reactive to new people and new dogs. He had a reliable sit and down and nothing else the program teaches. The family asked for behaviour modification first, then obedience, and named recall, place and middle (source: intake). There is no evaluation or day-one footage.
Comfort first, then place without a commanded position
His first days. watch, undated.
The trainer's first report is that the early work has been comfort, handling and play - the collar can go on and off, he will be petted. Food is used as a chase rather than a static reward, as a bridge into tug. Place is introduced for the first time on this recording, and the criterion is a settle he chooses: no sit or down asked for, corrections verbal only, the trainer moving about the room, and the release given only after he lies down on his own for about a minute. The trainer's stated reason is nervousness: a commanded position would be compliance, not a settle.
On film
He just got here within the last couple days.
This is the first time I'm introducing it.
So I'm not using anything or doing anything like that.
settling so we'll let him settle for a minute or so and then release so that he
Outdoors with distraction
After place was introduced, the week public work began. watch, undated. iqpI0vnm4sc (published 2026-05-22, no speech) and watch (near-silent) may belong anywhere in stages 2 to 4.
Place outdoors with other trainers and barking dogs nearby. The criterion is lowered on purpose to four paws on and attention until release; lying down is expected later. He gets off once and is guided back, with one mild correction. Recall is called while he sniffs. The trainer announces stores, parks and heel for 'this week'.
On film
i just want all four paws on the cot and him paying attention until i release him
we're getting into the public area training
settle more with higher distractions of like you know usually dogs will lay down eventually
Store proofing: implied stays, the indoor bubble, and heelTurning point
Before the go-home; at least partly before owner lesson 1. watch (with its re-cut watch) and watch, both published 2026-06-12; watch, undated. Internal order unknown.
The commands are called known; the job left is proofing them against stores. Off-leash, he holds implied stays while the trainer gestures, and he keeps a tighter range indoors than out so that shoppers are comfortable. Heel is the weak command: he rushes, drifts out of 'the box' at smells and noises, and anticipates turns from doors and leans. Corrections for assumptions, a chance to self-correct, slow-pace work, and exposure to taxidermy he ignores. The trainer calls the errors normal for the stage.
On film
completely normal for like this stage you know we still have a little bit of time for before he's finished with the program so he knows each of the commands
good deal again he sees the doors he assumes we're gonna walk out the door
I'm just teaching him that even if I'm walking really slow, he has to stay in that box on
So he has the opportunity to make mistakes and kind of wander off the box area
Owner lesson 1: is he different with his family?Turning point
On or before 2026-06-12. watch.
The first meeting with the owners is a reaction test, not an obedience hand-over. The trainer reports nervousness 'way down', fixation on dogs replaced by play, and a dog who now looks at men and moves on. Near another dog with the owners present he is more interested than with the trainer alone, but excited, not reactive. The family bring the history: the fighting at home, the breed-blamed incident, the baby, the kennel. The trainer answers with exercise, advocacy, a flexi for walks, the jumping rule and the e-collar as the third step of a count. He closes that nothing needs adjusting.
On film
Yeah, so today, it's mainly just
understand and the nervousness is way down
he's not reacting but he is more interested with you guys standing here
the goal that's what we want awesome thank you yeah yeah no this all looks good I don't think
Owner lesson 2: the husband handles him in a storeTurning point
A Sunday after lesson 1; probably Lowe's. watch and watch.
The owners' own e-collar is matched to him: beep and stimulation, no vibrate, the level halved from 15 to about 8 after one reaction. With the husband handling, recalls are ignored and half done and sits break for a squeaky toy, for a family member and for a woman who speaks to him. The trainer teaches the sequence - name, command, a low firm verbal, the command again, then the collar - and why every uncorrected break becomes a new rule. Part 2 teaches the street heel with immediate collar correction and sets maintenance: two walks a day, at least one busy outing a week, and a warning that a month without outings would bring the nerves back.
On film
I had him on a 15 there, I'm going to drop him down for yours to like an 8, because that
and then that becomes another prediction where he goes well if somebody's like six inches from me
right but say he went like a month without going in yeah his nerves would probably come back a
Go-home: habits, the baby, and the dogsTurning point
A Wednesday; Part 1 published 2026-06-24. watch and watch.
Framed as habits rather than obedience. Place is set up at home and is to be proofed with the baby crawling. He marks near the baby and is corrected mid-stream. Rebel is brought in; she growls, which the owner says she never used to do, and the trainer holds up their passing each other as the ideal, while Apollo also pesters her. Zeus stays outside and his reintroduction is deferred. The wife's recall is ignored, and the trainer's answer is that each owner must enforce for herself or himself. Muzzle at the Sunday brewery: no. Kennel door, alert barking and teaching middle close the filmed part. Door drills, promised twice for this visit, are not in the surviving footage.
On film
mainly what I'm looking for is just habit stuff,
She never used to growl at him.
i know you want to go out there but zeus is out there he's like how dare you we're not doing that
right um because whoever reinforces is going to be the one he sees as like listening in the moment
how picky you want to be about it and he knows the words so like i was saying like this is habit
Skills
Place
How it was taught
Cue onto the cot, no commanded sit or down, verbal corrections for getting off, handler moving about as distraction, release with 'break' only after a self-chosen settle. Outdoors the criterion is deliberately lowered to four paws and attention. At home: same spot every time, direct him to it at first, correct early breaks, proof with real household events. Excitement without the word 'break' is not a release.
On film
what he needs to do on the cot and i don't want to give him a command to like sit or down or anything like that i want it to be natural i want him to settle on his own in the place area because then
excuse me one correction and just kind of put him back very mild
excited and I hear break together it means I can jump off and do stuff right
Let the baby crawl around and do stuff, put them on place.
Implied stay (sit and down held until release)
How it was taught
No stay word. A position holds until 'break'. Breaks are corrected and the dog put back; with the owner, 'ah-ah' first so he can correct himself, and stimulation as the last step when he keeps breaking.
On film
sit good boy i have everything off cue so it's just verbal now and then implied stay right
Implied stays and things like that as you can see like I have him in a down right now
Yeah, so if he moves, instead of repeating the command right away, do your ah-ah because then he should correct himself.
Yeah, so it's all implied.
Recall and the check-in
How it was taught
Free to roam as long as he checks in. Name, then the recall. Ignored: a firm low verbal and the call again. Came and then tried to leave: the beep, not a second recall. Called from inside the handler's 'bubble' the recall may make no sense to him.
On film
recall is going really great even while he's sniffing getting distracted
good. Good boy. You know, and then if I want him closer, I just recall.
yeah so like right there he half recalled right so this is a good opportunity
trying another recall i already recalled them yeah right so then i just do my beat and he goes oh
think of it from his perspective if i'm here and i recall him is it really like really in your box
Heel (street heel)
How it was taught
A box on the left, no staring, not competition. On-leash first, then off-leash; corrections for rushing, drifting at smells and noises and anticipating direction; slow-pace work; a chance to self-correct. For the owner: name, call back for attention, then the heel command, walk slowly, catch turns so no leash pressure is felt, and collar correction straight away. Used occasionally, in tight or crowded places.
On film
that right um so what we do is you know with like say with that the heel should just be on the left
Now with the, with that, I'm going to use the e-collar right away to correct it.
He caught that and started going outside the box, but I gave him a chance to correct himself and he did good.
Some people left back in front of us, but he definitely wanted to go check out, but
Walking on a loose leash and the flexi
How it was taught
Held leash length as information he should not pull through; most walks free sniffing walks on a flexi; 'uh', stop, 'let's go' and turn if he insists on a direction.
On film
the point where I'm just proofing like all that stuff in public so I can like put the long line
he's adapted to each one now yeah so um for like regular walks i like the flexi because it just
People and dogs: from nervous and fixated to neutral
How it was taught
Not taught as a drill anywhere on film. What is shown is exposure (stores, parks, taxidermy, walking past children), the handler declining greetings for him, and correction of lunging from excitement.
On film
and now he kind of like sniff and look and they'll be like okay whatever and
but he is getting excited right which is okay as long as he's not lunging pulling
He's doing great.
life yeah this is what he does at home literally and messes with her
House habits: drop it, counter, marking, kennel door, barking
How it was taught
Correct during the act, not after; looking at the counter is fine, leaning in to grab gets a verbal and then a collar tap from a distance; kennel door opened a little, 'ah-ah' if he rushes, 'break' if he waits; a few alert barks allowed, excess corrected, put in a position, released when things settle.
On film
So, dropping the rawhide was good.
correction during the pee right say you let him pee and then he just walks away then you try to
Yep, he should correct himself, go back. That's good.
but if it was like excessive then I would correct them and I would like put them in a position and and then release them when like everything settles
From the Shorts
Short clips posted from Apollo (the Bully)'s training. They are undated, so they sit beside the program rather than inside it.
End of the first lesson: the plan, and the husband's dog
As the first owner lesson ends, the trainer says the plan is to proof a few more things that night and the next day, have the owners do some obedience, and then work at the house on Wednesday; the next meeting is confirmed for Sunday. Apollo keeps trying to stand next to the husband, and the family agree he is 'a daddy's boy'. After they leave, the trainer walks him and he comes and sits when called.
On film
Um, proof a couple more things tonight and tomorrow and then have you guys work some
obedience and then I'm, and then like I said, on Wednesday we'll do it at the house. Okay. And see
what it looks like. Apollo. Come here, bud. Apollo. Like, I want to stand next to daddy.
Definitely a daddy's boy.
Thank you. We'll get that proofing and then I'll see you guys on Sunday.
Paolo, here.
Paolo, sit.
How the method adapted
Apollo came in as a nervous dog with a dog-fighting history, not as an obedience case, and the order of the program shows it: comfort and play before commands, a place taught through a chosen settle, corrections verbal-only at the start, the first owner lesson used as a reaction test, and predictability named as the thing that keeps his nerves down. By the owner lessons the collar is routine and heel is corrected with it immediately. The adaptations are listed in roughly the order they were made.
Comfort and engagement before any obedience; food used as a chase to reach play.
He arrived nervous and was not yet a player. The trainer's stated route is dynamic food, then tug, because play teaches faster.
On film
chasing. So if I do use treats, I don't use them in the typical sense where I'm just doing
So we're kind of trying to transfer that over because the play, we can teach a lot faster with play.
Excitement and calm deliberately alternated as a treatment for nerves.
Stated by the trainer as teaching the brain to get past nervousness.
On film
to be comfortable like relaxing with me and things like that as well so that he can start learning to be excited calm down be excited to calm down and it will help with the nervousness
Place as a settle he chooses, with verbal corrections only.
A commanded position would make him rely on the handler and would not be a real settle; a real settle builds confidence and controls nervousness.
On film
he'll rely on me putting him in the position on the cot for him to be able to settle and do that
And all I'm doing is just verbal corrections.
Greetings left to him, with the handler advocating.
He does not have to like everybody; a pushed dog 'is still a dog'.
On film
he'll just like keep moving you know which is what we want he doesn't have to
him because you know like if i if we don't then he's still a dog right
The first owner lesson spent testing his reaction with the family present, not handing over obedience.
Some dogs of this kind fixate more with their people present than with the trainer alone.
On film
Yeah, sometimes with these cases, like I said, like the first session, that's why I like,
The owners' collar set gently: vibrate avoided, level cut in half after one reaction.
Vibrate 'freaks them out'; his reaction at 15 was too much.
On film
I haven't used the vibrate just because the vibrate usually freaks them out a little bit
I had him on a 15 there, I'm going to drop him down for yours to like an 8, because that
The handler's excitement made the reward, and the release made exciting, because of what he responds to.
The trainer's observation of this dog: he 'likes things when they're really exciting'; a flat 'break' left him unsure.
On film
And the big thing with him that I noticed,
is he likes things when they're really exciting, right?
handler is excited so i don't need a treat and i don't need a toy out in public to do it
Consistency argued from his nerves, not from obedience.
A predictable handler keeps a predicting dog calm; an unpredictable one could make him nervous again.
On film
it's easy to predict he'll follow the predictions okay right if it's hard to
predict that's when he could become nervous again
A higher safety bar in public, tied explicitly to how bully breeds are judged.
A broken stay near people could trip or hit someone, and the trainer adds that people 'have an idea' about the breed. The family raise the same point from their own experience.
On film
I'm gonna tap my stimulation and I'm gonna make sure like you know like hey
is the breed kind of plays into that a little bit where like people have an idea
Maintenance prescribed as an anti-relapse measure for his nerves.
A month without busy outings would probably bring his nerves back.
On film
yeah that's a good job there you go yeah and so maintenance wise like you know once he comes home
right but say he went like a month without going in yeah his nerves would probably come back a
At home, coexistence rather than friendship with Rebel, exercise as the lever, and Zeus deferred.
Dogs that poke each other are how 'random accidents' happen; under-exercise would make him pushier; Zeus is to be done 'between the gate'.
On film
it's like passing by like they exist together but they kind of pass each other
bit for if he's not getting his walks and he's not like getting the exercise
yet that's the future of that relationship between the big dog we'll have to do it between the gate
What the family was told
The e-collar as the third count
like my e-collars like my three like with kids right if i do one two three and my kid ignores me
command right but 99 of the time i don't have to push anything or do anything
pretty much everything's just like 99% of the time it's just verbal.
Name before every command
I always say then his name first and then whatever command I'm asking for
you're gonna like any type of recall say his name first okay
Correction tone, and the exciting release
Same idea with dogs, it's mostly tone-based,
If my correction is soft or very, like, uh-uh, hollow, right?
Yeah, like a little higher pitch and just, like, a little more exciting with the release.
Every uncorrected exception becomes a rule
Well, it's important to correct still and, like, make sure he does it,
right and and dad's gonna do the same thing that the trainer did right and the
Heel and maintenance
right it's not something i use every walk or i do every single time i take them out
at least two walks a day where he like gets to walk around
Yeah, that'd be perfect.
Walks, freedom and the crate
should just be those okay where it's just like he's free to sniff and do things
dependent on like honestly it's usually more how much exercise he's gotten like for the day
Jumping
yeah if I'm excited I let him jump like if I'm like hey you know I let him jump if I'm just
Habits, not obedience, and no accidental patterns
something like that um but as far as just like living life most of the time you're not gonna
with the baby i place the dog right well then eventually what happens is every time the dog
reinforce, but then you don't, right. Then he's going to go, mom doesn't care. Right.
Two owners, one dog
to be right i mean when you know if you reinforce like equally would be my recommendation
to be like oh dad reinforced it right and made me come to mom but if mom reinforces it and makes
Muzzles and threatening dogs
So I prefer, unless the dog's actually dangerous, right?
yeah um because then you're not punishing him for like just being a normal dog that could be
Barking
but if it was like excessive then I would correct them and I would like put
In the family's own words
Their first question at lesson 1 is whether he will be all right with their dogs, and at the go-home they ask to bring in the one he gets along with.
On film
will he be okay with our dogs
that's like my favorite age should we try to bring in our female dog that he gets along with
They report being blamed in a public incident because of his breed.
On film
chihuahua chihuahua attacked another dog and nobody approached them yeah but because he's a pit bull
They ask whether he can now be left out of the kennel, and whether he needs a muzzle at the brewery dog park they visit on Sundays.
On film
because usually when we leave the house we have to put him in a kennel are we gonna be able to
to because we're going to be taking him to dog bags every sunday do we have to put a muzzle on
At the go-home they say he looks different.
On film
He looks like one of those dogs that we've seen in the videos.
Outcomes
What the trainers reported
Nervousness 'way down'; no longer fixating on dogs or people.
The trainer to the owners at lesson 1
On film
understand and the nervousness is way down so he's he's not again he's not fixating on like
Everything verbal; the collar needed almost never.
The trainer, lessons 1 and 2
On film
and like when we're around doing stuff right but everything is verbal at this point
command right but 99 of the time i don't have to push anything or do anything
He knows every command; what is left is proofing, then household habit.
The trainer, in a store trip and at the go-home
On film
completely normal for like this stage you know we still have a little bit of time for before he's finished with the program so he knows each of the commands
how picky you want to be about it and he knows the words so like i was saying like this is habit
Nothing he showed would be deemed dangerous; no muzzle needed.
The trainer at the go-home
On film
He didn't show anything that I would say
would be deemed dangerous, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Awesome at home before the program; the problem was always outside.
An owner at the go-home
On film
Here at home, he's awesome.
A prediction with a condition: without at least weekly busy outings his nerves would probably return.
The trainer at lesson 2
On film
right but say he went like a month without going in yeah his nerves would probably come back a
What the footage shows
Place introduced from nothing and a settle obtained in one recording, after a long wait, with verbal corrections only.
On film
So he's brand new to the place, as you can see.
settling so we'll let him settle for a minute or so and then release so that he
In stores he holds implied stays off leash and heels with errors that shrink after corrections, by the trainer's running narration.
On film
So, as you can see, he's learning.
And now he's catching my turns faster.
With the husband handling in a store, the recall is ignored and then half done, and the sit breaks for a toy, a family member and a friendly passer-by. The trainer uses stimulation once and lowers the owners' level. This is the clearest on-film gap between the dog with the trainer and the dog with his family.
On film
So right there, he kind of half did it.
Like, the guy didn't say anything, but she said something, right?
Yeah, so like this specifically, he's not like, I'm just saying like he's not feeling that like you care as much about their like staying near after the recall.
At home: drops a rawhide on cue, marks near the baby and is corrected mid-act, blows off the wife's recall and then comes and lies down, goes into the kennel on cue and waits at the door after one correction.
On film
and he's got the grind drop it drop it drop it good boy
and then right yeah like that's the reaction you want like he went to walk
Yep, he should correct himself, go back. That's good.
With Rebel: she growls, which the owner says is new; they pass each other; he also pesters her. The owner's explanation is that he used to be always in her face.
On film
She never used to growl at him.
don't worry about each other before he was always in her face that's why she's like that
The ideas Apollo (the Bully)'s case runs on
- Clarity is the kindness
- Command, marker, collar - in that order
- False reps: the dog reads the chain, not the word
- Greetings are the handler's call
- Heel is a box, not a stare
- Maintenance is use, not practice
- Neutrality is the goal, friendship is optional
- Play becomes the reward - and play is a contest
- Punish the act, not the feeling: he may look
- Switch him on, then ask for off
- The dog is a different dog for his owner - and authority transfers
- The outlet comes first
- The settle criterion
- There is no stay, only the release