Who Bandit is
As the trainers describe him
Reactive to people in the past, and the reason the outings exist. This is stated rather than shown: on film he reacts once to runners on the first walk and is corrected, and on the go-home day he reacts once to a dog through the fence of a dog park, is corrected, and is fine afterwards. No reaction to a person is reported on any later outing, including a crowded downtown street.
On film
he has been very reactive in the past so we'll see how
that's why we're out here right because he has been reacting to people so that
and so he did react to one and i was like we'll penalize it and everything was cool after that um and he's listening to my commands
Slow to settle at the facility and confrontational at first, so the first stretch was relationship and kennel routine rather than obedience. Gloves were worn with him 'just in case'. On the go-home day Kelton gives his own account of that start: Bandit 'wanted to bite me' at first. In the last week Kelton thanks him for 'the hugs', and on the go-home day says 'Now we're buddies'.
On film
Wearing the gloves just in case because he has been a little weird.
literally just playing with him yeah um because all i was trying to do is like build a relationship because we he took a little longer to settle yeah um yeah and like he was like pretty like confrontational for the first like little bit
Bandit did not love me at first at all. He wanted to bite me. Now we're buddies.
thank you thank you for the hugs
Stable, not nervy, and good under pressure. Said to camera on the first outing and repeated to the owner, with the explicit contrast that he 'has been reactive' but is not a fearful dog.
On film
is that he is a very um i think even though he was reactive um i think that uh he's now a very stable dog right like he's not fearful of random things um he's not skittish
overly um dramatic like he doesn't try to avoid pressure he just like learns from it yeah yeah he feels it and then he's like okay and he figures out what to do
Biddable and quick. The first down rep is the easiest the trainer has had in about twenty dogs; 'smart' is said in almost every session.
On film
have an easy time with it yeah that's actually um out of the last probably 20 dogs i've taught
think super super happy with that you are a smart cookie and very very biddable
Sensitive to the e-collar for obedience and much less so when aroused. The same dog 'jumps' at a 15 on a missed down and barely registers about 60 near a deer. The trainer turns that into his clearest statement of why the number means nothing on its own.
On film
that context can cause he ate a 60 for breakfast when there was a deer and when there were those other dogs and yet when I'm asking him to down and he doesn't comply a 15 makes him jump
bit of pressure right um and that was not a very high level on the e-collar so i'm like 24 he's pretty sensitive to the e-collar
Aroused by dogs rather than afraid of them: hackles up, 'stalking', and one blown let's go. The emotion is explicitly left alone; only the blown command is penalised. On the go-home day Kelton says he is 'not exactly super pumped to see other dogs' and is not a dog-park dog, 'and most dogs aren't'.
On film
You're such a German Shepherd, dude. Yeah, because you saw, like I said, his fur all stood up on end and he got ramped when he saw the other dog.
he's not exactly super pumped to see other dogs
A big dog who can intimidate people just by being there. This is the reason the trainer gives the owner for having a heel at all.
On film
uh in bandit situation ben is a big dog he can be intimidating for some people
Skin trouble throughout: patches of fur loss, irritation, a callus under the collar that widens although he is not pulling. It is treated with oatmeal baths and by taking the collar off between sessions. At the handover the fur is said to have grown back better, the e-collar receiver is worn high on the neck above the regular collar so it sits clear of the patch, and since the night before the handover the e-collar has gone on only when it is actually being used. It is recorded here only because it changes the equipment.
On film
on his belly or on different parts that is because of that existing skin irritation that he's had for
it's gotten a lot wider the callus yeah on the on his neck
his fur got better everywhere which i was happy about
since like last night i just haven't had collar on any time other than when i actually take him on a walk like it's just he never wears the collar except for when i'm actively using the collar for something
In protection work, defence came in 'splashes'. By Kelton's account he drove the decoy off once with his hackles up, and then gave less with each run; at the handover Kelton says Bandit was no longer getting 'ramped up'.
On film
because he has shown splashes of really good defense
if they're like yay yeah like what are we doing like yeah so he wasn't getting that ramped up
As the owner describes him
A dog he took over from a previous owner, who arranged meeting sessions first 'because of how he was'; by about the third of those Bandit was warming up to him. The owner's own account, and the only history of the dog's life before the program on film.
On film
she wanted to have sessions like this where i came and just met him because of how he was yeah and within like third session he was already warming up to me
He would sit for food and that was about it.
On film
the i tried to give context in the video for everybody else yeah i saw your comment your comments yeah he does sit for food but that was about it
He knows when he has done wrong.
On film
Yeah. And a lot of times, you know, he gives me a guilty face and everything.
The program, stage by stage
The evaluation
Christian did the evaluation; the owner had met Christian, not Kelton, before the program.
On film
The one that came for the evaluation the initial console might have been it might have been yeah, they just been using your name
Settling in: relationship before training
About the first two to three weeks of August.
Bandit took longer than usual to settle and was confrontational in the kennel at first. The first stretch was daily kennel routine and play, with a trainer wearing gloves as a precaution. Kelton later tells the owner that this footage was deliberately just play, to build a relationship. He also describes the kennel's general method for a dog who will not let staff in: a brief spray from a hose, paired with the conditioned punisher. Bandit is linked to that only loosely (the owner or Kelton adds 'he's been trained for it before that too'). By the end of this stage the trainer calls him much eased up and willing to work. Tug is named as what he likes best.
On film
been like daily in and out kennel stuff. Him getting to know us, getting to know all the staff, and starting to like ease up.
that we use and so normally it only takes like a few days is like if they're like really like not letting us in there and acting crazy you spray them
Yeah, he's been trained for it before that too.
First outing: the sit he did not know, and the first penalty for reactingTurning point
Undated; after stage 2 and before 2026-08-28. watch (and its re-cut watch).
A 48-minute greenway walk, chosen as an easy venue, narrated to camera by Kelton. Bandit reacts once to runners and is corrected, and does not react on the next pass. Recall comes back all walk without the e-collar until one use at the very end. The e-collar is new to him, paired two or three times with 'uh-uh', and by the end the word alone speeds up a recall. The centre of the walk is the sit: an adult German Shepherd who needs leash help to sit on the word but sits at once for a raised hand, which becomes the lesson that the first thing in the chain is the cue. The leash help needed falls with each rep, and by the end he sits on the word and 'uh-uh'. Kelton also credits the kennel techs' routine-care handling with the groundwork, and predicts sit, down, heel, place, recall and safe off-leash work 'in not too much time'. It is the walk the owner later says he watched.
On film
so now he knows not to do it so the punishment will be a little more severe
here if he does it again good boy let's go come on bandit good job bandit all right so no reaction
ton of them but his clarity about it increased each time so like the first time you know like
sit okay good boy all right so that was the first time that i got to use it on the recall
First down, and the first real proofing off dogs and a deerTurning point
2026-08-28, evening (date from the uncut duplicate watch). watch (and its re-cut watch).
Same greenway, at dusk. The first down rep, with leash pressure, is the easiest first rep in about twenty dogs. After a low e-collar tap on one slow rep, the trainer reports a verbal-only down within about five reps. Later reps are slow on asphalt and quicker on grass, which becomes advice about surfaces. Proofing arrives by chance. At passing dogs Bandit's hackles go up and he blows off a let's go, earning one larger penalty (about 55 to 60). The trainer says he penalises the blown command, never the emotion. A deer gives a recall under high distraction, at a raised level he barely notices. Heel is put off because of the dark, and the session ends with a deliberately harder last down, with duration, by the truck.
On film
good boy bandit good job man that was so good verbal only down only took us like five reps
I did end up having to penalize him because I tried to redirect with the let's go and he did not take it
Note to the editors, show Bandit doing this. See how it goes. I have to recall him off the wildlife because he wants it.
Heel begins; down gets distance and duration
Between 2026-08-29 and 2026-09-03. watch.
A short outing with another dog, Stormie, nearby. Down is worked again with a first touch of distance and duration; one rep takes several 'eh-eh' before he completes it. Heel is started: a few steps, 'a lot to tune up', separate heel-entry reps, and by the end 'he's starting to get it'. Bandit looks at Stormie. Mid-session status to camera: reactivity mostly gone, sit and down good, recall nice.
On film
got a few steps in, definitely a lot to tune up there
He's taking a look at Stormy, so there's a dog up here.
His sit and his down commands are both doing good. His recall is looking nice and starting
First owner lesson: two frameworks, almost no dogTurning point
2026-09-03. watch.
Kelton meets the owner for the first time. By design the lesson is about the owner, not the dog: see your dog, and learn two frameworks to put into practice later. Framework one is reinforcement and punishment: rewards including release to freedom, no treats, pressure removed the instant the criterion is met, and penalties that are clear, contingent and avoidable. Framework two is the four windows, with calm liberty as the missing one. Bandit appears for one pressure-clarified sit and one low correction for hitting the end of the leash. The owner reports the skin and the prong history, says he has only ever used vibrate, and names his priorities: the basics, doing better around people, and being able to take Bandit places. Kelton's read of Bandit (stable, not nervy, biddable) is given to the owner here in full.
On film
more rapid yeah um and so uh that's the first objective second objective is i'll teach you two
gives me a job it is this last one it is the calm Liberty window and that is the
commands obviously yeah um him doing better around people is really what i'm trying to get him to
Heel tightened, recall given urgency, reactivity checked in a park
2026-09-04 and 2026-09-08. watch, watch.
On 2026-09-04, in the heat, a play session: tug is offered and the ball wins, and heel reps are released to the ball. The e-collar is worn just in case and not used, and the long line is in the way. On 2026-09-08, a short park walk near closing time. He passes people well and ignores a dog barking loudly from a car. Down is understood but not yet first time every time. Heel follows speed changes, a stop-restart and a turn. A deliberate sidestep away from a group of eight people and a dog trips him up; he is corrected and jumps back into position, which the trainer reads as understanding. Recall is reinforced for urgency, and the last one is called 'perfection'. The trainer plans to ramp up play drive and begin defence work soon.
On film
His down is looking beautiful.
and then i'm really putting in the effort now to start well we just got barked at pretty loudly
him up which it did which is all of the people and the dog are all off to our left so i took a
have improved drastically so um i'm seeing seeing a lot of good stuff here um i'm definitely going
Second owner lesson: the owner takes the leashTurning point
2026-09-10. watch.
The neck callus has widened although he is not pulling, so the collar will come off between sessions and an ointment will be tried. The trainer demonstrates his heel standard (head and shoulders in an invisible box, match pace, stop when you stop, release with okay) and says heel is for short, functional stretches past people and through crowds. He states the working level (about 24) and a ceiling ('never higher than like a 40'). The owner then handles Bandit, with coaching: say the word before any hand signal, make the okay exciting, leave one leash bump alone but penalise bracing, never repeat the cue, and put a broken down back with a tap and no re-cue. Status as given: sit, down, recall and play no issue, heel still being fine-tuned. The owner says protection is the thing Bandit most needs. The trainer says parts have been done through play and adds one or two extra lessons for it.
On film
i'll just show you as a sample it should be right about here okay right so you can think of like his
right and i like to let them do that for the majority of the time and so his heel is not
start releasing early if you don't do what i just did there which is like i noticed yeah okay he
yeah and so probably um normally um in most of our programs we end up doing two lessons um
A quiet half-hour, probably a place hold
2026-09-15 18:42 by title. watch (29 min).
One clear opening line, then more than nine minutes with no speech, then scattered fragments of uncertain audio to about the 22-minute mark that sound like television or film dialogue, and about seven more quiet minutes. No cue, no use of Bandit's name, no praise and no release can be heard. That is the pattern of a long place hold with a television playing, and it is recorded as that. The audio does not show a cot, a place cue, who ran it, or that Bandit is in the room. 'Dolly' in the opening line is unidentified: a person, a dog or something on screen.
On film
Okay, so, but it's Dolly, so, you know.
Proofing walk: heel in 'phase three', a long down, and protection named for later that day
2026-09-17 13:01 by title, watch (29 min).
A walk on a public path near 'the house'. The trainer says Bandit is doing great on everything and sets out to prove his commands, clean up the heel and test recall. He lets him sniff first and tells viewers never to heel-grind, because breathing room makes faster progress than drilling. A down with distance and duration shows, in his words, a good understanding. He names the next steps: protection work, and a bigger test on Hillsborough Street in downtown Raleigh. Most of the walk is heel. He says heel needs longer continuous stretches now, good turns, and then work off leash. He uses 'good' as a duration marker and walks off to the side so Bandit has to keep his own position. Pace changes and stops bring 'eh eh' corrections, first for forging and then for lagging, which he reads as Bandit testing whether hanging back keeps the pressure off. He places all this in 'phase three' of teaching heel, where he looks for chances to trip the dog up. The payoff is release to freedom and sniffing. A long down follows, which he estimates at three or four minutes, through a bike passing and with him squatting. Bandit gets up once and goes straight back on 'ah ah' and a repeat of the cue; the trainer calls that failure the point of the exercise. He shows how to reel a flexi in slowly after a long down, so the snap-back does not feel like a correction for being released. On the way back, Bandit holds heel while a man walks past, and a side step is 'could have done a little bit better'. The trainer teaches that stopping and starting again is not a release, and says Bandit had learned to treat it as one because earlier phases rewarded stopping often. Bandit recalls past a woman and goes into a down with no guidance. The summary to camera: recall, let's go, sit and down great; Bandit respects leash pressure, does not brace, and checks back in at the end of the line. Heel was the right focus. Bandit rides home in the truck-bed crate because he is too big for the inside crates. The trainer says he will do protection work 'later today'.
On film
We're going to have a great time today. He's doing great on all his stuff.
I'm just going to run through a few commands while we're out here and prove them.
him you gotta let him sniff when you first go out don't just jump straight into like hardcore obedience never heal grind your dog
I can see he's definitely got a good understanding of the down now.
I think the next thing for him, other than doing the protection, is definitely going to be taking him for a little bit of a bigger test.
I'm going to take him to downtown Raleigh on Hillsborough Street.
Although I don't like to heel grind at all, I do need to start doing longer durations for Bandit with the heel
doing well on all the turns and then move his heel off leash.
Heel. Good. So I'm using good as a duration marker.
off to the side like that, since he knows where the position is, is a way of showing him that he's responsible for keeping himself in the right place relative to me
challenges within those teaching phases. So we're in phase three now teaching H-E-E-L, which is HEAL. And during that phase, we are actively looking for opportunities to trip him
i had him in it down for like maybe three or four minutes now um i could be wrong my sense of time
But when I told him A-H-A-H, right, and then I reiterated the command, he went right back into it.
And we had a learning opportunity when he failed in the middle, right?
he tries seeing if staying back would would keep the pressure off
Howdy, man. Good. Heel. And he did a really good thing in the heel while that guy was walking by.
the heel command and that's that if i stop right but i haven't said the release marker just because
back up was a release marker is because in the past it often correlated with being released
the woman walking by he recalled uh with that distraction there uh he went right into the down with um no reinforcement no guidance needed at all
leash pressure just fine he's staying out towards the end of it but he's not pulling on it
His sit is great. His down is great.
And I'm going to do some protection work later today.
First protection runs with a decoyTurning point
2026-09-21, three short clips: 13:19 (watch), 13:28 (watch, 'a few minutes later') and 19:22 (watch, the evening run).
The first decoy work on record. Kelton, handling (he is not named in the audio), frames the first run as reading Bandit's baseline for the day: will he go for the fence, and is he interested in biting. After the first approach he reports that Bandit 'successfully repelled the invader' with his hackles up, which should build his confidence. In a second run minutes later, planned with the decoy beforehand, the decoy adds more pressure and then backs off quickly, so that the pressure does not scare Bandit and cost him confidence. Bandit tenses, the sleeve is offered, he is urged to 'get him', and he makes a small nip. The two then stop: repeated runs are giving 'a little bit less', so they plan a single run later, when it is cooler, aiming for a bigger bark. That evening run, with Bagel out as an added distraction, is almost all the cue 'watch him' while Kelton moves the decoy further away behind a truck and asks him to talk, to act as if he will attack for real, and to yell. How Bandit responded in that run is not described. Kelton ends with ideas to change for next time.
The first footage of the protection work.
On film
We're going to be doing a quick little protection run here, see what he's interested in.
but we're just going to kind of see where his baseline is at today and build from there.
so he successfully repelled the invader there and you saw his hackles went up. So that already should be a pretty good confidence increase.
I talked to the decoy a little bit and we kind of both agreed that Like what we really need to do with it is just add a little bit more pressure, but then make sure we back off quick
yeah he's tensing up a little bit he's tensing up come at it a little harder
Get him, get him. Down! Yeah, he went to nip a little bit.
yeah you get a little bit less so we'll put it away and we'll do we'll just do one next time
And this time we have a little bit of an added distraction because Bagel's out. But we're going to go for another protection run here and see what kind of defense we can get.
Try going back out behind the truck and then appear a little bit further away.
Act like you're gonna attack us for real, dude.
I have some ideas for some things to change That should help us for the next time
A rainy park with a leash rule: heel entry and turns, and off leash judged ready
2026-09-23 17:18 by title.
An on-leash walk in the rain at a park where the leash rule is enforced. Kelton gives free time first, then works heel duration. Mid-walk he reports down, sit, let's go and recall all looking good, and says Bandit 'should be good to go off leash and do all of his commands'; he stays on leash only because this park enforces its rule, so the next outing will be at a park where he can be off leash. The work left is heel entry and turns, where Bandit is still 'a little apprehensive'. Kelton ends one entry as soon as Bandit reaches position, to give him a big win, then runs several turns in a row: the first time Bandit lags hard, the second he goes round the wrong side, the third he gets it, and Kelton pays it with freedom and then downtime 'to return to baseline'. A down is held while Kelton walks away with his back turned and the leash pulling Bandit off it. 'Good' is explained as a duration marker, not a release. A dog barks up ahead and Bandit does not react. After a few 'eh-eh' corrections near the end, 'He's getting the turns now'. More protection is planned for that evening.
On film
So the next park I take him to, I'm gonna take him to a park where I can actually take him off leash without any issues because I mean, he should be good to go off leash and do all of his commands.
It's gonna work on the heel a little bit Specifically the heel entry He seems to still be a little apprehensive sometimes
Because I definitely tried several turns in a row there. The first time, he just lagged really hard and didn't know what to do. Second time, he tried going around to the other side. And then this last time, he got it, but he was apprehensive. So I gave him a big reward because he did it right.
gonna go and give him a down bend it down let's turn on my back and walk him pretty far away from him i'm gonna see how long he can hold it and there's tension on the leash so that's pulling him off of it so he has to resist it
there's a dog up there barking right now which he didn't react to at all
He's getting it. He's getting the turns now.
Later this evening, I need to run some more protection with him.
Off leash for the first time on record: a light line, then noneTurning point
2026-09-24 13:17 by title. watch (16 min).
The next day, at an unnamed place with a long bridge and a field. Kelton calls it 'the first step' to making sure Bandit is good fully off leash. Bandit first drags a light line of about ten feet that he 'can barely feel', so Kelton can test recall, let's go and the other commands without being directly connected to him while still having something to pick up. A heel entry with no line attached is tried and paid. Kelton explains Bandit's radius: because so much of the work is done on the flexi, dogs settle on its length, roughly 20 to 26 feet, as the distance at which they turn back, and Bandit's has been consistent. Judging that he has 'done well enough', Kelton takes the line off, keeps a leash in his pocket in case someone coming by seems unhappy about an off-leash dog, and tests everything off leash with the e-collar as backup 'if I need to'; no level or use is mentioned. Bandit holds a down while Kelton walks to the end of a bridge of about 150 to 200 feet with his back turned, even as a person walks onto the far end. He falls into an off-leash heel that stops when Kelton stops, and fetches a ball in a field and drops it on 'out'. As a jogger approaches, Kelton says Bandit is 'not gonna do anything' but that he mostly does not want to make her uncomfortable with a big off-leash German Shepherd; no call to Bandit follows, and the next words send him for the ball. When Kelton calls him over to stay close without the heel cue, he points out that a little wandering is fine, because no heel was asked for. The verdict: 'Bandit's definitely fully off leash now', and at the truck, 'no issues whatsoever even with people around'.
The first footage of Bandit working off leash, and Kelton's verdict that he is 'fully off leash now'.
On film
And I just have this little like teeth like line on him right now, so he can barely feel it And it's only about like Maybe 10 feet long or so
make sure he still responds to all the commands without me being directly connected to him and then that way i still have a line for right now that i can pick up if i need to
keeping distance from me pretty much the uh default distance that they end up turning back at is about the length of my flexi
and honestly i think that he's done well enough here for me to go ahead and take this leash off
I can just recall him and put him on a leash if somebody else is coming and they seem unhappy about him being off leash.
So I'm going to test all of his commands off leash and reinforce them with the e-collar if I need to.
and this is a nice long duration of me walking away with my back turned so it's a good indication that his down is solid if he can let me make it all the way to the end of the bridge turn around
oh he did it even though there's a person walking up on the other end of the bridge
Yeah, so I'd say that Bandit's definitely fully off leash now. He'll down from a long distance. He recalls. He heals off leash just fine.
Which I mean, he's not gonna do anything, he's fine. but i mostly don't want to make her uncomfortable with big off leash german shepherd
notice i did not give him an h-e-e-l command he didn't get a heel command um so because he didn't get heel command he doesn't have to be right there
bandit's off leash now no issues whatsoever even with people around and stuff like that
Protection with a less familiar decoy
2026-09-26, three clips stamped 14:52, 14:58 and 15:04. The last two are nearly silent.
The decoy work resumes. Kelton says Bandit 'has shown splashes of really good defense', and that this time they will use a different decoy, one who has spent less time with him, because the usual decoy has spent a lot of time with him 'and maybe that was part of what was going on'. The run itself is hardly spoken. Afterwards someone says that last time Bandit responded to something louder, 'an actual threat', and someone says 'I didn't get as much out of that'. Kelton closes with 'We're going to reset and try again.' The next two clips are nearly silent; the little that can be heard is uncertain audio (calls to Bandit, 'let's go', 'What's over here?', and shouting near the end that may be the decoy's), and nothing in them says how he responded. These are the last protection recordings for Bandit.
On film
because he has shown splashes of really good defense and so we're going to try again this time with a different decoy who spent less time with him because the other decoy has spent a lot of time with him and maybe that was part of what was going on
Last time I think he responded to a louder like an actual threat.
Yeah. I didn't get as much out of that.
We're going to reset and try again.
What's over here?
Go-home day, afternoon: off leash at Dix Park
2026-09-28 17:17 by title. watch (35 min). Said to Bandit on the walk: 'you're going home today'.
On the day he goes home, about three hours before the handover, an outing at Dix Park in Raleigh. First, on leash, Kelton walks around the outside of the dog park, not into it, to see how Bandit takes the dogs, ready to answer any reaction with the conditioned punisher. Bandit is 'obviously vigilant'; looking is fine. He reacts once to a dog, is penalised, and 'everything was cool after that'. (That evening Kelton tells the owner it was through the dog-park fence and that he tapped the e-collar.) Kelton uses the moment to state the goal with other dogs: neutrality and the ability to stop a behaviour, not friendliness, because not every dog can or needs to get there, and 'the point of the program is never to change their baseline temperament'. Bandit is not a dog-park dog, 'and most dogs aren't'. In the open areas Kelton had planned a light line first but leaves the leash off: recalls, sits and downs among dogs, geese, bikes and people, a long down he expects Bandit to hold, and off-leash heel with a correct entry, matched pace and no sniffing, briefly pulled out of position by passing bikers and called back in. On camera he wonders whether he corrected a dog who was already in heel, and lowers his arms to see better. He keeps the walk 'very leisurely' because Bandit has done so well, and tells viewers that real off-leash freedom is possible even for a dog once reactive to people and dogs, once trained and with an owner who understands how to use the training ('off-rooch' is how the audio renders 'off-leash'). At the truck the collar comes off: 'No issues at all. No major issues.' The one thing left, he says earlier, is a busier walking area with more people.
On film
you're going home today huh
I'm not gonna take it into the dog park, but I probably will walk around the sides um just to see if you're reacting to the dogs i don't think you will
So he is obviously vigilant. He's watching people and dogs and stuff like that.
He's just looking. Looking's fine, basically.
and so he did react to one and i was like we'll penalize it and everything was cool after that um and he's listening to my commands
we just need neutrality and we need the ability to stop a behavior but we don't need you know friendly towards all dogs right not not every dog is going to get there um not every dog needs to get there and not every dog can get there
the point of the program is never to change their baseline temperament
I decided to just go ahead and leave the leash off of Bandit. He's doing fine.
so he holds his down really good now watch him get up and make me a liar.
He's able to do the heel off leash. and he entered into it correctly
watching the bikers he's getting out of position
It might have already been a heel. You guys let me know So, when you watch this, if I improperly correct it in there, it's kind of hard to see because sometimes it's just slightly, maybe if I put my arms down.
Yes, I mean you can have like real off-rooch freedom with your dog if you train them properly. It's 100% possible. Even a dog that was like reactive towards people and towards, towards humans and also towards dogs in the past, there's no reason they can't be off-rooch in a variety of settings once they're trained properly. And you have an owner who understands how to use the training.
No issues at all. No major issues.
Go-home day, evening: off leash on Hillsborough StreetTurning point
2026-09-28 18:09 by title. watch (23 min), about fifty minutes after Dix Park.
The downtown test planned since the first greenway walk: Hillsborough Street in Raleigh, among traffic noise, buses, crowds, and food and beer bottles on the ground. Passers-by stop to compliment him. The handling is mostly 'let's go', recalls, keeping him out of doorways, and calling him off street food ('leave that fry alone', 'You're not eating Pringles'). He passes two dogs. About nine minutes in, Kelton's verdict to camera: lots of noise, buses, food on the ground, two dogs, huge numbers of people, 'and he's been totally perfect'. That evening Kelton tells the owner he took Bandit off leash on this street, that groups passed within a leg's length and he was 'totally cool with it', and that he crossed the crosswalks with him in heel, off leash. The second half is heel and down: a down that takes several repeats and 'all the way', a heel re-cued when he lags, a 'lazy down' called out, and 'eh eh' when he heads for people's cars. To a passer-by, on uncertain audio, Kelton says Bandit used to be reactive to people and is doing a lot better, but that petting has not been tested much. That evening he tells the owner that one woman was told she was free to try greeting Bandit and did not; in the exchange that follows, where the two voices run together, one of them says Bandit 'doesn't need to greet people'. The closing line: 'if you can be off-leash in downtown Hillsboro, you can take them wherever you want'.
The busy downtown test planned since Bandit's first walk, and the closest the record comes to the owner's first priority, ease around strangers.
On film
Alright, so we are at the downtown Hillsborough Street here with Bandit.
He's being a good boy. He's not bothering anybody.
Let's go, leave that fry alone.
Uh-uh. You're not eating Pringles. Come on.
Yeah, so I'd say Bandit is pretty darn good at this point. Lots of noise. Big vans and buses and trucks and stuff driving by.
It's a distracting thing with food on the ground, beer bottles on the ground. We've walked by two other dogs. Huge numbers of people. And he's been totally perfect.
like this far from yeah for me like to my leg to him he was totally cool with it
i think he's i think he can do it um i actually took him off leash there
we have to go across crosswalks and like he went across the crosswalks with me in like a heel off leash
Down, bend it, down, down, all the way, down
I just re-emphasized the command because he was lagging a little bit.
That was such a lazy down dude.
Eh eh. Heel. You're not getting in people's cars.
he used to be reactive to people, but he's doing a lot better now, but I haven't tested a lot of petting, though
you're free to try and she didn't try it you know
so i just don't worry about it like he doesn't need to greet people
I have to say, if you can be off-leash in downtown Hillsboro, you can take them wherever you want, man.
The go-home lesson: the owner takes overTurning point
2026-09-28, evening, at the owner's home, in two parts stamped 20:02 (about 24 min) and 20:31 (about 3 min).
Kelton arrives with Bandit: 'Hey man, I've got your boy.' Most of the lesson is equipment. The owner has bought an e-collar of the same brand as Kelton's and cannot turn it on, so Kelton walks him through the remote: the power and light button, a button that vibrates or beeps depending on the mode, the stimulation button, and a boost button that adds a set amount to the current level (Kelton's default is five; it can be set anywhere from one to 60 more), which he rarely uses. As a reference he says that during that day's outings he never had the level above 30; it sat between 20 and 30. He has the owner swap to the longer contact points, because with Bandit's thick fur the shorter ones would mean tightening the collar enough to choke him, and he explains placement: high on the neck, always above the regular collar, clear of a patch on the neck where the fur has been growing back. Since the night before, he says, Bandit has worn the e-collar only when it is actually being used. Kelton recommends clipping the remote to a carabiner so the hands are free. He recaps the day: one reaction at Dix Park, to a dog through the fence, answered with a tap, then off leash among dogs, bikes and people; and Hillsborough Street, which he uses as 'a nice capstone' for as many dogs as he can, where Bandit was off leash and crossed the crosswalks in heel. The owner's job is to study the videos and lessons, keep it up so Bandit does not slack, keep the order (the word first, then the collar), and make him do it, 'because otherwise it becomes optional'. In Kelton's picture, Bandit can lift a thousand pounds, so the 200 that daily life asks is easy. The owner says he has watched the videos and feels confident; Kelton says that at the earlier lessons the owner made no basic mistakes and had the word order right. The lesson ends on protection. The owner, who watched most of the protection runs, says it 'wasn't really going well', and the reply, probably Kelton's, is 'we're just having a hard time with it'. Defence has to be reached by getting the dog ramped up, and Bandit was no longer ramping. Kelton's own account is that putting a stop to Bandit's reactivity early 'stunted it a little bit'. He sees a possible path back later: after some time has passed, a private session with a decoy Bandit does not know and the owner as handler. In Part 2 the owner is told to watch the videos, to text or call at any time, and that refreshers are available. The goodbye: 'all right have fun at home buddy'.
The handover: Bandit goes home with his owner.
On film
Hey man, I've got your boy
I don't think I had it ever at any point turned up higher than a 30 so it's like sitting anywhere between 20 and 30
it's just for the dog he's got fur lots of fur so this will make it where you don't have to make it so tight to try to get contact right because otherwise like with these you'd have to like choke them
i always have it above i never put it below the regular collar i always put it above the regular column
since like last night i just haven't had collar on any time other than when i actually take him on a walk like it's just he never wears the collar except for when i'm actively using the collar for something
he was like at one dog and i was like right and i tapped the eco and he was like um but it was through a fence i think that might have had something to do with it
i told you i'm trying to do that with as many of the dogs that were possible i like because it's like a nice like taking them there a few times like a nice capstone you know it's like look your dog can go here
the way i think about it is like hey look he can lift a thousand pounds right if you need to like lift 200 pounds he's good for it right
you got to make them right um because otherwise it becomes optional
you weren't making any like really like basic mistakes like you kind of had like you had the word order correct
I watched most of the videos for the protection training you know so I noticed it wasn't really going well yeah we're just having a hard time with it
well because like that's like how you kind of access it is you access it through that you have to get the dog ramped
I put a stop to reactivity early, and I think that part is part of what happened. It stunted it a little bit.
i think that would have to be after like some time pass and i think it'd have to be with you yeah so it'd have to be like more of like a private session thing where we basically do that same thing except for the decoy is somebody who doesn't know and the handler is you
all right have fun at home buddy
Skills
Recall ('come')
How it was taught
Recall reps on a trail paid with release to freedom, light leash guidance for a hesitation, the conditioned punisher for slowness. The e-collar is deliberately held back from the recall for the whole first walk and used once at the end. After that, recalls are proofed with whatever the environment offers (a deer, a distraction at the end of the leash), at a level set for the context. From 2026-09-24 the recall is tested on a light trailing line and then off leash, inside the radius the flexi work set.
On film
So far, I haven't really had to use any negative reinforcement for the recall at all.
I did turn it up a little bit for that, and not surprisingly, he didn't even care about it.
His recall is looking fine.
bennett come come come okay good boy yeah so his uh his recall needed a little bit of
That was perfection.
the woman walking by he recalled uh with that distraction there uh he went right into the down with um no reinforcement no guidance needed at all
that way we can test the recall because that line like you can barely feel it it's so light
Sit
How it was taught
The word first, then time to think, then the least help that works: a very low e-collar tap or a little leash, then a big release to freedom. The help needed falls across the reps of one walk until the word and 'uh-uh' are enough. At the first owner lesson it is the demonstration of pressure as clarification.
On film
right um so like i gave him a shot right i gave him a really fair chance right i waited
was it perfectly smooth no right but did he sit yes right so um that's why i gave him time to
example of like okay pressure can also be clarifying yeah right so if they seem
His sit is great. His down is great.
His sit's looking good.
Down
How it was taught
Leash pressure into the position, release and a run. Then a wait for processing with no help. If he offers a sit, a super-low e-collar tap and leash guidance. The conditioned punisher. Grass instead of asphalt when the down is slow. Distance and duration added in the next session, and in the owner lesson the rule that a broken down is restored with the collar alone, without saying 'down' again. Later the three are raised together: squatting, walking away with the back turned, letting the leash pull, and finally off leash. A break is welcomed as the chance to put the down back.
On film
and you saw I increased the difficulty just slightly. I didn't give him any help. I waited
a little bit quicker on the grass so that's probably a factor there grass versus the uh the
i'm gonna start working a little distance and duration down now
with all of his commands he's down look good um i'd like to have it first time every time
bandit down and then he doesn't down right away and then i go on i don't say down again i just say ah
I can see he's definitely got a good understanding of the down now.
i had him in it down for like maybe three or four minutes now um i could be wrong my sense of time
But when I told him A-H-A-H, right, and then I reiterated the command, he went right back into it.
and this is a nice long duration of me walking away with my back turned so it's a good indication that his down is solid
so he holds his down really good now
That was such a lazy down dude.
Heel
How it was taught
Short segments released to sniffing or to the ball, with separate entry reps. Then speed changes, stops, turns and a deliberate sidestep to test the position. Leash to show the position; e-collar only if he resists the leash. In the owner lesson the standard is defined as a box, and the strictness is left to the owner. Kept short on purpose: the trainer dislikes 'heel grinding' and says so in both lessons. Later work follows the trainer's phases. In 'phase three' he looks for chances to trip the dog up, uses 'good' as a duration marker, walks off to the side so Bandit keeps his own position, and corrects lagging as well as forging. When Bandit is apprehensive about entry (2026-09-23), Kelton ends the rep at the first correct position and pays it big. Kelton's own outline of heel is three teaching phases followed by proofing and generalisation. Without the heel cue, staying close is not held to the heel standard.
On film
He's starting to get it.
He followed me nice and tight around that second time in the corner.
His heel emotion is much better than it was.
all that stuff what that means is that i don't like to use it for long period of time right so
challenges within those teaching phases. So we're in phase three now teaching H-E-E-L, which is HEAL. And during that phase, we are actively looking for opportunities to trip him
Howdy, man. Good. Heel. And he did a really good thing in the heel while that guy was walking by.
I just decided to just work the heel entry there because he looked a little apprehensive about it. So I was like, you know what, let's just stop with the heel entry. He got into the right position and then I'm just gonna give him a big win right away.
Fell right into a nice off leash heel as well.
He's able to match my face just fine, soft, nice style.
I just re-emphasized the command because he was lagging a little bit.
Let's go and leash yielding
How it was taught
A tug on the leash and 'uh-uh' for tension. No e-collar where it would not add clarity; a low tap for hitting the end of the leash; a larger penalty only when let's go is blown off at a dog. At the second lesson the distinction is made between a single bump, which is left alone, and bracing, which is not.
On film
leash pressure right and staying off of the end of the leash right so leash tension is never
yeah he's not putting pressure on leash anymore he felt it a little bit there
out by locking the leash and then just pulling back on it a little bit yeah and see if he turns
leash pressure just fine he's staying out towards the end of it but he's not pulling on it
make sure he still responds to all the commands without me being directly connected to him
Neutral passing of people and dogs (the presenting problem)
How it was taught
No pre-emptive heel or management. Let him reach the choice point and penalise only the bad choice: lunging, barking, or blowing off a command. Looking and arousal are allowed. The e-collar ceiling used for this early on is disputed (see open questions). The owner is taught the same thing as 'lawful choices', including walking to the far side of the handler. At the dog park he is walked around the outside, not in; looking is allowed and only a reaction is corrected. The goal with dogs is stated as neutrality and the ability to stop a behaviour, not friendliness. At the go-home lesson one of the two speakers, the owner or Kelton, says he 'doesn't need to greet people'.
On film
going to cause problems right that's when I'm going to penalize it but I won't penalize just
yeah i don't say heal i just let them make a choice so what you're searching for is choice
His reactivity has gone way down.
handsome guy come on good job bandit all right he did really really good walking by those people
Oh, you're not barking at these people, huh?
and so he did react to one and i was like we'll penalize it and everything was cool after that
It's a distracting thing with food on the ground, beer bottles on the ground. We've walked by two other dogs. Huge numbers of people. And he's been totally perfect.
so i just don't worry about it like he doesn't need to greet people
Markers: the conditioned punisher and the release
How it was taught
'Uh-uh' followed by low e-collar or leash pressure, mostly on the sit, plus kennel-care pairing. 'Okay' followed every time by freedom: sniffing, running, or the ball. In the second lesson the owner is told to say okay with some excitement because it doubles as a reward. Later the trainer separates the markers: 'good' for duration, 'okay' as the only release, and a stop that must not be read as one; he says his own early habit of rewarding stops had made the stop look like a release.
On film
word okay when i say okay now he goes he goes off running right he knows he's free
But the Conditioned Punisher was not built during the recall. It was built just now, you watched me do it, with the sit, right?
Cause then like the idea is that the okay doubles
Heel. Good. So I'm using good as a duration marker.
back up was a release marker is because in the past it often correlated with being released
good as a duration marker it means that he's doing the right thing but he's not allowed to stop doing it yet so it's not a release
Play (tug and ball)
How it was taught
Tug as the working relationship in the kennel stage; obedience to be folded into harder play. Later, tug offered, the ball chosen, and 'out' used on the ball.
On film
going to play harder and harder and as we play harder i'm going to start incorporating more and
Putting in some work. We're going to see if he's interested in playing some tug.
good boy ankle body thank you buddy out good boy thank you for dropping the ball
Place
On film
and i'll also be doing some place cot work later and then we'll be um after um we've
Okay, so, but it's Dolly, so, you know.
Off-leash work
How it was taught
Most of the earlier work was done on a flexi, which Kelton says sets a default radius of about 20 to 26 feet. Off leash was then reached in steps inside one walk: a light ten-foot line he could barely feel, then no line, with a leash in the pocket and the e-collar as the stated backup. A park that enforces its leash rule was passed over for this work. Courtesy to the public stays part of it: he can be recalled and leashed for anyone uneasy about an off-leash dog.
On film
doing well on all the turns and then move his heel off leash.
So the next park I take him to, I'm gonna take him to a park where I can actually take him off leash without any issues because I mean, he should be good to go off leash and do all of his commands.
This is kind of the first step for me Make sure that he's good fully off leash.
kind of like a radius a default radius around me um because we do a lot of the work on the flexi
Yeah, so I'd say that Bandit's definitely fully off leash now.
I decided to just go ahead and leave the leash off of Bandit. He's doing fine.
we have to go across crosswalks and like he went across the crosswalks with me in like a heel off leash
Protection (defence with a decoy)
How it was taught
A decoy approaches and retreats so that Bandit wins the encounter; Kelton, handling, cues 'watch' or 'watch him' and praises. Pressure is added and then released quickly so it does not scare him and cost confidence; the sleeve is offered and he is urged to 'get him'. When runs give less, the session stops and a single run is tried later in the cooler part of the day. The decoy's distance and threat are adjusted, and on 2026-09-26 a decoy who has spent less time with him is brought in. Kelton's later account is that defence has to be reached through arousal, that Bandit was no longer getting ramped up, and that stopping his reactivity early stunted it.
On film
it so parts of it have already been done through like doing the play okay um but i plan to do some
so he successfully repelled the invader there and you saw his hackles went up.
Like what we really need to do with it is just add a little bit more pressure, but then make sure we back off quick
Watch, watch, watch him though, watch him.
because he has shown splashes of really good defense
Yeah. I didn't get as much out of that.
I watched most of the videos for the protection training you know so I noticed it wasn't really going well yeah we're just having a hard time with it
I put a stop to reactivity early, and I think that part is part of what happened. It stunted it a little bit.
Leaving food on the ground
How it was taught
No set-up: food found on the pavement is refused in passing with 'no' or 'uh-uh' and 'let's go'.
On film
Let's go, leave that fry alone.
Uh-uh. You're not eating Pringles. Come on.
How the method adapted
Bandit is a reactive-to-people dog with a stable temperament, and his handlers bet the program on the second half of that description. Most of the adaptations follow from it. Pressure could be used early because he 'looks for the way out' of it. Reactivity could be punished as a choice rather than managed as a fear. The one thing that could not be treated as a plain problem to remove was the barking, because the owner had bought a protection program. The last weeks test that bet twice. Off leash it paid: by the go-home day he is worked off leash in a busy park and downtown. In protection it did not, by Kelton's own account at the handover: stopping the reactivity early stunted the defence the owner had asked for.
Relationship first, because he did not settle. The first recorded weeks are kennel routine and tug, with gloves on.
He was confrontational and slow to settle, and the trainer says outright that the kennel footage was just play, meant to build a relationship. Staff are expected to turn routine care into boundaries, and the first walk credits them with the groundwork.
On film
and starting to like ease up. And he's eased up a lot, and so his training is going to progress
opportunities and we take advantage of those our kennel techs are specifically
Barking at people is penalised on a walk but deliberately not stamped out, because it will be wanted in defence work with a decoy.
The owner's program is protection. The trainer frames the barking as a behaviour that belongs to a context, not a behaviour that should never happen.
On film
that goes today we don't want to completely discourage it because we do want to do some
drive right but then in a scenario like this it's contextual right so if i don't ask him for it right
Penalise the act, never the feeling. His hackles, his stare and his arousal at dogs are left alone; only a blown command, a lunge or a bark is corrected.
Taking away the bad choices is what makes room for different choices, and the trainer argues that this is how the emotion changes.
On film
let him make the choice. Like, he can be ramped. His hair can go up, right?
for the emotions to change in the first place anyway so it kind of goes like this you penalize
Low levels for obedience, higher only where arousal makes a low level meaningless. The dog's sensitivity sets the floor, and the context sets the rest.
He jumps at 15 on a missed down and does not notice a raised level near a deer. Kelton later gives the owner the same principle as a speeding fine that is too small to matter.
On film
um i'll have it set really well um i'm gonna have it on like a 15 which is low
it's not it's kind of like if they gave you a 50 cent penalty for speeding you'd be like yeah right
An adult dog with prior classes is taught sit as if the word were new, verbal first, with the least help that works.
The trainer's diagnosis is that the lure, not the word, was the cue. The cure is to put the word first and let the dog find the answer.
On film
but ideally you always make sure that the first thing in the queue is the verbal uh signal right
the least amount of information that you uh that you can at that moment and let them find the right
Heel sold to this owner as a tool for a big, intimidating dog: short, functional, used past people and through crowds, then released.
Because of his size and the owner's wish to take him everywhere, heel is framed as control that other people can see.
On film
And then also it makes it where nobody else worries about what he's doing because they can see okay
The equipment was changed to suit his neck and coat. No prong. The collar comes off whenever he is not working, and an ointment is tried under it. At the handover: longer contact points for his thick fur, the e-collar receiver worn high above the regular collar and clear of the patch, and, since the night before the handover, the e-collar on only when it is in use.
A callus widened under the collar although he was not pulling, and a vest had caused hair loss at home. The trainer had already said that a flexi, a flat collar, perhaps a long line and an e-collar are all the equipment needed. At the handover Kelton gives the longer contact points as the way to get contact through thick fur without tightening the collar enough to choke him.
On film
this point in my career completely unnecessary yeah um all i actually need is a flexi and flat
come here watch out yeah but i'm gonna start putting stuff on that little front part on his
he's got fur lots of fur so this will make it where you don't have to make it so tight to try to get contact
i always have it above i never put it below the regular collar
since like last night i just haven't had collar on any time other than when i actually take him on a walk like it's just he never wears the collar except for when i'm actively using the collar for something
The reward moved from tug to the ball when he chose the ball.
Tug was offered first on 2026-09-04, and the ball won; heel was then paid with it. The session was also cut short for heat.
On film
all right, we'll give it a couple more reps, because, uh, but it's hot out here,
Off leash in steps, and with other people's comfort in mind.
A light line he could barely feel came first, then no line, with a leash in the pocket and the e-collar as backup. A park that enforces its leash rule was passed over for off-leash work, and as a jogger approaches Kelton says Bandit would do nothing but that he does not want to make her uncomfortable with a big off-leash dog.
On film
And I just have this little like teeth like line on him right now, so he can barely feel it
for the simple reason that they really do enforce it.
Which I mean, he's not gonna do anything, he's fine. but i mostly don't want to make her uncomfortable with big off leash german shepherd
Heel entry made easier when he was unsure: end at the first correct position, pay it big, then give him time to settle.
He was 'apprehensive' about coming into heel and about turns. Kelton cut the rep short at the first success, and after several hard turns gave freedom and downtime so he could 'return to baseline'.
On film
I just decided to just work the heel entry there because he looked a little apprehensive about it.
now i'm going to give him plenty of time to return to baseline
In decoy work, pressure then quick relief, so that he wins; stop when the runs give less.
Pressure that is not released quickly could scare him and cost confidence. When repeated runs gave less, Kelton stopped and moved the next run to a cooler time of day.
On film
Like what we really need to do with it is just add a little bit more pressure, but then make sure we back off quick And not like pressure and then kind of like scare and decrease confidence
yeah you get a little bit less so we'll put it away and we'll do we'll just do one next time
A different decoy when familiarity seemed to blunt his defence.
The usual decoy had spent a lot of time with him. At the handover Kelton proposes any future attempt with a decoy Bandit does not know. The owner, in his own words, says some dogs don't care but Bandit is smart and will pick up on it, and asks whether they rotated anyone out; Kelton's answer is that they tried it 'a little bit'.
On film
time with a different decoy who spent less time with him because the other decoy
because like some dogs don't care about that and he's smart so he's gonna pick up on that so i didn't know if you guys rotated anyone out or tried someone
we tried it a little bit
The reactivity work came first, and Kelton says it cost the protection work.
Barking at people was penalised from the first walk, while being kept for defence work in principle. At the handover Kelton says that stopping Bandit's reactivity early 'stunted' his defence, and that a path back would need time, a decoy he does not know and the owner as handler.
On film
that goes today we don't want to completely discourage it because we do want to do some
I put a stop to reactivity early, and I think that part is part of what happened. It stunted it a little bit.
Walked around the dog park, not into it.
He is 'not exactly super pumped to see other dogs'. The aim is neutrality and the ability to stop a behaviour, not a dog-park dog.
On film
I'm not gonna take it into the dog park, but I probably will walk around the sides
he's not a good candidate going to dog park and most dogs aren't
A leisurely last walk, as a reward.
On the go-home day Kelton keeps the Dix Park walk 'very leisurely' because Bandit has done so well.
On film
I'm making this walk very leisurely. I just want him to, you know, honestly, I just want Bandit to kind of enjoy himself. He's done so well in the training
What the family was told
How dogs learn: reinforcement and punishment
it can be, um, as simple as thinking of it this way. You add pressure and when you're adding that
order for the pressure to make sense to them right in order for it to be clear it has to be gone
right and that's a good way to think about like with penalties with the dog if it's clear it's
Why no treats
i feel that way with treats when i use treats all the time it's like every time i'm like oh hey bandit
ones that a lot of times people don't think of that's really powerful and it's one of the reasons
The e-collar: level by context
because like it has a hundred different levels. So it's really fine grained.
right so if you're chilling in the house nothing's going on right and you're like hey sit and he
The four windows and calm liberty
right yeah um the second paradigm is this um you can think of it as windows
your dog yeah with obedience right what would be the ideal solution you can just behave properly
tell them nothing all i do is just go tap the e-collar and then go okay right and because
Jumping on the owner only: put it on cue
thing I personally been training him is you can you can jump on me but not other
for the dog to make it easier for the dog is put the jumping on you on cue
Equipment
collar and maybe like a long line um and and an e-collar because if if the timing is right
bigger dogs they can be um if you get one of the ones so like the key is just get a flexi don't
Heel: the box, and what it is for
So, another thing about the heel is that they should match your pace, and they should stop
right because whatever you allow in that command is what he'll do
Handling: the word before the hand, an exciting okay, no bracing
um are one like you used hand motions and that's fine like if you like using hand motions hand
So like, I normally try to make the okay
hit it and then like he felt it and kind of stopped great no problem i leave that alone um but if they
Never repeat the cue; an unenforced warning is a joke
bandit down and then he doesn't down right away and then i go on i don't say down again i just say ah
you test it out and you're like all right and they say three and then like they don't do anything
Watch the videos
so i found that people who are most successful are the ones that watch as many videos as they can
honestly if you if you were dedicated and really interested in learning you could learn how to do
Definitely watch through the videos if you have any thoughts.
At the handover: the e-collar remote, its boost and its lock
there's three buttons on it right so just t button uh and depending on the mode it'll either make this thing vibrate or it'll make a sound
the purpose of it is that you can it's like a quick boosted shock from your current quick boost yeah my default on a five
you know one more and 60 more okay interesting yeah i don't use it that frequently
if you press down on this now when you turn the dial it will not change the level
The levels used on the go-home day, as a reference
I don't think I had it ever at any point turned up higher than a 30 so it's like sitting anywhere between 20 and 30
Fit and placement: longer contact points, above the regular collar, and (since the night before) on only when in use
it's just for the dog he's got fur lots of fur so this will make it where you don't have to make it so tight to try to get contact right because otherwise like with these you'd have to like choke them
i always have it above i never put it below the regular collar i always put it above the regular column
making sure it's tight enough that it's making contact especially with this fur that's why the long prong longer prongs will help a lot
since like last night i just haven't had collar on any time other than when i actually take him on a walk like it's just he never wears the collar except for when i'm actively using the collar for something
Carry the remote hands-free
keychain thing oh yeah i got here i got a few yeah stick a carabiner on it that makes a world of difference in terms of ease of use
then you were your hands free you don't have to because i will not hold this thing
Keep it up: the word first, then the collar, and make him do it
the training's great he's doing good i mean more or less it's just keeping it up and make sure and he doesn't slack on it
keeping the right like order of things right so like the verbal uh first
you got to make them right um because otherwise it becomes optional
Greeting people is optional (who says it is unclear)
you're free to try and she didn't try it you know
so i just don't worry about it like he doesn't need to greet people
Trained for more than daily life will ask
i told you i'm trying to do that with as many of the dogs that were possible i like because it's like a nice like taking them there a few times like a nice capstone you know it's like look your dog can go here
the way i think about it is like hey look he can lift a thousand pounds right if you need to like lift 200 pounds he's good for it right
Protection: a possible path later
well because like that's like how you kind of access it is you access it through that you have to get the dog ramped
i think that would have to be after like some time pass and i think it'd have to be with you yeah so it'd have to be like more of like a private session thing where we basically do that same thing except for the decoy is somebody who doesn't know and the handler is you
But I think that there is a pathway back to it
Support after go-home: text, call, refreshers
We're always available to send us a text or get us a call or something like that.
you need any help with anything we'll be happy to help you out all right yeah and then we also we do refreshers
In the family's own words
What he wants from the program: the basics, doing better around people, and a dog he can take places. At the second lesson, protection is what he thinks Bandit needs most, and he asks how it will fit in.
On film
commands obviously yeah um him doing better around people is really what i'm trying to get him to
You plan to smash or force, uh, push the, um, protection training in there?
how's this gonna fit correctly yeah okay yeah so like because i feel like that was the thing he's
He watched the first walk. He was surprised that Bandit passed a small group on a bridge, and saw him jump at the first stimulation.
On film
past the first group perfectly fine and then that like second small pocket he did and what surprised
they do in the video i could see like he physically like he jumped the first one you did yeah oh
He came in wary of e-collars and had used only vibrate, which stopped working once a person was involved.
On film
meaningful to me right i didn't think i was grasping at the time because i don't know just
A home detail that makes the calm-liberty idea concrete: Bandit peeking into the room shut off for the cats.
On film
had a problem with the cats like bathroom was sealed off for the cats anytime you peek his
At the handover he says he has watched the videos and feels confident, and that as long as Kelton thinks he can keep up with it, he expects to do great.
On film
really I was watching the videos I feel pretty confident in everything
No, as long as you think I can keep up with it, I think I'm going to do great.
He watched most of the protection runs and saw that they were not going well.
On film
I watched most of the videos for the protection training you know so I noticed it wasn't really going well
Outcomes
What the trainers reported
Verbal-only down in about five reps on its first day.
On film
verbal only down only took us like five reps
Reactivity 'mostly gone', then 'way down'.
Unnamed trainer(s), about 2026-08-29 to 09-03 and 2026-09-04
On film
So his reactivity is mostly gone.
His reactivity has gone way down.
All behaviours improved drastically; heel a huge improvement.
Unnamed trainer, 2026-09-08
On film
have improved drastically so um i'm seeing seeing a lot of good stuff here
Sit, down, recall and play no issue; heel still being fine-tuned.
The trainer to the owner, 2026-09-10
On film
fully finished yet his sit and his downer yeah i mean he's doing it like every time that's no issue
The owner picks the handling up relatively quickly.
The trainer, 2026-09-10
On film
right yeah um and then some people pick it up relatively uh quickly um you seem to be a little
Stable temperament: not nervy, not pressure-averse, biddable. A prediction of smooth obedience and safe off-leash work in public.
Kelton, to camera on the first walk and to the owner on 2026-09-03
On film
all of his commands with sit with down with heel with place with come right the recall with let's
his videos he's actually like super stable um in my personal opinion based on everything i've seen
Doing great on all his commands; recall, let's go, sit and down great; heel the right focus.
The trainer, 2026-09-17
On film
We're going to have a great time today. He's doing great on all his stuff.
because his recall is looking great his let's go is looking great
Ready to work off leash with all of his commands.
Kelton, 2026-09-23
On film
because I mean, he should be good to go off leash and do all of his commands.
Fully off leash: downs from a long distance, recalls, heels off leash; no issues even with people around.
Kelton, 2026-09-24
On film
Yeah, so I'd say that Bandit's definitely fully off leash now. He'll down from a long distance. He recalls. He heals off leash just fine.
bandit's off leash now no issues whatsoever even with people around and stuff like that
'No issues at all' off leash at Dix Park, and 'totally perfect' on Hillsborough Street.
Kelton, 2026-09-28
On film
No issues at all. No major issues.
Huge numbers of people. And he's been totally perfect.
The training is 'great', and the owner made no basic mistakes at the lessons.
Kelton to the owner at the handover, 2026-09-28
On film
the training's great he's doing good
you weren't making any like really like basic mistakes like you kind of had like you had the word order correct
Defence in 'splashes'; then, at the handover, protection 'wasn't really going well'.
Kelton (handling), 2026-09-26; the owner at the handover, 2026-09-28, with a reply that is probably Kelton's
On film
because he has shown splashes of really good defense
I watched most of the videos for the protection training you know so I noticed it wasn't really going well yeah we're just having a hard time with it
Stopping the reactivity early 'stunted' the defence.
Kelton, at the handover, 2026-09-28
On film
I put a stop to reactivity early, and I think that part is part of what happened. It stunted it a little bit.
What the footage shows
One reaction to runners, corrected, and no reaction on the next pass. It is still the only reaction to people on film, through the crowded downtown walk of the go-home day.
On film
all right so no reaction
The help needed for sit falls across one walk until the word and the marker are enough, and the marker starts working on a recall it was never paired with.
On film
got less until just now there was not any real physical guidance from the leash there was just
this um what happened right when i said ah ah that condition punisher um that clarified
Arousal at a passing dog, a blown let's go, one penalty, then the next let's go taken. Nonchalant with passing people on the same walk.
On film
I did end up having to penalize him because I tried to redirect with the
Yeah, very, very nonchalant for that one.
A recall off a deer he wanted to chase.
On film
the wildlife because he wants it. Bandit, come. Come. Good boy.
A dog barking loudly from a car is ignored. On a deliberately set trap near eight people and a dog, he misses the sidestep, is corrected, and goes straight back into heel.
On film
from the car and bandit didn't do anything he didn't care he just blew it off so that's good
heel um and he did not which i did not think he would and so that gave me an easy opportunity to
In front of the owner, a broken down is restored by a collar tap without the cue being repeated.
On film
got up and then i said and tapped the e-collar and he went back into a down even though i didn't say
A long down held through a passing bike, broken once and put back with 'ah ah' and the cue.
On film
passing isn't always right but this is really nice duration for him he did get up once um but
But when I told him A-H-A-H, right, and then I reiterated the command, he went right back into it.
The first protection run: the decoy driven off once, hackles up, by Kelton's account; a small nip under more pressure; and a stop when the runs gave less.
On film
so he successfully repelled the invader there and you saw his hackles went up.
Get him, get him. Down! Yeah, he went to nip a little bit.
yeah you get a little bit less so we'll put it away
Off leash, a down held while Kelton walked the length of a long bridge with his back turned, with a person approaching.
On film
and this is a nice long duration of me walking away with my back turned
oh he did it even though there's a person walking up on the other end of the bridge
At Dix Park, one reaction to a dog through the dog-park fence, corrected, then calm and listening.
On film
and so he did react to one and i was like we'll penalize it and everything was cool after that um and he's listening to my commands
he was like at one dog and i was like right and i tapped the eco and he was like um but it was through a fence
Downtown: crowds, buses, food on the ground and two passing dogs, with no reaction reported; street food refused on cue.
On film
It's a distracting thing with food on the ground, beer bottles on the ground. We've walked by two other dogs. Huge numbers of people. And he's been totally perfect.
Let's go, leave that fry alone.
The handover on the evening of 2026-09-28: the owner is shown his e-collar and the routine, and Bandit goes home with him.
On film
Hey man, I've got your boy
handsome man i'm gonna miss you
all right have fun at home buddy
Elsewhere from Angier K9
- Read Bandit’s Angier K9 story ↗ · angierk9.com
The ideas Bandit's case runs on
- Another dog as helper, tester or draw
- Attitude is the leading indicator
- Bracing and the oppositional reflex
- Build the handler's timing while it is easy
- Collar awareness: the collar is a paperweight
- Command, marker, collar - in that order
- Contingent, avoidable, and the right size
- Control is not obedience
- Don't accept the almost
- Don't heel grind
- Evaluate, cooperate, socialise, fulfil - then authority
- False reps: the dog reads the chain, not the word
- Fit before level: check the tool before you judge the dog
- Food facilitates calm, it cannot create it
- Freedom is given in measured steps
- Generalisation is the whole job
- Give him time to answer
- Go and look at the scary thing
- He has to be allowed to get it wrong
- Heat is a stop sign
- Heel entry versus heel in motion
- Help it or press it - read which
- Hidden help
- Honest limits, and reliability is not permission
- Internal emotional change, not repression
- Keep the marker charged
- Lifting a thousand pounds
- Maintenance is use, not practice
- Meaningful release
- Neutrality is the goal, friendship is optional
- Pick the place for what it contains - life is the training ground
- Play becomes the reward - and play is a contest
- Pressure, release, reward
- Put the unwanted behaviour on cue
- Quit on the good rep
- Reading the dog
- Release to freedom
- Reliability is what you have not tested
- Show what not to do, allow everything else
- Social pressure
- Start with freedom
- Step aside and down
- Switch him on, then ask for off
- The board, the scenes and the grades - and every trainer works every dog
- The camera is part of the method
- The decoy's job
- The four windows, and calm liberty
- The gear list, and the reasons for each piece
- The handler is the first suspect
- The leash is a prop
- The level is not a number
- The radius
- The standard is set by the job
- The three Ds, and the variables nobody counts
- Two events, not one - and what the handler does in between