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Bernie

Who Bernie is

As the trainers describe him

Friendly to a fault. The trainers use it as a character reference and, in the same breath, name it as the problem.
On film

Bernie, look at him. Does he look dangerous to you? One of the friendliest dogs you'll ever meet.

Watch at 2:10 ↗

he's not aggressive at all he's incredibly friendly

Watch at 37:02 ↗

He just loves people and he wants to go towards them and he wants to jump on them

Watch at 2:14 ↗
Happy almost all the time, including under correction. The handover ends by checking exactly this.
On film

he's extremely happy like all the time all the time all the time

Watch at 31:50 ↗

Bernie's not sad Bernie's happy are you happy Bernie

Watch at 27:42 ↗

he's still the same dog.

Watch at 1:08:38 ↗
Clever, and clever in a way that makes him easy.
On film

This dude is like scary smart

Watch at 16:02 ↗

Negative reinforcement like a champ. He really learns quickly. He doesn't fight it

Watch at 16:17 ↗

he's an extremely smart dog

Watch at 18:39 ↗
Big and strong. He is heavier than the intake's number, strong enough to win at tug, and his strength is given as the reason he feels leash pressure less than other dogs.
On film

like around 90 90 pounds

Watch at 32:29 ↗

struggled with a little bit he's really really strong so sometimes his sensitivity of leash

Watch at 12:53 ↗

Bernie's gigantic

Watch at 37:26 ↗
He barely feels an e-collar but is socially sensitive. The trainer puts the two side by side, and the difference shapes the whole handover.
On film

so bernie funnily enough um socially if i go like dude super sensitive like with the e-collar not so much

Watch at 45:59 ↗

out of the set of dogs i'm training right now he's the one that cares about the e-collar the least

Watch at 46:13 ↗
He wants to be chased. Four different recordings, three settings and at least two voices all say the same thing about how he plays.
On film

he wanted me to stalk right he wanted me to stalk him so that he could play keep away

Watch at 17:39 ↗

bernie likes when i stalk him

Watch at 52:20 ↗

He likes to be stalked.

Watch at 19:34 ↗

He likes to play by himself, I've noticed, a lot.

Watch at 16:39 ↗
He stays physically close. The go-home trainer describes him lying on people's feet in the evening sessions. That matches the intake's picture of a dog who stays next to his person all day (source: intake).
On film

i've noticed he likes to go like lay on her foot he liked to lay on my feet

Watch at 30:42 ↗

What the family said about him

As a puppy he stopped when told no. Later he began barking back and 'challenging' them when told no, even when they walked toward him to make him lie down. They say this is why they sought training.
On film

because with him before that's why we decided to train him

Watch at 20:45 ↗

when he was little he was like that they will say no and then he will stop but now he got to a point that we will say no he will start barking at us and start kind of like challenging us

Watch at 20:53 ↗

The program, stage by stage

Intake, off camera

Form submitted 3/25/2026 (source: intake). Nothing filmed.

A fourteen-month-old intact male Bernedoodle of about 83 lb, who stays next to his person all day, lives loose in the house and has never been on the furniture (source: intake). The family want him to listen, to stop jumping and getting over-excited with new people, and to behave well at family gatherings and off leash. They name pulling, jumping and anxiety with nipping, and say the trigger for trouble is being told no. His sit, down, come and out already work in a quiet room. Place and let's go need food in the hand. He has no heel, no release and no 'yes' marker. The form says he has never worn an e-collar, which the family later correct on camera (source: intake). There is no evaluation footage.

Day 1: calm liberty, place, a first down

On or before 2026-04-05. watch.

Relationship first. The e-collar is on and a working level has been found, but most of the forty-five minutes is television and a place cot. The trainer wants Bernie to break place so that he can put him back, and between holds he asks for 'calm liberty': Bernie is off command but must stay calm. An 'out' on the tug toy is described as the first step toward authority. A down comes on the first attempt ('we're gonna be ambitious'). A heel is tried indoors and dropped in favour of heel entry, because the heel will be introduced on tomorrow's walk, where release to freedom can pay for it. The trainer's first assessment is mild: he pulls, he has 'some crazy behaviors', and he is eager and very smart.

On film

And we've got the e-collar on we're gonna use a little bit boy and I already found his

Watch at 0:06 ↗

Calm liberty here in this area because that's kind of how we want him to act

Watch at 0:44 ↗

He pulls a little bit and he's got some crazy behaviors,

Watch at 1:31 ↗

I want him to break.

Watch at 4:22 ↗

but I'll probably wait to do that on a walk because it's gonna be a lot easier

Watch at 9:10 ↗

Day 2: the woods walk, and a collar he could not feelTurning point

The day after Day 1. watch + watch, one evening walk of about an hour on a four-mile trail with east and west loops.

The turning point of the program's method, though not of the dog. The collar's level ladder shows nothing up to 40. Fit checks follow, because his coat is thick enough to stop the contacts touching, and the ladder is run again twice before he responds at 60. The trainer promises to lower it if Bernie later reacts more. Everything the handover later tells the family about e-collar numbers comes from this walk. The rest of the walk covers recall (a few taps when he blows it off, 'for safety'), a down that he resists and then finds with 'a couple little guidance things', the first heel-in-motion rep released to sniffing, 'let's go' made automatic by repetition, keep-away read as the play he prefers, and a climbing task dropped because he is uncomfortable and it is 'not worth it'. The walk ends faster than the trainer's previous time on the trail, which he credits to not having to stop and help Bernie with commands.

On film

really, 50, 60, okay, apparently he needs a 60 to feel it at all, all right, that's very strange,

Watch at 5:21 ↗

we don't want any surprises here where he like all of a sudden feels

Watch at 4:12 ↗

I want that recall to be solid.

Watch at 14:45 ↗

Yeah, I'll pick your battles and that one's not something I care about

Watch at 4:50 ↗

he's figuring it out figuring it out that was very very little negative

Watch at 27:08 ↗

but I also don't have to spend as much time

Watch at 18:34 ↗

we care about long-term

Watch at 28:07 ↗

Day 3: switching on and off

The day after Day 2. watch, uploaded 2026-04-14.

Hard tug, then 'out' and 'place', over and over. The stated aim is to switch him quickly from high arousal to calm, which the trainer calls the hardest impulse-control demand and says is drilled into every dog. Place gets a posture-free criterion: he may sit, stand or lie down on the cot as long as he stays. The first signs of sit-down confusion appear, and the trainer spends the end of the session 'cleaning up the distinction'. No e-collar is mentioned in this session.

On film

The main goal is to be able to quickly switch him

Watch at 9:49 ↗

see it's totally fine if he moves around on the cot he can sit he can stand he can down

Watch at 19:17 ↗

He's got to make sure he has a clean

Watch at 33:58 ↗

Day four or five: the first public test

watch (uploaded 2026-04-27), with the same meeting also filmed by Levi's handler in watch.

A busier park than the state park, chosen for children, people and dogs. A family with a small child is not allowed a free greeting, because Bernie 'has no idea how large he is'. The down he has just learned becomes his greeting position; he holds it through a conversation, but a small child coming up is 'a little too much'. He still pulls hard to see and sniff, so the Flexi is locked at about six feet. The verbal marker already attached to the collar does the work, with one tap, and he starts choosing to stay off the pressure. The lock is then released so he does not learn a fixed radius. The heel is 'not proofed yet' and gets one 'significantly improved repetition'. Levi's handler, a colleague, arrives with Levi; the two dogs already know each other. The trainer's own summary to a passer-by is frank: third or fourth lesson, good with sit, down and recall, and pulling with distractions not yet worked on.

On film

So there's plenty of opportunities for Bernie to get real excited and for me to prove the

Watch at 1:09 ↗

so you can see he was able to hold it down through a conversation

Watch at 5:41 ↗

he's still pulling on the leash pretty hard

Watch at 9:36 ↗

he decided not to scratch to stay off the leash pressure

Watch at 13:20 ↗

so yeah it's still his third or fourth lesson

Watch at 17:31 ↗

That was a significantly improved repetition there.

Watch at 43:32 ↗

Week two, a second handler: learning phase among chickens

watch, uploaded 2026-04-13.

A handler who is not Kelton (she names him in the third person) cannot get Bernie into the car kennel, and she will not drive a dog outside it, so the session happens on a property with chickens, ducks and a cat. She is explicit that this is the learning phase, not proofing. She moves him to a long retractable for recalls. Failures are met by locking the leash and popping it, and later a 'nope' alone turns him. She uses 'let's go' as the redirection cue away from the birds and invites a jump so she can mark it. She introduces 'easy' with massage for a hyperactive dog, lets him approach the chickens so his choice can be rewarded or corrected, and judges the recall 'not too far' from proofing. This is the session the title calls 'calming anxiety', and nobody in it calls him anxious.

On film

We worked on loose leash walking last time when I was working with him.

Watch at 1:33 ↗

And then Kelton was able to work with him, too.

Watch at 1:37 ↗

didn't come i locked the leash did a leash pop and he came back

Watch at 5:25 ↗

we let them decide and then

Watch at 16:46 ↗

the recall is probably not too far from that stage now

Watch at 17:25 ↗

Evenings on the cot: household place holds with Rocky, Akira and AstroTurning point

Undated within the program; after the Day 2 walk and mostly in the second half. watch + watch, watch + watch, watch (containing watch), watch, and watch. Uploaded 2026-04-22 to 2026-05-04.

The bulk of Bernie's filmed hours, and the work the handover rests on. Two or three dogs are placed on cots in a lived-in room while staff watch television or play video games. One dog at a time comes off for affection and a few reps, so the dogs left on the cots have to hold while another is worked, recalled past them or taken out. The proofs are a colleague knocking and walking in, the handler leaving the building and knocking before he comes back in, and the handler watching through a window. Bernie follows Rocky off the cot once in the first recorded hold. After that he holds through the knocks, holds with the handler out of the room, and by the account in watch has done an hour and a half on the cot at least ten times. He is the one who is still panting while the other two sleep, and in one hold he has only 'finally chilled out' when the camera comes back on. The drills have a cost: the sit-down confusion peaks here, blamed on too much down on the walks, and one evening he seems 'sensitized' to a collar he 'normally barely cares about'. The Astro recording (watch) is thin for Bernie: he is barely heard and is mentioned twice, but it adds a calm hold beside a dog under behaviour modification.

On film

so rocky got up first and then that made bernie get up

Watch at 2:35 ↗

because at home things aren't just going to be chill

Watch at 2:21 ↗

Looks like Bernie hasn't gotten up yet. I'm looking at him through the window.

Watch at 6:43 ↗

None of them got up, even when I knocked on the door.

Watch at 27:34 ↗

They didn't get up. That's good.

Watch at 18:17 ↗

Rocky's sleeping. Bernie. He finally chilled out.

Watch at 0:26 ↗

Seems to be a little sensitized to it today.

Watch at 58:39 ↗

the longest I had him stay on a cot was like an hour and a half.

Watch at 32:09 ↗

Astro and Bernie are both good boys.

Watch at 22:11 ↗

Beach Bluff with Kelton: nearly off leashTurning point

watch, late in the program; uploaded 2026-04-28.

The only session in which the trainer is named on audio. The title's 'off leash' is never literal. Bernie starts on a nine- or ten-foot light line cut down from fifteen feet, then goes onto a Flexi to give room around a Great Dane, and finally has the Flexi left unlocked as a prop for about ten minutes without Kelton locking it. In a busy park he holds a long down with an implied stay while seven children on scooters, walkers and small dogs pass and Kelton turns his back. He heels through starts, stops and turns, needing the collar 'once or twice' past people, and 'locking in'. Leash yielding 'has gotten a lot better' in a dog whose strength makes him insensitive to it. The greeting problem is still visible: he 'still gets a little bit excited' when he reaches someone, and a word stops it because he has a strong conditioned punisher. Kelton's account of the nipping is the only progress report on a problem the intake names.

On film

my name is Kelton

Watch at 21:21 ↗

off leash but without having him fully off leash this is where i have something i can pick up and

Watch at 3:03 ↗

we're still proofing it for it to be

Watch at 6:34 ↗

pressure is low but his leash yielding has gotten a lot better

Watch at 12:59 ↗

so you can see it still gets a little bit excited when

Watch at 25:14 ↗

haven't locked it, it's like 10 minutes now

Watch at 52:37 ↗

Last week: the store and the rock

watch + watch (uploaded 2026-04-22) and watch (uploaded 2026-05-12, filmed before the handover).

A junior handler takes him to Tractor Supply for 'the proofing stage'. He rides as a seat-belted passenger. He heels through the parking lot, and a down among the dog beds holds while she moves out of sight, walks past and makes noise. She explains 'let's go' against 'come' clearly. The same outing ends with the problem that never fully went away: shoppers greet him, he pushes toward them, and she says afterwards that he 'probably needed' the collar and that the head trainers tell her she is slow to correct. At a park he is placed on a rock beside a playground and walked back on a 'nice heel'. That clip is the only filmed place on a natural object.

On film

he does move out of sight again make noise he didn't get up good boy okay

Watch at 10:18 ↗

redirection cue bernie let's go which basically means hey follow me

Watch at 11:03 ↗

you can see Bernie probably needed it when he started acting out just a little

Watch at 2:06 ↗

Bernie, place.

Watch at 0:20 ↗

Go home: one visit in two partsTurning point

About 2026-04-25/26 (both parts uploaded 2026-04-26). watch then watch.

About two hours of instruction at the family's house, delivered in place of the two in-program lessons that normally come first. Part 1, in the yard, is theory: the conditioned punisher and the 'total welfare' case for it, the release and why there is no stay, the kinds of play and games, negative reinforcement and resilience, reliability as obligation, how to tell whether a punishment registered, and the e-collar numbers. Part 2, indoors, answers the family's own problems. For the kitchen and the table the trainer uses the four windows and 'free shaping with punishment', and demonstrates a treat-toss boundary game. When Bernie takes a shoe, the trainer corrects him live, then explains and reconciles. He explains why a 'no' that once worked stopped working (the same small 'ticket' every time), fits the family's new collar at about 60, and demonstrates the Flexi as a prop, 'go home' into the family's crate, and 'let's go' in place of 'inside'. It ends on the family being asked whether they are happy, and on the dog being 'the same Bernie'.

On film

it's to use what's called a conditioned punisher

Watch at 1:05 ↗

So you're free shaping. The calm liberty window, you free shape, but with punishment,

Watch at 7:12 ↗

And you see he looks a little depressed.

Watch at 18:35 ↗

bernie go home bernie go home

Watch at 41:54 ↗

It's the same Bernie.

Watch at 1:08:32 ↗

After: a follow-up promised, and a marketing edit

After the handover. watch uploaded 2026-08-16.

The trainer and family agree at the handover to set up a follow-up.

On film

Yeah, we'll set up a follow-up.

Watch at 1:08:50 ↗

Skills

Place

At the startNeeded food in the hand to lure (source: intake). On Day 1, 'fighting me slightly' on a flat collar.
By the endHolds an hour and a half on a cot in a lived-in room. Holds through knocks, people entering, other dogs being worked and taken out, and the handler leaving the building. Placed on a rock in a public park. At the handover the family get advice on choosing an elevated cot.

How it was taught

Long holds from Day 1 while the trainer watches television, with breaks invited so he can be put back ('I want him to break'), first with an e-collar tap and later on the voice. Day 3 pairs place with tug so he learns to switch from arousal to calm, and allows any posture on the cot. Then the evening group holds with the proofs listed above. At the handover the trainer sums up the rule: place is not optional, and a break is punished and he goes back up.

On film

Bernie, place. Up here. Place. Okay, so he's fighting me slightly

Watch at 1:47 ↗

So because he broke it, he got a little tap on the E collar and he got put back, right?

Watch at 19:27 ↗

he settles onto place pretty quickly

Watch at 3:25 ↗

Bernie stayed. That's good.

Watch at 6:58 ↗

not optional.

Watch at 31:55 ↗

the longest I had him stay on a cot was like an hour and a half.

Watch at 32:09 ↗

Placing on a rock.

Watch at 0:44 ↗

Down

At the start'Usually reliable if low distractions' (source: intake). A down comes on the first try on Day 1.
By the endA long down with an implied stay in a busy park while children pass and the handler turns his back. A down among dog beds in a store while the handler goes out of sight. At the handover the tab leash is described as the way to 'reinforce a down'. Over-practising it cost him his sit for a while.

How it was taught

Verbal cue with 'uh-uh' interruptions, a little guidance and a little negative reinforcement on the Day 2 walk, where the thick coat kept the collar from reaching skin. Fluency first; the collar was to be 'layered over' later to obligate it off leash. In the first week it becomes the greeting position with people. It is then drilled on walks, and duration and distraction are added.

On film

Oh, that's good.

Watch at 4:12 ↗

it looks like he's not even feeling it again because he's got that thick hair.

Watch at 9:14 ↗

and layer it over so that we can obligate off-leash,

Watch at 12:02 ↗

he just learned down

Watch at 2:19 ↗

but i am able to like walk around turn my back on

Watch at 6:45 ↗

so I'm gonna move out of sight and see what he does

Watch at 9:48 ↗

Sit, and keeping it distinct from down

At the start'Usually reliable if low distractions' (source: intake).
By the endSit with distance and duration of 'about a minute' on Day 2, and a sit held through false starts at Beach Bluff. In between, the sit is repeatedly answered with a down and has to be 'cleaned up'.

How it was taught

'Nope' on the wrong position and a re-cue. In the evening holds, leash guidance to 'get the sit back', which the trainer explains with learning Spanish and French at once. At Beach Bluff, 'fake them out' proofing with social pressure.

On film

Just cleaning up the distinction

Watch at 54:43 ↗

you can confuse them together and not draw a clean distinction so i'm trying to get the sit back

Watch at 57:51 ↗

have been about a minute good job Bernie he did good

Watch at 35:46 ↗

that time he didn't get up good boy much better

Watch at 1:00:26 ↗

Recall (come), and let's go as a separate cue

At the startCome 'usually reliable if low distractions'. Let's go only with food in hand (source: intake).
By the endCome means come to the handler and sit until released. Let's go means follow me and is the redirection cue. Recall works off livestock, off people at Beach Bluff and past other dogs on cots. It is 'probably not too far' from proofing in week two. At the handover the family are taught the difference, and their 'inside' is replaced with 'let's go'.

How it was taught

Recalls on the trail with collar taps when ignored ('for safety'). On a long retractable in week two, with lock-and-pop, then 'nope' alone. At Beach Bluff, letting him head toward people so the recall can be proofed at the moment he wants to go. Let's go is made automatic by sheer repetition on walks.

On film

of e-collar there a few taps figure it out quickly he blew me off a little bit

Watch at 14:35 ↗

because he didn't come right away and then he turned around and came so I

Watch at 6:13 ↗

let's goes obviously that gets burned into their brains because they have to do it over and over

Watch at 16:53 ↗

he knows that the cum is to recall and sit and he can't get up

Watch at 11:36 ↗

Be interested enough to go towards them and I'll have an opportunity to recall and proof it

Watch at 53:43 ↗

One is come, but come is if I want him to come to me and stand here

Watch at 43:13 ↗

Heel and heel entry

At the start'Doesn't know at all' (source: intake). Dropped indoors on Day 1.
By the endKeeps pace through starts, stops and turns at Beach Bluff, with a heel entry done without the leash and a few corrections past people. 'Nice heel' on the walk back from the rock. At the handover it is taught as a box on the left, and the family are told not to heel for a whole walk.

How it was taught

Introduced on the Day 2 walk and released to sniffing, so that the release pays for the position. Heel entry is practised separately, including in the evening holds. Loose-leash work comes before heel in the first week. The collar is used once or twice when he is excited.

On film

first little heel in motion rep there

Watch at 2:02 ↗

I haven't proofed his heel yet, so this is hard for him.

Watch at 40:46 ↗

he will go slow with me he'll start and stop and stay at my pace

Watch at 11:36 ↗

Hey, two or three times, but he was locking in.

Watch at 51:05 ↗

You can think about it like there's a box right here on your side, and he needs to be

Watch at 34:21 ↗

Pulling and leash yielding

At the startPulling is named on the form (source: intake) and by the trainer on Day 1.
By the end'Leash yielding has gotten a lot better'; he 'stops right away' at the end of the leash, though his strength means his sensitivity to leash pressure is still low. He is almost never on a fixed short leash: Kelton is not sure he has ever put a six-foot leash on him.

How it was taught

A Flexi locked at about six feet for short practice, with the verbal marker already attached to the collar and one tap, then unlocked. A little negative reinforcement when he pulls. The idea is that the leash is a prop and the cues do the work.

On film

Because the e-collar has already been attached to the word, ah, for other reasons.

Watch at 11:54 ↗

i don't want him to think that there's automatically a six foot radius

Watch at 13:43 ↗

I'm not sure if I've actually ever put a six-foot leash on Bernie,

Watch at 13:32 ↗

stop he just feels the end of the leash and he stops right away

Watch at 15:20 ↗

Greeting people: jumping, over-excitement and nipping

At the startThe family's first priority, on the form and in person (source: intake).
By the endBetter but not finished, by every account. Kelton reports that the nipping 'has gotten much better' and that a word stops the excitement. The store handler says he still pushes toward shoppers and wants to jump on them in his last week. The handover tells the family that jumping on passers-by 'needs to go away', and that jumping and nipping at a guest are handled with the conditioned punisher, social pressure and collar pops.

How it was taught

The down as a greeting position. Jumps invited so that they can be marked ('nope'). A Flexi for an approach, giving room to correct. A strong conditioned punisher ('uh uh', 'stop it'). 'Easy' with massage. Obedience asked during hard play to rehearse the excitement level of a greeting.

On film

large and doesn't know so he'll he's still pretty fresh in the training

Watch at 2:02 ↗

see if he jumps on me because i want to correct the jumping

Watch at 3:43 ↗

he comes right up to somebody but because he has a strong conditioned Punisher

Watch at 25:33 ↗

the dog on a regular basis and then you ask for obedience during play, the harder you play with

Watch at 26:53 ↗

He loves people. Okay, enough. Enough, Bernie. Enough.

Watch at 0:09 ↗

But things like, all right, you guys are walking by people

Watch at 0:49 ↗

Release ('okay') and the implied stay

At the start'Doesn't know at all' for release (source: intake).
By the endEvery position holds until 'okay', and he leaps on it. At the handover he ignores flat 'okay's and gets up on the higher-pitched one.

How it was taught

No stay word, ever. The release comes after every position and is followed by something good (freedom, the toy, sniffing).

On film

want to see that when you say okay like that they like go bananas

Watch at 5:41 ↗

An implied stay is less redundant, clearer

Watch at 4:42 ↗

the most important thing is that you say okay first before you do something else

Watch at 22:12 ↗

Crate and car

At the startIn week two a handler cannot get him into the car kennel.
By the endAt the family's house he goes into their crate on 'go home', and the family remark on it. The trainer says he now jumps into the car crate on his own.

How it was taught

It was made non-optional: he was physically put in a few times, and the crate reliably led to a park and a long walk, so it came to predict good things. Tricking him with treats is rejected because a smart dog is tricked only once.

On film

since I cannot get Bernie in the car

Watch at 0:00 ↗

like and just like shoved him in the crate um and i did that a few times

Watch at 38:23 ↗

you think about like on the other end of it like we go to the park

Watch at 38:29 ↗

bernie go home bernie go home

Watch at 41:54 ↗

Calm liberty and house boundaries

At the startThe family report that he will not leave the kitchen when told and puts his face on the table.
By the endCalm liberty was reinforced from Day 1 at the facility. At home, the kitchen game is demonstrated once with one collar tap, and the table method is explained. Neither is shown working at home.

How it was taught

Day 1: off command but calm, with excitement interrupted. Handover: let him make the actual mistake, deliver a clear 'nope event' of up to a minute, then let him go. For the kitchen, a treat-toss game with one side allowed and the other forbidden.

On film

He's not in command, but he needs to be chilled out.

Watch at 15:48 ↗

he will go inside the kitchen and he will not listen if i'll tell him to go out

Watch at 2:46 ↗

there's nothing wrong with getting the treat

Watch at 15:55 ↗

like, I used the e-collar there, by the way.

Watch at 17:35 ↗

How the method adapted

Bernie is not a fear case, a bite case or a hard-to-motivate dog. His case is a large, delighted, sociable dog whose coat and size kept ordinary tools from working, and whose family's 'no' had stopped meaning anything. Most of the adaptations below are about getting any signal through to him at all: through his fur, his strength and his enthusiasm. One (the down) went far enough to cause a problem that then had to be undone.

The e-collar level was found from the bottom up and ended unusually high, and fit was checked before any level was trusted.

His coat is so thick that the contacts may not reach skin. Intermittent contact would make him suddenly feel 'a whole bunch at once', which the trainer calls unfair. The trainer also stresses that the level must suit this particular dog. At the handover the family's new collar comes with the long contacts meant for long fur, and the family are told to part the hair.

On film

come on let's check that fit make sure it's fitted correctly because if it's

Watch at 1:55 ↗

a whole bunch at once and is like oh my god ow we want it to be correct for him

Watch at 4:23 ↗

a lot of fur yeah and if it is not making contact with his skin he won't feel it at all

Watch at 45:47 ↗

prongs are shortening because yes it's long fur it's gonna be harder to make

Watch at 46:37 ↗

Treats were almost entirely dropped. Freedom, zoomies and play became the pay.

By the trainer's account the main reward was what the dog loses his mind for, running free, and heel was held back until a walk where release to freedom could pay for it. Release to 26 feet of Flexi is described as the reason listening is worth it to him.

On film

the majority of the positive reinforcement the benefits that i added

Watch at 10:53 ↗

for me to make it a positive experience for him by releasing him to freedom.

Watch at 9:14 ↗

so it's really rewarding for him to listen to me because then he gets a big release to freedom

Watch at 36:08 ↗

His keep-away game was turned into currency instead of treated as disobedience.

He wants to be chased, so the trainer chases, competes for the toy and lets him win some. Play is also used to raise arousal on purpose so that obedience can be practised at greeting-level excitement.

On film

he likes to play keep away we can use that

Watch at 11:09 ↗

So he likes the competition

Watch at 19:35 ↗

you're simulating that overexcitement.

Watch at 26:57 ↗

A task he was uncomfortable with and that did not matter was dropped on the spot.

'Pick your battles.' It is the only moment in his file where the trainer backs off, and he explains why.

On film

He does not feel comfortable. So we will leave it alone

Watch at 4:57 ↗

Over-practised down was diagnosed as the cause of a lost sit, and the sit was retaught on purpose.

Drilling one position on walks blurred the two cues. The trainer blames his own training plan, not the dog.

On film

I had him down too much in our last training at the walks

Watch at 57:33 ↗

His walking equipment skipped the six-foot leash: a Flexi, a light cut-down line, a tab leash, and off leash.

The method wants the leash to be a prop and wants him making choices at a distance. The light line 'feels like nothing' but can still be grabbed. Locking the Flexi is kept for short practice, and it is released so that he does not learn a fixed radius.

On film

I've only ever used the Flexi with him

Watch at 13:38 ↗

the time think about it like all right the the leash is a prop

Watch at 57:37 ↗

Greetings were given a job (the down) and extra room (the Flexi), rather than being banned.

He is too big to greet a child freely, and the problem is friendliness, not aggression. A Flexi gives him room to approach a big dog and gives the handler more chances to correct.

On film

I would let them say hi but he's very

Watch at 1:51 ↗

Hook him up to the flexi

Watch at 30:28 ↗

If he wants to and that way I'll have more opportunity to correct it

Watch at 30:38 ↗

The crate was made non-optional and then made worth it.

Treats will not trick a smart dog twice. Physical insistence a few times, followed every time by a park and a walk, changed what the crate predicted.

On film

if you trick him once, you won't trick him the next time.

Watch at 40:09 ↗

i put the thing on him and we get out and we run around and we go on a long walk and he has a good

Watch at 38:34 ↗

With no in-program lessons, the handover was front-loaded with theory and a quick follow-up was offered.

The trainer says the family would normally have had two lessons during the stay. Instead he asks for their concerns first and plans to come back early, before small problems become the family's normal.

On film

But this one, what I wanna try to do is,

Watch at 1:08 ↗

be available to help with that. Because the quicker that I get it out of the way, the easier

Watch at 1:38 ↗

What the family was told

The conditioned punisher, and why a little punishment buys a bigger life

the one that i used was uh uh you'll see bernie go he'll freeze up right um which is what you want

Watch at 1:54 ↗

life better overall right because total welfare the dog the family the community like everybody

Watch at 2:37 ↗

right and that's how you know if you actually punish the dog or not

Watch at 34:26 ↗

No stay: the release does the work, and it must come first

commands whether it's sit down place um heel whatever it is he's supposed to continue staying

Watch at 21:21 ↗

the most important thing is that you say okay first before you do something else

Watch at 22:12 ↗

Play: fair personal play, and games with rules

i wouldn't punish it why because uh that's how dogs play

Watch at 16:11 ↗

games have rules so you can make rules in games

Watch at 18:54 ↗

when he was like calm, great. He listens to me when we're calm and nothing's going on. Cool.

Watch at 44:00 ↗

Negative reinforcement, resilience and obligation

negative reinforcement is for teaching new things and also for maintaining commands

Watch at 23:04 ↗

And they might listen to you 90% of the time.

Watch at 30:32 ↗

they associate sounds with things

Watch at 37:43 ↗

The e-collar: numbers mean nothing, the reaction is everything

that's why i tell people don't get caught up on numbers because numbers don't really

Watch at 48:59 ↗

to adjust the level you turn this little dial for him he's gonna be 60 right

Watch at 48:58 ↗

reason is because if you're in a heel and you tap it instead of jumping away from you he'll

Watch at 51:55 ↗

it for the first while like the first like five six months just have him wear it most of the time

Watch at 53:01 ↗

The kitchen and the table: free shaping with punishment, not permanent management

the most ethical like humane thing for the dog is because the other option that most people end up

Watch at 7:31 ↗

it no right and i'm gonna make that last for like a minute like actually 60 seconds

Watch at 9:33 ↗

very often people manage the dog such that they never have an opportunity to

Watch at 11:37 ↗

Why their 'no' stopped working

so if you give them the same ticket every single

Watch at 24:37 ↗

time and he didn't care enough about it to stop

Watch at 25:29 ↗

Come versus let's go, heel as a box, and the Flexi as a prop

More often they say come when they should actually use let's go.

Watch at 43:37 ↗

one thing i implore you don't take your dog for

Watch at 35:10 ↗

good test to see like hey could I take this dog off of a leash

Watch at 58:53 ↗

Place at home

it's elevated off the ground that's so like sufficiently elevated that it's clear that

Watch at 1:03:23 ↗

I normally don't do place on

Watch at 1:04:46 ↗
In the family's own words

Why they trained him: a 'no' that stopped working, and barking back.

On film

but now he got to a point

Watch at 20:57 ↗

Their concern at the start of Part 2 is the kitchen.

On film

so if i was with the whole family in the kitchen then he will go inside the kitchen

Watch at 2:46 ↗

Their question about the crate, which shows it had been a problem for them too.

On film

How did you manage

Watch at 37:01 ↗

He did not want

Watch at 37:10 ↗

Their prior e-collar, used at full level without effect.

On film

what level was it on all the way

Watch at 45:32 ↗

Their word for calling him in.

On film

Inside, that's what I used to say.

Watch at 43:00 ↗

Outcomes

What the trainers reported

He did 'great' or 'fantastic' in the evening group holds, which were run on at least five or six evenings, and his longest place was about an hour and a half.

The go-home trainer, to the family, at the handover

On film

he did great.

Watch at 31:46 ↗

the longest I had him stay on a cot was like an hour and a half.

Watch at 32:09 ↗

The nipping problem is much better.

Kelton, to a member of the public, at Beach Bluff

On film

he's gotten much better with the nipping problem

Watch at 31:55 ↗

Leash yielding is much better.

Kelton, to camera, at Beach Bluff

On film

pressure is low but his leash yielding has gotten a lot better

Watch at 12:59 ↗

He has already been off leash, and dogs are usually ready for it within about a week.

Kelton, to camera, at Beach Bluff

On film

and then he's been off leash

Watch at 14:12 ↗

I have them off-leash relatively quickly, within like a week or so at most

Watch at 14:25 ↗

He is 'performing well enough', and he is the same happy dog.

The go-home trainer, with the family agreeing, at the end of the handover

On film

Yeah, like, he's performing well enough.

Watch at 1:08:28 ↗

He's still happy and, like, having a good time, yeah.

Watch at 1:08:39 ↗

The kitchen boundary can be done in about two days, and the table in one to four clear events.

The go-home trainer, predicting

On film

you can do this like within like two days

Watch at 14:40 ↗

but at most maybe two three four times something like that

Watch at 10:50 ↗

What the footage shows

No response to the e-collar below 60 on the Day 2 ladder, repeated after fit checks. This is the single most consequential fact in the file for how he was handled.

On film

apparently he needs a 60 to feel it at all

Watch at 5:21 ↗

Place held with the handler out of the room and out of the building, through door knocks, while other dogs were worked and led out.

On film

Looks like Bernie hasn't gotten up yet.

Watch at 6:43 ↗

Bernie, you did good.

Watch at 34:56 ↗

Day four or five: still pulling hard, still jumping, and a down held through a conversation but not through a small child's approach.

On film

a small kid coming up to greet him that was a little too much for him

Watch at 5:47 ↗

Late in the program: a long down with an implied stay in a busy park, heeling with starts and stops, and about ten minutes on an unlocked Flexi. He is also still visibly over-excited on reaching people.

On film

We've got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven kids from this gathering

Watch at 5:27 ↗

haven't locked it, it's like 10 minutes now

Watch at 52:37 ↗

it still gets a little bit excited

Watch at 25:14 ↗

In his last week, a down held with the handler out of sight in a store, and pushing toward shoppers on the way out.

On film

he didn't get up good boy okay

Watch at 10:18 ↗

He just loves people and he wants to go towards them

Watch at 2:14 ↗

At the family's house, 'go home' into the family's crate, and a shoe taken and given up under correction, after which he looks 'a little depressed' and is reconciled with.

On film

bernie go home bernie go home

Watch at 41:54 ↗

but then after he's kind of been in trouble for a minute

Watch at 18:48 ↗
How it ended. Bernie went home. Comes back sometimes for refreshers.

The ideas Bernie's case runs on