Who Boog is
As the trainers describe him
Indifferent to the handler and unmoved by the leash. This is the baseline he arrived with on film.
On film
So he really doesn't give in to the leash at all, which is not great.
And he really just doesn't care that I exist, even though I have a leash on him. So there's not really any handling effect either.
Yeah, so he's just very like, doesn't care.
He knows sit but will not offer it. The first-run verdict separates knowledge from willingness.
On film
He knows it. He's just not a willing participant.
More 'neurotic' than most labs, according to two statements five days apart.
On film
yeah he's been here for like three days and i guess it's b-o-o-g so he's very neurotic
This guy's a little bit more neurotic than most labs I've worked with, though.
he's very his neuroticism is pretty high so we're gonna have to handle that
High drive, easily over-excited by fast-moving things and running people, and a sniffer.
On film
like that like fast moving things like people are like running and stuff he gets really excited and he wants to like run with them and so we'll need we need to work on that a lot
his reward can be sniffing oh yeah he goes nuts
he's high drive
He tires early, which the trainer did not expect.
On film
I didn't think he was going to tire out too quick, but hey, it'd be what it'd be.
He's pretty pooped out already.
Settled on place, he drifts. A staff member describes his ears flopping as he 'disassociates'. This is said with affection and is a description of settling, not a clinical one.
On film
Right now he's very zoned in, but once he's there for a while he's kind of like... The ears like flop. They flop down.
His protest is read as not dominance. This is one staff member's reading, in a stretch of chat.
The hardest dog in his trainer's set. On 2026-09-20, talking to another dog's owner, the trainer says he has to prepare himself to work with Boog, that even a high collar setting does not stop him resisting, and that Boog climbs the walls of his kennel when he sees him.
On film
i have a dog right now that the people know his name boog he's a lab he's cool but he's crazy
I have to like mentally prepare to work with him
crank the collar up to high and he'll actually resist me yeah like I have to find other ways to motivate him
if he even sees me he'll like climb the walls on his kennel
Very impulsive, with a short productive window. Dogs like him are always energetic, the trainer tells the family, but once the mental part tires they stay impulsive without getting anything done.
On film
Because Boog is what we call very, very, very, very, very impulsive.
But they have a certain window where they're like mentally good and then once the mental part kind of like gets tired They're really impulsive and energetic but like without the productivity, right?
He tests every handler, and more so when his family are watching.
On film
because he doesn't do it with me but that's why like we have these sessions because how's he gonna do like his drive is just gonna test every single person that works with him
i really promise like because you guys are around he is like kind of trying to test it
A correction has to be firm for him to feel it. When the trainer first put his collar on Boog he had to go up to 99, and Boog still fought him; at the go-home he tells the owners they need not worry about being tough with him.
On film
when I put the E-collar on him, and he made me go up to 99 and still fought me
Because he's just so adamant about, like, fighting, like, all the pressure that I was like, this is going to be interesting.
if it makes you feel better you don't have have to worry about being tough with him because like he doesn't really feel it if it's not tough
The aim was never a different dog. He will stay excitable but should listen while excited; at the handover the trainer says his personality is still there and he knows how to dial it back.
On film
he'll always be crazy but he should be crazy and listen
that's the goal is like his personality's still there he just knows how to like dial it back a little bit
As his family describe him
At home, by his owners' account on 2026-09-21: he jumps at the kitchen counter, especially when he hears the sink running, and sometimes at the table at mealtimes. He barks in his crate in the morning. He goes for the cat's litter box and keeps going back to it. He and the family's cat play, roughly.
On film
My favorite thing is like jump on that counter, or over here, try to get the sink running.
he'll try to jump on the table sometimes if we're eating
pretty much like how impulsive he is in the crate that's all that's like my only other concern
it's a matter of like he will keep going back he wants to go back
they play but then he'll get like really rough
On walks with one of his owners he stays beside or a little ahead, never far, by that owner's account.
On film
And Booth really, he's actually like, when I walk him at least, he usually always either beside me or just like a little bit ahead of me, but he's never like far.
On the night walk of 2026-09-21, when the trainer mentions a dog who ate couches, an owner says Boog ate theirs too: he got behind their first couch and tore it.
On film
well he ate our couch he did yeah yeah our first one he got behind it and like tore it
At the handover on 2026-09-28 his owners notice that he now lies down and settles, which he did not do before.
On film
i just think it's so funny like he'll just like lay down yeah so he didn't really do that before
Breed and age
On film he is called a chocolate lab at Luna's go-home, and the 2026-09-07 trainer compares him with 'most labs'. At the go-home on 2026-09-28 a speaker, probably one of his owners, says he will be a year old next month (watch 31:11). The 2026-09-07 line 'it's a black dog' (09:16) is probably a mistranscription and is not relied on.
The program, stage by stage
Arrival, off camera
Arrival about 2026-09-01
On 2026-09-04 a trainer handing over another dog mentions him in passing: a new chocolate lab, about three days in, 'very neurotic'. The same trainer plans to test Boog's place against a thrown ball, which is how he says he proofs retrievers.
On film
yeah he's been here for like three days and i guess it's b-o-o-g so he's very neurotic
And when I put him on place I'm gonna probably take some kind of Fetcher ball or something and chuck it a couple Times and see what he does
First run: what he knows versus what he will do
On or before 2026-09-06 (watch)
A two-minute evaluation outdoors, because inside was being cleaned. The e-collar is on from the start. Sit is judged known but withheld. Place meets resistance, and the handler holds out for all four paws before accepting it. The title names Claudia; the audio does not name the speaker.
On film
just try and get a feel for where we're at with stuff and what we're gonna have to cover
So, Boog's clearly gonna give us a lot of grief about place.
All four pots. All four pots. There we go.
Sit under leash and collar pressure; the neuroticism named
2026-09-07 evening (watch false start, watch)
A male trainer plans sits, stays and a recall. Most of the session is sit. He uses repeated cues with leash pressure he calls negative reinforcement and some collar pressure, big praise when Boog complies, and sternness when he doesn't. The first praised sit arrives about a minute into the sit work. The trainer defers the jumping, says the neuroticism must be handled, and says he will 'start punishing' shortly before the sunglasses interruption. Boog tires sooner than expected, and the session ends on a recall.
On film
So I'm going to try to give him a couple of sits, do a couple of five stays, and I'll get a recall going.
Okay, good job.
So I'm just using some negative reinforcement and, like, leaf presser. There's no reason to ever, like, choke on a dog or anything.
We're gonna have to fix that jumping. But for now, I just want to get a solid sit without him freaking out, which is gonna take some work, to be honest.
All right, well, he's pretty pooped out, so we're going to time it out here.
The walk: let's go, the radius, and play before workTurning point
2026-09-08 13:24 (watch)
This is the session where the staff say what Boog's program will turn on. Two staff walk him, and about two-thirds of the recording is unrelated chat. Let's go is named the key, because correcting the failure to follow let's go interrupts over-excitement without punishing the excitement itself. His radius is good: sniffing is allowed and becomes a reward, and it is only a problem at the end of the leash or when he ignores let's go. His drive will not be spent on a walk, so play comes first. The speaker adds a general principle 'for the camera': training tired builds a base, but every dog must eventually be worked at full arousal. The outing ends with Boog loading into the vehicle 'better than last time'.
On film
in my opinion let's go is one of the quickest ways to like correct over excitement
because you can punish for not listening but you're not actually punishing the overexcitement you're punishing the let's go part
i think the key for boob's gonna be that getting that play drive out play a whole bunch before we can train
He's tired, to be fair, though. But actually, training tired's good because you establish a base they can finally understand because they're not on 10.
Better than last time.
The plan: down is 'his big one'
2026-09-09 18:09 (watch)
Fifteen near-silent minutes, then a closing plan. Boog needs to become more receptive to collar pressure, and his drive needs building so it can be used to get the down, which the trainer expects to be the hardest behaviour. Heel may be the same. What was worked in the silent stretch is not recoverable from the audio.
On film
So as far as like more in the future, we just gotta like be more receptive to e-collar pressure and crank up his drive more so we can use that to get him to do a down because that's gonna be his big one.
And I would guess the same for heel. But maybe he'll give in to heel. I don't know.
The down reported as a wall
2026-09-10 to 2026-09-14
On 2026-09-14, in Chunk's owner lesson, the trainer uses Boog as his example of a dog who 'just doesn't care'. He calls him really tough and high drive, and says that even with the collar turned all the way up and pulling down on the leash, Boog will neither bark nor down. This is the trainer's report to another family.
On film
i will say some dogs think they just don't care at all though have you seen any videos of boog
he's really tough
and he won't bark and he won't down like you know
Waiting him out: place and down holds with the television on
2026-09-15, 13:00, 13:29 and 19:11 (watch, watch, watch)
The method for the down changes shape. The staff no longer push it: they hold him on place and wait. The first recording opens with a standoff that lasts 'until you lay down', and Boog does not twitch when two staff walk in. The second (Claudia in the room) is a place cue, a handler 'just waiting him out' on the down, and a correction for leaving place without release. It ends with praise, a plan for another session and a joke that they may yet 'tire you to the down'. The third has no identifiable speech and most likely shows a quiet hold. Most of these recordings are television audio and staff chat.
On film
I know, but he doesn't want to lay down.
That's why he's got to stay there until he does.
I was like, I've already had a beautiful maneuver so now I'm just waiting him out.
I'll just pause on Boo, because he's been doing really good anyway.
Don't worry. Maybe we'll tire you to the down yet.
'The hardest' dog in his trainer's set
2026-09-16 to 2026-09-20 (reported on 2026-09-20 in Stormi's owner lesson, watch)
On 2026-09-20, in another dog's owner lesson, his trainer describes Boog to that family as the hardest of the dogs he is working: a lab who is 'cool but he's crazy', whom he has to prepare himself for, who resists even a high collar setting, so that he has to find other ways to motivate him, and who climbs the walls of his kennel when he so much as sees the trainer. This is the trainer's report to another family.
On film
i have a dog right now that the people know his name boog he's a lab he's cool but he's crazy
crank the collar up to high and he'll actually resist me yeah like I have to find other ways to motivate him
if he even sees me he'll like climb the walls on his kennel
First owner lesson, at home: the counters, place for both owners, the collar on high
2026-09-21 evening, first file (watch, title stamp 18:50)
Boog's trainer, Connor, teaches Boog's owners, a couple, in their home. The lesson starts with what the family most want fixed: Boog jumping at the counter, especially when the sink runs. With his collar on high, the trainer sets up the temptation and says 'Nope' at each attempt; Boog starts the jump and drops back down. The owners add the table at mealtimes, the cat's litter box, the trash can and barking in his crate in the morning. The trainer tells them plainly that the crate barking will not stop: he calls it barrier reactivity, typical of a high-drive dog. Both owners then run place on the household's other dog's bed. The trainer teaches them the order of the collar (the marker first, then the button within about two seconds), to say place once because the command is a 'window' that only 'okay' closes, and to look for a settle rather than an anxious stare. Boog settles enough to fall asleep on the bed. He will not sit for one of his owners and does sit for the trainer, who reads it as Boog testing every handler; the owners decide that sit means sit. The trainer is open that Boog is not finished and that there will be 'a lot of reinforcing when he comes home'.
On film
So again, I have the e-collar on high.
So I'll see them do that jump. You saw he like started the jump and then like dropped back down. He was like, oh wait, I can't.
just not gonna stop so i'm not gonna lie to you that is just the boog thing yeah to be honest that is just a like when you have a dog that's like high drive like he would be classified as like kind of sporty right um that they they get what's called like barrier reactivity
actually you don't want to say place more than once because the way i think of it is like the command is like a window so when you say the command the window opens yeah and then like it won't the window doesn't close until you say okay which is like that closes that window
Aw, he's falling asleep.
yeah so with him like i'll be honest it's just it's gonna be a lot of reinforcing when he comes home
because obviously he's not done yet either so like i'm not obviously like showing him off as like a finished trained dog
The same lesson outside: the radius, let's go past a person, and the downTurning point
2026-09-21 evening, second file (title stamp 19:29), continuing the first
Outside after dark, each owner walks Boog. The trainer teaches them to choose a radius and hold it with the collar rather than with repeated leash pressure, because the collar works the same on and off leash, and a tuned-in radius makes the dog check in. When a person approaches, they say let's go and back it with the collar if Boog does not respond at once. Boog is interested but does not run up, which the trainer says he has already worked on 'a ton'. He calls Boog walkable now, where walking him used to be 'a miserable experience', and tells the family that a dog who walks well and behaves in the house matters more than how commands look. Heel is still to come. At the very end a voice, very probably the trainer's, says he can now get Boog to down, but that it is 'pretty physical', so he will not show it yet.
The down, forecast on 9 September as 'his big one' and still a standoff on 15 September, is now something he can get, in a closing line very probably spoken by the trainer.
On film
But I think it's just the best if you can just use the e-collar because the e-collar is an off leash and on leash thing.
when you tune in that radius, what happens is it naturally builds more engagement with you. so what you end up doing is not only is he like understanding that you want him closer but he's actually building up a thing where he's gonna like check in with you every like little bit on the walk
I've already done that work with him a ton to where he knows like he's not supposed to run up to people
walkable like he's not like he wasn't walkable before he was just it was just like a miserable experience
the commands are like the least important part if you can get the dog to just be walkable and be good in the house then it's a lot more doable than if the commands look really good when you get outside and they pull everywhere
also when I'm actually done training him he'll have a heel which is where the dog like locks in place next to you and follows
i can get him to down right now but it's like pretty physical yeah so i'm not gonna show that off yet
Go-home lesson: the heel, and the handover
2026-09-28 evening (watch, title stamp 18:40)
Connor hands Boog back to his family and teaches them the heel. He works in an area new to Boog so that they can watch the heel tighten, and explains it in one line: there is only one spot in the world with no pressure, next to the handler's leg. Boog starts loose and fixated. The owners' collar at first seems to do nothing. The trainer checks it: someone says a switch was off, and on retesting he finds the dial on 30. He then sets it to start at a fair level. On the first heel run Boog refuses. On the second he stops, the trainer puts him into a sit by hand, and Boog goes into a down instead, which the trainer lets stand. On the third run Boog stays with him. The trainer's reading is that a dog who tests has to find out that there is always a limit. Both owners then heel him: the man's first run is 'really good for a first run', and with the woman he is a little looser but still paying attention. The rest of the lesson is for life at home: say a command once, end a rep on obedience rather than on escape, keep the heel alive with a few seconds of practice on walks, no off-leash work in the first week home, let's go so that he notices other dogs and keeps moving, one place word for more than one spot, and daily upkeep while he is a young lab. His owners notice that he now lies down and settles. The trainer says his personality is still there and he knows how to dial it back, and that the down was the one command Boog fought 'even until the end' and is 'all looking good now'. This is the handover.
On film
i'm in a new area so that's actually good because it'll probably be a little loose when i first started and you can watch me tighten it up
because what i want him to learn is that with heel there's only one spot in the world that there's no pressure and it's next to my leg
it works there's a switch off of it that's why
sometimes you just have to like see how far they're willing to test you because there's always a limit
so you saw like when i first started with the heel he was like nah bump that i'm not gonna do that then the second time he did it for a little bit but then i stopped and he didn't and i put him in the sit i forced him into and he went to a down
and so then that third time he was like oh doesn't work here and then you could see he was with me
Actually, that looks really good for a first run.
he's a little loose like a little more loose with her but it's not like yeah he's still paying attention
he's not mine anymore
that's the goal is like his personality's still there he just knows how to like dial it back a little bit
Yeah, for the most part, that was the one command that he liked to fight me even until the end. but it's all looking good now.
Skills
Down
How it was taught
Forecast on 2026-09-09 as the hardest behaviour, to be got through more receptiveness to collar pressure plus drive. By 2026-09-14 it is reported that leash pressure and a high collar setting produce nothing. On 2026-09-15 the approach is a hold: keep him on place, repeat the cue and wait. By 2026-09-21 a closing line, very probably the trainer's, says he can get the down, and that it is 'pretty physical'. How it was finally got is not described beyond that.
On film
So as far as like more in the future, we just gotta like be more receptive to e-collar pressure and crank up his drive more so we can use that to get him to do a down because that's gonna be his big one.
and he won't bark and he won't down like you know
He said, I would rather not.
Don't worry. Maybe we'll tire you to the down yet.
i can get him to down right now but it's like pretty physical yeah so i'm not gonna show that off yet
Yeah, for the most part, that was the one command that he liked to fight me even until the end. but it's all looking good now.
Sit
How it was taught
Repeated cue, leash pressure released on compliance, some collar pressure, excited praise, and sternness for non-compliance (2026-09-07). For the owners (2026-09-21): say sit once; if he does not sit, the marker and then the collar button; if he slides into a down, lift him back up by the collar; he may not break the sit before the release.
On film
He knows it. He's just not a willing participant.
So he's gonna fight a little bit, but the main thing is like being really excited when he does good, and when he doesn't, listen, being very stern and being like, hey bro, we're not gonna play these games, right?
As you can see, he's, takes a little bit of e-collar pressure.
i'm fine if they start in the sit and then go into the down yeah but i don't like it if i say down and they go into a sit because that's not okay whereas like the down after they start sitting to me i'm like they're just being lazy but they did what i asked so it's up to you
so when he goes into the sit if he goes into the down you want to just pull him back up by the collar um and then if you say sit and he just like doesn't do it then you just do like the ant marker and then the button right
sit because the rule is that he just he can't like break that
sit good job dude he was fighting demons
Place
How it was taught
Four-paw criterion from the first run, then duration holds indoors with the release deciding when he gets off. For the owners: say place once; the command is a window that only 'okay' closes; if he does not go, the marker and then the collar; look for a settle, not an anxious stare.
On film
All four pots. All four pots. There we go.
Place.
Eh eh eh eh eh, I didn't say get off.
yeah that's what you want to look for is a saddle so like one thing that we look for when we're teaching place is i kind of want the dog to like do this like just kind of look at you look back right whatever if they're like this they're just like staring at you right um that's actually kind of it's actually an anxious behavior
Aw, he's falling asleep.
Yeah, so, I mean, he was predicting it, so the. Okay. So, is that, like, a good thing? not really to be honest
yeah i mean so you can use place on like multiple locations
Leash pressure, let's go and the radius
How it was taught
Leash pressure released on yielding (2026-09-07), then let's go on the walk, with the correction for ignoring let's go rather than for excitement. Freedom to sniff within the leash length. For the owners (2026-09-21): pick the radius, press the collar when he passes it, be consistent about where the line is, and use the collar rather than repeated leash pressure; at a person, let's go, then the collar if he does not respond at once. At the go-home: let's go the moment he starts to show interest in another dog.
On film
So he really doesn't give in to the leash at all, which is not great.
it's only if in my opinion like if you hit the end of the radius or i say let's go and you don't listen that's when it's a problem
so yeah mostly i mean his radius looks pretty good mostly i think we for boob we need to work on his work on his drive like channeling the drive for all the play stuff
walkable like he's not like he wasn't walkable before he was just it was just like a miserable experience
so what you would do here is i talked about how i use the let's go to condition the dogs so all you're gonna do is with this guy um just let's go and then if he and if boog doesn't listen like immediately because it is a person then you want to use that e-collar and you can use some leash pressure as well
the main thing is just like actively trying to be consistent so like if you hit him because he's here yeah and then you don't hit him because he's over there but then he goes over there again then you do hit it
you just want like notice the dog keep it moving right so with the let's go that's how you keep it maintained
Heel
How it was taught
Guide him into the zone by the leg with the leash and the collar, and take all pressure off the moment he is there. Heel is a command, so the marker comes before the collar, unlike the radius. Vary the speed, including very slow; head up, no sniffing; say heel once; always the same side; lock the leash only briefly; release at the end. Keep it alive with a few seconds of heel on ordinary walks.
On film
And I would guess the same for heel. But maybe he'll give in to heel. I don't know.
also when I'm actually done training him he'll have a heel which is where the dog like locks in place next to you and follows
the way that you maintain the heel is you let go of all the pressure once boog is in the the window of the heel right here
it's the same idea with the radius right yeah where once he gets out of that zone I do the econ only difference is because he was a command I'm gonna want to reinforce it so I use the marker whereas with radius you don't use the marker
if you noticed his head was always up there was i don't i didn't let him sniff while he was doing the heel
Actually, that looks really good for a first run.
He keeps looking up at him
i admit i was a little nervous about that i didn't know how well he was gonna do with you guys on the heel but that was really good
House rules: the counter, the table, the litter box and the trash can
How it was taught
Set up the temptation and mark the attempt with 'Nope', backed by the collar. At home, every time: 'nope', the button, and pull him away, delivered as 'this isn't allowed', never as a polite request. The trash can is the same idea.
On film
it's more the jumping on the counter part we're gonna see if we can fix.
So I'll see them do that jump. You saw he like started the jump and then like dropped back down. He was like, oh wait, I can't.
hit the e-collar and just pull him away and just not let him it's just got to be that it just has has to be like that it can't be like a could you please not and like a light pull it's just gotta be like this isn't allowed and you hit the button
gonna be jumping on the counters right but like as long as you're strict with it then the behavior should go away fast
so it's just like the counters i mean we pretty much got it to where we have to watch him every time he gets in just correct it
The owners' handling of the e-collar
How it was taught
No beep or vibration, because a vibration means nothing to Boog and marker-beep-button becomes 'a math formula'. Because Boog's level is high, only the stimulation button. Say the marker first, with some force but no anger, then press within about two seconds, never at the same moment. Keep a hand on the button while walking. Two fingers under the strap. If he shows no reaction, check the collar itself before reading it as the dog: at the go-home the trainer asks about the fit and the charge, a switch is mentioned, and he looks at the orientation and the dial.
On film
and especially with a dog like boog yeah he's very fine with feeling a vibrate and then acting yeah he's not gonna care
him it's always on high so we just use the black button
just stress like make sure that the marker comes first and then the e-collar
once you say it you want it to be within like two seconds after
so i think you kind of both of you kind of get like the concept of that it's just timing which takes more time to get the timing down like the muscle memory for it
if the collar wraps around you should be able to fit like two fingers under it
it works there's a switch off of it that's why
i feel like i'm gonna have to start out pretty high but we'll start at 50 just to be fair
i use the e-collar like 90 for the heel
Loading into a vehicle
How it was taught
'Load up' with encouragement, and a backup slip lead for safety.
On film
ladies and gentlemen he did not want to get in here earlier
Good load up.
Better than last time.
Recall
How it was taught
Not described.
On film
Come.
i think the most the most important commands are like the recall and the sit right and place is nice that way you don't have your dog jumping on everybody in the house
How the method adapted
The adaptations follow one diagnosis, made in his first week and repeated to his family at the end: the pressure the house usually starts with does not move him, and his drive is both the problem and the lever. Later the work turns to his family: house rules they can keep, commands that do not depend on the leash, and plain talk about what will and will not change.
Let's go chosen as his key command, so that over-excitement is interrupted through a cue he can fail rather than punished directly.
The speaker says correcting the let's go, not the excitement, conditions forward momentum. By 2026-09-21 the same cue is how the owners take him past a person, and at the go-home how they keep him from fixating on other dogs.
On film
with boog it's just like the let's go is I think gonna be like the the secret sauce
you just want like notice the dog keep it moving right so with the let's go that's how you keep it maintained
Play before training or walking, because a walk will not spend his drive.
He is 'at least walkable after play'.
On film
he needs a lot of mental stimulation he's gotta tap into the drive specifically it just he can't tap into that drive on a walk
Like, he's at least walkable after play.
Drive turned into a tool for obedience. The trainer plans to build ('crank up') his drive and use it to get the down.
Pressure alone was not producing a down.
On film
So as far as like more in the future, we just gotta like be more receptive to e-collar pressure and crank up his drive more so we can use that to get him to do a down because that's gonna be his big one.
The down switched from pressure to patience, and then to hands-on work. By 2026-09-15 he is held and waited out; by 2026-09-21 a closing line, very probably the trainer's, says he can get the down, physically, and will not 'show that off yet'.
The sequence is: forecast hard (09-09), reported immovable under high pressure (09-14), waited out (09-15), got 'pretty physical' (09-21), fought 'even until the end' (09-28). The link between these steps is inference.
On film
That's why he's got to stay there until he does.
I was like, I've already had a beautiful maneuver so now I'm just waiting him out.
i can get him to down right now but it's like pretty physical yeah so i'm not gonna show that off yet
His collar runs on high, and his owners use only the stimulation button.
By the trainer's account Boog is the only dog he has had who genuinely stays on high; another dog was on high only for a while. A vibration or a beep is no consequence to him.
On film
him it's always on high so we just use the black button
whereas like boob genuinely just sits on high
and especially with a dog like boog yeah he's very fine with feeling a vibrate and then acting yeah he's not gonna care
His tests are worked through to their end, not around.
He tests every handler, so the trainer lets a test run until Boog finds the limit, and tells the owners they need not worry about being tough with him because he does not feel a correction that is not firm.
On film
sometimes you just have to like see how far they're willing to test you because there's always a limit
and so then that third time he was like oh doesn't work here and then you could see he was with me
if it makes you feel better you don't have have to worry about being tough with him because like he doesn't really feel it if it's not tough
House manners first, and commands that do not depend on the leash.
He spends most of his life loose in the house, so a dog who only listens when he hits the end of the leash would be 'terrible in the house'. The same reasoning shapes the radius and the heel.
On film
what ends up happening is if you train your dog to have to feel like the leash pressure i think i talked about this before then like when he's off the leash just in the house
if your dogs are really dope on walks if they suck in the house that's not gonna be great because you spend most of the time with them in the house
if you do condition it with leash pressure like we talked about you'll have a great heel on leash and a terrible one off leash
Place moved onto the family's own furniture: the other dog's bed now, a cot later, and the crate at night.
The bed is smaller than what the trainer uses, so the all-four-paws rule is applied to what the house has; the owners want place in the living room and the crate for sleep, and one place word can serve both.
On film
so the rule that like we have is basically like and this is a little smaller than what we use so like all four pods have to be on
because i would want place to be him in the living room just hanging out with us and then as well as like all right it's time to go to sleep go to the crate
yeah i mean so you can use place on like multiple locations
Heel left to the end, and first shown somewhere new.
On 2026-09-21 heel is still to come; at the go-home the trainer chooses an unfamiliar area so the owners can watch the heel tighten rather than see a finished picture.
On film
also when I'm actually done training him he'll have a heel which is where the dog like locks in place next to you and follows
i'm in a new area so that's actually good because it'll probably be a little loose when i first started and you can watch me tighten it up
His family told plainly what will not change, and that he is not finished.
The trainer says the morning crate barking will not stop, that Boog is not being shown as a finished dog, that he will need a lot of reinforcing at home, and that a young lab's training has to be kept up every day.
On film
just not gonna stop so i'm not gonna lie to you that is just the boog thing yeah to be honest that is just a like when you have a dog that's like high drive like he would be classified as like kind of sporty right um that they they get what's called like barrier reactivity
because obviously he's not done yet either so like i'm not obviously like showing him off as like a finished trained dog
like labs in particular if you don't maintain the training like every day until they're about two it can like get lost really fast once they're two and it's set in it's actually really good
What the family was told
A prediction about home, said between staff
Like, I actually think when he goes home, his people will probably be like, wow, just because his energy will be at least tapped out a little bit.
The counter, the table, the litter box and the trash can: the same answer every time
with the table thing a lot of this too is like how you maintain it right so if you don't put the e-collar on high you know nope and then hit the button and like pull him off the table he's gonna start jumping on the table again because if you give him an inch he will take a while
hit the e-collar and just pull him away and just not let him it's just got to be that it just has has to be like that it can't be like a could you please not and like a light pull it's just gotta be like this isn't allowed and you hit the button
gonna be jumping on the counters right but like as long as you're strict with it then the behavior should go away fast
it's all kind of like the same idea just you just have to execute it right
The collar at home: on all day at first, the marker before the button
first week they come home you pretty much want to leave the e-collar on all day not when they're sleeping
because what can happen is they can become like collar aware where they realize they have to to listen when the collar's on and the collar comes off and they like act a fool again
just stress like make sure that the marker comes first and then the e-collar
once you say it you want it to be within like two seconds after
if the collar wraps around you should be able to fit like two fingers under it
Place: say it once, and look for a settle
actually you don't want to say place more than once because the way i think of it is like the command is like a window so when you say the command the window opens yeah and then like it won't the window doesn't close until you say okay which is like that closes that window
biggest thing is just making sure to save the marker before because if not you'll kind of get like you could get this thing where like maybe he gets in a pattern of like not listening to place you say place he doesn't listen and he hit the e-collar and then one day you're like boot place and he's like and he's like oh no he's pre-shot yeah it's like a bad word
yeah that's what you want to look for is a saddle so like one thing that we look for when we're teaching place is i kind of want the dog to like do this like just kind of look at you look back right whatever if they're like this they're just like staring at you right um that's actually kind of it's actually an anxious behavior
yeah i mean so you can use place on like multiple locations
Sit or down: the owners' choice
i'm fine if they start in the sit and then go into the down yeah but i don't like it if i say down and they go into a sit because that's not okay whereas like the down after they start sitting to me i'm like they're just being lazy but they did what i asked so it's up to you
so when he goes into the sit if he goes into the down you want to just pull him back up by the collar um and then if you say sit and he just like doesn't do it then you just do like the ant marker and then the button right
Walks: the radius, passing people, pulling
it's a personal preference thing i would say like there is too tight of a radius but as far as how far you want your radius that's up to you so like too tight would be like if you kept them like a couple inches away from you at all times that's just not fair to a dog right
the main thing is just like actively trying to be consistent so like if you hit him because he's here yeah and then you don't hit him because he's over there but then he goes over there again then you do hit it
so what you would do here is i talked about how i use the let's go to condition the dogs so all you're gonna do is with this guy um just let's go and then if he and if boog doesn't listen like immediately because it is a person then you want to use that e-collar and you can use some leash pressure as well
Yeah, and you may want to lock the leash a little bit in here just because with you, it's a little bit like the authority is less strong.
they learn like if every single time they hit the end of the leash they feel the e-collar they very much quickly learn like pulling is not cool
Heel: one spot with no pressure
because what i want him to learn is that with heel there's only one spot in the world that there's no pressure and it's next to my leg
you have to show him that there's a point where all the pressure goes away and all is good and as long as you're here we're cool
So, I mean, once you say heal, just don't say it again.
you don't want to end it on a note of like escape right yeah you want to end it on a note of i pulled you back we walked a couple more steps and then i said okay and released you and that way it ends on like a positive but also a obedient
you probably will go some time without using it but the important thing is that you still may be on a walk right just do like 10 15 seconds of it
Off leash: not yet, and why it is taught at all
as far as the off leash stuff goes if you can't walk a dog on leash you can't walk one off leash so one thing that i tell people is like that first week don't like even bother with the off leash
There's stages to getting the off-leash ready. And this is something both of you want to do because it's not the knowledge part. It's the building the trust in him that you know he's not going to run away.
places but the real reason we teach it is most people really don't need an off-leash dog unless unless you're doing like service work or something, right? We do it just cause extra layer, right? If a dog will listen off leash, then on leash it should look really good too.
it's not allowed to have a dog off leash but it's like an extra safety net
Other dogs: notice them and keep moving
the public neutrality that's the fancy term but it's uh making sure he's not like fixating on dogs
you just want like notice the dog keep it moving right so with the let's go that's how you keep it maintained
Out: drop what is in his mouth
it's just the command for them to drop whatever's in their mouth
Proofing a command with a ball
a really good way to actually that you can do it is that like i do this with labs all the time is you put them in a command and you throw the ball and you don't let them get up
What comes next: he will test you, and the training needs keeping up
yeah so with him like i'll be honest it's just it's gonna be a lot of reinforcing when he comes home
because obviously he's not done yet either so like i'm not obviously like showing him off as like a finished trained dog
like labs in particular if you don't maintain the training like every day until they're about two it can like get lost really fast once they're two and it's set in it's actually really good
that's the main thing is just if you give him even a little bit of leniency he'll he'll run with it
In the family's own words
it's just that the getting on the counters and then yeah actually getting him to a spot like place right to be able to sit there and if we need to move around or just if he's being way too chaotic put him in one spot
pretty much like how impulsive he is in the crate that's all that's like my only other concern
And Booth really, he's actually like, when I walk him at least, he usually always either beside me or just like a little bit ahead of me, but he's never like far.
because i would want place to be him in the living room just hanging out with us and then as well as like all right it's time to go to sleep go to the crate
i just think it's so funny like he'll just like lay down yeah so he didn't really do that before
Outcomes
What the trainers reported
Doing pretty good for his first few days.
Staff on the 2026-09-08 walk
On film
Actually, he's doing pretty good for the first few days.
Doing good (2026-09-09) and doing really good on place (2026-09-15).
Handlers at the end of those sessions
On film
He's doing good.
I'll just pause on Boo, because he's been doing really good anyway.
An aspiration, not a claim: one day he will go off leash in a store.
A speaker on the 2026-09-08 walk
On film
Now we met, there's gonna be a day where he goes off leasing the store.
Walkable now, where walking him used to be miserable; already taught not to run up to people.
The trainer, 2026-09-21
On film
walkable like he's not like he wasn't walkable before he was just it was just like a miserable experience
I've already done that work with him a ton to where he knows like he's not supposed to run up to people
The down can now be got, but physically, and it is not shown yet.
Very probably the trainer (the change of speaker is not marked), end of the 2026-09-21 lesson
On film
i can get him to down right now but it's like pretty physical yeah so i'm not gonna show that off yet
The owners' heels were good: 'really good for a first run' with the man, a little looser but attentive with the woman, 'really good' overall.
The trainer at the go-home, 2026-09-28
On film
Actually, that looks really good for a first run.
he's a little loose like a little more loose with her but it's not like yeah he's still paying attention
i admit i was a little nervous about that i didn't know how well he was gonna do with you guys on the heel but that was really good
He now lies down and settles at home, which he did not do before; his personality is still there, and he knows how to dial it back.
His owners, then the trainer, at the handover, 2026-09-28
On film
i just think it's so funny like he'll just like lay down yeah so he didn't really do that before
that's the goal is like his personality's still there he just knows how to like dial it back a little bit
The down, the command he fought until the end, is 'all looking good now'.
The trainer at the handover, 2026-09-28
On film
Yeah, for the most part, that was the one command that he liked to fight me even until the end. but it's all looking good now.
What the footage shows
Praised sits under leash and collar pressure on 2026-09-07.
Four paws on place on the first run; long place holds with one unreleased break corrected on 2026-09-15.
A good radius and let's go on a walk on 2026-09-08; loading into a vehicle improved within that outing.
No reaction when two staff came through the door on 2026-09-15.
The down asked for and not reported as given, through 2026-09-15.
At home on 2026-09-21: he starts a counter jump and drops back down; he holds place for both owners and falls asleep on the bed; he sits for the trainer but not for one of his owners, and then holds a praised sit.
On the night walk of 2026-09-21: both owners walk him on a radius, and passing a person he is interested but keeps going.
At the go-home on 2026-09-28: the heel tightens over the trainer's three runs in a new area, and both owners then heel him, the man closely and the woman a little looser.
A down on cue is never clearly heard; the one down heard on 2026-09-28 follows the trainer putting him into a sit.
Elsewhere from Angier K9
- Read Boog’s Angier K9 story ↗ · angierk9.com
The ideas Boog's case runs on
- 'Let's go' is not 'Come' - and the recall has an ending
- Assess before you ask
- Breed is a checklist, not a verdict
- Build the handler's timing while it is easy
- Close the other door: the escape hatch
- Collar awareness: the collar is a paperweight
- Command, marker, collar - in that order
- Don't heel grind
- Don't poison the command
- Fit before level: check the tool before you judge the dog
- Fixation is the failure mode
- Freedom is given in measured steps
- Generalisation is the whole job
- Give him time to answer
- Help it or press it - read which
- Hidden help
- Honest limits, and reliability is not permission
- Lifting a thousand pounds
- Maintenance is use, not practice
- Meaningful release
- Play becomes the reward - and play is a contest
- Pressure, release, reward
- Proof it against his own currency
- Reading the dog
- Swapped commands: keep sit and down distinct
- Switch him on, then ask for off
- The dog is a different dog for his owner - and authority transfers
- The dose of a session
- The gear list, and the reasons for each piece
- The leash is a prop
- The level is not a number
- The radius
- The settle criterion
- The standard is set by the job