Who Clark Kent is
As the trainers describe him
A Cane Corso puppy, growing so fast during the stay that he outgrew his collar the week he went home. Every store conversation is about his paws. The staff consistently guess him older than the intake makes him.
On film
Down. Nope. Down. Nope. Nope. All the way. Yes! Cain Corso, bro.
He's like seven months old. I think something like that
Yeah, and in fact, he's grown since I've had him. I'm only keeping him for a month. He's going home at the end of the week. And as of today, I could not fit his collar around his neck.
You don't even notice it working with him every day until you try to put something on him.
Extroverted and people-seeking to the point of being a training problem - which is framed as a good trait with a cost, not as a fault.
On film
he's a very very extroverted people-friendly dog which is great for dogs but you know not everybody likes dogs taking the initiative to come and see them
to the point where he's a little ADHD, hence the training.
But if I remember, I'll tell you when I drop off Clark Kent to you. But it was a pleasure working with Clark Kent. He's very enthusiastic.
A teething puppy who mouths as play - named as playful, never as aggression, by every handler. This is the thread that runs through his whole file.
On film
Yeah, and one thing that we're still working on is because he's still teething. So I just try to make sure he doesn't mouth too much.
because he's not biting in any aggressive way it's a very playful biting
Sensitive to the leash. The smallest correction on the ladder is usually enough, by the regular trainer's account.
On film
I didn't have to call his name, I didn't have to correct him, I didn't have to buzz him. Just have to get a little pop. Not a yank or a tug, just a pop. He responds very sensitively to correction on the leash.
Nothing on film describes him as reactive to a dog.
On film
or there's a bunch of dogs that he wants to play with uh it might be a little harder to get him out of those uh that tunnel vision but we're working on that
Hard to tire. The first time his regular trainer sees him flag is on an unfamiliar trail.
On film
I think it's the first time I've seen him getting tired out.
Yeah, even when I work with him for an hour. He's still like more more more
Called smart by the trainer who handles him in the store, including in the middle of a down that took five 'nope's.
On film
Down. Down. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Good boy. Smart dog.
The name is a Superman theme, and one trainer says he would have gone with the other one.
On film
i might have gone with kal-el but you know that's a little harder to remember for some people
The program, stage by stage
Intake, off camera
Form submitted 1/4/2026; preferred pickup 1/5/2026. Nothing filmed.
He knows sit in a quiet room and nothing else. The family's first priority is the biting - play-nipping at household members, never hard - then recall and off-leash walking. They also list separation distress, noise fear, house soiling, chewing, attention barking and digging, and they have already tried a choke collar and a prong collar, which kept breaking (source: intake). None of this is on camera: no evaluation, no arrival, no first day, and nobody on film refers to the form.
Day one, with other program dogs
The first day of the stay, as spoken. The date is not spoken; the intake's preferred pickup date, 1/5/2026 (source: intake), is a preference, not a confirmed arrival.
A group outing with other staff and dogs, Murphy and Lucia among them. Clark Kent is 'making friends'. A staff member relays Evan's day-one policy: no obedience pressure, just time with the dog before any training or pressure. The rest is joking about two puppy accidents.
On film
hey doggies so we got murphy and this is our new friend this is
day one first session with clark kent he's a kane corso he's a puppy that's lucia over there
because uh evan always ends up winning the dog over pretty quickly
is that I've so far been the only one working with Clark Kent,
One handler, a new trail, and the leash in someone else's hand
Uploaded 2026-01-23.
The earliest recording. Recall, sit and down on leash at a trail he has never visited, with a string of 'nope' markers before each success. His regular trainer states the two ideas that recur for the rest of the stay: the same skills are better at Jack Marley, a park he knows, so a new place is a deliberate step up in difficulty; and because only one person has worked him, he looks to that person and not to Kelton, who is holding the leash. He tires for the first time in his trainer's experience. The title says correction training; the only correction audible is the verbal marker.
On film
Yeah, I was going to say that his recall and sit and such are much better at Jack Marley because he's been there several times, so he's familiar, but he's never been here before.
so we've just upped the difficulty level for him.
Corky, sit. Nope Clark can't sit Nope, nope, nope
And he doesn't understand that whoever's on the other side of the leash is the one that he needs to be paying attention to
Home Depot: sit is not down, mouthing needs permission, and the program explained
The first narrated store session and the first to address the owner directly. Sit and down are being kept distinct: a sit that melts into a down later is fine, but the first position must be the one asked for. Mouthing is framed as normal puppy play that is made conditional rather than suppressed, and Connor is told to 'nope' it too. The trainer then gives the program's model in two steps - staff teach the dog, then teach the owners to keep it going - and argues against expecting a finished machine from a short stay. The session ends in his first filmed heel in public, judged 'pretty good' with sniffing and lagging corrected.
On film
when he goes into the position originally i want him to try and get the sit right because we do also teach it down and i don't want to confuse those two things
and if he uh so connor if he ever tries mouthing on you just playfully just give him a nope and discourage it we're only trying to let him do that if um yeah if we initiate it
Basically, we're trying to, you know, training dogs with us is a two-step process.
And so I corrected the sniffing, and he lagged behind a few times. One time he corrected himself. Another time I corrected him. But overall, that was pretty good.
StageTurning point
The densest stretch of repetitions in his file, handled at least partly by Kelton. The down is worked again and again with 'nope' and 'all the way' until he completes it, and is called 'a jump forward from yesterday'; in part 2 the down still takes up to five markers and a late run of recalls needs a long string of them, with no stated outcome. Strangers are invited to greet him specifically so that mouthing can be corrected in context, and it is - repeatedly, into the last minutes. The one explicit teaching point, to 'you guys', is marker timing: the marker or release comes before the reward, never with it. Evan is present on the part 1 trip and is called over to watch a down. The turning point is not a skill: it is that other staff are now handling him, which answers the problem named on the trail.
On film
So one thing that's gonna be really important when you are using like awards and training or when you're using the release command is it needs to come not simultaneously with, but you have to say it before before the reward gets delivered or before they get released. Not after.
Yeah, it gives me a chance to correct a few mouths.
Hey, Evan. Check this out.
Not bad. Very nice, yeah. Not bad at all. Let's go, Clark Kent, come on. It's definitely a jump forward from yesterday.
Down. Down. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Good boy. Smart dog.
yeah it's just it's very transparent i don't i don't try to record like a nice training video i don't care no but i know that that's for mom and dad
Bass Pro, the last week: the escalation ladder, the stay proofed against the handler, and the lecture on association
Uploaded 2026-02-04. watch then watch, one trip.
The most explanatory store session, addressed to the owners by name of role. He is sensitive enough to the leash that a pop does most of the work, and the trainer lays out the order of escalation before 'the collar'. Mouthing is still being stopped with strangers, and the owners' reason is given: young children. After a toilet trip the trainer delivers the case's central lecture - dogs learn obedience as a property of the place and even of the floor, so a dog trained in parks and stores may be obedient everywhere except the living room. In the second clip the sit-stay is proofed against his reading of the handler: the trainer pretends to shop so movement stops predicting the release, and an employee walks past without him getting up. The heel is 'excellent'.
On film
so if a little pop on the collar is not going to work I'm defaulting to let's go if that's not working I will say nope and a nice clear stern tone which he has learned and if he doesn't respond to that and another pop I go for the collar so there's progressions of escalation here.
about six months give or take no mouthing nope nobody nope he's still teething and he likes to playfully mouth but his owners don't want him doing that can scare kids
His paws don't remember those textures as being relevant to his training.
he chose not to get up when that employee walked past
excellent heel
The go-home lesson, recorded without himTurning point
Uploaded 2026-02-07. watch.
Thirty-one minutes to camera from the trainer who names himself Evan and says he is the primary trainer. He lists the eight words Clark Kent knows and what each means, then spends most of the time on how the family will fail and how not to: the wrong words, the wrong pitch, corrections without context, punishing a slow attempt. He shows a prong collar and gives the e-collar model and levels he used. He predicts Clark Kent will ignore them at first, asks for a week or two, tells them they are now handlers and that everyone in the house must hold the same rule on mouthing, and gives a graded proofing plan ending in a staked 50-foot line. It is the turning point because it is the handover, and because it is made without the dog or the family in the frame.
On film
He's learned several commands which include yes, nope, come, let's go, sit, down, heal, and okay.
there's a decent chance that when you get Clark Kent back home, he may be very disinclined to be obedient to you and may not pay any attention to the commands you say.
You have always been a dog owner up to this point, but now you're going to be a dog handler. And those are two very different responsibilities.
The drop-off, off camera
About 2026-02-07 or shortly after. Nothing filmed.
The in-person meeting was shortened. The trainer forgot one point on camera and said he would give it at the drop-off.
On film
finally uh there was one last thought what was it i forget what it is i was going to say next
Skills
Not mouthing people
How it was taught
Three layers. The public was used as the classroom: strangers invited to greet so each mouth could be corrected in context. 'Nope' as the cease-and-desist, with a prong pop or e-collar buzz behind it if needed, by the go-home account. And the drive given a permitted outlet rather than extinguished - first 'with permission' when a person starts the play, later a tug toy only, which can also be a reward for a recall.
On film
I'll just correct him if he mouths you that's all
Don't do that. No, no, no mouthing.
what do we do well we could try and suppress his instinct to play but that's like you know telling a child you know you can't have toys nope um it's not realistic to ask a kid not to be interested in toys
Hey, nope, no mouthing. He's still teething. And we're trying to teach him not to playfully mouth on people because I'm training him for his owners and they they don't like it when he just goes up and grabs people with their mouth especially when they have young kids it scares the kid
point now with us he'll you know if he starts mouthing because it's just like his second nature um he'll usually stop and think about be like oh wait i should it and he'll just knock it off or we say nope and that'll usually uh do it
be a reward that he could be using for a good obedience yeah if he does he come when you recall him then great you can reward him with a chew toy and let him mouth with that
Down
How it was taught
On film only the verbal layer is visible: cue, 'nope' for no response, 'all the way' for a partial, heavy praise on completion. How the position was first obtained is never shown or described.
On film
Down, down, down, down.
Down. Nope. Down. Nope. Nope. All the way.
Down. Down. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Good boy. Smart dog.
Clark Kent, down. Nope. Nope. Mm-mm. Nope. Nope. Let's go, bud.
Recall (come)
How it was taught
Name and 'come', 'nope' and re-cue on no response, 'all the way here' for a stop short, praise on arrival. Defined for the family as the command for a stationary handler, distinct from 'let's go'.
On film
At Lowe's with Clark Kent. Clark Kent, come. Nope. Come.
Park it, come, come, nope, come.
Clark Kent, come. Nope, come.
you have the confidence that 95% of the time he's going to recall
Sit, and the implied stay
How it was taught
No 'stay' word: the sit holds until 'okay'. The first position must be the one asked for, though drifting into a down later is accepted. The stay is proofed against the dog's reading of the handler - the trainer pretends to shop so that movement and distance stop predicting the release.
On film
Now, when I tell him to sit, if he sits for a while and he eventually goes into a down, that's fine by me.
me moving doesn't mean you can move now you can't probably see me but i am purposely ignoring clark kent i'm pretending to shop and just look around so that way he doesn't expect me to just stand at a distance looking at him and then say okay
We did not teach Clark Kent the word stay, and that's because we taught him in implied stay.
right now, he can stay in those positions for minutes on end
Heel
How it was taught
Cue, 'nope' on errors, sniffing and lagging corrected, 'okay' to release into a loose-leash walk. The regular trainer holds the leash two-handed for easier corrections, by preference.
On film
He was distracted a few times. When a dog is in a heel, we tried to discourage it from sniffing
Okay Clark Kent, heal. Nope. Heal. Here we go. Clark Kent, heal.
his heel had a little rough spots, but they're relatively minor and definitely are workable.
holding the leash I've got the handle in my right hand I got the leash stretched across my two hands so I can hold the one close to him with my left and give me just more more control it's not required it's just a personal preference
usually you know within like a you know six inch radius of being in front away from you
Let's go and the loose leash
How it was taught
'Let's go' as the moving-handler command with freedom to range; a small leash pop first when he heads the wrong way.
On film
I'm just reinforcing the let's go command there.
I noticed right there he was going in a direction I didn't want to go, so I just gave him a little pop on the leash.
Let's go is similar to come but you are actively in motion and you're not wanting the dog to come to you for any particular reason. You just want him to keep up with you.
Following whoever holds the leash
How it was taught
Other staff take the leash. Nothing else is described.
On film
And he doesn't understand that whoever's on the other side of the leash is the one that he needs to be paying attention to
Okay, I'm Kelton. I run a dog training company
he might he might not because i feel comfortable having him walk around around in our facility or the park where we were training him at or at our Home Depot because he got used to that.
Markers and the release (yes, nope, okay)
How it was taught
Not shown. The one rule stated is timing: the marker or release is said before the reward or release, not with it.
On film
Nope is our, you know, punishment correction command. Basically it's a cease and desist command. So when we tell the dog nope, not no, but nope, that's basically a stop doing what you're doing.
you can just say okay and that basically tells the dog feel free to run off and just be a dog.
that heel that's going to be the trigger word to that he can you know cease and desist from engaging in that command and just go around and be a dog and explore as he wants to
Not mouthing people
On film
make it context dependent so there's four windows i've talked about those a lot find my videos on
we use for that is ready you ready you ready right which he doesn't know yet but he will
You pop him, you tell him no, enough, right? You just tell him enough, and then you make him stop
PROPOSED (not an arc skill): jumping up
On film
So Clark Kent loves to jump up and I personally don't mind if a dog jumps up on me
child or an older person. So in that case we will teach him to respond to the command nope
Markers and the release (yes, nope, okay)
On film
which is basically cease and desist but we're also teaching him a nice little command, an implied
right so you say okay okay go go right and now he's cool to go do whatever he's gonna do it
Recall (come)
On film
where i am he's sniffing around here clark kent here
Doing some recalls with Clark to see how he's doing with it.
But I don't want to do a recall, right?
If I recall him and tell him, let's go, he'll usually come back.
Heel
On film
So, just to proof some of the heel work, I'm going to do a bit of a turn.
We want to make sure he stays on one side as much as possible.
Nope, you're trying to run away from the pressure now.
Yeah, he's doing really good.
Sit, and the implied stay
On film
see there he goes down so nope let's try it sit here we go there we go
You just have to be patient with him because sometimes it'll take him like 15 seconds and then he'll slowly sit himself down
We're going to go a bit more at a distance and see how he does.
Let's go and the loose leash
On film
I didn't say anything. I just gave him a little pop on the collar.
i'd say that i rarely had to use it usually like he's been doing a little pop on the uh prong collar
Markers and the release (yes, nope, okay)
On film
again say nope in a regular monotone voice i said it in a clear distinct high pitched tone
and he immediately responded to that
Here, Clark. Here, Clark. Yes! Yes!
From the Shorts
Short clips posted from Clark Kent's training. They are undated, so they sit beside the program rather than inside it.
Mouthing: allowed in play, not when he should be calm
A trainer explains the approach used for mouthing: rather than punishing it hard, give it a cue and a context. When the dog is supposed to be calm (for example, the family relaxing on the couch), mouthing is not allowed: 'You pop him, you tell him no, enough', and he has to settle, after which 'everything's okay'. In play opened with the cue 'ready', mouthing during tug is fine. Clark Kent does not know 'ready' yet; the trainer starts teaching it on camera. In his words, 'you're not stamping out the behavior, instead you're giving it a proper context.'
On film
But my favorite way to deal with mouthing is not to get them to, like, not to punish it really hard
Instead, you put it on cue.
we use for that is ready you ready you ready right which he doesn't know yet but he will
You pop him, you tell him no, enough, right? You just tell him enough, and then you make him stop
and chill out. And as soon as he's chilled out, everything's okay, but he needs to be chilled,
window you can say ready you ready and then you can play with the dog a bunch
with a tug toy or whatever else you want and then if he mouths you while you guys
So that way you're not stamping out the behavior,
instead you're giving it a proper context.
Jumping up: 'nope', and a jump only when invited
At the park used as the dogs' home base, the trainer says Clark Kent 'loves to jump up'. He doesn't mind it himself, but it isn't always wanted: dirty paws, a child, an older person. So Clark Kent is taught 'nope' to stop, and also a jump on invitation (a tap on the chest). The idea is that uninvited jumping can then be corrected without taking away something he enjoys, because 'he can still do it on occasion but only under certain circumstances'.
On film
So Clark Kent loves to jump up and I personally don't mind if a dog jumps up on me
but we don't always want him jumping up. Maybe his paws are dirty or maybe he wants to jump up on a
child or an older person. So in that case we will teach him to respond to the command nope
which is basically cease and desist but we're also teaching him a nice little command, an implied
tapping on the chest encouraging him to jump up
always doing because he can still do it on occasion but only under certain circumstances
One park as home base
The trainer explains why one park is used again and again: it is exciting and distracting now because it is new, but 'over the next few weeks it'll become old hat', which gives a baseline to work from. This places the clip early in Clark Kent's stay.
On film
This is the park that we try to make the home base of operations, so to speak.
It's going to be really exciting and distracting at the moment because it's new,
but over the next few weeks it'll become old hat, and that's the idea.
We want to have a baseline that we can work with with the dogs.
Day one: no obedience yet, just getting to know him
A staff member introduces Clark Kent on his first day as a Cane Corso puppy and passes on what his trainer, Evan, had just told them: on a first session they do not press obedience, they spend time with the dog and get to know him, because heavy training or pressure before there is a relationship is the wrong order.
On film
day one first session with clark kent he's a kane corso he's a puppy
clark kent's out here making friends so evan was just telling us that we don't on the first session
we're not pressing obedience here obviously we're just uh existing with the dog we're getting to
know them because trying to put a bunch of aversive pressure or do too much training with
a dog before you have any existing relationship
Off-leash practice on a 50-foot line
In a park, the trainer shows Clark Kent on a 50-foot leash and explains that it stands in for off-leash work, since he says the dog cannot legally be off leash there, while leaving enough line to catch him before the parking lot. He wears an e-collar, which the trainer says he will use only if Clark Kent does not answer a spoken correction. In a later clip in a baseball field fenced on three sides, the trainer explains the choice: if Clark Kent ran, he would be far from danger, which gives many chances to call him back.
On film
This is a 50-foot leash, and it is to simulate off-leash behavior.
because as we've mentioned many times, legally we cannot have the dog not off of a leash.
But this basically is off-leash for all intents and purposes.
he's also got an e-collar on so if he doesn't respond to verbal correction, then I will use the e-collar as necessary.
But, you know, it's fenced three quarters of the way.
so if he decided to run off he'd have to run a little while before he's any in any personal danger which gives me a lot of opportunity to recall him
A 'nope' he can hear clearly
In the baseball field Clark Kent goes to eat goose droppings. The trainer says 'nope', then points out that he did not say it in his ordinary flat voice but in a clear, distinct, high-pitched tone, and says Clark Kent responded straight away. The go-home lesson makes the same point in words: the dog has to be able to pick the command out from everyday talk.
On film
nope he's trying to eat some goose poop so you notice that when i said nope i didn't just again say nope in a regular monotone voice i said it in a clear distinct high pitched tone and he immediately responded to that
'Come here, bud' is not a recall
Two staff talk it through while working him. When the handler only wants Clark Kent nearby so he can ask for something the dog does not know well yet, he coaxes him over with 'come here, bud' rather than the formal recall. A formal recall has to be followed through; if every recall led straight to pressure on a half-learned sit or down, the bad feeling would attach to coming when called, and he would start avoiding it.
On film
Come here, bud and come here bud is not a formal recall
Then I have to follow through with reinforcement or punishment on the command.
then if he has a temporary bad feeling about sitting or downing or whatever else it is that we're teaching him, that will connect to the recall.
Yeah, he'll avoid the recall.
Checking in on the handler
On the long line the trainer slows down and Clark Kent slows with him; when the trainer takes one step back, the dog turns around. The trainer calls that a very good sign, because dogs should keep track of where their person is, and then sends him off to explore. In a store clip another handler describes the same thing: when he stops, Clark Kent stops and checks in, even from several feet ahead.
On film
That was very good of him paying attention to me. So as I was slowing down he starts slowing down
As soon as I took one step back he turned around to be like wait a minute. Are you going in the wrong direction?
That's a very good sign. We want our dogs to regularly check in on us
if I stop even if he's you know several feet ahead of me he'll stop and check in on me which is really good
A light touch on the leash
In a store, the handler says Clark Kent walks well on a loose leash and comes back when called. The hard part is that he is very friendly and wants to greet and sniff people. Several times the handler said nothing and gave only a small pop on the collar, with no tugging or dragging. In a Home Depot clip a staff member tells a shopper that the e-collar was rarely needed: a little pop on the prong collar was usually all it took, and he was impressed with the loose-leash walking.
On film
so you can see that Clark Kent overall is doing pretty good with
of course he's super people-friendly right and it's can be hard when he wants to go and say hello to somebody or to sniff them
I didn't say anything. I just gave him a little pop on the collar. And it was honestly relatively little because I didn't have to tug him. I didn't have to yank him or drag him across the floor.
currently it's not charged enough to shock uh and even when it was i'd say that i rarely had to use it usually like he's been doing a little pop on the uh prong collar has been all that's been required
i've actually been impressed with how well he's been doing with it like a loose leash walking around here
Sit is not down
At the park the trainer works on a mix-up: asked to sit, Clark Kent sometimes lies down. The trainer treats it as confusion, not disobedience, marks the down with 'nope', asks again, and rewards a correct sit with play, which he says is what Clark Kent works for. In a separate clip a trainer jokingly calls a proper sit on his own 'a historic moment' after a few tries.
On film
sit and down confusion that sometimes he can have where when asked to sit heel down
it's good that he's listening but he's just getting confused with the command
his window of reward is playtime
so we just got to keep doing that and make the clear distinction between downs and sits
All right, this is a historic moment we got Clark Kent to do a proper sit on his own
It took a few tries, but he finally Got it this time
Waiting out a slow sit
In a store, one staff member tells another that Clark Kent sits nicely once he does it, but you have to be patient: sometimes it takes him about 15 seconds before he slowly sits himself down.
On film
And he sits really nicely once he does it
You just have to be patient with him because sometimes it'll take him like 15 seconds and then he'll slowly sit himself down
Heel through turns, and off leash
The trainers state what heel means for him: keep pace, don't get too far ahead or behind, stay at the handler's side and stop when the handler stops. On a turn, the trainer says Clark Kent feels a little pressure when he gets ahead and adjusts, and afterwards he is let off to explore and play. In another clip the trainer says Clark Kent has been doing off-leash work that day and doing pretty well, then asks for off-leash heels.
On film
just trying to adjust and make sure he doesn't get too ahead, too far behind. Just stays right at our side and stops when we stop.
Make sure that they keep up to pace with me, but don't go too ahead. He starts feeling a little bit of the pressure. He knows, oh, okay, I'm going a little too ahead.
Okay, now he could just go off and explore. Come on, let's play.
Alright, we're gonna try and do some off-leash heels with the one and only Clark Kent.
He's been doing some off-leash work today, been doing pretty well.
especially the heels I was impressed with
Holding a position while the handler moves
Before a recall, the trainer tests whether Clark Kent holds his position without being told 'stay', moving farther away and moving around, and explains that distance makes him keener to get back to the handler's side. In another clip the trainer marches and kicks his feet while Clark Kent holds, and admits on camera that saying 'stay' was his own mistake, because they use implied stays: the position holds until he is released.
On film
Doing some recall work with Clark Kent and seeing how well he does his implied stay.
Of course, farther away, he can get more anxious to want to be at my side. And me kind of moving around can also cause more of a distraction.
I'm gonna do a little distraction again really don't do the stays we do implied stays so that was a bit of a fault on mine on my part but he's staying and I'm just kind of marching kicking my feet he's doing good
Recalls when he isn't watching
Short recall checks on the word 'here'. In one, the narrator notes Clark Kent is sniffing and does not know where the handler is when he is called; the call is followed by 'yes, good job' and heavy praise. In the other, each 'Here, Clark' is marked 'Yes!' and the handler asks him to keep following as he moves.
On film
he's doing some recall work with clark kent here yeah there you go good job then he doesn't know where i am he's sniffing around here clark kent here
yes good job oh you're doing so good
Here, Clark. Here, Clark. Yes! Yes!
That's right. Keep following me. Keep following me.
How the method adapted
Most of the adaptations are about that problem, and about the fact that the family would not be at the handover.
Mouthing was given an outlet rather than a ban - and the outlet narrowed during the stay.
Because he is a teething puppy of a breed that plays by mouthing, and extinguishing it was called unrealistic. The first version allowed mouth-play a person started; the family were given a toy-only version and 'no mouthing, period' for people.
On film
so what we do is just make it conditional you know he's allowed to mouth when
mouth and two his mouthing as he does is a very popular form of play especially for his breed
that we are going to um instead of trying to have an unrealistic expectation of you know extinguishing a behavior like mouthing we make it context dependent
Strangers were recruited as the mouthing classroom.
A dog who mouths greeters has to be corrected while greeting. The handlers say yes to every stranger who asks and tell each one the condition.
On film
Yeah, it gives me a chance to correct a few mouths.
I'll only correct him if he mouths you.
Yeah, I'm trying to discourage him from mouthing on people without permission.
The smallest correction first, because he is leash-sensitive, with an explicit order before 'the collar'.
A pop is usually enough; the trainer says he does not go straight to the collar or to yelling.
On film
I didn't have to call his name, I didn't have to correct him, I didn't have to buzz him. Just have to get a little pop. Not a yank or a tug, just a pop.
so if a little pop on the collar is not going to work I'm defaulting to let's go if that's not working I will say nope and a nice clear stern tone which he has learned
Difficulty raised by venue rather than by criteria.
His skills were better where he had been before, so the program moved him - trail, Home Depot, Lowe's, Bass Pro - rather than asking for more in a known place.
On film
so we've just upped the difficulty level for him.
that's why we try and train the dog under every um every kind of circumstance stance you know whether it's a bass pro shop or home depot or a pet smart or a park or our own property
The stay was proofed against his anticipation, not only against distraction.
He was reading the handler's stillness and gaze as the prelude to 'okay'. Ordinary shopping movements broke that link.
On film
You can see he's very eager, though, to get up. He's anticipating me calling him.
by performing movements like picking things up looking at them you know bending down he sees that not all these movements are conducive to me wanting him to come
A second handler was introduced deliberately, and named as part of the training.
One person had worked him, so his attention was attached to that person rather than to the leash.
On film
I'm not the one holding the leash. Look at him.
The handover itself was adapted: recorded as a video lesson because the meeting had to be short.
Stated in the first sentence. The consequence - no filmed practice with the family and the dog together - is not discussed.
On film
But I wanted to make sure you got a full detailed go-home lesson. So I'm recording this here for you so it's up on YouTube and you can watch it whenever you need to as often as you need to
What the family was told
The words he knows, and using exactly those
He's learned several commands which include yes, nope, come, let's go, sit, down, heal, and okay.
we find that a good chunk of the problem is people are using the wrong word like maybe instead of saying come they say the word here
maybe you don't have a treat on hand you can always just tell him yes good boy
Pitch: commands must stand out from conversation
and this might come as a shock, doesn't know English or any language at all.
because even though i'm saying the word come i'm using it in the same monotone voice as all the the other words before and after it, so it doesn't stand out.
Marker and release timing
one thing that I want you guys to notice is when you're conditioning any kind of command, right, when you're teaching a dog a behavior, They're going to pay attention to where the reward comes from what you say
So one thing that's gonna be really important when you are using like awards and training or when you're using the release command is it needs to come not simultaneously with, but you have to say it before before the reward gets delivered or before they get released. Not after.
No 'stay'
We did not teach Clark Kent the word stay, and that's because we taught him in implied stay.
Corrections: in the moment or not at all
correcting the dog you basically are gonna have three options which is verbal correction in this case nope you have the the leash slash collar prong collar correction and the e-collar correction.
So if you're giving out punishment, that's perfectly fine. Even stern, strong punishment is fine. But punishment without context borders on abuse.
So unless you can correct the behavior in that moment, just let it go and try and catch it the next time. Because otherwise you might accidentally poison a command
The prong collar
So this is a prong collar. If you don't have one of these, i highly strongly urge you to buy one for clark kent it will make your life so much easier
but the prong collar is really just to startle the dog to just give it an attention being like
don't try and drag the dog across the uh the yard with it or anything like that uh just a nice little pop is all you need uh 95 of the time this is so effective
the flat collar you have to put more effort into pulling you got to pull harder to get the same effect but that effect is mostly going to be concentrated in the front of the throat around the trachea and that will literally choke the dog
The e-collar, and finding the family's own level
What I recommend with the e-collar is that you use it sparingly
So I was using this brand, Mini Educator, the ET300, and this has a 1 out of 100 setting. And with Clark Kent, I was usually around 36 to 37, worked decently well with them, but between 35 and 40 is what I was usually landing on for Clark Kent.
brand with different settings will have different strengths and values. So start at a low number and gradually crank it up until you see the dog physically responding to it
kind of startled like with someone walks up to you in a room and goes boo behind you and you go huh you know that's the reaction you want it the same boo doesn't hurt you it startles you but it doesn't hurt you
makes a small yelp yelp uh that might be a little too strong so try bringing it down a couple of
Mouthing: one rule for everyone, and a toy
on the whole household so anytime family members or friends or neighbors are over at the house make sure that they are consistently treating the dog the way you are supposed to treat it
Oh, I can't mouth this person, but I can mouth that person. It's like, no, no mouthing, period.
he learned to stop it with us but what about with you
Obedience is tied to place - proof it in yours
stress for the owners so if you're watching this this is for you is that Clark Kent is being taught to be obedient in as many different situations as possible
you'll get a dog that will be perfectly well trained for uh the park or your backyard or anytime its feet literally touch grass
um but then be completely disobedient when they return home and are in the living room because they never learned obedience in a living room because we've been training them in public spaces
the dog to sit and stay at grandma's house we did that a hundred times at the park yes but grandma doesn't live at the park and the park doesn't have carpeting
through her trash he might why because it for dogs obedience is all context context dependent
the dog for a walk and it does fantastic but as soon as it comes back in the house it's like it forgets everything it learned
Expect a bad first fortnight
the worst time for us to teach you how to handle your dog is when the dog is going home after a month of being away
you know give clark kent like a week or two to acclimate to being back home
The proofing ladder and the road to off leash
So if you are wanting to work on these obedience training, do so at a place that is going to be very familiar.
him somewhere else. You know, maybe if it's at the house, have somebody over that's not normally there like a neighbor
You know, have him be on a very long leash, like a 50-foot rope or something like that, and put it into a stake on the ground, and let him have all that room, and then keep giving him more and more freedom, and keep recalling him, and the more consistent he is with the recall, the more freedom he can give,
The program is two steps, and the second is theirs
Step two, we hand it back to its owners, and we teach the owners how to continue reinforcing the things that the dog has already learned so they become habitual.
he understands the word and making sure that he does it every single time you ask basically right as you ask it is we're going to require proofing and proofing is going to require time and time is something that he's going to get with you you the owner as he grows older
because we taught Clark Kent all the things that he knows, and he does know them. We have video evidence. You've seen them online, right?
It's just a matter of you becoming the dog trainer now. You were in charge and proofing that over the rest of Clark Kent's life.
Patience, and don't punish an attempt
If you tell him a command and he doesn't do it right away, give him a few seconds.
You don't want to punish him too soon when he's in the middle of attempting to fulfill your commands. Even if he fulfills it incorrectly, he attempted to fulfill it. And we don't want to be too quick to punish.
please reach out to us you can text us even take a video of you trying to work with clark kent if there's an issue so we can hear and see the issue
In the family's own words
None on film. The family never speak in any recording. The one thing the film reports on their behalf - that they do not want him mouthing people, especially young children - comes from the trainer (watch 06:06, 09:33) and matches the form.
Outcomes
What the trainers reported
He knows eight words: yes, nope, come, let's go, sit, down, heel, okay - and 'he does know them', with the videos as evidence.
Evan, go-home lesson
On film
He's learned several commands which include yes, nope, come, let's go, sit, down, heal, and okay.
because we taught Clark Kent all the things that he knows, and he does know them. We have video evidence. You've seen them online, right?
He holds a sit or down for minutes on end.
Evan, go-home lesson
On film
right now, he can stay in those positions for minutes on end
With staff he usually stops mouthing on his own or on one 'nope'.
Evan, go-home lesson
On film
point now with us he'll you know if he starts mouthing because it's just like his second nature um he'll usually stop and think about be like oh wait i should it and he'll just knock it off
He can be trusted walking around at the facility, the training park and Home Depot - by implication off leash.
Evan, go-home lesson
On film
he might he might not because i feel comfortable having him walk around around in our facility or the park where we were training him at or at our Home Depot because he got used to that.
The down made a day-over-day jump.
The Lowe's handler, probably Kelton, 2026-02-02 or shortly before
On film
Not bad. Very nice, yeah. Not bad at all. Let's go, Clark Kent, come on. It's definitely a jump forward from yesterday.
Calm with strangers - offered as news for the owners.
The Lowe's handler
On film
he's still teething so he's pretty he's pretty calm yeah he's a good boy he's very calm good boy well his owners will like to hear that
A prediction, not a result: at first he will likely ignore the family, and a week or two should see him settle.
Evan, go-home lesson
On film
there's a decent chance that when you get Clark Kent back home, he may be very disinclined to be obedient to you and may not pay any attention to the commands you say.
What the footage shows
Down on cue in a busy store, but not first time: every filmed down comes after repeated cues and 'nope' markers, and the last filmed run has no stated success.
On film
Down. Down. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Good boy. Smart dog.
Clark Kent, down. Nope. Nope. Mm-mm. Nope. Nope. Let's go, bud.
Mouthing still present in the last filmed week, stopped each time with 'nope'. The go-home claim that he usually stops himself is not contradicted, but it is not shown.
On film
no mouthing nope nobody nope he's still teething and he likes to playfully mouth but his owners don't want him doing that can scare kids
Recall on leash, usually after at least one 'nope'; a late run in Lowe's part 2 without a stated outcome.
On film
Clark Kent, come. Nope, come.
Leash sensitivity: a pop redirects him without his name, a marker or a buzz, by the trainer's narration.
On film
I noticed right there he was going in a direction I didn't want to go, so I just gave him a little pop on the leash.
The ideas Clark Kent's case runs on
- Command, marker, collar - in that order
- Contingent, avoidable, and the right size
- False reps: the dog reads the chain, not the word
- Freedom is given in measured steps
- Generalisation is the whole job
- Greetings are the handler's call
- He has to be allowed to get it wrong
- Name, then cue, in a voice that stands out
- Put the unwanted behaviour on cue
- Start before the habit is rehearsed
- The camera is part of the method
- The dog is a different dog for his owner - and authority transfers
- The handler wears the collar
- The program is reinforcement, not teaching
- The settling week
- There is no stay, only the release