Who Egg is
As the trainers describe him
Shy by temperament, uneasy about things, and unable to learn when the world is unpredictable. This is the trainer's central reading of him and the reason the long walk is run the way it is.
On film
But there's lots of dogs like Egg. And he has a little bit of a shyer temperament. he feels a little bit uneasy about things
doing that you can teach dogs very quickly because for a dog like egg when when things are very unpredictable, he shuts down or he reacts.
A flinch and a startle that the trainer has seen since he first met him, attributed - tentatively - to background and temperament together, and described as improving.
On film
So you see he has a little bit of a startle thing.
egg has a serious flinch response for some reason um probably has something to do with his background uh and potentially just his like general temperament
He refuses by growling, and has bitten. This is the trainer's account, given to camera in watch; the bite itself is not on film. The trainer frames the growl as a strategy that has worked for Egg for years.
On film
If he doesn't want to do what you asked him to do, he growls. Right. And he's like, no, I'm going to make you do it. I'm going to make you leave me alone.
And he's bitten me pretty hard in the hand before doing that.
But it's worked for him for a long time. He's not a puppy. It's worked for him for a couple of years at least, right?
Friendly underneath the display. At the evaluation his hackles stay up even while he is being petted, and the trainer's first read is that he is friendly.
On film
he just picks his hair up the whole time yeah i see a pet on him and he still just does that
Oh he's friendly. His hair was a little up. He's a good little boy.
Very sensitive to the e-collar; it is run at a 'super low level' for him. No number is given.
On film
that one good boy and he's very sensitive to e-collar so it's on a super low level for him
A dog who stays close rather than ranging - which the trainer treats as a recall problem, not as bonding - but who, on the long walk, does begin to range out.
On film
go see everything but egg and Rufus they have a little bit more of a tendency to stay close to me
It's tempting to use this as an opportunity to proof the recall.
He wants attention and asks for it physically; he marks constantly; he will not go in water.
On film
attention egg see he wants he wants attention from me if I don't give him attention he's like hey pay attention to me and he'll jump up and try to lick my face
He just likes to mark a lot of things.
I haven't been able to get him to get in the water yet.
He opened up. Every handler who speaks about change says the same thing, in different words.
On film
but he seems to be getting better with all of it so good boy he's definitely opened up a ton
As his carers describe him
Found beside the road in a kennel, and newly taken in at the evaluation. The trainer later repeats the story with a hedge ('if I remember correctly') and a crate instead of a kennel.
On film
Where'd he come from? Side of the road in a kennel.
i got him him out a little bit ago.
In case you guys didn't know, Egg, if I remember correctly, was like found on the side of the road in a crate.
Handling broke down during his first bath: fine until halfway, then he snapped at the person cleaning him. Growling on the first day.
On film
So I gave him, right when I got him, I took him to the bath, washed him down, and he was good until like halfway through.
The first day, the growling.
so he snapped at you and you were cleaning them
Has never played. Walks every day. Does not like treats - though the same carers use a treat at his kennel door.
On film
Has he ever played? He has not played. He goes on a walk every day.
does he like like treats? He doesn't like treats.
door hand him a treat if he's not doesn't react yeah he gets a treat just for me opening and closing the door sometimes yeah just like the positive counter conditioning a little bit
The program, stage by stage
Found and taken in, off camera
Before the evaluation. Nothing filmed.
His first bath went well until halfway and then he snapped; he growled on his first day; he had never played; he walked daily; he did not like treats. The carers began opening his kennel door and giving him a treat when he did not react, which they call counter-conditioning and say is working. All of this is reported, not shown.
On film
Where'd he come from? Side of the road in a kennel.
So I gave him, right when I got him, I took him to the bath, washed him down, and he was good until like halfway through.
door hand him a treat if he's not doesn't react yeah he gets a treat just for me opening and closing the door sometimes yeah just like the positive counter conditioning a little bit
The evaluation at the carers' property - growling to licking in seventeen minutesTurning point
watch, 51:12-68:07. Queued 2026-03-19.
The trainer finishes Roman's evaluation and meets Egg: hackles up, marking everything, jumpy, grabbing at him, growling. He reads the growl as a response to leash pressure rather than as aggression, and the reaction to pressure as the mark of an untrained dog. He tries sit (refused), learns that Egg does not take treats, and switches to what he says Egg does want - to sniff and see the environment - using light leash pressure toward himself and a release. Egg comes, is released, and shakes off; the trainer explains that dogs cope well with pressure if they are given a way to resolve it. He ends sitting with Egg until Egg is licking him.
On film
Hey, buddy. Hi, so there's the reason he probably growled is there's a little pressure back on the leash for you to come for him
Oh, you're gonna grab at me
what I would probably do with him like very like like immediately is I would just take him on a walk out on the flexi and teach him that way that's the quickest way for him to learn because he wants to sniff and see the environment
So he felt a little pressure and was like, oh we resolved the pressure when he came to me
That's why he shook like they shook the stress off
I think we're friends.
Christian, I made a friend, he's the eggster
The unfilmed early sessions: the first meeting, the one down, the bite
Between the evaluation and the woodland walk. At least four or five sessions. Nothing filmed or published.
What happened here is known only from later references. The narrating trainer met Egg and was peed on; worked sit every session until it was known; tried the down once and Egg 'did not enjoy that at all'; and at some point was bitten 'pretty hard in the hand' during a growl-refusal. Whether the bite happened during that one down attempt is not said. The walk's remark that the down is being put aside in favour of 'things that won't give me bit' is consistent with that reading but does not establish it (inference).
On film
the egg lad is really glad at least he doesn't try to pee on me anymore first time i met him he peed on me
I've tried once to work on his down and he did not, he did not enjoy that at all.
And he's bitten me pretty hard in the hand before doing that.
StageTurning point
watch, queued 2026-04-11. The Rufus walk that mentions him is queued 2026-04-09.
The near-hour woodland walk is the richest session in his file. It is run to a stated priority: that he opens up and has a good time, because a happy dog is easier to train. The down is shelved. Sit is enforced with light e-collar pressure only after the trainer has satisfied himself that Egg knows it and is refusing; recall is the one thing the trainer says he will fight for, and he plans an 'avoidance level' for blow-offs; heel is shaped on the flat collar with real releases between reps. Egg startles at a noise, dislikes falling pine cones, is reassured near water, blows one recall when another dog appears, and by the end is rolling and kicking in the grass. The trainer predicts off-leash in six or seven sessions, and chooses not to recall him when he starts ranging out, so as not to teach him to stop exploring.
On film
for egg i care more about him opening up and wanting to like be out here with me and having a good time because then i can more easily train him
teddy was five days egg's probably going to end up being more like six or seven sessions before he's off leash
So he did blow up my recall that time.
look do they look they look happy dude like they look like they're having a pretty good time and they probably are and that's fertile ground for learning
Downs through refusal, and the argument for itTurning point
watch, queued 2026-04-20.
The other face of the method on the same dog. A lure into the down is tried and fails; Egg growls at the trainer over a piece of salmon and does not get it. Two long down sequences - 'down' repeated with 'uh-uh' and 'no' - end in compliance, followed each time by a big celebration and play. Then, for seven minutes, the trainer explains himself: friendship and predictable rules, personal play, cooperation, and authority, because Egg 'has a tendency to buck authority'; growling has worked for him for years and must stop working; clients ask for dogs like Egg to be put down, and telling him no is the humane alternative; a dog's welfare is judged on the whole of his life, not a single moment of displeasure; and Egg must learn to tolerate handling and pressure or he will not get proper veterinary care as he ages. What the recording shows of Egg is narrower than the argument: he refuses, he complies, he whines, and he goes back to playing.
On film
Down. Down. Uh-uh. Down. Down. Okay! Oh! Eggie!
what are you doing you growling at me for the food
down down down you can do it yeah good boy eggy good boy eggy
And we are also establishing authority, right? So like he has a tendency to buck authority where he's like, I'm not doing it. I don't want to. And that can be really dangerous for him.
egg needs to be able to go to the vet and do other stuff you know otherwise he's not going to get proper medical care he's going to bite people
Stage
watch, queued 2026-05-05.
Recall, sit and 'let's go' around the aisles; a leave-it at store gear; and two down sequences in which the trainer repeatedly asks for 'all the way' and 'put your butt down' - he gets one full down and the second set ends without a clear one. Nothing is said about how Egg reacted to strangers beyond the interest people showed in him.
On film
down egg down i know that's loud down down all the way come on all the way butt too you. Put your butt down. Egg down. Come on. All the way. Eh eh. Down. There you go.
Trying to find play
watch and watch, both queued 2026-05-12.
Two short clips aimed at the one thing the evaluation said Egg had never done. Collected from his kennel (the handler expects him to be 'sketchy' at first and he greets happily), he is taken to the play yard because he seems in the mood, let off leash to walk around, and offered toys. He takes a thrown treat, is offered a small ball, sniffs and licks a toy - which the handler celebrates as a breakthrough - and seeks attention by jumping up to lick. A place rep and a recall follow. The handler reports 'some progress'. A toy is never picked up on the audio.
On film
He's gonna be sketchy. He's gonna be like, who is in there?
get it get it buddy if he picks that up i will i will die of joy
face. Sniffing a toy. Oh, God, my heart. He licked it. He licked it, guys.
good boy all right try it a little bit what do we got about six minutes or so and i'm definitely gonna spend a bunch more time doing this because i think we have some progress
'Coming back home' - title only
watch, queued 2026-05-25; the untranscribed watch was published the same day.
A 196-second recording with two lines of reassurance: something is moved out of the way and a hesitant dog is told it is not a big deal. The dog is not named. This is where the footage ends; the case has no ending on film.
On film
hey buddy yeah there we go there you go see oh good boy so it's out of the way there you go
Skills
Recall
How it was taught
First as pressure and release on a flexi, with the release sending him back to what he wanted to sniff. Later on a leash with a micro e-collar at a very low level, raised to an 'avoidance level' for blow-offs, and treated as the one command that must be instant. Deliberately not used when he started ranging out happily.
On film
So he felt a little pressure and was like, oh we resolved the pressure when he came to me
his recall is looking pretty good he's recalling right away when i ask him to
i'm trying to speed up his recall a little bit make a little bit more instantaneous so for one of those if he blows me off in the recall i'm just going to use the e collar on uh an avoidance level
needs to be beautiful and instant for other stuff if they sit a little slower they're down a little slow because they just like that right it's not a big deal like we're not in this for aesthetics we're in this for functionality
You always come.
Sit
How it was taught
Worked every session. The woodland walk makes the diagnostic rule explicit: no leash direction because he knows it, so a refusal while he is engaged gets light negative reinforcement, then release and fun.
On film
does he like like treats? He doesn't like treats.
what they're doing and why and there to me it was very clearly he just was refusing he just didn't want to do it right because he knows it and he was clearly engaged with me
Wow, he avoided everything that time. I need one little hand motion and then he sat.
Down
How it was taught
Shelved on the woodland walk because it was not crucial and risked a bite. A lure was tried and failed. Then worked through refusal by repetition with 'uh-uh' and 'no', until he complied, followed by a big celebration and play. No e-collar is mentioned in either down session.
On film
I've tried once to work on his down and he did not, he did not enjoy that at all. Um, uh, so, uh, I'm probably going to wait a little bit in this process cause there's no need for me to like jam him up really hard on the down and make him do it
Down. Down. Uh-uh. Down. Down. Okay! Oh! Eggie!
It also teaches them some resilience. And you can see like what he goes to is he goes to he accepts the command finally because he knows what I want him to do.
all the way egg, all the way, all the way, put your butt down, put your booty down, put
Heel
How it was taught
Position made clear with the flat collar first ('where the box is'), with a real release on 'okay' and a return to baseline between reps.
On film
boy let's go good boy egg heel stop so i stop it's actually a nice looking heel right there
good in it for a second, and he clearly knows where the position is, so I'm just reinforcing that position with the flat collar
Sometimes you get a little bit of a sticky point with these things.
Play
How it was taught
Long walks and personal play first, as a 'gateway' to toy games; an attempt to stir his chase instinct with a found object; then dedicated play-yard sessions trying several toys and celebrating any interest.
On film
Has he ever played? He has not played.
Oh, we're getting a little bit of play coming here!
trying to get his chase instincts going a little bit I want him to chase but because that would be helpful to get him to play chase and catch with me
At least we're getting a little personal play now.
Tolerating handling and pressure
How it was taught
Pressure with a clear way out and a release, from the evaluation onward; later, pressure held through refusal. The trainer ties the whole skill to veterinary care.
On film
so he snapped at you and you were cleaning them
Because they cope with it really well if you give them an opportunity
Come here, Egg, because he won't let people handle him because he's not used to having anybody put any kind of pressure on him.
Place, leave it, public manners
How it was taught
Cues with 'eh eh' and 'ah ah' markers; a store as the venue.
On film
all right eggy come on up here place come on up here egg come on up here no not that way
around for a few minutes see what we see what we see see how mr egg does inside the ross
Tolerating handling and pressure
On film
Does that feel good buddy? Does that feel good?
growl it won't work the growlies don't work on me
let me see if this fits you I bet you it's too big way too big
I won't go all the way up yet.
Place, leave it, public manners
On film
Egg, place.
Exit.
He mostly just listens right away now, so.
Down
On film
egg down egg down all
the way down come on okay that's a good boy you did good that was a good down
Play
On film
Oh is Eggie gonna play? Is Eggie gonna play?
but I'm gonna pack it up with the toys pack the toys up and
Place, leave it, public manners
On film
running up towards that lady and all i did was say egg let's go i didn't have to use the e-collar
didn't have to use the flat collar the leash or anything like that
he likes to pee on stuff though i have to i have to watch him
Lots of people said hello to Egg and looked at Egg and he's a good boy
Tolerating handling and pressure
On film
And I want to see how he does letting me put him in the truck. I think he'll let me pick him up,
Oh, he let me pick him up with no problems.
I want to load you up. Come on. In the truck. In the truck. In the truck. I'm going to lift
you got it you can do it good boy egg good jump
Heel
Down
On film
they're pretty resistant to it they don't want to go into the down so i'm taking a little bit
i'm not pressing the issue yet because it's not that that important quite yet i will have to press the issue at some point
Recall
On film
Egg, come. Come. Go ahead. Egg, sit. Sit. Good boy, Egg.
He waited. I didn't have to tell him anything.
From the Shorts
Short clips posted from Egg's training. They are undated, so they sit beside the program rather than inside it.
A first day: let him sniff first
In a series titled Day 1, Egg is worried by loud noises and the handler tells him he is sorry they are scary, offers a toy he brought, then wonders aloud whether Egg is scared or just worked up, and decides it is the second. He invites Egg to sniff him and praises him each time he does. When Egg yawns and stretches, the handler asks if he is feeling a little better.
On film
The loud noises scare you? The noises scare you?
Those are scary noises. I'm sorry.
Eggman, come here! Look what I brought. You like the toy?
Are you scared? Or is adrenaline pumping through your body because you've gotten all amped up?
I think it's the second one.
Sniffies? You can sniff me.
Thank you. You can sniff me all you like.
yawn. All the sniffies. Good boy Eggman. Feeling a little better? And a stretch, stretch, that's
Growling won't make him leave
Later the same day by the series title, the handler tells Egg he is not a threat and will not go away if Egg growls: the growling will not work on him. Egg licks him and stretches, and the handler thanks him for the licks, lets him sniff a piece of equipment he is trying on him (he thinks it is too big), and offers a toy to bite. He says the two of them are friends.
On film
i'm not a threat i'm a nice guy we're friends i won't go away if you
growl it won't work the growlies don't work on me the growlies don't work good boy thank you for
stretching now let me see if this fits you I bet you it's too big way too big
look what I got you can bite
Me and Eggie are friends.
Standing up slowly beside him
Before taking Egg out on a slip lead to play, the handler, who has been down at Egg's level, tells him he is going to stand up, rises only part of the way at first and praises him as he does. Then it is off to play.
On film
You know what? I'm just going to take you out on the slip and we're going to play.
Alright, Eggie, I'm going to stand up.
I won't go all the way up yet.
Good job, Eggie.
Let's go play, Eggie!
'Much more pliable than he used to be'
After a play session, before heading into Southern Pines to try some stores, the handler does a quick repetition of place (getting on a raised bed on cue), released with 'Exit', and says Egg is much more pliable than he used to be and mostly listens right away now. He is called away from a very large dog, then asked for a down; after some coaxing he goes all the way down, is released with 'okay', and the handler says he figured it out fast.
On film
The Eggman the egg lad and we are going to head into town. We're going to Southern Pines
Egg, place.
Exit.
He's much more pliable than he used to be.
He mostly just listens right away now, so.
Come on, leave that guy alone, he's huge.
egg down egg down all
the way down come on okay that's a good boy you did good that was a good down
he figured out so fast he's so smart
One word turned him away from a stranger
In Lowe's, Egg was keen to go and say hi to people and started toward a woman. The handler says all it took was 'Egg, let's go', with no e-collar, collar or leash pressure, and Egg came away.
On film
he was really interested in going up to say hi to people
running up towards that lady and all i did was say egg let's go i didn't have to use the e-collar
didn't have to use the flat collar the leash or anything like that
Lifted into the truck crate without a problem
Before a trip to the park, the handler says he wants to see whether Egg will let himself be picked up and put in the truck crate. He does: 'he let me pick him up with no problems.' After the Lowe's outing, when Egg does not hop into the truck on the word, he is lifted in.
On film
I think he'll let me pick him up, put him in the crate without any issues.
Oh, he let me pick him up with no problems.
In the truck. In the truck. In the truck. I'm going to lift you up like Simba.
Not pushing the down yet
The trainer explains that the down comes easily to some of the dogs he is working with, but Egg and Angus resist it. So he is going slower on the down while they progress in everything else, and says he is not pressing it yet but will have to at some point.
On film
for brody super easy for angus and egg
they're pretty resistant to it they don't want to go into the down so i'm taking a little bit slower on that one for them they're making progress in every other area
i'm not pressing the issue yet because it's not that that important quite yet i will have to press the issue at some point
Waits in his kennel until he is released
Leaving his kennel, Egg waits and goes out on his release word; the handler points it out to the camera and praises the release.
On film
You can see he has his release command. He waits and releases.
Good boy good release
Meeting people in stores
The handler takes Egg into Lowe's hoping to meet people and chats with a shopper while Egg stands by; the one thing to watch, the handler says, is that he will mark the merchandise if not kept an eye on. In another clip the handler reports that at Ross Dress for Less lots of people said hello to Egg and he was a good boy.
On film
hopefully we get to meet some people see how egg does i think he's gonna do really good
Yeah, just out hanging out with the little egg. His name is Egg.
he likes to pee on stuff though i have to i have to watch him if i like don't keep my eye on him he'll pee on the on on the merchandise
Egg Lad has most recently been spotted in Ross Dress for Less.
Lots of people said hello to Egg and looked at Egg and he's a good boy
His heel: a good start, less steady on the move
At Lowe's the handler grades Egg's heel in two parts: stepping into position looked nice, walking in position less so. The same outing has him called, sat and praised for looking up at the handler's face.
On film
His heel entry looked nice.
His heel in motion, less so.
Thank you for looking at my face. You won't look my face
On the trail: come, sit, and time to sniff
A trail walk cut into short parts: Egg is called, sent ahead, asked to sit and praised; he is let sniff and mark a tree, and steered round it the right way. The handler calls him a happy dog.
On film
Egg, come. Come. Go ahead. Egg, sit. Sit. Good boy, Egg.
Yep, around the tree this way.
You can pee on it though.
Egg's a happy guy. He's a happy, happy dog.
How the method adapted
The method bends to him in two directions at once: towards patience (walk first, shelve the down, keep him happy, keep the collar low) and towards obligation (refusal gets pressure, growling stops working). Both are the trainer's stated positions, in different sessions, and the order of those sessions is not settled. The adaptations are set out in the order they appear in the footage; the tension between the second and the seventh is left standing.
When treats failed, the reward became the environment. Pressure is released to what he wants - to sniff and explore.
He did not take treats, and the trainer's reading was that what he wanted was to sniff and see the environment. A release to freedom was the currency he would work for, and it made the trainer predictable.
On film
what I would probably do with him like very like like immediately is I would just take him on a walk out on the flexi and teach him that way that's the quickest way for him to learn because he wants to sniff and see the environment
And so you can train a dog without anything else other than what I was just doing. If you have good timing, you know how to do it. You can train them literally with just negative reinforcement and a release to freedom and they'll warm up to you really quick because they can predict what you're going to do
The down was shelved, and negative reinforcement was taught through commands that would not provoke a bite.
The trainer said happiness and trust mattered more than the down, and that Egg could learn how pressure works from the recall and the sit instead.
On film
I've tried once to work on his down and he did not, he did not enjoy that at all. Um, uh, so, uh, I'm probably going to wait a little bit in this process cause there's no need for me to like jam him up really hard on the down and make him do it it's not the most crucial command in this case it's more crucial that he's happy and that he trusts and that he figures out negative reinforcement from other angles like the recall or the sit or things that won't give me bit
Walks start with nothing asked. For a dog like Teddy or Brody there might be an obedience check at the start; for Egg, the opening minutes are for him to open up.
Because a dog who is enjoying himself is easier to train, and because the trainer reads Egg's emotional state as the governing variable in how well he learns.
On film
for egg i care more about him opening up and wanting to like be out here with me and having a good time because then i can more easily train him
else how they're feeling their emotional state dictates how well they're going to be able to learn
Pressure only after a diagnosis of refusal. Before the collar is used on a failed sit, the trainer checks that Egg knows the command and is engaged, not confused or distracted.
Because pressure on a dog who does not understand teaches nothing; pressure on a dog who is refusing, followed by release and fun, makes him start to avoid it.
On film
it's important that like when a dog doesn't do like a command when they fail a command that you understand why
that's the perfect time to just use a little bit of negative reinforcement make him do it because then the next reps he'll start avoiding um that entirely and then getting released and going and having lots of fun again
The e-collar is a micro model on a super low level, and the trainer notes that this is specific to Egg.
Because Egg is very sensitive to it; the trainer adds that this is not true of all his dogs and qualifies it by context.
On film
his little we've got a little tiny e collar on this is the micro educator
um it's not true of all the dogs that i work with but for him um he does not take that much at least out of this context
The recall is not used when he ranges out. The trainer lets the explorer explore.
For a dog who tends to stay close, going out further is the behaviour the trainer wants; recalling him every time he did it would teach him to stop.
On film
It's tempting to use this as an opportunity to proof the recall.
go see everything but egg and Rufus they have a little bit more of a tendency to stay close to me
Growling is made to stop working. Food he growls for is withheld; a down he refuses is repeated until he gives it, then celebrated.
The trainer's stated reasoning: growling and biting have worked for Egg for years; a dog who bucks authority is at risk of being euthanised; so the refusal has to fail and cooperation has to pay. This is the trainer's rationale, spoken to camera; the recording itself shows refusal, compliance, a whine and a return to play.
On film
You can't have it. You can't do that.
And so, in a process like this, I'm teaching him, like, hey, dude, that's not an option.
Right. So we have to backtrack that and make it where he sees that doesn't work. But cooperating with me works and then we're going to have lots of fun together. We're buddies.
Right. It's very clear. And then he does this little it's actually really cute.
Play is built from nothing, through the walk and through personal play, before any toy is expected.
The trainer's stated sequence: long walks and personal play establish cooperation and authority, and from there toy games, possession games and chase-and-catch can follow.
On film
again it does work take them on long walks get them to do personal play and very often from there if you weren't able to get them to play with like say a ball or a tug toy or something like that this is a gateway drug right
possession games you can play chase and catch you can do all those things if you establish cooperation and authority on the walk
What the family was told
To the carers: how to start with Egg
what I would probably do with him like very like like immediately is I would just take him on a walk out on the flexi and teach him that way
Yeah, well, you can teach him on the walk.
In the family's own words
The carers' words are reports, not instructions received. They describe his origin, the bath, the first day's growling, the absence of play, his daily walk, his indifference to treats, and their own kennel-door counter-conditioning, and they say it is working.
On film
Has he ever played? He has not played. He goes on a walk every day.
closing the door sometimes yeah just like the positive counter conditioning a little bit he's been here he's starting to get better with it
Outcomes
What the trainers reported
He has 'opened up a ton' since the trainer began working with him, and they are 'best buddies'.
The narrating trainer, woodland walk (watch).
On film
but he seems to be getting better with all of it so good boy he's definitely opened up a ton since i started working with him um and we're buds now we're best buddies
He knows sit completely; his recall is good.
The narrating trainer, woodland walk.
On film
worked together, he knows it 100%, he just didn't want to do it
He is 'learning really well' under the approach in the downs session.
The narrating trainer, watch.
On film
doing with egg and he's learning really well.
Off leash in about six or seven sessions. A prediction, not an outcome.
The narrating trainer, woodland walk.
On film
teddy was five days egg's probably going to end up being more like six or seven sessions before he's off leash
Some progress on play.
The handler, watch.
On film
i'm definitely gonna spend a bunch more time doing this because i think we have some progress
What the footage shows
Within one visit, a dog who growled, grabbed and raised his hackles at a stranger came on light pressure, shook off, and ended lying with the trainer and licking him.
On film
Oh, you're gonna grab at me
good job egg are you licking me thank you thank you thank you egg thank you
The recall works on leash in every later session where it is asked for, with one blow-off at a passing dog on the woodland walk that is corrected on the next cue.
On film
So he did blow up my recall that time.
Egg, come. Oh, you thought about it. Eh eh. Come. Come.
The growl is on film, over food, and it does not get him the food. The down is on film, twice, after long refusals.
On film
what are you doing you growling at me for the food
down down down you can do it yeah good boy eggy good boy eggy
Personal play on the walk, and a toy licked in the play yard. That is the whole of the play record.
On film
You're getting hyper, huh?
Sniffing a toy. Oh, God, my heart. He licked it. He licked it, guys.
The ideas Egg's case runs on
- A life that gets smaller, and the bargain
- Clarity is the kindness
- Evaluate, cooperate, socialise, fulfil - then authority
- Genetic versus environmental nerves
- Handling is training
- Help it or press it - read which
- Honest limits, and reliability is not permission
- If it works, it stays: the strategy has to stop paying
- Placement as the intervention
- Play is a capacity you can grow
- Reading the dog
- Release to freedom
- Start with freedom
- Sticking close is not attachment
- The flight-risk protocol, and the one command that matters
- Two events, not one - and what the handler does in between