Who Levi is
As the trainers describe him
Happy all the time and friendly with everyone. Four handlers say so independently.
On film
is so excited to see everybody um like all the dogs and all the people he's a very happy dog
everybody's gotta pet me everyone is a friend
I will say this dog almost never barks
Excitable, with strong impulses. Every in-house handler who assesses him says the same thing, and the lead trainer later calls it the only remaining gap.
On film
so definitely going to need to work on the impulse control with him, he kind of knows what to do, but he's very excitable
So the thing with him, right, is like, his impulse control is just baseline.
like mainly what we're working on with him because he's really like he's got all the commands down
Eager to please, not stubborn. The lead trainer says it at every owner meeting.
On film
And then some dogs really want to make them happy.
he's a good dog like really he he's not like this dog that's super stubborn it's like i'm
gonna fight you in on everything he wants to do the right thing he just gets excited
Prone to confusion. The lead trainer names it at the first lesson and again at the handover, and a later handler repeats it on a heel walk. It is a separate trait from the excitability and the reason he gives for keeping the marker system simple.
On film
will say his breed does get confused kind of easily. You can confuse him and he's like I
a smart boy, he's a little confused, but he's a smarty
confusion kind of comes a little naturally to him sometimes
Always underfoot. Three walks record him getting under the handler's legs, sitting on feet or tripping the handler. That matters for an owner who uses a cane.
On film
dude why are you trying to trip me bro
he's trying to sit on my foot
likes to sit on my feet he's very close
A 'big doodle' who, by a trainer's later account, was one of the dogs who found impulse control only at the last minute.
On film
doodles they like to put it down to the wire
like levi levi was a big one too
oh yeah he's a big doodle
As the owner describes him
42 lb at his six-month checkup. All of this is the owner's account.
On film
i got him when he's four weeks old
and he'll be a year in july
six months checkup he weighs 42 pounds
Before the program she could not manage him in public. He ran up to strangers, circled her and tripped her. A Lowe's trip was when she decided to get help.
On film
uh-huh and when i he walks with me sometimes he gets too carried with running around he gets
I've got to get someone to help me do this
he kept running up to people
At home he jumps on visitors, and the owner shuts him away when her mother visits. There is another dog in the house, Thor, who is fed separately from Levi to avoid a fight.
On film
And when he's so hyper, people come in and he jumps on them.
and the store's eating his food over there
Breed
Resolution
Not settled, and there is no intake form to check. Five accounts appear on film. The owner says a friend called him a 'double doodle', meaning both parents were doodles, and jokes 'devil doodle'. The lead trainer says his dad was an Aussie. At the second lesson a speaker (who is not clear) says 'lab aussie and poodle' and adds that he looked like, and had the personality of, a golden doodle. The day-one camera says 'double doodle'. A later trainer says 'big doodle'. The trainers also speak of 'his breed' as the reason for his excitability and his confusion.
On film
And my friend had, she goes, I have double doodles.
That's what she told me the mom and dad are both doodles.
is he a golden doodle he's a devil doodle
said his dad was an aussie
to just random people and stuff but you know he's it's in his blood man like that's he is the he is
the breed lab aussie and poodle
first day first day with mr levi double doodle smart double doodle
working with Levi is his impulse control because again just his breed he's always like really
The program, stage by stage
Before the program, off camera
Before 2026-04-01. Nothing filmed.
Everything in this stage comes from the owner's retrospective account at the lessons. She had raised Levi from four weeks. He was friendly to the point of being unmanageable: he ran up to strangers, circled her and tripped her. A visit to Lowe's was when she decided to get help. A staff member came out to evaluate him; she thinks it was Christian. She says he told her the program would run from April 1 to May 1, and that she timed it around a camping trip starting May 27 on which Levi would follow her on horseback. She said then, and repeated at every meeting, that she wanted service-dog training afterwards. No evaluation footage exists.
On film
And I told the one guy that came out, I said, I'm going camping May 27th through June 2nd.
and the guy that came out to give me the evaluation of him
eventually i want to have him also do training for service dog
Day one: the group walk in the state park
Probably 2026-04-01, and no later than 2026-04-07. Filmed twice (watch and watch).
Levi's first filmed session is an evening walk with several program dogs and staff. His handler has never worked him before. She keeps him on a six-foot leash until two or three recalls convince her he already has one, and wonders whether Christian worked him first. Then she moves him to a 26-foot flexi so he has range to be called back from. She limits the walk to three things (loose-leash walking, 'come' and 'let's go') and sets out a three-phase plan: learning now, clarity next week, proofing in weeks three or four. Sits under distraction fail repeatedly. She passes on the owner's report that he 'sits when he wants', says a new command should not be taught under distraction, and predicts he will make a good off-leash dog. On the Callie camera he is 'pumped up', greets Callie happily, and the down is explicitly left for 'the inside training room'.
On film
so Levi already knows a little bit of sit um his owner was telling me that he'll sit when he wants
christian must have worked with him before me i'm not sure if he did but i mean hey the recall
i personally don't use a flexi unless
Levi doesn't know much he's new so we're just going to focus on three
obviously still in the learning phase with all his commands and hopefully by
you are gonna be such a good off-leash dog
we can probably teach him in the in our inside training room
In-house walks: sit, come, let's go, and place
Early to mid April, order within the stage provisional. watch, watch, watch, watch, watch.
These are thinly narrated walks. The pattern is the same in each: the sit needs several cues and 'eh' or 'nope' markers, the recall is enthusiastic, and he gets underfoot. The first handler to assess him on camera says he knows what to do but is very excitable, and proposes building impulse control by adding time near him and then duration, with more place work. A neighbourhood walk repairs a missed sit by taking him back to where it was asked. The place session gives the second 'baseline' impulse-control assessment, points out the moment he relaxes on the cot, and then goes silent for about seventeen minutes under a 'place duration' title.
On film
just like being near him and then afterwards adding duration little by
nope we gotta go back to the spot
see that's how we do it
You wanna see right there when the legs go over?
test that out a little farther though
The sit starts to holdTurning point
Around Bernie's day four or five, probably the first half of April (watch, with watch).
This is the one explicit progress statement from the in-house handlers. On a walk interrupted by a chance meeting with Bernie, his handler and a member of the public, Levi's handler says he can now be told to sit and will not get up, and that he is settling. It lines up with the lead trainer's later account that the first week went on impulse control and took the sit from half a second to holding until release. The rest of the walk is come-and-sit, with praise for impulse control and a fast sit at the end.
On film
we're working on levi's impulse control i see because he gets very excited he has strong impulses but we're actually getting to a point now where i can tell him to sit and he won't get up at all
you're doing great with the impulse control levi
like first week we we worked on impulse control like a lot because i would be like sit and he
might do half a second at most
Heel and the implied stay, with the e-collar on
Later April, undated (watch).
This is the first in-house walk with an e-collar confirmed, and the only one where heel is the main work. The handler says the implied stay went 'really good the other day'. Levi is repeatedly 'a little confused' by the heel, gets one 'good heel', and at one point is 'not feeling it today'. The collar comes off at the end. This matches the lead trainer's plan to add heel and proofing once the basic cues were in place.
On film
we got that implied stay really good the other day
heel you're confused it's all good okay good heel
he's not feeling it today
get that e-collar off you
First owner lesson: the worst session on film, and a loose collarTurning point
Late April, before a Tuesday (watch; published 2026-05-06).
This is the first time the owner has seen Levi in weeks. He breaks sits and heels, jumps on the trainer for the first time, and fixates on her. The trainer says he has never seen Levi this worked up and turns the e-collar up because of it. He frames the owner's presence as the peak distraction and so as useful training. He teaches the marker system ('eh' to put the dog back into a behaviour, a loud 'nope' for a behaviour never wanted again), 'okay' as the release, 'come' versus 'let's go', and saying 'let's go' each time a dog appears, to condition the reaction. He also covers the settling week at home, contextual jumping, and individual rewards: sniffing and affection for Levi. Midway he finds the e-collar has slipped loose on Levi's coat. That, he says, is why Levi has not been listening. He refits it, turns it down, and the heel improves at once. The owner states her goals: a heel that stops and sits on her left, no jumping on visitors, and later service-dog work. The session makes the same diagnosis the follow-up will make four weeks later, and here it is the trainer's own collar that is loose.
On film
never seen him this worked up to be honest with you
sit so because he's still worked up it's taken a lot of like i'm actually having to turn the
so actually this is a good thing because whenever the owners are around the distractions like the
So his reinforcement marker is eh, whereas a punishment marker is just a loud nope.
what that's also why he's not listening to his e-collar it's on he somehow like slipped off a
kind of like that that was a lot better
wrapped around my cane uh-huh he trips me so like when i'm walking i told him that when i stop i
like him to stop and sit right on my left side
Second owner lesson: the owner takes the leash
A few days before the Friday handover, probably Tuesday 2026-04-28 (watch).
Levi is far calmer. The trainer thinks the first lesson's arousal came from not having seen his owner in weeks. The owner cues sit, come and release, and Levi sits automatically when she stops. The trainer corrects her sequence: release before the next cue, and a cue binds only once it has been given. She practises an extended sit while backing away. The trainer explains why Levi must obey him as well as her: attachment works until something more interesting appears. He says Levi rarely needs the e-collar, and that a correction word with a light pop of the collar is usually enough. The heel is still being 'fine tuned' and is deferred to drop-off day. A command sheet is promised. The place demonstration promised at the first lesson does not appear.
On film
you can see he's even way more chill than he was last session too
I've noticed he does the sit
So you need to release him first and then give him.
So actually you didn't put him in a sip so really you don't need if he
we're still I'm fine tuning the heel
i like leave the e-collar on him but i don't find him using it very often i find just like a that
Second-to-last day: a sit in a public parking lot (reported only)
Probably 2026-04-30. Not filmed; told at the follow-up.
The trainer later describes putting Levi in a sit in the Beach Bluff parking lot on his second-to-last training day, and a stranger objecting loudly. This is the only account of Levi's last days of in-house work other than the hour of heels and downs before the handover. The first lesson's plan to spend the final stretch 'exclusively' in stores and high-distraction areas has no footage.
On film
literally the second to last day i was training levi i put
him in a sit in the middle of the park like and we were like working on you know like just that
big parking lot at beach bluff
The handover: the goal met, and a collar that will not fitTurning point
Friday, almost certainly 2026-05-01 (watch).
The trainer opens with the owner's goal: Levi now sits when the handler stops. He gives Levi's working level on his own collar as about 60. 55 does not get Levi's attention, 65 'goes into the territory' of punishment and is 'a little unfair to the dog', and the level is high because of the coat, not because Levi is tough. He tells the owner to use the stimulation and never the beep or vibration, because a warning that sometimes means nothing loses its power, like a parent's count to three. He shows placement (not on the side that pushes the dog out of heel), fit (about two fingers), and when to wear it (during the day, not in the car or overnight). Then he tries to fit the owner's own collar on Levi. It will not tighten enough on his coat, and he recommends buying a different collar. With the owner present, Levi sits less readily on command. The trainer predicts the testing that follows. The heel test promised for drop-off day happened, if at all, in the hour before she arrived.
On film
like he'll he'll sit when i stop too
nice because i know that was like a big thing for you that you were telling me i think on the first
to turn it up so i have it on about a 60. 55 is not really like that 55 doesn't really get his
and they're just like cranking it up to a point where it's a little unfair to the dog so 60 is
when mom counts to three every single time you know she gets to three you know like you're in
So this e-collar, frankly, I don't actually think it's going to get tight enough.
it ain't ain't yeah so like that right there i like when you're around he sits a lot less on
i've been working him an hour before he got here and we were doing
Going home: fine in public, then the testing starts
From 2026-05-01. Owner's account only.
By the owner's account, on the day she collected him she took him into a Walmart, where he sat while she talked and did nothing wrong. At home he was fine on arrival and at the park. Then he stopped sitting when told, would not come, was 'loose in the house' and jumped on visitors, including her mother. She had been using the collar's beep, which the handover had ruled out.
On film
he sits when i'm talking he didn't do anything wrong
When I got home, he did everything fine, coming out of his truck, walking in.
Just to command, and being loose in the house.
Normally when I beep, um. Are you doing the electric part or just the beep?
it's just I just thought well he got home now he's testing me
The follow-up: the collar was loose, so 'eh' meant nothingTurning point
Between 2026-05-01 and 2026-05-27, probably early (watch and watch, one visit).
The trainer's first act is to feel the collar: 'Way too loose.' His diagnosis is that 'eh' had been followed by nothing, so Levi learned he could get away with things. He calls it an authority issue that is minor and caught early. He fetches the collar he used 'for every single session with Levi' and fits it tight. The owner gives the commands herself so that her word carries weight. Levi runs from her recall once, then comes and holds a sit while she walks away. The trainer adds social pressure (stepping into the dog) as a bridge until a new collar arrives, recommends a Mini Educator and a belt clip for the remote, and explains the red boost button for 'nope' behaviours. He suggests her mother use the collar too, so that she also has authority. His summary: Levi knows everything and simply did not act on it. He tells the owner her commands were fine and the collar setup was the whole problem, a mistake he says he made himself when he was learning. The visit ends with a request to hear how the new collar goes. Nothing later is filmed.
On film
Way too loose.
Yeah, probably what happened is he probably noticed that when you said, like, eh, that
i think it might be some sort of like
so when he ran away he's kind of avoiding
yeah that's what that should
the commands what happened is that he knows it just didn't act on it right like even as as people
commands yeah i think your biggest issue really was just had the way e-collar was set up
letting your mom use the e-collar once that gets here and letting her kind of show that she has
goes well let me uh when you get your e-collar and like test everything out just let me know how it
Skills
Sit held until release (the implied stay) - his impulse-control skill
How it was taught
Cue once. A quiet 'eh' (or 'uh-uh', 'nope' on the walks) when he breaks, and put back where he was. No 'stay' cue, because the sit implies it. Release only with 'okay'. Duration is added gradually, first by time spent near him. On the neighbourhood walk a missed sit is repaired by returning to the spot. At home the owner is told the same: never say 'stay', 'eh' plus the collar if he gets up, and step into him (social pressure) until the new collar arrives.
On film
so Levi already knows a little bit of sit um his owner was telling me that he'll sit when he wants
we're actually getting to a point now where i can tell him to sit and he won't get up at all
worked up so the way that our sit works is pretty much he'll stay here until i release him
we got that implied stay really good the other day
like i can walk away and just kind of do my thing look away dance around no okay good boy
no like stay because the way we train our dogs is that the sit just gets a stay like implied
another thing you can do too is you can kind of like step into it and like this
Heel, and stop-and-sit when the handler stops (the owner's goal)
How it was taught
'Heel' reinforced with the e-collar, 'not giving him the option to not do it', in the way the trainer says he does in stores. The collar contacts go on the side that pushes the dog into the heel zone rather than away from it. Levi's heel on film depends on collar fit: it fails at the first lesson until the loose collar is refitted, then improves at once.
On film
not giving him the option to not do it
kind of like that that was a lot better
just a little bit more okay it's looking pretty nice but he does venture off every now and then
not here why because if you go into a heel um by e-collaring here they're gonna like try to run
he'll sit when i stop
When I went over there and he sat like I said, when I stopped, he sat next to me.
Recall ('come') and 'let's go'
How it was taught
On walks: a six-foot leash, then a 26-foot flexi once the recall was judged good, then distance as the next variable. 'Come' means come up to the handler; 'let's go' is directional ('come in my direction') and is said every time he sees a dog or person, so the sight comes to predict moving on. The owner is told not to pull back and punish curiosity. The follow-up plan for avoidance: if he runs from the collar, recreate the scene on leash and 'not give him the choice'.
On film
christian must have worked with him before me i'm not sure if he did but i mean hey the recall
That was a pretty enthusiastic
let's go is more of a directional thing
something here if he's gonna go after him oh look at that see he's starting to realize like oh just
pulling back and punishing the curious behavior what you can do is say let's go and that way every
we'll do is if it doesn't work we're gonna recreate the scenario again when
Place
How it was taught
'Levi, place!' with a marker on the attempt, 'there we go' on success, kept quiet. The first lesson promised a place-cot demonstration at the next session as the answer to jumping on visitors. It is not in the second lesson.
On film
Levi, place!
They just relax on the top.
Next time, for our next session, I'll bring my place card out here and I can show you how that works.
Have you been using place at all?
Jumping on people
How it was taught
At the first lesson: jumping is contextual, so either mark every jump as not okay or put it on cue and punish uncued jumps. The trainer says he himself would put it on cue. At the follow-up: 'nope', then the red (boosted) button, and the owner's mother to use the collar herself.
On film
the jumping so he jumping is very contextual for dogs so for instance today is the first day he's
you would go about that like jumping is the behavior you want to completely
remove yeah nope and then the red button
Down
How it was taught
Not filmed.
On film
we can probably teach him in the in our inside training room
And then the down, which is down.
like a lot lots of heels doing some more work with down
I just tell him to sit, and he eventually is down.
Loose-leash walking
How it was taught
'Let's go' as the redirection cue on walks, repetitively.
On film
so we're essentially what we're focusing on is a loose leash walking
way he's not pulling anymore either there's not any pulling going on
How the method adapted
Levi's is not a fear case or a bite case. The problem is a happy, clever, excitable doodle with a thick coat, and an owner whose mobility makes his exuberance a safety problem. The adaptations are mostly about two things: making the collar mean something through that coat, and turning the program's generic heel into the specific behaviour this owner needed.
The e-collar level was set by the coat, not by the dog, and the trainer said so explicitly.
Even with the hair parted, the coat was thick enough that a lower level did not reach him. The trainer drew a line above the working level (65 is punishment and 'a little unfair') and said a short-haired dog would need much less.
On film
that when i'm using the e-collar it's kind of turned up high not because of his threshold he's
not necessarily a dog that's like really like you know tough but it's his hair
attention enough and like 65 i find is just a little too high like to me that's goes into the
Fit was treated as the first thing to check, three times. The same failure turned up at the first lesson (the trainer's collar), at the handover (the owner's collar would not tighten) and at the follow-up (the owner's collar was too loose to feel).
On a dog this fluffy, a collar that looks fitted can sit off the skin. Each time, the trainer's explanation for a sudden lapse in obedience was fit before it was the dog. At the follow-up he said he had made the same mistake when he was learning.
On film
just put it on lightly the hit he has so much hair it's not gonna yeah so i have to like tighten it
having it to where like it's very snug kind of like if you can like maybe like fit two
right here right it's kind of like making contact like this just barely so it's
where I'd have a really good session that I'd take him out like the next day
gonna be like it's because the e-collar is too loose
The heel was redefined around the owner's cane: its test was that he stops and sits on her left when she stops. The remote was moved to a belt clip.
The owner said he wrapped around her cane and tripped her, and she has a cane in one hand and the leash in the other.
On film
i know is like a very important thing for you specifically with the heel so we're gonna crack
It's really convenient, especially, like, I know for you, you have, like, a cane in one hand and the leash in the other hand.
His rewards were found for him individually: release to sniff, and being made a fuss of.
The trainer's rule is that a dog needs a reason to comply that outweighs its reason not to, and that rewards must suit the individual. Food appears only once, as a goodbye treat at the handover.
On film
it at all so for him the two things that i found that he really really loves are on walks i put
him in commands and then when i release him i let him go sniff and just like you know be in his
actually part of the behaviors with these dogs is giving them a reason to do it because if
In the trainer's own hands, a correction word and a light pop of the collar replaced stimulation for most of the late program.
Because Levi is 'not stubborn' and wants to do the right thing. This sits uneasily beside the 'about 60' working level given three days later. Both are the same trainer's words.
On film
correction word is usually enough for him paired with like just a light pop of like his collar
Attachment was not accepted as obedience. The trainer wanted Levi to answer him even with the owner present, and after the handover he wanted Levi to answer the owner's mother as well.
Compliance that comes from wanting to be near the owner fails the moment something more interesting appears. Authority has to be built by each person, so the mother should use the collar herself.
On film
it comes to these commands when I'm holding him is like it seems great that
he wants to be around you 24 7 and like right now it's convenient because he'll
not her me buddy
some authority over Levi as well
On day one the work was cut to three behaviours and the leash to six feet, and freedom was widened only once the recall had earned it.
It was a new dog with a new handler. She says she does not use a flexi until the recall is good, and that a new command should not be taught under distraction.
On film
true mama knows best so it's not a good idea to teach a new command under
Come here buddy, let's switch you over to the Flexi
At the follow-up the trainer lent his own collar for the session and gave the owner an interim tool (social pressure) until she could buy a collar that fitted.
Her collar could not be made tight enough, and he could not leave his own. He wanted her to have a lever that needed no collar.
On film
that i actually this is the e-collar that i use for every single session with levi
what I would recommend is try doing that social pressure with him until the
What the family was told
The two markers, and what must follow them
So his reinforcement marker is eh, whereas a punishment marker is just a loud nope.
would be jumping right so any behavior you never want to see happen again it's a firm nope whereas
So if you, like, if it's, like, a behavior you don't want at all, it's a nope and then follow it immediately by the, whoa.
one which is just the vibration i don't do that the red one is like it's like what i have it on
remove yeah nope and then the red button okay so is it nope nope nope n-o-p-e yep that is the word
The settling week: be strict, and put him back where he broke
But what's happening with that is that, yeah, he's learning. It's like, I'm back home with mom.
earlier where it was her dog got up and i was like you need to move him back to where he was
already said um in like past sessions it takes the dogs about a week to settle in so kind of
what to expect when levi comes home is you're probably gonna throw some commands at him he's
Stimulation, never the beep: the count to three
than like 60 though so between 50 and 60 i would recommend
needs to know this what this word means right you don't want to by by using the the beep or like the
doesn't really like annoy me or anything then you take away the power of that
Fit, placement and wearing the collar
levi's right here and we're walking the main thing is that the e-collar is here here or even here but
but nice and, like, it needs to be nice and tight on them.
leaving the e-collar on while you're in the car or when he's sleeping but have it on like just
But I mean, as long as you make sure that as far as the collar goes, that the leash
really nice just like the mini educator i find that yeah mini educator is really nice
No 'stay': the sit implies it, and a cue binds only once given
of thing. So actually you didn't put him in a sip so really you don't need if he
got up right now he wouldn't be doing anything wrong.
um with that the main thing is not saying stay i know that sounds funny but when you put when
'Come' versus 'let's go', and 'let's go' at the sight of a dog
that with a recall, let's pretend I'm the dog for a minute, if you say, you know, here, or come,
there is just conditioning so if every time a dog sees another dog or another person and you say
okay all right so right there um my helpful tip if you will is when he sees a dog instead of
So you need to release him first and then give him.
The command words - and the recall word changes between meetings
The recall is come. We used to use here but
We have our recall, which is here.
Knowing is not doing: give him a reason
the commands what happened is that he knows it just didn't act on it right like even as as people
right and so that's what the dogs like just because they do know it doesn't mean they're
if their reason to not do it is greater than their reason eventually you're gonna start getting this
Expect a dog who does not perform at drop-off
It's funny.
And so then I have to end up being like, just trust me.
In the family's own words
Her goals, stated at the first lesson and repeated at each meeting: the stop-and-sit heel, no jumping on visitors, the camping trip, and later service or support work.
On film
like him to stop and sit right on my left side
And I want him to go with me so he can follow me on my horse up in the woods.
service trained did you mention that to me yeah i'm back in touch with you guys okay we're gonna
What she says she wants most at the first lesson is simply to have him back.
On film
no not really just um i don't have any questions i just miss them a lot yeah
After the handover she apologises for calling, blames herself, and reports that Levi behaved in public and tested her at home.
On film
I feel bad for calling you.
I'm not doing what you're supposed to.
he was doing fine at the park.
Outcomes
What the trainers reported
The owner's goal is met: he sits when the handler stops.
The lead trainer at the handover, about 2026-05-01. The owner later reports the same at home.
On film
he'll sit when i stop
When I went over there and he sat like I said, when I stopped, he sat next to me.
He can be told to sit and will not get up.
The in-house handler, around Bernie's day four or five.
On film
we're actually getting to a point now where i can tell him to sit and he won't get up at all
He has all the commands; only impulse control remains. After the handover the same trainer says he 'knows it all'.
The lead trainer at the first lesson and at the follow-up.
On film
like mainly what we're working on with him because he's really like he's got all the commands down
right but yeah he knows it all he he knows it all he's just he's being a crazy
No more pulling on the leash.
The lead trainer at the second lesson.
On film
way he's not pulling anymore either there's not any pulling going on
He behaved in a Walmart on pickup day and at the park after going home.
The owner, at the follow-up.
On film
he sits when i'm talking he didn't do anything wrong
he was doing fine at the park.
The regression at home was the collar setup, not the owner's handling, and it was fixed in one visit.
The lead trainer at the follow-up.
On film
commands yeah i think your biggest issue really was just had the way e-collar was set up
the fix yeah I'm glad too
He has the energy for service-dog work; the trainer would not be surprised if he could do it, but says it is not his call.
The lead trainer at the follow-up.
On film
and he has the energy for service dog work too
that's not what i do kristen specializes in evaluating dogs for protection and service dog
What the footage shows
Day one: the recall works after two or three reps, and sits under distraction need repeated cues. Both are the handler's live narration.
Through April the sit repeatedly needs several cues with markers. It is praised as 'doing a lot better' late in one walk, and as fast at the end of another.
At the first lesson Levi breaks sits and heels repeatedly in front of the owner. After the trainer refits a loose collar and turns it down, the heel improves at once, and by the end Levi comes back past passing people.
At the second lesson he sits promptly for the owner, sits automatically when she stops, and holds a sit while she backs away. He does not pull.
At the handover he sits less readily on command with the owner present. Her collar will not fit tightly enough on his coat.
At the follow-up, with the owner's loose collar, he ignores her sit and runs from her recall. With the trainer's collar fitted tight, he comes to her and holds a sit while she walks away. The trainer narrates a hesitation as surprise.
Every 'shown' item is what the handler said about the dog in the moment, not a visual check.
The ideas Levi's case runs on
- Control is not obedience
- Cue the trigger, correct the command
- Don't accept the almost
- Fit before level: check the tool before you judge the dog
- Freedom is given in measured steps
- Heel is a box, not a stare
- Keep the marker charged
- One layer at a time: the order is part of the method
- Social pressure
- Switch him on, then ask for off
- The dog is a different dog for his owner - and authority transfers
- The level is not a number
- The reunion is the worst learning environment
- The settling week
- The standard is set by the job
- There is no stay, only the release