Who Murphy is
As the trainers describe him
An Australian Cattle Dog, a pet in for pet-dog training, and an older dog than Wiley with 'different drives'. His finished work is explicitly expected to look less dynamic than his housemate's.
On film
Cattle yeah, he's a Australian cattle dog, but also known as blue healers
no no he's just somebody's pet we're just doing pet dog training for this one
his doesn't look as dynamic as wiley's
but that's to be expected sure he's older than him and uh different drives and stuff like that
A sniffer and explorer, friendly with a stranger in a store.
On film
Murphy just likes to explore and sniff everything loves to sniff
you made a friend smart boy
Motivated by touch rather than food: head pets over body pets, belly rubs, and treats taken without enthusiasm. His owners say the same.
On film
i've noticed he likes it better when i pet his head than his body so i go for head pets
Yeah he wants scratches. He wants rub. Belly rubs. He likes belly rubs. He always likes that.
they're not like right like cuz like with Murphy it's not the strongest I give him a treat and he's like I'll take the treat but he's not like oh my god
Sensitive to social correction - more so than Wiley - so collar levels have to be much lower for him. He growled at the trainer once in the whole program, when the down was first taught with pressure.
On film
only ever growled at me one time it was when i was initially teaching him to do a down
he'll blow it right off um but with murphy like that'll send him into a panic if you use that like high of a level so then the level it's just setting levels it's going to be way lower
Because he's pretty sensitive to social corrections, that dog is.
And so is Murphy, right?
The one 'with the attitude problem' at home: he guards space against Wiley, who avoids him. Kelton watches it happen within minutes of the dogs meeting again.
On film
it's murphy that's guarding a little bit
I see he's afraid of Murphy yeah oh cool that's that's why I came
from him he's the one with the attitude problem
As the family describe him
He guards Wiley and interferes with Wiley's fetch, to the point where Wiley waited by the owner for Murphy to leave the ball; Wiley cowered at first and later began to fight back. Reported, not filmed.
On film
chasing the ball i got to the point where if the ball rolled near murphy wiley would sit by me and whine and wait for me to go get the ball away from murphy or wait murphy to leave
how was wiley responding to that uh mostly he would just cower but uh i think as he got older um he started fighting
He nips small children about his own height and watches them; he has never broken skin. This is the family's main worry with a new baby in the house.
On film
Baby and Murphy.
So with other small children, anything like his height or close to his height, he nips at them.
he's never broken skin
Bad at transitions: after the family's move from Texas he fought with everybody, they seriously considered rehoming him, and he settled after three or four months. Owner report only; kept as report.
On film
he has he hasn't been the best at transitions when we moved here from texas
was running around fighting with everybody and it was just a huge change way smaller house
we've really thought about getting rid of him but uh yeah about three to four months in he he sold him
Never did well with verbal harshness - the owners' own framing when they ask how he took correction.
On film
how did murphy do with the corrections because with us he's never loved or responded well to like uh verbal harshness
The program, stage by stage
Before the program, off camera
Up to about 2 November 2025. Nothing filmed.
An eight-year-old cattle dog, the most obedient of three, with a history of open-mouthed pecks at small children, of correcting the other dogs around food and people, a bad reaction to small engines, and a rough adjustment after the family moved house - by the owners' account on film, bad enough that rehoming was considered. His housemate Wiley was in the program at the same time or shortly before and became, by Kelton's account, his favourite dog of his career. Everything in this stage comes from the form and from owner report at the go-home.
The bite and the surgery, off cameraTurning point
Probably late November to early December 2025, while both dogs were boarding.
The wound needed surgery, and for two to three weeks Kelton treated it daily. This is the only dog-dog incident in Murphy's program, it is Wiley's aggression rather than Murphy's, and nothing about it was filmed. It is also why the family's worry about their two dogs mattered more at the go-home than it had at intake.
On film
What I think happened was because it happened at night when we weren't around we had them together in like a bigger one
i'm still training his brother right now because he uh he tuned him up while he was they were there together
Back to work on the long flexi
Late December 2025. watch (uploaded 2025-12-29).
The earliest Murphy footage: a walk on a 33-foot Flexi with the back half still shaved and the site itching, two praised recalls from the end of the line, and a monologue about why the trainer has moved to ever-longer leads - freedom, recalls and the three Ds, and a better walk for the dog. The recall is the one skill shown working from the start.
On film
there he was itching huh how did it get like that oh yeah he stitches
you smart dude you did good on that recall buddy
and explore a lot which gives me ample opportunity to give them freedom practice recalls you know
The heel series: short lead, e-collar, back to the flexi
Late December or early January. Heels/Focus Training parts 1 and 3 (one outing), then parts 5 and 6 (one outing, a store). Uploaded 2026-01-05 and -06.
The heel is refined by the house procedure he says he also used with Drago: a shorter lead for precision, the e-collar added at 'a pretty low level' on the same cue, then back onto the unlocked flexi with the collar turned up slightly. Murphy respects the end of a four-foot lead the first time he wears one, which the trainer credits to leash-pressure sensitivity. In the store he is given deliberate decompression after a run of commands; then, going out through a doorway, the heel falls apart and the trainer names a tight-spaces problem, lets him go out ahead, and posts the rough round on purpose. These are the only clips where the e-collar is used on Murphy on film.
On film
murph come on and then use the e collar plus the shorter leash to proof so that you can more easily do it on the flexi
Heel. Nope. That was a little e-collar tap. Heel. Okay. Good boy. Good job, Murphy.
sensitize the leash pressure he's very quickly figured out the four foot lead and I've never worked him on one I've always had him on the longer flexi
to turn the e-color up just slightly good job murphy heal and it's unlocked
is that now that I've done a bunch of commands in row, I need to then allow time for decompression.
This time I'm gonna let him go out ahead.
Flat collar and a dragging line
Early January 2026. watch and watch, both uploaded 2026-01-07; order between them unknown.
Moved onto a flat collar with a backup safety collar, as Drago had been, with off-leash work planned and a long line first. In one outing the heel meets resistance, the trainer suspects a 'slightly poisoned' heel cue, and switches to recalls, release and play to change the dog's mood. In the other he reports progress to camera - recall really good, heel improved a lot, implied stay great, sit fine - and leaves a line dragging at a park that tolerates off-leash dogs less than the ones they usually use. On release Murphy stays close. No unattached off-leash work is on film.
On film
Again, I have the same thing that I did with Drago. I have Murphy on a flat right now with a backup
Murphy might not like the heel very much right now I had to change strategies
Some later videos how he's doing his heel has improved a lot
His implied stays great. His sit is fine
But he has a tendency to stay a little close.
The Home Depot skill demo
After at least a week and a half on the flat collar (stage 5 is the flat-collar period) and before the go-home lesson, which speaks of the trip as done and its clips as posted. No date is spoken.
A full store visit filmed in one take: set-up at the truck, a bathroom stop before the e-collar goes on, the trainer's progress ratings, downs with coaching, food used lightly, a lesson on varying the release position, leash sensitivity at the end of the flexi, and heel with positional corrections.
On film
we've been hanging out together and training together um all day today and we are at home depot
a flat collar and he has a backup on but we've been working him on the flat collar for the last week and a half I think
a bunch of clips were posted on home uh from from that trip we took to home depot on um it's kind of just like a skill demo
Go-home lesson and aggression checkTurning point
About 16 January 2026. watch.
Kelton brings Murphy home and uses the visit to see him with Wiley, the older dog Rafi and an eleven-week-old baby. The baby introduction shows almost no interest. When the other two dogs come in there is a brief clash that Kelton blames on his own e-collar tap, delivered while the dogs were face to face; Murphy hides, is stressed, and has to be coaxed back. Kelton says it was good to see, because he never saw it during the program. Minutes later he watches Murphy guard space and Wiley avoid him, says 'that's why I came', and shows the family his previous night's lesson with a household with the same pattern. He first advises letting the dogs communicate, then changes his advice once the owners say it happens several times a day: catch it at the first small sign, every time, with a traffic leash on an extra-small prong worn all day, a pop and 'nope', e-collar taps afterwards rather than before, and a disappointed tone until Murphy comes to a complete stop, then release. He forecasts a week or two. Nothing after this is filmed.
On film
I tapped the e-collar at the wrong time.
Good, that was good for me to see, too.
Because I didn't get to see that during the program at all.
is two things one um now that i'm hearing i'll change what i said before if it's happening consistently
pretty quickly the longest i can see this lasting is like maybe two weeks that would be pretty long
Skills
Heel
How it was taught
Flexi first, then a shorter lead for precision, then the e-collar layered at a low level on the same cue ('nope', a tap, 'heel', praise), then back to the unlocked flexi with the collar slightly higher; later a flat collar with a safety collar, and a dragging line. When the cue met resistance, the trainer treated it as possibly poisoned and changed the dog's mood instead of pushing. Doorways and tight spaces were the hardest place.
On film
use the shorter leash for a little bit more precision to improve the heel and then flip
turn the e collar down to a pretty low level and I'll do the next one with with the e collar
That's a nice heel.
That was a little rough. I think that his issue with being in tight spaces is appearing there,
It's almost good.
Recall
How it was taught
Called from the end of a long flexi or a drag line with encouragement until he arrives, then praise. Also used as the reset when the heel went wrong.
On film
Murphy come all the way dude come come on
And his recall has been really good.
His recall is doing really well
Down and the implied stay
How it was taught
Pressure into the position on the flat collar at first; 'nope' and a put-back when he breaks; release only on 'okay'. Used during the program at every gate and kennel door.
On film
yeah um and so i had to apply a little bit of pressure to get him to go into the down just with
But his training went well, but he's gonna need a little bit more reinforcement with certain stuff like with the implied stay as an example
Nope. Get back down. Get back down. Thank you. It's amazing. You got to wait for the release, which I will give you.
Leash-pressure sensitivity
How it was taught
Not shown; the trainer attributes the result to the house's leash-pressure sensitivity work.
On film
they'll take as much lead as you give them but they won't take more because we teach leash pressure sensitivity so they feel the leash pressure and they come right off it
Release to freedom
How it was taught
Release followed by 'go, go' and freedom on the long line; the same release word Wiley has.
On film
now he takes the freedom good job dude
So making sure that he knows he's free,
supposed to be doing anything in particular. He can do whatever he wants.
Door and gateway manners
How it was taught
At home the down is kept for maintenance because it gets used less than the sit.
On film
goes through a gate like out in and out of his kennel area because they both stayed in five by ten kennels um every time in and out when when i go to get them out they have to like sit or down
comes in so that he doesn't bust in make him do it down
can sit fine too switch to it down yeah i normally use down mostly just because um for maintenance
Calm versus stationary: the 'easy' cue
How it was taught
Verbal 'easy' while he is stationary; a down held long enough can induce calm but is not calm in itself.
On film
Um, the other one that I used with Murphy, um, that I don't think I actually did
is uh the easy cue so murphy okay okay good easy
Heel
On film
So I start out and I haven't really done any deal with Murphy at all. So I start out where I don't use the cue
Like I said, Murphy's a lagger, so he lags a little bit in the heel.
In fact, I'm applying no pressure at all. He just wants to be there because he got rewarded there last time.
he stops when I stopped that look perfect
he has a tendency where he wants to bite the leash when he feels a little cooped up
Recall
On film
murphy come he doesn't like that long line at all good boy nope murphy come come
I think he's going to the truck. Murphy, come, come.
his recall some of his other commands on the long line before we do a full off leash with him out in public
Leash-pressure sensitivity
On film
so we're completely off any kind of prong collar he has an e-collar on and i use it when necessary
It's currently attached to this flat in a backup slip.
Oh, and he's caught in it. He doesn't like when it touches him.
Release to freedom
On film
i'm gonna actually walk away from him now so that he doesn't think he's supposed to be with me
If he stays close to me that's fine. If he ends up going somewhere else that's fine too.
i also use the release cue which you guys should know well by now which is okay
Down and the implied stay
On film
let's try a little sit murphy sit murphy sit sit bud there you go i'll just walk away
No, nope, come on back here. Let's go Murphy
He doesn't wanna get up.
just uh what's called the duration marker it means he's in the right place and he should stay there
Door and gateway manners
On film
Murphy, sit. You can probably stay to go through the door. Okay.
Calm versus stationary: the 'easy' cue
On film
Conditioned relaxation is good for dogs.
if you condition rub downs if you pair that with an easy command easy then it's a quick way to get them to relax and calm down
Heel
On film
just a few reps three maybe three or four reps every walk and that's it
So all of his skills have gone well. Obviously loose leash walking and his heel command is really good.
They're just kind of positional corrections, but heel is a very gray behavior for dogs
I'm gonna stop one more time okay good boy that time he took the freedom so you can see his understanding of the heel command
Recall
On film
I neglected to mention in the last video his recall is looking really good come this is on a six foot leash though so not super impressive
Murphy, come.
Nope, come.
gave in a little bit easier that time to come straight to me.
Down and the implied stay
On film
Sometimes he misses that last little half of movement
So that's a good distraction proofing for the implied stay.
so you don't want to release him from the same place that you're standing every time because he'll start anticipating it
Leash-pressure sensitivity
On film
Very sensitive to leash pressure, so I think that he was just, we had the flexi on, so.
but if he did pull on it and brace into it then i would just use the e-collar in this case since he's on a flat and I don't want to pop him hard on the flat.
Release to freedom
On film
you can see he really takes off when he hears the the release cue
is really strong. Okay. Good boy. Good job. He normally takes off.
From the Shorts
Short clips posted from Murphy's training. They are undated, so they sit beside the program rather than inside it.
First steps in heel, before the word
The trainer films the start of Murphy's heel, saying he had not yet done any heel with him. He leaves the word 'heel' out at first so it does not get 'poisoned', walks with Murphy beside him applying a little pressure, and the moment Murphy is in the right spot he releases him into freedom, which is the reward. He notes that Murphy tends to bite the leash when he feels 'a little cooped up', and says the work is kept to a few reps per walk and then built up through distance, duration and distraction.
On film
Typically I teach the heel primarily with negative reinforcement and a release command as the reward
And with Murphy we're just doing a release into freedom
So I start out and I haven't really done any deal with Murphy at all. So I start out where I don't use the cue
Because I don't want to accidentally poison the heel command.
having him walk next to me i just kind of put a little bit of pressure and then as soon as he's in the right position where i want him to be then i release
he has a tendency where he wants to bite the leash when he feels a little cooped up because he doesn't want to be too close
slow is fast so only a few repetitions spread out for your longer walk
i just increase the 3ds right distance duration and distraction
What each word means to him
The trainer explains the words he uses with Murphy. 'Chirp' means a treat is coming; 'good' means he is in the right place and should stay there; 'okay' is the release; 'nope' tells him he is in the wrong place, and the trainer says Murphy is very sensitive to it. On the long line a recall earns the chirp 'because he recalled to me he did the right thing', and the release sends him back to his free time.
On film
So the three markers that I'm using are chirp, which is what I'm using for his food reward marker.
So when I say chirp, it means that he's going to get food, right?
good just means that he's doing the right thing he's in the right place
just uh what's called the duration marker it means he's in the right place and he should stay there
i also use the release cue which you guys should know well by now which is okay
you heard me use uh nope uh when i needed to um to let him know that he was in the wrong place
it's very sensitive to the note marker
indicates that he's gonna get a food reward because he recalled to me he did the right thing
and then now uh he's free to do what he wants again uh because i give him the release cue
Free time that is really free
On a 25-foot line, the trainer starts by asking nothing of Murphy: he can sniff and relieve himself, and the trainer deliberately walks away from him 'so that he doesn't think he's supposed to be with me'. He expects Murphy to check in often anyway, unlike his brother Wiley. Only after a stretch of exploring is Murphy called in, rewarded and released back to his free time.
On film
You can see he's out on a 25 foot line right now.
Alright, so he's kind of free to do what he wants right now.
I wouldn't be surprised if he checks in with me on a regular basis just because Murphy's that kind of dog who likes to check in relatively frequently.
uh but unlike his brother wiley will take off
i'm gonna actually walk away from him now so that he doesn't think he's supposed to be with me
murphy come he doesn't like that long line at all good boy nope murphy come come
A lagger, not a forger
The trainer describes Murphy's heel habits. He does not 'forge' (pull ahead of the handler); he lags a little behind and sometimes 'crabs', walking slightly sideways, which the trainer says would matter in competition but not for a pet dog, because what counts is that Murphy is looking at the handler and in the right place. After a few light e-collar taps and a reward for finding the spot, the trainer says Murphy now goes to the heel position with no pressure at all 'because he got rewarded there last time'.
On film
So Murphy does not forge
So forging means going ahead of the heel.
Like I said, Murphy's a lagger, so he lags a little bit in the heel.
sometimes he crabs a little bit what that means is they walk sideways like a crab
that's not a huge issue when it comes to like a like a pet dog like murphy
the the thing that you're really happy with here is that he's looking at you and he's in the right place
So I'm just giving him a little e-collar taps, good.
So I'm gonna reward that effort. Right, because he found the spot, good boy.
In fact, I'm applying no pressure at all. He just wants to be there because he got rewarded there last time.
But his release command is still really good, so I don't really mind if he looks for it a little bit.
A long line in public, the step before off-leash
After some social time with other dogs and people on a group outing, the trainer puts Murphy on a long line to see how his recall and other commands hold up 'before we do a full off leash with him out in public'; he says some off-leash work has already been done at the training facility, which is not shown. He picks an open space with 'enough distractions where it will be useful', lets Murphy go wherever he likes, then asks for a sit and walks away. Murphy holds it until the release, and the trainer says 'he did it perfectly'.
On film
All right, we're gonna do a little recall Murphy come good boy Murphy sit
We got a dog over there. So this is a little bit of an open space But there's enough distractions where it will be useful
so we're gonna switch him on the long line see how he does with his recall some of his other commands on the long line before we do a full off leash with him out in public we've done some at the training facility
Button this up and we'll just use the e-collar.
It's currently attached to this flat in a backup slip.
If he stays close to me that's fine. If he ends up going somewhere else that's fine too.
let's try a little sit murphy sit murphy sit sit bud there you go i'll just walk away
and he did it perfectly good boy murph
Off the prong, on a flat collar
On a walk spent reinforcing what he already knows, the trainer says Murphy knows not to pull, is on a flat collar now and is 'completely off any kind of prong collar', with an e-collar on that is used when necessary. A short recall earns the chirp and a treat, a down is coached 'all the way down', and the trainer calls his leash walking really nice and his sit and down good.
On film
he knows not to pull on the leash he's just on a flat collar now so we're completely off any kind of prong collar he has an e-collar on and i use it when necessary
murphy come nice little short range recall chip good boy little food reward there
murphy down all the way down all the way put that foot out there we go
you can see his little speech walking is really nice his uh sit and his down are looking good
Small corrections 'all about clarity'
In part 2 of the heel and focus series, the trainer works Murphy's heel with 'nope' and a 'quick little' e-collar correction, which he says is 'all about clarity' for the dog. When Murphy settles into position the trainer calls it 'exactly what I wanted to see' and points out that Murphy stops when he stops; Murphy also holds a sit before going through a door. At the end, in 'a little tighter space', Murphy is less willing and needs more 'nope's.
On film
heel nope heel there we go that was just a quick little e-collar correction
That's exactly what I wanted to see, Murphy. Good boy, he's understanding it.
You can probably stay to go through the door.
nope yeah small e collar correction there it's all about clarity here for the dogs
he stops when I stopped that look perfect
in this spot he seems to not like doing it in here because it's a little tighter space
Turning away to redirect him
On the group outing, the handler turns his whole body to face the other way and uses the redirection cue ('Murphy, let's go'); Murphy follows and is praised as a 'smart dog'. The clip does not say what Murphy was being redirected from.
On film
So I'm turning away probably can't see that on the camera, but I'm looking away. I'm gonna turn my whole body face the other direction
Murphy, let's go. Use the redirection cue. Smart dog.
'Easy' means relax
The trainer explains a word he uses with Murphy. Pair rub-downs with 'easy' and the word becomes a quick way to help a dog relax and calm down, which is useful for putting collars on and off, vet visits, new places and trimming nails. 'Nope' tells the dog something was wrong; 'easy' tells him everything is fine. In another clip the trainer pets Murphy through a long run of 'easy' and says affection and relaxation are good for dogs.
On film
if you condition rub downs if you pair that with an easy command easy then it's a quick way to get them to relax and calm down
it's useful for things like putting collars on or taking them off taking them to the vet taking them out out to places they don't know yet
trimming nails you can use conditioned relaxation put it to a word easy
just like a conditioned punisher you can have a conditioned relaxer right condition punisher would be nope right condition relaxer would be easy
They love affection, you know.
Conditioned relaxation is good for dogs.
Free time, relaxation, calm and work
The trainer describes each word as opening a different 'window' for the dog. 'Okay' means find your own fun: go sniff, do what you like. 'Easy' means relax. He also names calm liberty. Then there is work, such as a recall or 'let's go'. He shows it with Murphy: released to sniff, called straight in ('don't go behind me'), asked to sit, then released back into free time.
On film
okay means find your own fun go sniff whatever you want easy right means all right like relax everything's good
right you got calm liberty you've got conditions relaxation
and then you've got uh you've got find your own fun right the the window that's off the release queue and you got whatever work i want them to do like if i want to recall them or tell them let's go
right here murphy come all the way straight to me don't go behind me all the way good boy sit and back into the find your own fun window
A Home Depot skill check, left running
At Home Depot the trainer says he will leave the camera rolling and post the whole visit as a snapshot of where Murphy's obedience stands in a public place. By then Murphy was working on a flat collar with a backup collar. The trainer rates his loose-leash walking and heel as really good and his sit and down as going well. He lets Murphy relieve himself before putting the e-collar on, and reminds himself to check that it is switched on.
On film
i'm going to leave the camera rolling and post the whole thing and this is just kind of be a snapshot of where he's at currently at the moment with his obedience behaviors
a flat collar and he has a backup on but we've been working him on the flat
So all of his skills have gone well. Obviously loose leash walking and his heel command is really good. His sit and his down are going well.
There's no point in making him do it right away if he's peeing.
I've done that so many times where I've put an e-collar on a dog and it wasn't even turned on.
Heel: small drift versus a real break
In the store the trainer calls heel 'a very gray behavior for dogs'. Small drifts in position get only a light positional correction, but when Murphy leaves heel because something else caught his interest, 'that's not gray'. In a drill clip he shows Murphy keeping to his pace at starts, stops, fast, slow and on turns, and says a 'nope' there only tells him where he should be. On a flat collar, a very soft correction is described as 'a little clarification for him'.
On film
They're just kind of positional corrections, but heel is a very gray behavior for dogs
Nope, that's not gray though He came off of it because he was interested in something else
so I can start and stop he stays at my pace I can go faster he stays at that pace
nope there we go just to let him know he's supposed to be there he's not lagging i can go slow i can do turns and he's staying there right at my left side
Nope very soft correction on the flat collar
Just a little clarification for him
A few heel reps per walk
Most of each walk is just walking, with 'come' and 'let's go' used when needed. Heel gets three or four reps a walk, practised 'little by little', and the trainer says Murphy found the position a lot faster than the time before. Another day ends on a single rep: once Murphy finds 'the spot' beside him, the session is over.
On film
He found it a lot faster than the last time that I took him out
i'm just using the recall and the let's go when i need to but that's about it um the heel has been practicing little by little and he's getting it real fast
just a few reps three maybe three or four reps every walk and that's it
i'll probably just do one little uh repetition with heel with him and i'll pretty much finish
Good job. You found the spot
Don't release from the same spot
Working a stay indoors, the trainer advises against releasing the dog from the same place every time. If the handler always stands at the same distance or spot, the dog learns to predict the release and goes before he is told. So he varies it: closer, further, behind the dog. In another clip Murphy breaks before the release and gets a 'nope', and the trainer still calls his release 'really strong'.
On film
so you don't want to release him from the same place that you're standing every time because he'll start anticipating it
further away or closer or on the back side of him or whatever it is every time i release him then he'll anticipate it and release before i tell him to
I did not tell you you can get up yet, but his release command is really strong.
Recalls near other dogs, one that fell apart
With other dogs about that Murphy wanted to meet, the trainer says he came in 'a little bit easier that time' and plans to keep working from that angle. In a clip titled 'Off Leash!', Murphy gets praise for 'a good choice' when he sees another dog, and holds a sit while a passer-by chats with the trainer. Then the trainer goes looking for a chance to prove the recall, and it breaks down: repeated 'come' and 'nope', 'what are you doing?', ending on 'let's go'. The clip does not say what drew Murphy away, and it was published as it happened.
On film
Right here. Good boy. So he gave in a little bit easier that time to come straight to me. So I'll just keep working that from that angle. Murphy was like I'm about to go make a friend.
There's another dog up that way. Oh, that's a good choice. Come on. Let's go
Nope sit and go. So that's a good distraction proofing for the implied stay.
I'll get an opportunity to prove a recall here
Murphy! Come! Nope! Come! Nope! Nope! Murphy! Nope! What are you doing? What are you doing?
Come on. Come on. What are you doing? No. No. No. Let's go.
A longer, further sit
With the other dogs further off, the trainer asks Murphy for a sit with no separate 'stay' word, adds a little more distance and a little more duration, and then sends him off to sniff as the reward.
On film
good implied stay Murphy sit good do a little bit more distance this time a little bit more duration not super high distractions out here
Smell everything dude smell it all
The last half of the down
Murphy's down is often not quite finished. The trainer says he sometimes doesn't want to lie fully down, or misses 'that last little half of movement', and talks him the rest of the way ('all the way... just put your legs down') until he gets there.
On film
Nope, all the way. You can do it. Just go into the down. There you go. Sometimes he misses that last little half of movement
All the way. Down. You can do it. Just put your legs down. There you go. Nope. He sometimes doesn't want to lay fully down.
Holding a six-foot leash, and a light touch
An explainer with Murphy as the demo dog. Put the leash over your thumb, wrap it once more, and hold all four strands together: a tight grip you can shorten fast or let out easily. Loose-leash walking is where they start with every dog, the trainer says, because pulling leads to a lot of other unwanted behaviour, and what the dog is really learning is to respond to the leash. He says Murphy learned it long ago, and on a flat collar he would not pop him hard. In the store he says Murphy is very sensitive to leash pressure: when he reached the end of the flexi, a small tug brought him right off it.
On film
a six foot leash you're going to want to put it above your thumb like this
you're going to take one two three four all four strands and you're going to put them here that's going to allow you to have a tight grip
something called loose leash walking it's something that we start with all of our dogs on because one of the things that precipitates lots of other behaviors we don't want to see is any kind of pulling
he's not doing it because he's already done loose leash walking long ago
Very sensitive to leash pressure, so I think that he was just, we had the flexi on, so.
But when he got up to it, I just kind of, like, tugged a little bit, and he came right off of it, so.
Affection over treats
The trainer says Murphy will take small treats but is 'not like raving awesome about them', so treats are used a little, alongside a marker, and kept on hand in case they are needed. Most of his reward in these clips is petting and praise. One store clip is nothing but that, ending on Murphy 'living that cattle dog life': circling the trainer, sniffing him and looking at his pant legs.
On film
He will take these treats. He's not like raving awesome about them
with Murphy, I have used treats a little bit with the the marker chirp, but I don't use them super often, but I like to add them to certain things in case I need them.
Cattle dog. That's what he's doing, living that cattle dog life. Circling me, sniffing me, looking at my pant legs.
The calm dog for another dog's practice
On a group outing, staff use Murphy as the passing dog to see how another program dog, Lucia, reacts to him, deliberately 'not doing anything special'. The handler judges Lucia's response an easy redirection with no reactivity. The clips say nothing about Murphy's own reaction, beyond a bathroom break and some heel work afterwards.
On film
Yeah, you want to use Murphy for Lucia real quick
No, just walk by me right now. That's all you're not doing anything special to see how Lucia does
This would be good test for her.
How the method adapted
Collar levels set well below what his housemate could take, because he is sensitive to social correction.
What Wiley 'blows off' would panic Murphy. At the go-home Kelton reads the collar and says 50 'might be a little high for him'.
On film
he'll blow it right off um but with murphy like that'll send him into a panic if you use that like high of a level
for him what was this on just now that might be a little high for him got 50
turn the e collar down to a pretty low level
The heel was abandoned for the day when it met resistance, and the dog's mood was changed first.
The trainer read the refusal as dislike of the cue rather than defiance, and said each dog has to be worked out quickly.
On film
sometimes the dogs just like ooh not happy about something or maybe has a little bit of a like a little bit of a poisoned cue or something like that
each dog is different you have to try to tailor to them and the faster you can
might have something where you kind of need to like change their emotional state give them a release give them some freedom get them happy do some personal
Rewarded with touch, chosen to suit him: head pets rather than body, belly rubs; a treat marker offered to the family but never used by the trainer.
Treats are 'not the strongest' for him, unlike a food-crazy lab who went home the same day.
On film
i've noticed he likes it better when i pet his head than his body so i go for head pets
it could be it could be rubs right if your name is murphy you could just want to get belly rubs
i never even did it with him so he doesn't know his word but with him i use the word chirp chirp and that means he's gonna get a treat
A doorway difficulty handled by letting him go out ahead first.
After a rough round the trainer named tight spaces as the problem and changed the order of the exercise.
On film
This time I'm gonna let him go out ahead.
Advice changed in the room once the owners gave a frequency: from 'let them work it out' to 'work it out for them'.
Occasional friction is communication and should be left alone; a habit that happens several times a day is to be interrupted at its smallest onset, every time.
On film
this situation is one um one thing you should not do is just try to keep them from interacting with each other sure right because letting them interact and work things out is a good thing
and then I see he's avoiding now what we're gonna do is catch it as soon as humanly possible every time so for the first week it might be annoying because
The order of the correction was reversed from Kelton's own demonstration: leash first to separate, e-collar only afterwards.
His tap during the clash landed while the dogs were face to face, so the dog took it as coming from the other dog. He says the same about a moment in the other household's video.
On film
Yeah, I should have, if I had done it when he was sniffing, it probably would have been fine, but I did it when they were close, face to face. So he took it as coming from him, yeah.
the only difference that you'll do is is instead of e-collar first you'll do e-collar after
yeah i did not handle that as uh skillfully as i wanted to right so um i should have instead of using the e-collar there i should have used the e-collar after
The prong was brought back for one job only, at the smallest size.
He walks and works fine on a flat collar, and Kelton says he rarely uses prongs now; the extra-small prong is for catching the guarding in the house, because smaller prongs are more corrective.
On film
he does great with his obedience on the flat collar it's fine but i think i'm gonna give you a different prong collar for him okay um that i have and you won't use it for like obedience or walks or anything like that it's unnecessary
it's an extra small so the prongs are uh 2.25
so the smaller the prongs are the more corrective it is
Disappointment as the tail of every correction, relying on the owners' relationship with a soft dog.
Kelton calls it social pressure and 'booping', and ties it to Murphy's sensitivity; he points out that the other household's dog, equally sensitive, was visibly suppressed for about twenty minutes.
On film
slowly into disappointed mode because you guys have a good relationship right so you can use your relationship with him as social pressure
Not super, but he was like a little, he was visibly suppressed, right?
What the family was told
Management versus training
of times, um, there are problems within like the house, like living stuff that don't have great training solutions, but there are good management solutions.
it's not invasive to close the bedroom door right
better right because management solutions never go away you do it forever
Nipping and play between the dogs
So that, as long as it doesn't turn into fights, they might just be having fun.
If he's nipping, then the best course of action is to let the scenario unfold, but then correct it properly.
So what you're going to do is penalize it. You're going to punish it.
Why a small penalty fails: the speeding analogy
Is they have a situation like this. I tell them, hey, do this. And I come back and they're like, well, we didn't feel like we wanted to use shock or it felt mean.
and so we just did like beeping or um we vibrated or and it worked okay and he stopped doing it but then he did he just keeps doing it though they just still do it like 20 times a day
a common mistake and it's just a but if you think about it that's just like the ten dollar fine
it's gonna feel a little cruel um to be honest with you
How long, and when to stop
the length of time that you'll keep doing it depends on what he does with the information so
Because that's him going, oh, crap, I'm in trouble.
You don't want to just do a roll stop.
because like he'll be already not doing anything and that's the counterintuitive part where it feels like well I already stopped him so why do I need to keep piling off right
The whole sequence, as Kelton restates it
since wiley's there boom nope pop nope pop nope pop nope e-collar nope e-collar nope nope change of tone boop nope we don't do that boop until he's in trouble and then it's over and you say okay good boy good job and you release him
right, so the first thing you'll do is separate them with the
How big a problem this is
this is maybe a three or four out of ten sure um i don't like working with ten out of tens they suck
because that looks a lot different looks like dogs like a menace like hunting the other dogs and like you have to that's when you have the jail rotation
Equipment and wearing
It's a two foot long leash.
The reason I got it for you is so that you can let him wear it all day for a while.
I leave that all day. Leave that on him. At night, take it off. Take the prom collar off.
But it's relatively tight because if it's too loose and then it doesn't make contact all the way around It doesn't have the same corrective force.
I don't use the chain as a primary collar ever because if you pop that that's the most
The four behavioural levers
to explain it so there's four behavioral levers in dog training
Fourth behavioral lever is penalties. Penalties and the pressure on and off thing often get mistaken for each other. They're not the same thing.
it off that makes something more likely to happen again the next time penalties make something they did less likely to happen the next time
so what you're using is aversive control and you're using specifically penalties
Calm is not the same as a down
uh, you can put them in a place where if you like reinforce and you leave them there for long enough, it will create, it'll induce calm behavior, but it in itself isn't calm behavior to begin with. Cause right now he's in a down, so he's not, he's stationary, but he's not calm.
Coming home, the baby, and the timeline
Be as happy as they wanna be.
I think I'll be more concerned when this guy's mobile
all day for the first it should only take at most a couple weeks could be faster it just depends on how persistent he is in the behavior
think of it as training murphy weekend
In the family's own words
Their first report is about Wiley, not Murphy: his down held through a screaming baby and a busy car park, and a recall from out of sight on the trash run. Kelton takes it as proof the training was installed. (Wiley's arc owns this material.)
On film
he'll come to you yeah okay so the training's been maintained fine and it was well installed
They name the baby as the thing they worry about with Murphy home, and say the guarding happens about a quarter of the time.
On film
Baby and Murphy.
They had hoped the mother would see how the dogs are handled, and on seeing Murphy break a down they recognise what Kelton means by reinforcement.
On film
hey Murphy down I see what you mean about like you mean the reinforcement he
Outcomes
What the trainers reported
Heel improved a lot, implied stay great, sit fine, recall really good.
The in-program trainer, to camera, early January 2026
On film
Things have been successful so far with Murphy.
Some later videos how he's doing his heel has improved a lot
All the obedience went well, as it did with Wiley; the implied stay needs more reinforcement than Wiley's.
Kelton, at the go-home
On film
all the obedience went well um just like it did with wiley
He'll need more reinforcement than Wiley does.
No cause for worry with the baby now; more concern once the baby is mobile.
Kelton, at the go-home
On film
based on what I've seen here I don't see any calls for word
What the footage shows
Every filmed recall is answered and praised; the heel is worked in every clip and never clean for long, with repeated 'nope's even in the last in-program footage.
On film
Good boy. Murphy, heel. Nope. Heel. There you go. Nope. Heel. You got it. Come on. Heel.
At home, a down that holds after one put-back, a greeting of the owners with obvious excitement, and almost no interest in the baby.
On film
but as you can see i don't do he doesn't need it super hard stuff with him typically
A brief clash on reintroduction, triggered by the trainer's mistimed tap by his own account, after which Murphy hid and was stressed; then space guarding and Wiley's avoidance, watched live.
On film
He's hiding.
yeah and see he's a little he's been a little stressed since he came in
I see he's afraid of Murphy
The ideas Murphy's case runs on
- A life that gets smaller, and the bargain
- Calm at every threshold
- Contingent, avoidable, and the right size
- Control what the dog blames
- Don't poison the command
- Food facilitates calm, it cannot create it
- Freedom is given in measured steps
- Management, not training
- Nobody is at fault; it isn't personal
- Pressure, release, reward
- Restraint manufactures the reaction
- Social pressure
- Stop the first domino
- The dog tells you the reward
- The dose of a session
- The four behavioural levers
- The gear list, and the reasons for each piece
- The handler is the first suspect
- The leash is a prop
- The lifetime pressure budget
- The pair is the unit of training