Who Phoebe is
As the trainers describe her
A Weimaraner, female, probably full grown. The breed is said twice and never questioned; no age is given anywhere.
On film
A Weimaraner.
I think she's full grown, I want to say.
So we've had two Weimaraners before her.
Nervous, and expected to stay somewhat nervous. Her go-home trainer calls it a permanent baseline and ties it to meeting people; her in-house handler describes her as 'terrified' earlier and less so now.
On film
I think she'll always have, like, a level of, like, a little bit of nerves.
Like, just when she meets people, she might be, like, I don't know if you're, like, cool or not.
works but you know she's not an overly confused dog but she does have some nerves so i just
she's sensitizing to least pressure better now really nice she's not as terrified either
Sensitive to the leash and easily frightened by the handler. One startled yell over a dropped leash made her freeze. This is the trainer's main instruction about her, not an aside.
On film
with lucia than with her like she's she's pretty sensitive to the leash in general like it's really
easy to freak her out um like there was one day where i like accidentally dropped the leash got a little scared and i yelled at her and she was like this and froze
Sniffing is what she works for. Every handler says it, independently, and it outranks play and treats in every account.
On film
much Phoebe I mean I haven't really done it out with her she's not really like wanting to play with me. She just really doesn't give a fudge. She, oh, she's way more interested in just sniffing.
environmental rewards that's where it's at
but like i said i've noticed like genuinely when you're on a walk with her the biggest reward you can give her is just like release her and just let her go start sniffing everywhere
Wants to be near her people, and watches them leave. The trainer reads her long place holds that way, and reads her early recalls and jumping as anxiety rather than eagerness.
On film
and I'd, like, walk all the way over here, and she'd look at me, and I could just see in her eyes, she's like, come back, I miss you.
i've noticed like when we were first training she would kind of come back to me anyways and jump a lot i think she did that because like just her anxiety like she just wanted to be around
Rides the end of the leash if allowed - named as a Weimaraner and hunting-dog trait, and as a mild test rather than defiance.
On film
is that she has a tendency to if you let her she'll start to try to like ride like the end of the leash yeah that's kind of like a Weimaraner thing like just a hunting dog thing
kind of like most dogs will test you a little bit she's not like she's not like the end of all like test everything you say
Opens up as her nerves come down: goofing off, rolling on the concrete, jumping up affectionately. Both the in-house handler and the go-home trainer describe the same change and read it as progress.
On film
once we got her nerves to calm down she just started like goofing off and stuff
been a couple moments now where she's like jumped up which is really nice um so in general she's just getting a lot more comfortable with me
lock her back up yeah because she's she's loosened up quite a bit
Tires quickly outdoors. The trainer wonders about allergies or heat, because two hours of indoor store work did not tire her.
On film
i noticed she gets like tired really quickly outside i did also notice though she like has some allergies too
we did inside store work with her for like two hours yeah and she didn't really tire out the whole time so i'm guessing it's maybe just some kind of allergy or just the heat
As the family describes her
Afraid of things since she was a puppy - rain is the example - and anxious when left alone, which is why the household got its second dog. The owner's words, at the handover.
On film
like we got her home when she was a puppy and she was afraid of the rain
she was so anxious to be left alone which is why we got lucia to have another dog to try to help her which it has
Barks at drive-thrus and outdoor eating places. The owner hopes to take her to an outdoor restaurant without that.
On film
to try to help her which it has and then the other thing is um when we go through drive-thrus or when we go to like an outside eating place she just barks
See if we can take her to an outside restaurant and not have her bark at everybody again.
Cleared the yard fence once, ran to the road, stopped there and came back. Foams at the mouth when very excited. Ate frogs as a puppy and was sick from them. Pulled at the park before the program.
On film
she just bounds over the thing she and then she went down the front yard but stopped right at the road huh and then came back
oh she's trying to take off and then she thinks the first year when she was a puppy she always tried to eat the um frogs and then it would make her sick
like this is better because when we would go to the park she would always pull
The household's third Weimaraner. One earlier Weimaraner lived to fifteen; the owner's account of its death is not reproduced.
On film
So we've had two Weimaraners before her.
The program, stage by stage
Before the program, off camera
Before about mid-February 2026. Nothing filmed.
Everything here is the owner's account at the handover or the trainers' second-hand reports. A household on its third Weimaraner, with a second dog, Lucy or Lucia, acquired because Phoebe could not bear to be left alone. Fearful since puppyhood; barking at drive-thrus and outdoor eating places; pulling at the park; once over the yard fence and back from the road; foaming when excited. On pickup she nipped Christian getting out of his truck, by Christian's report as relayed by the go-home trainer. No intake, evaluation or first meeting is in the library.
On film
she was so anxious to be left alone which is why we got lucia to have another dog to try to help her which it has
But, you know, it's better than, I know, I think Christian told me when he got her out of his truck, she, like, nipped at him a little bit.
The trainer-school lesson: open her up before asking for anythingTurning point
Earliest filmed session; uploaded 2026-02-17.
An instructor uses Phoebe to teach students. She will not play properly yet - takes the toy away and goes off to sniff - so the instructor stops pushing and walks with the tug and ball at her pace, and twice she comes and tries to pull the tug from his pocket. She shakes off and rolls, which is named for the students as stress coping. On a long line he runs with her while she holds the toy, because a longer hold is a step toward holding it with the handler at the other end. Then the lesson that matters most for her: the release. She does not come off place on 'okay'. Pulling her off would teach that 'okay' predicts pressure and a trip to the handler, so he says 'okay' and throws the ball instead. A sit is produced by walking toward her. The close is about dose and patience: stop at diminishing returns, leave the dog wanting tomorrow, and if you are saying 'nope' fifty times something is wrong. The inventory for the day contains no down and no heel.
On film
because a lot of times you'll actually have the opposite so instead of saying well now is our play session for 30 minutes you better start playing it can be intermittent at the dog's pace
She's starting to slowly take interest in me.
Yeah, or like Jericho will tell you, if you watch what she just did there, where she shook it off, so that's like a stress coping mechanism, right?
Okay is not a command to come to you. It's kind of the opposite, right? Right. But if you pull them off the play spot, and then they come over to you, that's what you're making them do.
my alternative strategy was okay she didn't get off so instead of pulling her off what can i do
All right, so it's not clear to her yet, right?
But it shouldn't be. If you're saying nope like 50 times, what are you doing?
The play session: a straight recall, the lowest collar level she notices, and the first downs
Probably the day after stage 2; uploaded 2026-02-22.
Still a class. She is more interested in the environment than in the ball, and the instructor uses that as her reward while telling students to keep offering play. The recall on the long line is shaped until she comes straight and all the way in; the students are quizzed on what did it - play at the end, and a little line pressure relieved as she came - and told that the two together are typically the fastest way a dog learns. The e-collar is then introduced on the recall as a tap at a very low level; a slightly higher level produces a slightly bigger jump, and the instructor settles between the two as her lowest conditioning level. She shakes and yawns afterwards, and the students are taught where the line is: shaking off is ordinary stress, freezing and heavy suppression mean the handler has made mistakes. Always keep the long line in hand when conditioning a recall. The down has had only a few repetitions and has been easy - 'a very low pressure win'.
On film
Still try the play.
She comes all the way to me, straight, all the way to me, and says, yeah, that's it.
Yeah, there was pressure, and then it went away, and she got all the way to me.
bb come bb come good job go go go right i was tapping the e-collar when i took you
When they're under unhealthy stress, you see a bunch of, like, bad fallout signs where they freeze up and they're, like, suppressed really over much and they're doing a bunch of weird stuff.
Don't do that.
For her, it's been very easy so far.
see that's a very low pressure win
One day, three recordings: 'three weeks in five sessions'Turning point
One day on or before 2026-02-23 (watch, then Apollo's watch at about 3:30, then watch at about 5:10).
A different handler, with four or five sessions behind them, walks her in a park. She is pulling a lot less but does not like losing the choice of direction. A down rep is redone because the handler thinks they helped too much, and the technique is changed on camera: pressure straight down through the collar so the leash is not part of the cue and she need not start from a sit. The handler reflects that they once asked not to be given nervous dogs and now enjoy them, that with Phoebe it feels like walking and learning together, and that nothing has needed punishing. She downs, places and sits; recall is 'okay'; sit on the verbal alone is not locked in; place holds unless the handler walks away, which is why e-collar sensitising for place is planned for the next session. A flexi is planned for when she is steadier on the six-foot, to test the recall and make sniffing a bigger reward. Later, beside Apollo's handler, the same handler says her down is quicker and her loose leash is improving, and repeats the five-sessions claim. At the end of the day, a place session in company: a release that works without the handler moving, a down in 'a terrible spot', a few heel steps on a prong collar, and one rep redone because the handler released her without warning.
On film
So, she is pulling a lot less.
So I feel like I accidentally smoke and mirrored right there, so I'm gonna do it again. Phoebe.
down down down good girl yes i realized that i really should just be moving the collar downwards
So definitely not the next dog I thought I was going to get since I pretty much was like, don't give me any nervous dogs. But now that I'm more equipped to handle them, I actually really enjoy working with them.
her it's really nice and i really haven't had to punish anything
her. If I walk away, she might get up. So, at some point, I do need to start sensitizing
She's doing down quicker.
doing pretty good okay you see when I said okay I didn't have to move she did
good girl whoo BB hey down down this is a terrible spot to try to get you to
Unplaced middle: a marker realised to be wrong, and a handler who stopped yelling
Somewhere between stage 3 and the go-home lesson. watch uploaded 2026-03-01; watch uploaded 2026-03-06 but probably filmed on or before 2026-03-01.
Two short sessions whose handlers are thinking aloud about their own handling. In watch a handler working place on a long line uses 'nope' for every break, gives sniff breaks as reward, and stops mid-session: 'nope' is the punishment marker and they have been using it while reinforcing, so perhaps an 'uh-uh' - 'I know we were talking about that'. In watch a handler describes deliberately not yelling 'nope' and popping her, reports that she is less terrified and has started jumping up affectionately, is working her 'disrespect for the leash' - she should stop when she feels the end of it - and notes that she stays on the cot but has not yet relaxed on it. Someone asks whether Christian has explained pairing a very low e-collar stimulation with leash pressure so that the leash can eventually drop out. the trainer works Apollo nearby. Read together, these look like the step between the class's plain 'nope' and the two-marker system the go-home trainer calls new; that is an inference and the order of the two recordings is not known.
On film
because I'm reinforcing a behavior, and I believe the negative marker is a punishment marker, so, I think I just realized I'm using that, I've been using that wrong the whole time
maybe we'll do a marker, like, uh-uh, I know we were talking about that
i'm basically sitting here very aware like almost like uh being very mindful about okay because my initial thing would be like you know n-o-p-e and just yell like yell it and then she'd be like oh my god and like pop her and then put her back on
disrespect for the leash i mean just when she feels the end of the leash she needs to stop
talk to you about the sensitizing the low e-collar to leash pressure at the same time
phoebe is that she hasn't really gone into like a relaxed state on the cot and i'm hoping that if she stays on there long enough she will
Late program, off camera: long place, store work, off leash in a store, an owner session
The last week or so before the handover. Reported at the go-home lesson; none of it is in the library.
The go-home trainer reports 20-minute place holds with him at a distance the day before; about two hours of indoor store work without her tiring; a video Christian took of her off leash in a store; and an owner session about a week earlier at which he covered more than usual. Whether any of this is in the unread playlist video watch is unknown.
On film
Yeah, I had her on place for, like, I mean, I did, like, 20 minutes
sure you probably saw i i know we have a video of it uh christian took i don't know if he posted yet where she was like off leash in the store
fortunately with that other session that we did like a week ago it kind of covered a lot of stuff
The go-home lesson: how she differs from the dog you already haveTurning point
On or before 2026-03-12. In a park, with the owner and, at least at the start, Lucy/Lucia.
The owner already has a company-trained dog, so the trainer skips the commands and teaches the differences. Be strict about the end of the leash, with a small pop, because she will test it; but pop far more lightly than you would the other dog, because a little pressure goes a long way and the last thing anyone wants is to lock her back up. A new marker split: 'nope' to stop a behaviour entirely, 'eh' as a nudge when she is not catching on. 'Okay' releases; 'come' is the recall; heel is on the left. For jumping, 'nope' and a pop or the collar, and expect to re-establish it at home - the grandchildren at the grandparents'. For barking and reactivity, 'let's go' first and only then the correction, so each reactive moment becomes a conditioned route to following the handler, and always in that order, because her nerves make her easily confused if the handler is unclear. She feeds off people's emotions. Let her sniff; it is her pay. Watch the posted videos. The trainer has not seen her bark at people and wonders aloud whether the barking is tied to the owner; a follow-up about a week later is promised. Sit needed an 'eh' when he demonstrated it; a jump was stopped with 'nope' and a pop. The session ends in paperwork, noted and omitted.
On film
most of what i want to go over is just like with her because her and lucy are like really they're different dogs like personality wise like crazy different
a little bit of pressure goes a long way um the last thing that you'd want to do is like kind of lock her back up
So we actually have, like, nope, which is, like, discouraging a behavior entirely, which would be, like, jumping.
you say let's go and then she doesn't listen and you reinforce it what happens is every time she wants to be reactive it will make this pathway in her brain where it goes reactivity each time i want to get reactive i get told to let's go
order because like she's kind of because of her nerves sometimes can be a little easily confused
i would say is like a concern that i would have is that maybe it's like tied to like you or you
Hemel will reach out to you about scheduling.
After: nothing filmed
After 2026-03-12.
The promised follow-up is not in the library. One later recording may remember her: in Dory's first private lesson (May 2026) a trainer tells an owner he once had 'the Weimaraner' on place for about twenty-five minutes. Phoebe is the only Weimaraner in the program's roster so far and her go-home trainer reported twenty-minute holds, but the dog is never named and the speaker is not identified. A lead only.
On film
I think I told you I was working with the Weimaraner and I put the dog on place for like 25 minutes
Skills
Release ('okay')
How it was taught
Never by pulling her off, because that would make 'okay' predict pressure and a trip to the handler. The instructor paired 'okay' with a thrown ball so the word predicts freedom; a later handler checked that the release did not depend on their own movement, and redid a rep in which they had released her without warning.
On film
She's definitely not verbal.
and then i said okay and then threw the ball and then she ran off and got it right
doing pretty good okay you see when I said okay I didn't have to move she did
like they're pretty much the same for lucia so like okay is the release right
Down
How it was taught
The in-house handler then changed the technique so that pressure goes straight down through the collar and the leash is not part of the cue, and redid a rep they felt they had helped.
On film
So for the down, she doesn't know down very well yet.
see that's a very low pressure win
and then applying negative reinforcement that way she's not associating the link to down she has to already be in a sit
She's doing down quicker.
so right here is how you would use that marker that i was talking about phoebe sit and so she kind of was like i don't know did that correct her phoebe down
Loose leash and leash pressure
How it was taught
Mostly by walking with her and stopping the pull, with occasional light pops; she shook the pops off easily. Later, a low e-collar stimulation paired with leash pressure was discussed so the leash could fade. To the owner: strict about the end of the leash, a small pop, and much lighter than with the household's other dog.
On film
What did she start with? Leash pressure.
it's okay yeah oh there's a shake shaking it off she's she even pretty easily with that which it's kind of what i was looking for
have just been working on loose leash walking day again I will say Phoebe's loose leash like I'm doing it like I know I'm doing stuff right like cuz she's getting better
pressure when you're doing that and then eventually you don't have to pull the
if she's just riding into the leash you want to be pretty strict about that
Place
How it was taught
Repetition with 'nope' for breaks and sniff breaks as reward; release practice; the stated goal is settling, not staying ('you just gotta learn to chill out'). E-collar sensitising for place was planned by one handler.
On film
please please nope you don't test me phoebe nope please please good girl yeah yeah don't test me
come on phoebe phoebe place place i know this is not very exciting you just gotta learn to chill
phoebe is that she hasn't really gone into like a relaxed state on the cot
Yeah, I had her on place for, like, I mean, I did, like, 20 minutes
Recall
How it was taught
On a long line always held while conditioning, with line pressure relieved as she came and play at the end; the e-collar introduced as a low tap as she came. A flexi was planned to test it further; no test is filmed.
On film
She comes all the way to me, straight, all the way to me, and says, yeah, that's it.
Always pick the long line up so that you have an opportunity to know it's really big.
yeah um with this lead stuff and then i can start really letting it loose get the testing on the recall letting her go out and sniff even more
we've switched okay so yeah so we've used come with with lucia
Sit
How it was taught
Spatial pressure; 'no' or 'nope' for errors; later the 'eh' nudge.
On film
I'll use Spatial Pressure.
only does it off cue sometimes like just verbal cue it's not locked in like that
Play
How it was taught
At her pace, on walks, never scheduled or demanded; running with her on the long line while she holds it.
On film
and she's trying to keep it away she likes to keep away way too early actually interesting
We want them to hold it for longer, because if they hold it for longer, we're one step closer to them
It's not full power in play yet, so we don't have full power in play
Jumping
How it was taught
'Nope' then a pop or the collar; the owner told to re-establish it quickly at home.
On film
okay the thing with jumping is that like i can fix it with me right and she won't jump on me
When she starts jumping, it's like, you just want to go, nope,
Reactivity (let's go before the correction)
How it was taught
Not filmed. The trainer says they 'worked on that quite a bit'.
On film
to demonstrate she's not going to bark
i have not found that like when i'm out here she's barking at people with me
Heel
How it was taught
Not described.
On film
Phoebe place good girl. I'm gonna try the heels.
the heel did did hemma go over the heel with you at all with lucy
Down
On film
You want to feel them get under the pressure for you.
instead of kind of like popping down.
just a little bit, and you go, okay. You release. They're not in a down.
Right, she gave, and then you go a little bit further each time, and then all of a sudden they go all the way down.
Because what you were doing is like you're pulling her down, but it's like you're forcing her into that natural back position like this.
Heel
On film
So you see there's no sniffing. She stays in the box.
She follows me on the turn and she stops when I stop.
From the Shorts
Short clips posted from Phoebe's training. They are undated, so they sit beside the program rather than inside it.
Teaching the down with gentle leash pressure
Showing another handler how to teach the down, the trainer explains that you take the leash and watch for the dog's shoulders to move down, waiting to 'feel them get under the pressure'. Phoebe goes down easily, which the trainer says does not always happen, because some dogs fight a lot harder. The trainer adds that since then they have moved away from popping a dog down.
On film
you basically just take the leash, and all you're looking for is to see their shoulders move down.
You want to feel them get under the pressure for you.
Yeah, well, she did it really easy.
I won't lie, that doesn't always happen, but that's really nice.
Yeah, some dogs fight a lot harder.
And one thing that I learned though, since then actually, is that instead of doing like too much of the, instead of kind of like popping down.
A heel, with its rules said out loud
After a run of repetitions the trainer first rebuilds Phoebe's interest with praise and movement. Then he asks for a heel and says what he is looking for as she walks: no sniffing, staying in position beside him, following him on the turn and stopping when he stops.
On film
Cuz that was a lot of reps all at once good.
So I just want to rebuild her engagement with me.
All right, Phoebe. Heel. Heel. So you see there's no sniffing. She stays in the box. She follows me on the turn and she stops when I stop. Good girl.
How the method adapted
Phoebe is a nervous-dog case, and the method applied to her is the program's ordinary one turned down. Every adaptation on record is a reduction - less pressure, less noise from the handler, less demand before cooperation - and every one is explained by her nerves. The handlers also say, more than once, that she changed them.
Cooperation before commands: play opened at her pace rather than scheduled.
The clean version: walk, offer the tug, stop pushing, enjoy the time; she started to come to him.
On film
right away and it takes a little bit to get them out of their shell and start playing with you
Instead of me pushing her, I'm just having fun.
you saw how quickly i didn't push the training right away yeah but did i get training done yeah did she learn stuff yeah yeah
A failed release was solved with the ball, not with the leash.
Pulling a nervous dog off place would teach her that the release word predicts pressure.
On film
So then, okay predicts what?
my alternative strategy was okay she didn't get off so instead of pulling her off what can i do
The collar introduced at the lowest level she notices, raised in the smallest step, and settled just below the level that made her jump.
The clean cues show the procedure; the go-home trainer's ceiling says the same thing for the family.
On film
yeah that's right it's very low just enough to kind of just do it
more of a jumpy jump and so i think 13 is fine for this so this is the lowest in condition
so the other thing with the e-collar is like I find that really I don't ever go over like a 20 on the e-collar with her she sits pretty low
The handler changed their own behaviour: no yelled 'nope', no pop, then a new, softer marker.
Her fear of the handler is itself the obstacle. One handler names the habit being unlearned; another realises their marker is wrong; the go-home trainer teaches the family the two-marker split as the company's recent refinement.
On film
so with this like i'm not like you know yelling
i think phoebe's probably the most i feel like the most mindful i've ever been training before
So, like, for her, you know, if you say sit and she just kind of looks at you, if you go eh, she'll, like, kind of go down and sit.
Sniffing adopted as her main reward, and handed to the owner as such.
She did not want to play with the in-house handler and cared about little else. The flexi plan exists to make sniffing a bigger reward; the go-home instruction is not to discourage it.
On film
recall letting her go out and sniff even more like to increase like the reward to be even better
to see like when she does what she wants she gets her reward which i think is what i'm supposed to
wouldn't discourage her from sniffing on the ground because that's kind of her reward
For reactivity, the cue always comes before the correction.
Stated for her specifically: her nerves make her easily confused, and a correction that arrives before the cue leaves her not knowing why, so she may lock up.
On film
then afterwards, keep it moving. And you want to do it after, because if you do it before, she'll be like, what did I do?
used to she's gonna be like i don't know what to do she might lock up that kind of thing
What the family was told
Why it looks chaotic at pickup
it's probably like i would say probably the highest form of distraction possible
i always hope they'll mess up a teeny bit on the drop off just so i can demonstrate how to do everything
The leash: strict about the end of it, gentle with the pop
just a hunting dog thing so when you feel that tension you want to make sure
is i would say in general like with a pop like with with lucia you probably go a lot stronger
time if you don't like she'll kind of like figure out what you can get away with
Two markers: 'nope' and 'eh'
And then we're using this new one, which is just, like, kind of like a parent when they get annoyed.
that's mainly the the main things of if you say say it and you don't know better she's going to think that you're trying to just like remove something entirely which is not fantastic
trying to be these days a little more specific with the dogs just you know we're always like it's our craft so we're always trying to just refine our training
Release, recall, heel
i can't remember so i some of us used to use here to recall the dogs i don't know what lucia used
yeah obviously so she goes on the left here yeah always on the left
Jumping: fixed with the trainer, to be re-established at home
note marker and then either do a pop or e-collar that basically shows like this behavior is not
like hey you can't do that here it's kind of almost like like when the grandkids go to the grandparents house
Reactivity: let's go first, then reinforce, in that order
for for her and you what you're going to want to do is use the let's go okay and then if she doesn't listen to that then you can reinforce that
that is that obviously everything we do right we condition the dogs
but usually when they're in their reactive state they're going to fight you a little bit
Her nerves and yours
the biggest thing with her too is like obviously she's feeding off of other like people's emotions
around with phoebe mainly it's important not to get her worked up
Maintenance: the videos, the follow-up
So, we've started recording them now, just so people can go back and watch them.
just just for like you know help with maintaining training just look out for those videos that are going to get posted
Just so I want to give her time to just settle in and everything.
In the family's own words
At the handover only: Phoebe has been afraid of things since she came home as a puppy, including rain; she was so anxious alone that the household got a second dog, which has helped; she barks at drive-thrus and outdoor eating places and at people; she once cleared the fence and came back from the road; she pulled at the park before and is better now. The other dog, Lucy or Lucia, is afraid of nothing but the shower and dog mess, barks a lot, and is treat-motivated. The owner does not state her own name, and her town and the contract exchange are omitted.
Outcomes
What the trainers reported
Her nerves came down and she loosened up a great deal.
The go-home trainer, at the handover
On film
once we got her nerves to calm down she just started like goofing off and stuff
So, you know, we're doing way better now.
20-minute place holds with the trainer walking away, the day before the handover.
The go-home trainer
On film
I was doing, like, these really long place commands with her yesterday
Off leash in a store, on video taken by Christian; two hours of indoor store work.
The go-home trainer
On film
sure you probably saw i i know we have a video of it uh christian took i don't know if he posted yet where she was like off leash in the store
She downs, places and sits after four or five sessions; recall okay; nothing needed punishing.
The in-house handler on the three-recording day
On film
kaboom why can't i and the answer is i can because like phoebe is already downing she places she sits she her recall is okay
her it's really nice and i really haven't had to punish anything
Pulling much reduced.
The in-house handler; the owner agrees at the handover
On film
So, she is pulling a lot less.
like this is better because when we would go to the park she would always pull
The trainer would not be afraid to take her off leash.
The go-home trainer, who keeps her on leash in the park anyway
On film
just always been afraid of i can i wouldn't be scared to take her off leash but just because we're in the park i just want to be kind of careful
What the footage shows
The release moves from 'not verbal' to working on the word without the handler moving.
On film
All right, so it's not clear to her yet, right?
doing pretty good okay you see when I said okay I didn't have to move she did
Down goes from untaught to a few low-pressure repetitions to performed on cue in several recordings, still often with repeated cues or a 'nope'.
On film
Sit. The implied stay. The okay. Did I use nope?
For her, it's been very easy so far.
come on no you gotta down you know this down nope down down good girl
A recall that comes straight and all the way in on a held long line.
On film
She comes all the way to me, straight, all the way to me, and says, yeah, that's it.
Place held with breaks early, then held but without relaxation, then released cleanly. No long hold is filmed.
On film
please please nope you don't test me phoebe nope please please good girl yeah yeah don't test me
phoebe is that she hasn't really gone into like a relaxed state on the cot
At the handover she still jumps and still needs a nudge to sit. Nowhere in seven recordings is she heard barking or reacting to a person or a dog.
On film
When she starts jumping, it's like, you just want to go, nope,
so right here is how you would use that marker that i was talking about phoebe sit and so she kind of was like i don't know did that correct her phoebe down
The ideas Phoebe's case runs on
- Cue the trigger, correct the command
- Eating the correction, and avoidance as a tactic
- Generalisation is the whole job
- Genetic versus environmental nerves
- Hidden help
- Meaningful release
- Reading the dog
- Release to freedom
- The dog tells you the reward
- The dose of a session
- The handler is a variable: nerves, tension, voice and energy
- The marker vocabulary: eh, good, okay - and two corrections
- The settle criterion