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Cases · Case

Piglet

Who Piglet is

As the trainers describe her

The problem is prey drive, above all toward cats and small animals. Dog reactivity comes second. Christian's evaluation judged it extreme, and that judgement is why the case went to the head trainer.
On film

That is why the dog, uh, got assigned to me because I'm the head trainer.

Watch at 17:21 ↗

stance she has yeah he said the prey drive is nuts

Watch at 17:34 ↗

Some reactivity to dogs, I think, yeah.

Watch at 3:09 ↗

There's a lot more prey drive. Yeah, she's been doing better.

Watch at 3:13 ↗

She's got a little bit of prey drive.

Watch at 21:03 ↗

Yeah, so smaller dogs, she wants to eat them sometimes.

Watch at 21:05 ↗
Affectionate to the point of habit. She rolls over for belly rubs with anyone, strangers included. Belly rubs become her main reward and a problem to manage at the same time.
On film

And then that's all she wanted was belly rubs. Yeah, she kept doing that on the trail when people would walk by

Watch at 10:15 ↗

she wants some belly rubs that's her favorite award nowadays

Watch at 19:13 ↗

She's still been rolling over for everybody to get belly rubs.

Watch at 2:50 ↗
Read as nervous by several people, in several ways: 'a nervous case' on day one, 'weirdly nervous' on the trail, 'nervy' in town, 'very sound sensitive', and looking as if she expects to be hit.
On film

I mean, I know she's a bit of a nervous case.

Watch at 6:09 ↗

you get weirdly nervous for a dog that's got so much prey drive

Watch at 5:52 ↗

She also just seems to be like a little nervy in this environment.

Watch at 8:06 ↗

All the people. She's very sound sensitive.

Watch at 31:47 ↗

why does she look like she's being abused

Watch at 14:56 ↗
Sensitive to punishment and quick to keep its lesson, which the trainer calls the thing that makes his job easier.
On film

what i found is that she's pretty sensitive uh to being punished

Watch at 4:51 ↗
Low stamina, especially in heat. She is tired after fourteen minutes at Dix Park, 'a lazy fart' and a 'house hippo', and the trainer builds shade, water and truck air conditioning into every outing.
On film

bully they get tired fast they do get tired fast you're being lazy pig pig

Watch at 10:32 ↗

the first like week and a half. She's a lazy fart and she enjoys that.

Watch at 6:12 ↗

yeah you gotta respect the heat with these doggies especially with bully breeds gotta give them plenty of rest

Watch at 24:16 ↗
She will not play. She ignores a ball, and the trainer never gets 'hardcore play' from her, so running and belly rubs stand in for play as rewards and recovery.
On film

He does not care about the ball very much. At least not yet.

Watch at 1:56 ↗

So if you're not able to get a dog to do hardcore play, which I haven't

Watch at 1:06:32 ↗
A strong anticipator. She pre-offers down and tests whether she can avoid commands she already knows.
On film

little bit of an avoidance loop where i give her commands and she's like i'm just gonna lay down

Watch at 9:02 ↗

skilled um anticipator right she anticipates and i don't want her working off of anticipation every time

Watch at 29:15 ↗
The trainer's summary at handover: despite the cats, she was his easy dog.
On film

funny enough despite the cat thing um for this set uh pig was actually for the majority but she was my easy dog

Watch at 18:22 ↗

As the family describes her

Before the program her life had shrunk: walks before dawn to avoid meeting anyone, and tethering in the house since the household started living with the cats.
On film

but we were walking her literally at like 4 35 in the morning to avoid having to run into anyone

Watch at 1:21 ↗
Destructive when left alone, fixated on the cat, and muzzled and growling at the vet.
On film

She destroyed the frame around the front door. She chewed through an entire bedroom door. She chewed the remote in five minutes

Watch at 2:12 ↗

The vet, it makes me put a muzzle on her,

Watch at 3:06 ↗

Yeah, and she growls at the vet the entire time

Watch at 3:11 ↗

She's a lover until she sees the cat.

Watch at 12:30 ↗
Early in her time with the family, fear-driven enough that they did not trust her: she would turn and bite without warning when approached from behind. This is reported, and no filmed session shows it.
On film

so like fear-driven that I didn't trust her.

Watch at 36:13 ↗

It's like she was just turn and bite.

Watch at 36:20 ↗

The program, stage by stage

Before the program, off camera

Up to 2026-08-04. Nothing filmed.

A shelter rescue about eighteen months with the family (source: intake). In the owner's account she was removed from a previous home by animal control. She lived tethered, was walked before dawn, destroyed doors when left alone, chewed herself in a steel crate, was muzzled and growling at the vet, and was locked onto the household cats, who were shut away from her. The form asks for behaviour modification, first to stop her wanting to eat the cats and second to stop her growling at new people (source: intake). Christian's one-hour evaluation at the home, with a cat that 'came out right on cue', is known only from the owner's retelling: she reared on her back legs and did not take her eyes off the cat for about forty minutes.

On film

So animal control removed her,

Watch at 2:02 ↗

get them and like it took like 40 minutes before she ever finally took her

Watch at 16:57 ↗

get her not to eat my cat and not chew up my house and get her a little more confident and not, have to be walked in the darkness.

Watch at 3:48 ↗

The first-week room: cot, basics, and a staff read

About 2026-08-04 to 2026-08-10. watch (published 2026-08-04), watch (2026-08-06), watch (2026-08-10); the two untranscribed 2026-08-12 uploads probably belong here.

Claudia's first-week rotation: place, sit, down and door manners in the room, Tuesday to Friday, with notes after every session. Her notes say Piglet learned quickly. The first recording is a cot session with staff noting dilated pupils and a 'nervous case'. The second is a sit/down check 'to see where we are'. By 2026-08-10 a new handler is guiding her onto place because she does not know it with him, and a senior staff member lays out the place ladder. With practice she stays on the cot with the handler out of the room for almost two minutes. A remark in Titan's session places her in the same room, not yet managing place-and-settle.

On film

And that's all anyone else has to do for their first time.

Watch at 1:24 ↗

And she's actually, like the notes that I've seen for her up there, because she puts notes

Watch at 8:02 ↗

every time she works with them, is that she learned really quickly.

Watch at 8:06 ↗

look at her she's doing really good i left the room for like about like almost two minutes

Watch at 25:36 ↗

Piglet didn't get it because Piglet's going to need a little bit more time.

Watch at 5:01 ↗

Handed to the head trainer: first outings with Zuri-chan

About 2026-08-11 to 2026-08-18. watch (Dix Park, published 2026-08-18) and watch (Hillsborough Street, undated but referred to at the first lesson as recent). watch (a leash-yielding and recall outing) is unplaced and fits here only by content.

The trainer who will carry the case has 'only worked with her a couple times', because Claudia's week installed the basics. His part is proofing, heel, recall and client education. At Dix Park, alongside his own dog Zuri-chan, she tires in fourteen minutes in the heat. He uses her to teach a colleague the heel entry: taught apart from the heel in motion, then joined. He stops for the day because it was her first e-collar use that day and she was 'a little stressy-wessy'. On Hillsborough Street she downs and heels across crossings in a crowd. The handlers say both dogs stay closer in town because more is asked of them there. Here and on the leash-yielding outing, staff tell strangers she should not meet small dogs.

On film

doing now is one proofing all that stuff in different environments teaching

Watch at 9:45 ↗

Because if you teach the heel entry and the heel in motion separately, then they'll know

Watch at 24:39 ↗

It was the first time today that I used the e-collar.

Watch at 39:44 ↗

I could tell she was a little stressy-wessy about it,

Watch at 39:46 ↗

Yeah, they learn through context.

Watch at 22:45 ↗

The first in-program lesson: the owner's story and the theoryTurning point

Probably 2026-08-18 (watch, undated).

The owner visits and tells her story: pre-dawn walks, tethering, destruction, the vet muzzle, three previous trainers, the medication. The trainer reports 'a condition of punishment', a few strong commands and more impulse control, and promises the vet situation will change. He explains why the program now has in-program lessons, then gives two frameworks: reinforcement and penalties, and the four windows. The warning attached to the second is aimed squarely at this dog: putting her on place whenever the cat comes out is a band-aid, not a calm liberty window. The argument for a clear, contingent, avoidable penalty is made on total welfare, because the alternatives for dogs like her are euthanasia or a life that keeps shrinking. The cat has not been tested yet; it is put off to lesson two. The owner sees the change already: relaxed on the walk instead of scanning.

On film

else, like, alright, so, like, she knows, like, she has a condition of punishment, right,

Watch at 5:00 ↗

so the cat thing I haven't tested yet with the cat

Watch at 4:30 ↗

they band-aid problems with the work window so they give commands and they use those commands as band-aids for problems

Watch at 20:22 ↗

If it's easily avoidable, if they know exactly what to do to avoid it,

Watch at 33:30 ↗

I have good news for you.

Watch at 3:16 ↗

Yeah, we're gonna change all that for you.

Watch at 3:18 ↗

Bass Lake: calm with dogs, and a new way to quitTurning point

Between the two lessons, about 2026-08-19 to 2026-08-24 (watch). The second lesson calls it 'the other day'.

An hour and a quarter on a public lake trail, chosen for dogs, people and waterfowl. By the trainer's reports: calm in a down while three dogs and two people came too close and sniffed her, 'zero reaction' to a small dog that 'in the past would have set her off like crazy', and a dachshund allowed to sniff her. On a slack flexi run out to 26 feet she immediately takes more space, and he concludes that even slight line tension had been keeping her close. He lays out his three phases of heel. Then something new: in the heel she flops and shuts down. He pressures her off it, reconciles with belly rubs or a run, and states the rule that there must be 'large swaths of time' with no pressure at all. Cats are planned 'later today'. No such session is identified.

On film

reaction was really good she stayed calm um and like i didn't have to use any kind of reinforced

Watch at 8:36 ↗

reaction to that that smaller dog walking by which in the past would have set her off like crazy

Watch at 34:14 ↗

extra freedom um and isn't staying close so it was definitely the tension on the line

Watch at 10:18 ↗

command and then of course you saw afterwards and this is important we do it every time i try to do

Watch at 35:12 ↗

in the prior videos that i've shot with her she wasn't doing that any uh at all she was not using

Watch at 1:13:38 ↗

The second in-program lesson at home: the cat, the penalty, the walk-awayTurning point

About 2026-08-25 (watch, with the goodbye clip watch).

The turning point of the case. At the family home, with the old dog Gibbs and three cats, the trainer says he hopes she will go after a cat so it can be punished. Indoors she runs at Pumpkin and is penalised at a level he says is higher than usual, about 70, because this is the behaviour that would make her life small. He explains that after a penalty the dog is released to freedom and reconciled with. Out front she sees George, gets 'ramped', stops, makes eye contact and walks away. He names that as the whole goal: not cuddling cats, walking away from them. Back inside, she will not look at the cat. The second half is the e-collar handover: levels, tap every time for the first weeks, wear schedule, never show the remote. The family raise destruction when alone, which he says is management only, and the medication, which he says he will check. The family voice doubt whether a home without cats would suit her better. A goodbye clip at the door records the one-more-week and a door-manners exchange.

On film

all right we're doing her second in-program lesson

Watch at 0:02 ↗

That's exactly what I wanted to happen because that's what I was expecting.

Watch at 22:20 ↗

it's higher than you would typically use it because I want the penalty to be larger for that particular thing

Watch at 22:34 ↗

oh i don't know where the kitty went that was good though because she got she got ramped but

Watch at 24:54 ↗

Good girl! That's good! She walked away.

Watch at 26:05 ↗

and so then instead of going after the cats maybe they don't cuddle with them

Watch at 38:59 ↗

She does not want to look.

Watch at 48:26 ↗

I probably would bring home her cause I feel like she would do better in a house

Watch at 13:40 ↗

The last week: night heel, off leash, and the avoidance question

About 2026-08-26 to 2026-09-01. watch (title 2026-08-28 21:58; re-upload watch), watch, watch. The medication was being withdrawn over this same week by the go-home account.

In downtown Fuquay at night the work is the heel. He diagnoses her sad heel entry as possibly his own fault: his settled gaze has come to predict a request. He closes on 'she suppressed a lot more than I thought'. Off camera, getting out of the truck at the trainer's property with the collar already off, she tries to bite the outdoor cat Phil on the belly and is 'popped' on the snout. At Hilltop Needmore Park she goes fully off leash in public for the first time. She holds a down while he walks about 100 feet away, lets a small dog pass without reacting, checks in inside an 'invisible bubble', and is penalised once for not recalling from a shady spot. He diagnoses immobility as her way to stay out of trouble. On the long-line trail walk that becomes the bully 'avoidance loop'. His plan is to penalise only a blown-off command and otherwise give freedom, to treat recall as non-negotiable, and to alternate sit and down unpredictably so that she listens to the word rather than anticipating it.

On film

anticipation like that is just always based on prediction so the only way to get rid of

Watch at 7:14 ↗

she almost got him actually she tried to chomp him so she tried to bite him like right on his belly

Watch at 10:48 ↗

this is the the first video that's going to be uploaded where she's actually truly completely

Watch at 33:15 ↗

maybe at least 100 feet i think

Watch at 18:36 ↗

But for the recall, it is potentially a life or death issue for a dog, especially if you have any kind of off-leash experiences with her

Watch at 10:01 ↗

like a suppression loop so i don't want that so i'm trying to break her out of that by doing a sickness match for her anticipation so she's getting a prediction error there

Watch at 28:05 ↗

Go-home day: chickens, Willow, and the handover

About 2026-09-01. watch, watch, watch.

In the morning she is walked past chickens on the e-collar and ignores them 'for now'. The trainer says outright that he wants her to try something so he can penalise it; she does not. Then Willow, a cat who lives with dogs on the trainers' property, approaches her nose to nose on a slack line. She walks away, will not look, and lets the cat sniff her. He says the interest is still there and the choice has changed. At home that afternoon the family watch the Willow video but decline a live cat test, wanting to bathe and pamper her. The trainer finds that her medication was weaned over the past week, and he hands over with two instructions: reach out fast, and be harsher than you want about penalising cat behaviour.

On film

She's safely ignoring for now.

Watch at 0:25 ↗

I'd like her to do something so I have a chance to penalize her for it like I did

Watch at 1:05 ↗

although she's still very interested she doesn't want to snuggle with willow

Watch at 1:53 ↗

she wants to eat willow but she's making better choices

Watch at 1:56 ↗

Pig's like, I'm walking away from you.

Watch at 7:33 ↗

you no we're ready just to pamper her and welcome her

Watch at 12:07 ↗

you're good i hope so yeah and especially with the cats the main thing will be to be consistent

Watch at 22:23 ↗

Skills

Cat and small-prey neutrality: walk away, not cuddle

At the startFixated for forty minutes at the evaluation (owner's account). Three cats shut away at home (source: intake). 'Has attacked cats in the past' (trainer). Untested at the first lesson.
By the endOn film: ran at Pumpkin and was penalised at the second lesson, then walked away from George and would not look at Pumpkin. Tried to bite Phil (described, not shown). Ignored chickens on go-home morning. Walked away from Willow nose to nose on a slack line. The family declined a test at home on go-home day.

How it was taught

Set up the choice with the cat present on a leash or flexi, then a slack line. Allow looking and excitement. Penalise the clear precursor (running at the cat) decisively and at a high level. Release to freedom and reconcile afterwards. Accept walking away as a complete answer. Chickens stand in for cats because they are easier to arrange.

On film

Because Big has attacked cats in the past, and so we want to see how it goes, and we're going to have another chance of penalizing, or if she's going to make good decisions.

Watch at 0:21 ↗

pumpkin in the house while she started to be like i'm ready to go she ran at the cat

Watch at 34:37 ↗

Good girl! That's good! She walked away.

Watch at 26:05 ↗

is i'm going to do it with chickens because the chickens are like a good

Watch at 31:21 ↗

She can see she still has predatory interest,

Watch at 2:06 ↗

So you can see here, Willow is sniffing her actively, and Piglet's avoiding completely, and is kind of ignoring it.

Watch at 2:05 ↗

Neutrality toward passing dogs, especially small ones

At the start'Doesn't do well with other dogs' (day one, source unstated). New dogs 'Sometimes' (source: intake). By the trainer's later account, small dogs used to make her lunge.
By the endBy the trainer's spoken reports: calm in a down while dogs sniffed her at Bass Lake, no reaction to small dogs at Bass Lake, Hilltop Needmore and on the trail, and a dachshund allowed to sniff her. The owner is told she has been 'doing nothing with dogs'. Greetings with small dogs are still refused to strangers.

How it was taught

Walk dense public places. Down or keep moving as dogs pass. Be ready to punish a lunge. Praise the choice ('good choices'). Show the whole scene on camera so the owners can see the variables.

On film

And that she doesn't do well with other dogs.

Watch at 6:14 ↗

Good job, Piglet, good choices.

Watch at 19:39 ↗

pig had no reaction to it at all so that was beautiful good girl hello yeah she had zero

Watch at 34:01 ↗

functionality for the owners and for me I'm gonna take that as a big win she didn't go after the dog

Watch at 11:14 ↗

make sure to show pig pig doing a great job ignoring that uh doggie um but especially a small doggie that looks like prey

Watch at 16:46 ↗

Place (cot), and staying without the cot

At the start'Doesn't know at all' (source: intake). Day-one cot.
By the endAlmost two minutes with the handler out of the room on 2026-08-10. Called 'great' at Bass Lake. A front-door stay off the cot that surprised the handler. Two long place holds with the TV on. Place-and-settle is not yet there in the first-week room.

How it was taught

Guide her on for the feel of it, then climb a ladder: handler sits, walks around, throws a toy, moves faster, opens a door, leaves through the blue door and watches through its hole, goes straight back in on the first sign of her getting up, and adds time only once she stays. The stated end state is sent by word or point, holding while you eat lunch.

On film

So right now I'm just guiding Piglet because I don't think she knows it so I'm just going from the teacher, the feeling of it.

Watch at 3:27 ↗

a few times until you can leave out that door and they don't get up and then I

Watch at 15:24 ↗

And then you can leave the room and go eat your lunch.

Watch at 15:46 ↗

Okay, I wasn't super optimistic about you being able to go through the door with a non-place stay function, so you did really good.

Watch at 16:06 ↗

Down: position, duration, distance

At the start'Usually reliable if low distractions' (source: intake). A down let go on an early outing.
By the end'Right on cue right away every time' at Bass Lake. Held while the trainer walked away about 100 feet at Hilltop Needmore. Used as the position for letting dogs pass and at crossings. By the last week she over-offers it.

How it was taught

Cue, leash pressure released the instant she complies (demonstrated for the owner), then distance and duration as 'two of the three Ds'. At crossings: down, wait, release, countdown, heel.

On film

Down. Piglet. Alright you know what whatever. You look goofy so I'll let it go.

Watch at 4:12 ↗

she's doing it right on cue right away every time very smooth

Watch at 47:44 ↗

All right, so here I'm just testing the distance duration part of her down here. Two of the three Ds.

Watch at 18:10 ↗

4, 3, 2, 1

Watch at 23:29 ↗

Sit versus down: listening to the word, not anticipating

At the startShe offers down for sit. At first the trainer lets it go in town ('I don't care if you're down, honestly').
By the endSeveral correct sits on the verbal alone on the trail. She still anticipates at times.

How it was taught

Ask the one she is not expecting. 'Nope' or 'eh-eh' for the wrong one. Reset and give her a moment to process. Stated as a prediction error that also helps break the avoidance loop.

On film

I don't care if you're down, honestly.

Watch at 18:04 ↗

good girl you see there she does know the command is fine right it's all verbal only i don't have to do anything to get her to do it

Watch at 27:51 ↗

So you see there, I'm just kind of resetting and then allowing her a moment to process, right?

Watch at 33:01 ↗

Heel: entry and motion, then off leash

At the start'Doesn't know at all' (source: intake). 'Still in the beginning stages' at Dix Park.
By the endOff leash at Hilltop Needmore: stops when he stops, good on straight lines and small turns, weak on full 180s to the right. The heel entry is still called hard, and the heel is the command on which she drags and flops.

How it was taught

Teach the entry and the motion separately, then join them. Guide with the leash and step back so she comes forward into position. Three phases: show the position, make holding it her responsibility, then try to shake her. 'Eh-eh' markers. Reward the moment she comes off leash pressure. The e-collar receiver sits on the left of the neck so that a stim pushes her toward the handler.

On film

I'm still in the beginning stages of teaching my heel so

Watch at 39:33 ↗

And if you move, then the position moves, and it's their responsibility to fix that, right?

Watch at 24:44 ↗

um only because if you want to ask her to heal then if it's on the left side of her neck if she feels that it will push her towards you

Watch at 11:56 ↗

the heel in motion and then i really need to work on the um the heel entry i've worked on it several times before but um she's been having a somewhat hard time with it

Watch at 12:31 ↗

But she's still having a little bit of trouble with the full 180 turns going to the right.

Watch at 30:09 ↗

Recall, and off-leash freedom

At the start'Usually reliable if low distractions' (source: intake). Repeated recall reps on an early outing, and one lapse in Fuquay.
By the endFully off leash in a public park. Check-ins inside an 'invisible bubble'. Penalised once for not recalling from shade. On the trail, 'a little bit better' with the 'avoidance waddle' still present. At handover the trainer says she did well off leash 'at a couple of parks'.

How it was taught

Flexi, then a ten-foot drag line, then no line, then a 50-foot line with the end in hand. Freedom without micromanaging. Penalise only a blown-off recall and re-proof it with negative reinforcement. Belly rubs on arrival.

On film

that. It's no bueno. Recall is super important.

Watch at 9:05 ↗

invisible bubble around me even off leash where she doesn't go but so far so she's not taking off and going far

Watch at 33:44 ↗

call right away there because she she finally found a shady spot she wanted to stay in but she still need to recall

Watch at 12:22 ↗

she recalled a little bit better there that time. She's still doing the avoidance waddle,

Watch at 23:13 ↗

and i did get to take her off leash um at a couple

Watch at 13:29 ↗

Doorways

At the startRushes doors.
By the endAt the end of the second-lesson visit, after several down cues at a door, something 'the first time she's done that'. The behaviour is not named in the audio.

How it was taught

A sit or down a couple of feet back at every door, including the crate door, then a release.

On film

i always tell her to wait because she's so strong

Watch at 1:35 ↗

You've never done that before there you go. She's literally that's the first time she's done that good girl piggy

Watch at 2:46 ↗

How the method adapted

Almost everything filmed after the first week is one trainer adjusting to one dog: the most severe presenting problem he has (cats), a low-stamina bully who will not play, and a dog whose compliance keeps sliding into lying down. The adaptations below are the ones he names aloud.

The penalty was scaled to the stakes, not to the dog's sensitivity. About 70 on the cat, and 70-80 as the family's setting around cats, against 15-20 for basic commands. 'One severe punishment' was preferred to many weak ones.

Because the cat behaviour is the one that would make her life small, and because the owner's own home is the test. He said this in front of the owner as he did it.

On film

can't live with that that's true it will make her life really small right and so

Watch at 22:53 ↗

At home when we're around the cats, 70 to 80.

Watch at 58:35 ↗

punish them very severely it wasn't a big enough deal though that's all it is um because like i would rather one severe punishment

Watch at 51:07 ↗

The line was slackened so that avoidance would be hers. The flexi was run out to 26 feet on the trail, 'using up the line' with Willow, and the leash loosened after the first nose-to-nose.

Because even slight tension had been keeping her close, and a walk-away produced by the leash proves nothing.

On film

bit more space so i think that maybe what's happening with her and what happens with a lot of dogs is they feel that little bit of like tension and it keeps them closer to you

Watch at 9:51 ↗

we're using up the line so there's not pressure on the line

Watch at 1:21 ↗

And so I actually loosen the leash after this.

Watch at 7:49 ↗

Rewards and recovery were built from what she does want: belly rubs and a short run. Play was not used, because she will not play.

Every pressure has to end in reconciliation, and for her the currency is touch. The run is his stated substitute for the play she will not do.

On film

reconciliation some other kind of freedom and in this case right now what pig is choosing is

Watch at 35:27 ↗

So a lot of times if they have, if they get a little uncomfortable because they've had some pressure doing a little run, running afterwards is a great recovery option for them.

Watch at 1:06:12 ↗

On the first day with the e-collar outdoors he stopped instead of finishing the plan.

She was 'a little stressy-wessy' about a new tool while learning a new skill.

On film

So I don't want to pile in any more commands on.

Watch at 39:52 ↗

When her heel entry looked sad, he looked at himself first. His gaze may have become a predictor of work, so he would look at her without asking for anything.

His criterion for the command is her general disposition, a happy dog, not bare compliance.

On film

I want her actually to be comfortable and happy when she hears that command.

Watch at 5:26 ↗

every time right so maybe maybe i made that predicted too often that like when i when i

Watch at 7:25 ↗

Then, days later, the same slowness was treated as avoidance. Pressure applied only when she blows off a known command, recall made non-negotiable, and everything else left as freedom.

His stated bully-breed pattern: learn a command, then test whether it can be avoided. It is judged by total outcome, not by momentary affect.

On film

for us to work through that and my plan is to do that in two ways one is to not let her do it right and then so like i'm going to penalize it if she does that um not randomly but only if she avoids commands

Watch at 7:03 ↗

Because very often you get a cycle with dogs like Pig

Watch at 13:43 ↗

this in a graphic, right? That is interpolated in the video, right? And that's that my concern is total outcome, not how they feel at that specific moment, any given moment, right?

Watch at 10:39 ↗

The one penalty he did not choose was a hand on her snout, with the collar already off. He called it not his go-to method.

It was the only chance he had at a real bite attempt, and he would not let it pass unpunished.

On film

that's not my go-to method,

Watch at 10:21 ↗

and then now we can see like the result is the next cat she met she left it alone she avoided

Watch at 11:00 ↗

Heat budget. Shade routes, gum checks, the truck air conditioning between legs, walks cut short.

Stated for bully breeds generally and seen in her specifically.

On film

yeah you gotta respect the heat with these doggies especially with bully breeds gotta give them plenty of rest

Watch at 24:16 ↗

What the family was told

Why in-program lessons, and what each is for

thing because like a long time ago we used to just do the one go-home lesson to

Watch at 6:51 ↗

people have trouble after the dog goes home not because the dog didn't learn

Watch at 7:56 ↗

Reinforcement, pressure and penalties

Yeah, but as simple as that, right? So the pressure all must go away immediately.

Watch at 14:32 ↗

And you only know how much is enough by the reaction of the dog, right?

Watch at 35:53 ↗

unclear, that's the biggest faux pas, right. Is if you make it unclear, if they don't know why it

Watch at 36:47 ↗

The four windows, and not band-aiding the cat with place

two things that I see most people are missing and what you're missing is calm

Watch at 22:43 ↗

they band-aid problems with the work window so they give commands and they use those commands as band-aids for problems

Watch at 20:22 ↗

Choice points, and why the dog must have the chance to be wrong

better choice right but if i immediately manage and prevent her from even having the opportunity

Watch at 47:28 ↗

because uh kind of like what we were talking about um a little bit ago is that in order for them to learn they have to have the opportunity to make the choice

Watch at 8:59 ↗

Total welfare: why a penalty, and why a yelp can be acceptable

Yeah, there are some circumstances where I'm totally fine if a dog yelps, to be very frank with you.

Watch at 28:29 ↗

That's one thing the second thing is a less like horrible outcome than euthanasia

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minor discomfort choose the minor discomfort right um so you always choose the least aversive option

Watch at 14:58 ↗

Medication versus training (the trainer's view)

don't try to train them first using all of the avenues you have available why medicate them yes

Watch at 43:15 ↗

shrug the dog so they don't act like a dog i don't want that it just it just suppresses them

Watch at 43:43 ↗

The cat goal and the cat rules

That's not the goal, but that's not the ball right, but I can make them not choose to go after the cat

Watch at 38:48 ↗

she made a good choice so why would i right i don't there's nothing wrong with looking at the

Watch at 34:28 ↗

The first thing that needs to happen is they need to be free again. You got to release them back to freedom

Watch at 23:33 ↗

We want you to keep that at home, and so you're going to have to maintain it and punish it if the opportunity avails itself if she does go after cats again.

Watch at 3:19 ↗

about you know being for sure harsher than you want to about penalizing that

Watch at 22:29 ↗

Operating the e-collar

However, for the first week or two, at least, that she's home, in that kind of scenario, I would want you to, every time, you say, eh-eh, tap the e-collar.

Watch at 42:12 ↗

It generalizes to you.

Watch at 42:28 ↗

The second reason is so that you end up with muscle memory.

Watch at 42:31 ↗

first while um i would have her wear it around the house during the day um for like the first

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20, yeah.

Watch at 58:32 ↗

general underlying principle for the level that you use with the e-collar is the dog will tell you, right?

Watch at 1:01:26 ↗

put it on and then i did the thing again and you put it on every day for a while yeah just leave

Watch at 1:09:58 ↗

Destruction when alone: management only

alone, no supervision, is not a lot to do about that, unfortunately, yeah, because that's going to be pure management, there's not a lot of training that can happen there, other than doing something that I wouldn't do for you, because I think it's unethical,

Watch at 17:15 ↗

Recall is non-negotiable; push through slight avoidance elsewhere (via video)

But for the recall, it is potentially a life or death issue for a dog, especially if you have any kind of off-leash experiences with her

Watch at 10:01 ↗

Follow through, and reach out fast

thing will be like for you to be successful with this um will be you being willing to do the things

Watch at 13:21 ↗

Yeah, because it needs to generalize, right?

Watch at 1:15:35 ↗

the faster we're going to help you the easier everything is for everybody

Watch at 15:26 ↗
In the family's own words

What they want is coexistence, not friendship.

On film

i need everybody just to coexist you don't have to love everybody they just coexist you know

Watch at 41:42 ↗

They say they let things slide at home, so she blows them off: the owner's own diagnosis of the handler side.

On film

don't do what what i'm the issue we didn't do what i'm telling you to do quite fully is the problem we let stuff go too much and so she ends up blowing us off sometimes

Watch at 32:06 ↗

At the second lesson they wonder aloud whether she would be better off in a home without cats. The trainer answers that it can be done if they maintain it.

On film

I probably would bring home her cause I feel like she would do better in a house

Watch at 13:40 ↗

because i know her biggest trigger is cats right yeah i definitely think you can do it

Watch at 13:08 ↗

They report a second walk-away from their own cat, and they want to see her do it without the trainer there. He agrees that it has to generalise.

On film

And the second time I brought Pumpkin out here,

Watch at 1:15:06 ↗

I want to see her interact with the cat without the funny hand.

Watch at 1:15:29 ↗

At go-home they hold him to the medication question, and they decline a live cat test.

On film

You said you were going to check with that technician last time.

Watch at 1:14 ↗

cleaned up yeah you gotta be home do you want to test anything out with the cats here today or are

Watch at 12:00 ↗

Outcomes

What the trainers reported

A 'condition of punishment', a few strong commands, more impulse control. Halfway, before the cat was tested.

The head trainer to the owner, first lesson

On film

which I'll explain what that is, and she has a few commands that she's doing really, really

Watch at 5:04 ↗

No reaction to a small dog that would once have set her off; calm while three dogs sniffed her.

The trainer to camera and to his editors, Bass Lake

On film

which was really, really beautiful

Watch at 51:36 ↗

because she struggled with reactivity in the past,

Watch at 51:37 ↗

'On our way to getting her fully livable, fully manageable', with a good communication system.

The trainer, Hilltop Needmore Park

On film

we're on our way to

Watch at 31:47 ↗

getting her fully livable

Watch at 31:50 ↗

The cat outcome: the next cat she met after the penalty, she left alone.

The trainer to the family at go-home

On film

and then now we can see like the result is the next cat she met she left it alone she avoided

Watch at 11:00 ↗

This is the trainer's own limit on his claim, made the same morning.

The trainer, chicken test

On film

She can see she still has predatory interest,

Watch at 2:06 ↗

but she's making better decisions while i'm around

Watch at 2:07 ↗

Pretty happy with what she learned, and she did well off leash in a couple of parks.

The trainer at go-home

On film

of parts and she did well okay yeah so overall i mean i'm pretty happy with what she learned

Watch at 13:36 ↗

A changed demeanour on walks: relaxed rather than scanning.

The owner, first lesson

On film

I mean her temperament just out and about is good she's not like dragging like before

Watch at 38:51 ↗

What the footage shows

A penalised run at a cat in her own home, followed within minutes by a walk-away from the outdoor cat she 'hates', with no penalty needed. Both are narrated as they happen, with the family in the room.

On film

Don't do that.

Watch at 22:15 ↗

made eye contact.

Watch at 26:00 ↗

Good girl! That's good! She walked away.

Watch at 26:05 ↗

Willow sniffs her and she avoids the cat on a slack line. The cat's relaxation is read as the measure.

On film

Yeah, Willow's chilling, not viewing Piglet as a threat at all, and that's what we want to see is Piglet's not even really threatening to the cat anymore.

Watch at 3:06 ↗

Fully off leash in a public park with a down held at distance and check-ins. It is also the session where she has to be penalised for not recalling.

On film

nice thing is here she slowed up right she's waiting for me she checked in and she's waiting which is exactly what I want to see

Watch at 33:33 ↗

almost there come on good girl so i can definitely understand why she didn't really want to recall

Watch at 12:13 ↗

The shutdowns are shown as well as the successes: flopping in the heel, dragging, the 'avoidance waddle'.

On film

a chance to use it for any of the commands, very rarely. Except for like, she started

Watch at 1:03:21 ↗

she recalled a little bit better there that time. She's still doing the avoidance waddle,

Watch at 23:13 ↗
How it ended. Piglet went home.

The ideas Piglet's case runs on