Who Waffles is
As the trainers describe him
The house Belgian and a permanent resident, surrendered to the program by his family because of his drive and the force he carries - explicitly not because he would hurt a child.
On film
Yeah, he's our permanent resident.
his family had to surrender him to us because he's uh waffles i can't believe he was around
kids i mean it's not that he's gonna beat up a kid or anything but just the amount you see that
Enormous object drive and grip: he shakes a tug hard enough to move an adult, will go after anything that looks like a tug, and is called 'extra bitey even for a belgian'. Staff contrast him with Duke: Duke bites and holds, Waffles bites and shakes; Waffles is described as sport-line.
On film
the amount of force he has is wild listen i tried training him on one of them things
he moved my body left to right i said oh heck no
Don't show him the other thing. He'll come after anything that's a tug.
with him he's really he's extra bitey even for a belgian
no waffles shakes more like waffles
duke is more on the like canine side of belgium waffles
yeah that is a sport dog all day long right there
Staff are wary of him. One handler says there are times she will not go into his kennel; he ripped a tug from a handler's hand.
On film
uh you're like oh god you gonna bite me that's like waffles sometimes i'm not going in there
she just rips it right on my hand like waffles did to hemma
Never still: bouncing around every second he gets, barking at Reba more than she barks back; reacts to birds flying over his area.
On film
I don't see Waffles conserving any energy.
Waffles is bouncing around every second that he gets.
Well, he barks more at Reba than she barks back.
and then waffles he will if
Looks more like a shepherd than a typical Belgian, in one staff member's view.
On film
Some of them actually look like, Waffles looks kind of like a shepherd, actually.
The program, stage by stage
Tug with staff, on camera
2026-09-09, 12:18 and 12:28.
Staff introduce him to camera and a less experienced handler takes the tug under instruction: hold it out straight, and let go if he shakes, because hanging on will hurt you. He does not out and, a speaker says, cannot be engaged apart from the object - so they need 'disassociation'. Someone asks for an e-collar 'so i can start'; its purpose and whether it went on him are not said. The elements of bite work are listed in fragments: target, release on command, position. The second clip is two minutes of first-person work with five lines of speech ending on 'His body is getting tired.'
On film
He doesn't know how to out.
That's why, like, we need to do some disassociation.
His body is getting tired
Skills
Tug / bite-object engagement
How it was taught
Not taught on film. The handler is coached: hold it out straight; let go if he shakes.
On film
Hold it out straight.
back and forth like that just let it go that's the only thing if you hold on he'll hurt you
Out (release of the object)
How it was taught
Never shown.
NEW: Loose-leash walking on a prong collar
On film
so we'll see how this goes come on waffles he doesn't i don't think he likes it
From the Shorts
Short clips posted from Waffles's training. They are undated, so they sit beside the program rather than inside it.
Back on the leash
A handler starts loose-leash walking with Waffles, one of the facility's permanent resident dogs. The handler says he probably hasn't worn a prong collar in a while and isn't used to walking on the leash any more; he stays right at the handler's side, and the handler decides the collar is a little too tight and needs one more link.
On film
we are here with mr waffles one of our permanent residents
good boy we are gonna work on loose leash walking he doesn't like that i don't think he's had a bronc collar in a while so he doesn't know what that is and he's not used to walking on the leash anymore
he's not leaving my side
i think it needs one more prong i think it's a little too tight
How the method adapted
Nothing on film is an adaptation of training to Waffles; what is on film is how staff protect themselves while handling him, and what they say he still needs.
Handler safety first: a new handler is told not to try the tug if not strong enough, and to let go rather than hold on through a shake.
Stated: if you hold on he'll hurt you.
On film
you need to build up yeah you shouldn't honestly speaking you shouldn't try it i say
back and forth like that just let it go that's the only thing if you hold on he'll hurt you
Fixation on the object is praised as defence-dog material and, in the same minute, named as the reason he needs disassociation work.
Stated: 'this is what we like to see'; and he cannot be engaged away from it.
On film
you will lose the cheek here go pick it up but this is the type of defense dog
dog you you we need to see like this is what we like to see just fixating on the
That's why, like, we need to do some disassociation.
Outcomes
What the trainers reported
He has a lot of drive and is the type of defence dog they like to see.
Staff in his own clip, 2026-09-09
On film
all right let's just say uh waffles uh he's got a lot of drive
What the footage shows
No audiovisual review.