Who Whiskey is
Who trained her
Kelton and Christian shared her training. Neither introduces himself in her recordings, so the sessions here speak of 'the trainer'.
As the trainers describe her
A nervous dog when she arrived, by every retrospective account: nervous with handlers, not wanting to be petted, too nervous to sniff, and shutting down with new things. Nothing from those first days is filmed. It is all reported afterwards.
On film
up more like just engagement and her wanting to kind of be with us and allowing us to pet
good girl and she's actually sniffing now so before she wasn't wanting to sniff things because she was just too nervous
good girl she's doing good she's sniffing before she was having a hard time with wanting to sniff with like new things um she was kind of shutting down with it you know now she's more curious
are we friends now she didn't like me at first she was like nah
air sniffing now and she's sniffing the ground and she's checking stuff out I remember you saying that she didn't use her nose any
Once she opened up, she was physical and playful with the people she knew: she jumped up, wrestled and gave 'hugs', and staff call her soft. The same warmth brought mouthing, which one staff member names as the only rule. By 2026-09-19 the trainer leaves her jumping up to 'hug' alone, because she does it only with people she really likes.
On film
So she's let me pet her and she wants to like jump on me and wrestle and play and do stuff
Thank you for the hugs!
Whiskey's so soft.
Whiskey? No. You can't mouthing me. That's the only rule.
she definitely likes getting up and like kind of hugging yeah which I don't mind like I didn't correct it or anything because like it's a comfort thing she likes kind of getting up there she hasn't been doing it to other people
She does not care much for toys. What she works for is freedom: running with the handler, sniffing and exploring. The whole second half of her filmed program is built on that finding. By 2026-09-19 her game is being chased: she will chase a ball without grabbing it, avoids tug, and would rather chase the trainer and herd him around.
On film
trying to run around and burn some more energy and she's a little interested in like playing ball with me and stuff but she's more interested in just running around with me which is fine
My last couple of sessions with her have been play out in, like, a field. And what I discovered is that, I mean, like, her primary form of reinforcement is just, like, a release of freedom.
she'll chase the ball for me now but she doesn't she still doesn't quite want to like actually grab it or anything and she doesn't like tug for sure like she avoids tug like every time i try it
she would much rather chase me yeah and like herd me around which is fine i don't care um so i just let her do that
She will not stand still. In public she whines and pulls to keep moving. The public-work trainer links this to nerves and to herding breeds generally, and he makes it the first public target. On 2026-09-19 he calls it 'a shepherd thing' and says she now whines with him only when they stand too long.
On film
No, no, so one thing I've noticed is Whiskey does not like staying in one spot, so if we stay in one spot she starts whining because she wants to like move out of the way and
without wanting to kind of like pull away or anything like that and that can be very common with like a nervous dog or even like the breed the herding dogs they don't like to stay still
so it's a shepherd thing yeah all Australian Shepherds do it I've never had one that doesn't do it.
she whines with me is if I'm standing for too long but she doesn't really whine anymore with me for walking too slow anything like that
People are her live problem. On 2026-09-08 she fixates on people from a long way off, barks, freezes and shakes off stress. The walk trainer reads it as excitement rather than 'crazy reactivity', but as a primary trigger that will not go away by itself. By 2026-09-15 the public-work trainer has narrowed it to people who stare, especially people who approach slowly with eye contact. On 2026-09-19 he reports that in two weeks she has barked at only one person, a man who kept staring after being asked not to.
On film
the flags for me we're going to need to do more work on that particular uh thing there where she hyperfixates on people and starts barking at them um it doesn't look like any kind of like crazy reactivity or anything like that uh it's more like kind of excitement
Good job, Whiskey. You can see she kind of freezes up a little bit when she sees people.
with that part especially if they're kind of like walking a little slower and like towards her and making eye contact which isn't uncommon for dogs in general but she's a little more sensitive to it
In the last two weeks we've only barked at one person.
I was like hey like she's nervous don't stare at us
Clever, and she does not quit easily: she refuses, gets up and circles before she complies. The walk trainer insists this is not stubbornness. The down stays her least favourite command.
On film
figured it out she's not being stubborn or anything like that
good there we go that was good you didn't have a problem with that that's good as you can see like she learns pretty quick
No, I would say it's her least favorite.
Physically, she has a thick coat and a small neck and head. Handlers raise it three times, all as equipment problems: e-collar contacts through the coat, collar sizing, and a flat collar she could back out of. The coat comes up again on 2026-09-19, when the trainer describes getting her used to having it handled and brushed.
On film
I will say it's a little bit harder to get through Aussie fluff than
gonna find out it's gonna fit the collar you see she has a much smaller neck than most of the other dogs i work with
i have to make sure she doesn't you know pull out of the flat collar because she's got a thinner head that she could pull out of the flat collar
because her coat she's got such a thick coat
By 2026-09-19, by the trainer's account, she has settled a long way. Indoors she will settle on a couch beside him while the television is on. Outside she sniffs the air and the ground, looks at dogs and people without her ears pinning forward or fixing on them, and copes with loud noise by turning her ears and eyes away.
On film
she'll just hang out on the couch with me to be honest like nowadays like she'll just sit on the the couch with me and we'll watch tv and she just doesn't care
dogs and people it's fine she can look but her ears aren't like pinning forward she's not fixating
she's learning to manage the noise better by like if you watch her ears she instead of like fixating her ears on the high noise she'll kind of turn her ears opposite ways
With her own family she is eager and affectionate. At the lesson she climbs into their laps, follows them, and at the end has to be coaxed away from them.
On film
she missed you guys too just like you're missing her she misses you guys too
i know i know you like me but you like them more
As her family describe her
Her family appear on film for the first time on 2026-09-19, at her first in-program owner lesson. They find her much more relaxed.
On film
She definitely, like, I don't know if you see it too, but she seems much more relaxed.
They had told the trainer she did not use her nose, and they laughed at the play video: toys are not her thing.
On film
air sniffing now and she's sniffing the ground and she's checking stuff out I remember you saying that she didn't use her nose any
i was laughing at the video with like finding like what she likes to do to play because i was like toys are not her thing
Their questions come from the published videos: the e-collar, the down, how she is with other dogs, and what their own presence changes.
On film
the e-collar thing was my biggest question from the videos
What wrench does our presence throw into it all?
The program, stage by stage
The first days: a nervous dog
Before the September 1 sessions, as later sessions recall them.
Later sessions describe them consistently: she was nervous with handlers and would not be petted, she would not sniff, she shut down with new things, she was reactive with other dogs around, and one handler says she did not like that handler at first. Everything in this stage is reported afterwards, by trainers describing how far she had come.
On film
her and just kind of be a dog and be around and not have like any nervousness with us
good girl she's doing good she's sniffing before she was having a hard time with wanting to sniff with like new things um she was kind of shutting down with it you know now she's more curious
are we friends now she didn't like me at first she was like nah
Opened up: proofing in the fence yardTurning point
watch. Undated; on or before 2026-08-31 by inference.
The first filmed session is a progress report. She engages, plays, lets herself be petted and sniffs, and the trainer reads the sniffing as the sign that distractions can now be added. Dogs are run on the other side of the fence on purpose, because she had been reactive around dogs, and she watches them without reacting. Place is good inside but has to be guided outside. The trainer calls this completely normal and gives the session's thesis: inside does not mean outside, so both are trained until she understands the rules are the same. Sit, implied stay and recall at mid-level distraction are going well. He predicts that her nerves will come back when public work starts.
On film
So over in the other side of the fence here, I have a couple dogs out that are just kind of running around as a distraction
Once you start adding distractions, just because they do it inside does not mean they're going do it outside with distractions that's why we do both
Her recall is going really well, even with mid-level distractions.
It's very common that they might get nervous again and then kind of open back up.
2026-09-01: an indoor morning, then the first storeTurning point
watch (09:43) and watch (10:13), back to back; watch (12:54). Chunk's intake recording (11:36) has her nearby.
The morning is indoor foundation work with several staff in the room, and most of the audio is their conversation. Place is 'really good' indoors and she stays on place. The implied stay off the cot is failing, and a handler who feels bad about giving her no success is told the house rule: lower the criteria until she genuinely succeeds, and do not fake it. Her e-collar is at 30, a colleague suggests five more, and she 'didn't even blink'. Staff remark that contacts are harder to get through 'Aussie fluff'. That afternoon the public-work trainer takes her into a store. She is nervous but does not bark or panic, even at carts. The problem he finds is that she will not stand still: she whines and pulls to move on. He makes moving on conditional on quiet and lengthens the stops, and she improves within the session. Sit is relearned in public with pressure and allowed failure, and ends as a sit-stay while he steps away. The outings are kept short so as not to overwhelm her.
On film
okay good whiskey come on off as it says her place her place is really good place is good
That's kind of the rule. If a dog's failing at it, just lower the criteria as much as you need to to get them to succeed.
She stayed on the place.
So we have to do exposure. We have to teach her that that's not something that we can do and that that does not result in us just moving forward and doing things, but if she stays calm, then we can move on.
And that time she whined a little bit, but then she immediately stopped, and we stood there and had a couple people even go by and stuff, and she didn't whine, so then we moved forward
She's not trying to move when I'm stepping away, so that's good.
2026-09-04: the toy parade, and the down becomes the projectTurning point
watch. Sophia's recording of 2026-09-03 has her in the room ('Whiskey, no').
A different trainer takes her out. He runs 'the toy parade again' to find a game that will improve her emotional state for the rest of the program. Ball, flirt pole and tug draw little. Personal play shows some promise, and he names freedom on walks as the fallback. He fits a collar sized for her small neck. Then he narrows the session to a single skill, the down, because sit 'looks fine'. He caps the reps so as not to push her, judges the last rep 'a little better', and predicts a verbal-only down within a session or two. The next session is to be a walk with 'release of freedom'.
On film
We're gonna do the toy the toy parade again. We're gonna see what she likes. What does she want to play, right?
uh we're gonna focus on this session we're just gonna do some work on it down nothing else uh because no need to bring a bunch of stuff into it in this case like for sit looks fine
Probably gonna go for like one, maybe two more reps. I don't want to push it too far with her.
We're packing up. That was pretty good. She'll have a verbal only down probably within the next session or two at max.
2026-09-08: the walk, the first verbal-only down, and the fixation on peopleTurning point
watch, about 49 minutes after Kane's session by title times.
This is the richest session in her file. Her primary reinforcer is now called release of freedom, and the walk format is chosen because it allows more reps. Recall first comes with a leash tug only. Then the e-collar is introduced at a low level, the fit through her thick fur is checked before the level goes from 15 to 20, and about 27 is used to stop her stopping halfway when squirrels are about. A dog passing is set up as a choice point, and she passes it. The down takes a fight, with refusals and circling. The trainer explains that she is testing escape routes that used to work, not being stubborn, and that his job is to show her they lead nowhere. On the last rep he withholds the conditioned punisher to test clarity, and she downs on the verbal alone at the third chance. The new finding is people: she fixates from hundreds of feet away, barks, freezes and shakes off stress. He corrects the barking, considers punishing the fixation itself, and plans a gloved stranger-handling test so the family get something already tested to maintain.
On film
okay good girl you did it you did good yeah so that required a lot of help still um from the leash and i think it's because um either a um the collar is not quite making contact like i wanted to because of all her thick fur or uh b um the really really low setting that i have on is just not quite cutting it
good got to use those squirrels as an opportunity to reinforce the recall very nice did not end up going very very high on that i i think that was on like a 27 that seemed to be sufficient good girl to clarify for her that she needed to actually recall and not stop halfway
things work you know which i don't blame her for trying them right because if those things immediately get her out of pressure or have immediately gotten her out of pressure in the past then i mean i would try them too
surprise me whiskey down down whiskey down and she did she surprised me good girl
there yeah she gave them some weird ass looks right now um i think that yeah yeah she's shaking off a little bit of stress um i think that that's a thing for her um so um i want to set up like a safe way to do that with someone that she doesn't know that well um who's willing to wear some gloves and and see what kind of reaction she has
Duration place holds
watch (title-dated 2026-09-11), watch (no title date; published 2026-09-12) and watch (undated).
Rule 13 recordings. In watch a television drama plays for most of thirteen minutes, and a handler runs a short sit-down-sit-down sequence near the end. Her name is never spoken, so the attribution rests on the title. watch is the same kind of recording, 29 minutes with a drama playing: she is sent to place with sit and down cues at the start, greeted later with 'You're scared', told 'off' for hopping up, and sent back to place near the end. watch is a place cue, about eleven minutes of near-silence, and closing praise with 'stay right there'. The title claims eleven minutes through everyday room movement. The length fits, but no room movement is audible. None of the three can be placed in her progression more exactly than this.
On film
Alright, place!
Ready? Down. Sit. Down. There we go.
Whiskey, place.
Hi, whiskey. You're scared.
Whiskey! Place!
2026-09-15 to 16: staring strangers, and the start of heel
watch (2026-09-15, 13:56). Mazi's staff-room hold (2026-09-16) has her in the room.
The public-work trainer's second store session opens with a status report. She is doing really good, and the only reactivity left is to people who stare, especially people who approach slowly with eye contact. He turns that into advice for anyone who meets a dog. Standing still without whining is 'a lot better'. Down is now on the verbal cue with no guidance. The new work is heel, 'assigning the box', begun over the last couple of days. He guides her on the leash at first and varies pace, turns, tight aisles, carts and sliding doors. She holds the box at speed and loses it when he slows down. When she hovers in heel after release he re-releases her rather than correcting. A man popping round a corner stresses her, and she does not bark. He ends because it was a lot for her. The next day, in a staff room, she is called crazy and soft and is told not to mouth.
On film
So Whiskey's doing really good The only time she's becoming like a little reactive at this point and it's not too bad
so we're working on that as well we've been working on it with different scenarios and she's doing a lot better as you can see she's not immediately whining just because i stopped
Been working on the down in the off cue so there's no guidance with it, she's just doing
so that's good good but when i slow down when i slow down she's kind of missing that box there
That was good. Got a little stressed because he kinda popped around the corner but no barking or anything so that's good.
So that was a lot for her. She does all the other commands really well.
Hi, Whiskey. Whiskey's crazy, too.
2026-09-19: the first owner lesson, on a walk with her familyTurning point
watch (title 2026-09-19 16:32) and watch (17:01), one continuous lesson in two uploads. The trainer reports store outings on the days before and that morning.
Her family walk with her for the first time on film, the children included, and the public-work trainer narrates the whole lesson to them. He reports that in the last two weeks she has barked at only one person, a man who kept staring after being asked not to. The day's question is whether, with her family there, she will bark or turn defensive of the children; position work is left for next time because a walk like this is a lot for her. She walks on a loose 16-foot flexi inside a boundary, free to wander and sniff as long as she comes back. Whining to move faster earns nothing: same pace, no correction, and when standing he waits until she is quiet before moving on. Once she fixes on something and gives a little bark; a loud 'uh uh' and 'let's go' break it, and she runs to her family. The e-collar comes in only if she ignores that and barks again, and he explains its levels as a range read against the situation. His central rule for a nervous herding dog is to correct only the failure to come back, never the curiosity, because a wrong correction can shut such a dog down. When a man is in view she looks at him with her ears up and stands closer, but does not fixate on him from a distance. He shows how she now copes with noise and, asked about other dogs, says she is fine with the dogs where she is staying, frustrated only behind barriers, and that he sees no aggression toward dogs. He hears more whining with the family than with him, 'more just like kid wise', and plans outings with children before the next lesson. In the wrap-up he describes getting her used to having her hindquarters and coat handled during play, says the down is her least favourite but now comes on the verbal cue, says the e-collar is being faded, and sets out how he handles people who stare: one warning bark is not corrected, he asks the person to stop and walks her away. The next lesson is planned for the family's house.
Her family's first appearance on film, and the first time the trainer explains her program to them directly.
On film
In the last two weeks we've only barked at one person.
so today is mostly like hey is she gonna bark is she gonna try anything right is she gonna be defensive of the girls
this is like 16 feet she's not bolting forward trying to like take the whole thing and it's not locked up right now like it's loose and she's okay
she kind of breaks out of it yeah and then like she ran to you guys and she got excited and she was like oh hey and then like leaves it alone so like that response is fine because she didn't continue the fixation
she looked at the guy her ears went up a little bit and she kind of stood closer right but um she didn't like fixate so hard from a distance that she wanted to like guard right away
right so the command is always more important than the curiosity part but we never punish the curiosity
definitely a little more whining with you guys okay more than she is with me
i did it just verbal and she was was like oh and she went down for me um no problem
Well, yeah, I'm thinking, yeah, let's do it at the house this next one
Skills
Place
How it was taught
Indoor place cue with an 'eh' and a repeated cue when she is slow, on an e-collar. Proofed outdoors by guiding her onto the cot while dogs run beyond the fence. Duration built in long TV-room holds.
On film
okay good whiskey come on off as it says her place her place is really good place is good
And as you can see like working on still have to kind of guide her up on the place when you're outside inside
She stayed on the place.
Alright, place!
Whiskey, place.
Sit and implied stay
How it was taught
Sit with 'eh eh' and light leash pressure in new places. She is allowed to fail and the success is celebrated. The stay is tested by stepping away and is released only on the release word. Indoors, a handler who cannot get the implied stay is told to lower the criteria.
On film
but then like her sit and implied stay is going really good and
Trying to get her to do an implied stay off of the cot.
I know. I just feel bad because I'm not able to give her any success.
And again, just because you can sit and stay and stuff in the house or in the fence area does not mean she's automatically going to do it in a higher distraction area or store.
So already she learns that here is the same rule as like at the house.
Down
How it was taught
2026-09-04: a single-skill session of repeated cues with 'eh-eh' and a release on 'okay', reps capped. 2026-09-08: heavy leash help at first. The collar fit is checked and the level raised slightly, then the help is reduced to a little leash direction and the conditioned punisher. On the final rep the conditioned punisher is withheld to test clarity, and she goes down on the verbal alone at the third chance. Refusals and circling are read as testing old escape routes. By 2026-09-19: the verbal cue alone where she takes it, and a refusal answered with 'uh uh' and a tap of the collar.
On film
so over the next couple sessions we'll start including like heel and more duration for like the sit and introducing the down while we're doing more public area
They're just circling. Whiskey, down, down, down, down, down, down. Good girl. That's a little better.
she figured out the puzzle and she completely avoided um any kind of negative consequences so really happy to see that um just a little bit of leash um direction for that one and a little bit a conditioned punisher and she got it
that was i think the third the third try and uh and i did get it in that third try
Been working on the down in the off cue so there's no guidance with it, she's just doing
Did she start to do better with laying down and everything? Because I know that was one in the, every trainer has been like, like beyond frustrated with that one.
where i showed she does the down for me like verbally um without having to add any pressure
and she holds like she was holding it and she'll stay with it yeah okay we had a cart go by and she stayed there she was fine
I was like uh uh and I tapped it and she was like and she like went down for me
Recall
How it was taught
Let her go and sniff another dog, then call her back. On the walk: the lowest aid first (no leash), then the conditioned punisher, then a very low e-collar level, raised slightly only as needed. Squirrels are used as recall opportunities. On 2026-09-19: stop, call her back ('whiskey hey whiskey come'), and if she does not come, correct the failure to come and ask again; never correct the curiosity that took her out.
On film
That was really good. She ran over, she was sniffing like the other dog, so now I was able to recall her back.
not really much reach out there you didn't even really think about coming back when i called her
next time i probably if she kind of blows off the recall again um i will use the e-fowler on a very low level um after i say give her an opportunity without using the leash at all
if again if I think she's going too far too fast then that's when you're just like whiskey hey whiskey come
right so instead it's just more fair to just be like hey you know i'm gonna stop call you back to me if you come back everything's fine if you don't come back then i'm gonna correct you for not coming back
Standing still without whining (settling in public)
How it was taught
Stop and wait. Move on only when she is quiet, and lengthen the stop as she improves, with light leash pressure and 'uh-uh' if she pulls. The same thing is practised in different scenarios between the two store sessions. On 2026-09-19 he gives the family both versions: on the walk, keep the same pace and act as if the whine did not happen (no correction, no stopping, no speeding up); standing, wait, up to five minutes, until she is quiet, then 'good job' and move on.
On film
we have to kind of increase that time where like she can learn to settle and if she can't learn to settle then her nerves are going to stay pretty high
so we're working on that as well we've been working on it with different scenarios and she's doing a lot better as you can see she's not immediately whining just because i stopped
she tries to do that all I do is I just keep my same pace yeah I ignore it I don't correct it I don't do anything I just act like she doesn't do it and then then that basically just teaches her that it doesn't give me a result at all, right?
and like if she screams at me or whines i just act like nothing happened i just stand there until she stops whining and then i go good job and i move forward
she whines with me is if I'm standing for too long but she doesn't really whine anymore with me for walking too slow anything like that
Let's go, leash yielding and doorways
How it was taught
Direction changes, a check that she does not keep constant tension on the leash, and repeated doorways. On the walk, 'ah ah' is used to reinforce let's go. By 2026-09-19: 'let's go' instead of a leash pull; 'uh-uh' only ever right after a request, as the verbal correction for not doing it.
On film
Sometimes the automatic door is like the first time we went through that door. She didn't rush too bad but a little bit. That time she like paused a little more.
Can't rush out the door.
And again, instead of pulling her, I just do let's go.
Yeah, and if she doesn't listen to my let's go, I do an uh-uh let's go.
Right, because my uh-uh is always just after I ask for something.
Heel
How it was taught
'Assigning the box': guided on the leash first, aiming for no leash contact. Pace, turns and tight spaces are varied, and she is walked past known distractions on purpose. Leaving the box is corrected. Hovering after release is not corrected; she is re-released instead.
On film
bit better yep and i always start with it on which obviously so i can guide better and assign that bot and then get to the point where i can do it without touching the leash
Ah, there we go. She's a little more aware. As I move, she kind of checks, like, where's the box.
Just because they can do it at a fast pace, doesn't mean they can do it at a slow pace or vice versa.
that's usually a lot on a dog like her like mentally so we'll do more um position stuff next time
Other dogs at a distance
How it was taught
Dogs are deliberately run beyond the fence during her sessions. A dog passing on a walk is used as a choice point, with 'ah ah' only to reinforce let's go. For the barrier frustration: she is put on one side of the fence while dogs are walked past until she calms, then the dogs are put away and she is let out.
On film
and she was having that issue just in general um and so now i have other dogs right here on the other side she can look as you can see but she's not reacting or barking or being overly nervous
really good decisions there she didn't get crazy she didn't bark she didn't whine even though we were standing still looking at her she just kind of chilled out and watched her go by right so i gave her a choice point she made a good choice
because the lab was like four feet from us and was barking at us and she walked right away
so i've been practicing like hey i'm gonna put you on this side of the fence and i'm gonna walk some dogs by me specifically yeah until you calm down and then like put these dogs away and i will let you back out
Strangers: fixation, barking, staring
How it was taught
Barking is corrected when it happens, with leave it and let's go, and people are let past before work resumes. Store exposure is given among random people. Considered: punishing the fixation itself, and a gloved stranger-handling test. By 2026-09-19: a fixation with a bark gets a loud 'uh uh' and 'let's go'; the e-collar only if she ignores that and barks again, to interrupt the pattern rather than startle her. A single bark at someone who keeps staring is not corrected: a light leash tug and 'let's go', a request to the person to stop, and walking away if they keep on.
On film
You're not barking at anybody. No panic.
leave it there you go stop don't do that no barkies come on let's go
one no barking or anything like that she was chilled out not sure what the difference between this one and that one or if it was just that the correction from last time is useful
That was good. Got a little stressed because he kinda popped around the corner but no barking or anything so that's good.
In the last two weeks we've only barked at one person.
now if she ignored my let's go and let's say she barked again right yeah that's when I use my e-collar okay I don't use my e-collar like right away or anything
if she just does like one bark and like it's like hey you're making me uncomfortable here right I don't punish that, I don't correct it,
or if i notice somebody doing that i just advocate and i just go hey like that's not a good idea yeah she gets nervous you staring at her is gonna make her more nervous please don't do that and if they keep keep doing it then i'll just be like all right let's go and i'll walk away from that right just so she doesn't have the opportunity to even like do the bark
Walking on a long line inside a boundary
How it was taught
The line is left loose, and she may wander and sniff inside the boundary as long as she comes back when called. If she goes too far too fast, stop and call her back. Lock the line briefly to slow her, and lock it at random on ordinary walks so she does not learn to pull whenever she has less room.
On film
just go over like the boundary work we've been working on
she has a boundary even with the flexi
because she has the the nervousness I don't correct her for like wanting to wander a little bit and like sniff because I'd rather have her wander a little bit and sniff as long as I can control it right like if I can call her back and just leave things alone that's all I care about
so even like using the flexi and stuff i'll like randomly lock it and like do that type of thing like hey and that stuff like you'll have to keep up like while you walk her and stuff just to make sure she doesn't build any new patterns that like mess it up or anything
Being handled: hindquarters, coat and brushing
How it was taught
Folded into the excited run-around after work: grabbing her rear, pulling on the hair and adding pressure until it stopped irritating her, then light brushing.
On film
what i started doing was um during our excited run around after like working time stuff is i started grabbing her butt more and like pulling on the hair a bit and acting like I was like really messing with it adding pressure to it
and at first she was like what are you doing what are you doing why are you touching like why are you touching me right
but now like it's a lot more like chill where it's like I can like really like mess with her like all the way down yeah and like it's not irritating anymore it's more desensitized now
I started kind of just doing light brushes and like she's been fine
Coping with noise
How it was taught
Walked past many noises while being directed away with the leash ('this way, don't look at it') until she did it herself.
On film
the louder the noise adds more stress to her body um which you're not going to get rid of but she's learned to manage it
basically i did that by just literally walking by a bunch of noises and then just directing her with the leash like this way don't look at it don't look at it right um and then now she kind of just naturally does it
she's not caring about the noises as much or like the sight the sights of you know of like dogs and people and stuff
How the method adapted
Two narrating trainers handle her in different styles, and each adapts in his own register. The public-work trainer adapts the exposure: what she is asked to tolerate, for how long, and how she is released. The walk trainer adapts the reward and the pressure: what she will work for, how he checks the tool, and how he reads her refusals. At the 19 Sep owner lesson the public-work trainer explains his adaptations to her family directly. Only the adaptations a trainer states on camera are listed here.
The reward was found by elimination, and it turned out to be the walk itself.
The stated aim of the toy parade was her emotional state for the rest of the program and faster progress. Ball, flirt pole and tug failed, and personal play worked a little but tired the handler. Freedom was the fallback, and it became the primary reinforcer because a walk allows more reps and longer sessions.
On film
We're gonna see if we can improve the emotional quality emotional state for her during like the rest of her program so that she's happy while she's training
scenario um we'll just have to do negative reinforcement for the release to freedom so with the freedom on walks
get more mileage out of it as well. I'll have more potential reps, more opportunities because it can be slightly longer
For a dog who whines to keep moving, moving on is made the reward for quiet.
Whining must not produce movement. The public-work trainer says a dog who cannot learn to settle keeps her nerves high. On 2026-09-19 he gives the walking version: keep the same pace and act as if the whine did not happen, so that it produces nothing at all.
On film
So we have to do exposure. We have to teach her that that's not something that we can do and that that does not result in us just moving forward and doing things, but if she stays calm, then we can move on.
they'll just irritated that we're staying in one spot but we're going to
and like if she screams at me or whines i just act like nothing happened i just stand there until she stops whining and then i go good job and i move forward
The tool is checked before the level is raised, because of her coat.
When the down needed too much leash help, the walk trainer named two possible causes, contact through thick fur or too low a setting, and checked the fit first. Staff had raised the same coat problem a week earlier with a different handler.
On film
okay good girl you did it you did good yeah so that required a lot of help still um from the leash and i think it's because um either a um the collar is not quite making contact like i wanted to because of all her thick fur or uh b um the really really low setting that i have on is just not quite cutting it
Or just put it on tight enough.
Pressure is raised only on the evidence of her behaviour, and in small steps.
The walk trainer states that he raises the level because what she is showing suggests it will not cause negative affect. He starts every recall with the lowest aid.
On film
to add just a little bit more pressure with the e-collar because I think that it's actually not gonna cause, based on like what she's showing me now, really any real negative affect.
Refusals are read as testing escape routes, not as stubbornness, and answered by closing those routes rather than by blaming her.
If refusing, getting up or circling once got her out of pressure, trying them is reasonable. The trainer's job is to show her they lead nowhere.
On film
things work you know which i don't blame her for trying them right because if those things immediately get her out of pressure or have immediately gotten her out of pressure in the past then i mean i would try them too
mean that like as the trainer i don't have to you know help her to see that hey like those pathways go they lead nowhere they don't work at all right
Clarity is tested by withholding help rather than adding it.
On the last down he gave her several chances with no conditioned punisher, to see whether she actually knew the cue, and she did on the third.
On film
I gave her a a few chances right I wanted to give her time to process and actually avoid the problem right that's why I didn't even use the condition or punisher
the down command to see if she would work it out um because i really the main thing i wanted to see is like i wanted to test clarity there
An exception to the walk trainer's own practice: he considers punishing the fixation itself.
He says he normally lets a dog act and shows alternatives only if it reacts. For her, he judges the fixation to be a primary trigger that will not go away and will get in the way of training on walks. He did not use the collar in the moment because it 'would have been too much'.
On film
I don't normally like to do that because I don't think it's always the best path. I think a lot of times it's better to just let them kind of do what they're gonna do and start showing them like other opportunities only if they react. But I think that for her, the fixation is gonna be like a primary trigger for her.
And that's definitely gonna get in the way of training on the walks, so
Dose is kept low throughout: short public outings, capped reps, and stopping when it has been a lot for her.
Stated three times, by both trainers: so as not to overwhelm her, and so as not to push too far. On 2026-09-19: position work held over because a family walk is a lot for her, store work in 15-minute blocks on a hot day, and the commands first at the next lesson, before a walk wears her out.
On film
um we can only do kind of short spurts with this that's a good girl and so that we don't overwhelm the dog too much too fast
Probably gonna go for like one, maybe two more reps. I don't want to push it too far with her.
But we're gonna end it there, because that was a lot for her,
that's usually a lot on a dog like her like mentally so we'll do more um position stuff next time
it was a really hot day though like we're going to stores not walking around for an hour or we're gonna do 15 minutes come back for 15 minutes and and come back out for 15 minutes.
i'm gonna have you guys practice more of the command stuff next session because we'll kind of jump to that right away um and so that she's not like already worn out or anything
Her release from heel is taught by encouragement, not correction.
She hovered in heel after being released. Correcting that would teach her the handler always wants heel. Re-releasing her makes release mean free.
On film
by just releasing her again saying it's okay go on go on encouraging her to go out and do other stuff makes it where she can truly release from the heel
With a nervous dog, only the failure to come back is corrected, never the curiosity.
Her rushing ahead to check something out is not corrected, where an excitable dog's pulling would be, because a wrong correction can freeze a nervous herding dog and undo weeks of work. So the trainer stops, calls her back, and corrects only if she does not come, with more verbal cues and more chances than he would give another dog.
On film
it's not like necessarily bad in her mind she's just checking stuff out right so and because she's a nervous dog i don't want to go super hard on it and like scare her
So, like, if it's a super excitable dog that's just, like, pulling because they're excited, right? Then I'll be a little stricter about it and be like, hey, like, I'm going to correct that a little more firm. And be like, don't do that because it's out of excitement, not nervousness, right?
you do that to a nervous shepherd or any type of herding dog they go they freeze up and they're like shut down and they're like why why you told me this whole time you want me to go explore and sniff and now all of a sudden and you corrected me because I like got interested right right so maybe I shouldn't be interested anymore right and then you go back two weeks of everything that just happened
which is why like I don't use the e-collar for everything I try to I give her more chances i do a lot more verbal
The e-collar level is a range read against the situation, and stepped down after a startle.
The public-work trainer puts her at about 30 to 35 in public, perhaps 20 at the family's house where distraction is lower, and about 20 to 40 overall, higher when her stress and fixation are higher. If a correction startles her or she tries to hide, he drops five or ten and tests again; if she then does not avoid, the problem was the fixation. The collar is there to interrupt a fixation, not to make her jump.
On film
you don't want it to be like a jump or like a freak out or anything you just want to be a simple like oh she should look at you and move on
i drop it down by like five or ten so i'll go to like 25 or 20 i'll wait and and I'll see, like, okay, does she try to avoid again, and then if I tap it, and she, like, doesn't avoid it, then I know it was just more of, like, a fixation problem
so the higher the stress level and the higher the fixation typically the higher this correction right um because what works with a low level stimulation like in the environment won't always work when you have somebody staring at you two feet away
on average it's usually more around 30 so I would say her range is probably between 20 and 40 depending on situation and environment
Her calm is checked with other handlers and other people: Claudia, then children.
Before the lesson Claudia walked her, to see whether her behaviour depended on the public-work trainer, and it did not. With her family there she whined more, 'kid wise', and her public outings had mostly been with adults, so before the next lesson he plans outings with children walking beside her (his own, by his account) to bring that stress down.
On film
You know, and like Claudio walked a little earlier just to see if it changed anything.
She's fine, no problem. Yeah, it wasn't like relying on just me or anything like that.
what I'm gonna do like kind of help correct that is I'm I'm gonna do a little more out and about stuff with my kids
like out with us in the public areas and have her walk next to them and and see if she winds more there and then correct some of the whining there um just like bring that stress down a little bit before our next session
Getting her used to handling is folded into play.
To get her used to having her hindquarters and thick coat handled, the trainer grabs and pulls her fur during the excited run-around after work, adding pressure until it no longer bothers her, and then brushes her lightly.
On film
what i started doing was um during our excited run around after like working time stuff is i started grabbing her butt more and like pulling on the hair a bit and acting like I was like really messing with it adding pressure to it
but now like it's a lot more like chill where it's like I can like really like mess with her like all the way down yeah and like it's not irritating anymore it's more desensitized now
A comfort behaviour with the people she loves is left alone.
She jumps up to 'hug' only people she really likes, not strangers, so the trainer has not corrected it.
On film
she definitely likes getting up and like kind of hugging yeah which I don't mind like I didn't correct it or anything because like it's a comfort thing she likes kind of getting up there she hasn't been doing it to other people
A single warning bark at someone who keeps staring is not corrected; the handler advocates for her instead.
A long stare reads to a dog as predatory or intimidating, and a mature dog with her life experience will probably always find it uncomfortable. He treats one bark at a starer as normal dog behaviour and the person's fault: a 'let's go' and a light leash tug, a request to stop staring, and walking away if they keep on, so that she has no reason to bark.
On film
because she's not a puppy and i'm doing it like puppies i can teach better like hey if i stare at you for super long time don't freak out right but an older dog already mature has a lot of life experience she'll probably always get a little more uncomfortable
I'll just do a let's go command instead, instead of a correction, because I'm like, that's really your fault, right, you're not doing anything wrong, this is a normal dog behavior, people should not do that to dogs or people, to be honest, right,
or if i notice somebody doing that i just advocate and i just go hey like that's not a good idea yeah she gets nervous you staring at her is gonna make her more nervous please don't do that and if they keep keep doing it then i'll just be like all right let's go and i'll walk away from that right just so she doesn't have the opportunity to even like do the bark
Stress first: her baseline was brought down before pressure was added.
When the family remark how relaxed she seems, the trainer says the main goal so far was to get her stress down far enough to be able to add more, because earlier any added pressure would have been too much. The aim is healthier coping, not removing all of it.
On film
stress level down enough to, like, add more stress to be able to handle it, basically.
Because, like, before, if I would have tried to add pressure, like, anything like this,
can't get rid of all of it right but like she's learning to manage it better she's a little more she has coping mechanisms now that are healthier
What the family was told
Why a dog that behaves at home can fall apart in public, and why the program trains in stores and parks
Just because the dog can sit and down and stay and not whine and play and do all the stuff in the house Does not mean that The dogs can do all those things with high distractions or in public or with more pressure around like social pressure and stuff
Once you start adding distractions, just because they do it inside does not mean they're going do it outside with distractions that's why we do both
Expect setbacks at each new level
Most likely she's going to get a little nervous again, have to kind of open back up, adding more pressure, more distractions of environment.
The people problem will be tested and set up before go-home, so it is easy to maintain
so i want to see about that make sure that um it's something that won't cause issues in the future when she goes home
um that way we don't end up having any any long-term problems and they have something that's easy for them to maintain because it's already been tested and set up correctly um in the first place during the program
Advocate for the dog: nobody should stare down or slowly approach any dog
is that's something that you really should not make eye contact for a long period of time with like approach all slow and awkward towards like any dog because it can trigger a reactivity situation no matter what the dog is
part of it is also advocating for the dog
Let her sniff and wander inside the boundary, as long as she comes back
because she has the the nervousness I don't correct her for like wanting to wander a little bit and like sniff because I'd rather have her wander a little bit and sniff as long as I can control it right like if I can call her back and just leave things alone that's all I care about
When she whines to move on, nothing happens: keep your pace, and wait for quiet when you stand
she tries to do that all I do is I just keep my same pace yeah I ignore it I don't correct it I don't do anything I just act like she doesn't do it and then then that basically just teaches her that it doesn't give me a result at all, right?
and like if she screams at me or whines i just act like nothing happened i just stand there until she stops whining and then i go good job and i move forward
If she fixes on something and barks: 'uh uh' and 'let's go' first, the e-collar only if she ignores it and barks again
I just do an uh uh and I say let's go
now if she ignored my let's go and let's say she barked again right yeah that's when I use my e-collar okay I don't use my e-collar like right away or anything
that's just to interrupt the brain pattern because she knows when she feels that collars go off then that stops the brain pattern and she knows like oh I was supposed to move on from that and I didn't
E-collar levels are a range, set by the situation
she sits around a 30 35 when she's out in public
say, in the house, maybe it, maybe at your house, she's wearing it, maybe it is on a 20 instead of a 30, just because distraction's a a little lower
so the higher the stress level and the higher the fixation typically the higher this correction right um because what works with a low level stimulation like in the environment won't always work when you have somebody staring at you two feet away
i drop it down by like five or ten so i'll go to like 25 or 20 i'll wait and and I'll see, like, okay, does she try to avoid again, and then if I tap it, and she, like, doesn't avoid it, then I know it was just more of, like, a fixation problem
Correct her for not coming back, never for being curious
right so instead it's just more fair to just be like hey you know i'm gonna stop call you back to me if you come back everything's fine if you don't come back then i'm gonna correct you for not coming back right so it's very clear in her mind yeah that i'm not being corrected because i got interested in what's up there i was corrected because we stopped and i didn't come back
right so the command is always more important than the curiosity part but we never punish the curiosity
Lock the flexi at random on walks, so she keeps the habit
so even like using the flexi and stuff i'll like randomly lock it and like do that type of thing like hey and that stuff like you'll have to keep up like while you walk her and stuff just to make sure she doesn't build any new patterns that like mess it up or anything
Say 'let's go' instead of pulling, and use 'uh-uh' only after a request
And again, instead of pulling her, I just do let's go.
Yeah, and if she doesn't listen to my let's go, I do an uh-uh let's go.
Right, because my uh-uh is always just after I ask for something.
How she is with other dogs, as the trainer reads it
now i've noticed that if she's behind something like say a door or a gate or like or like she's in the crate and i'm putting dogs away for bedtime and stuff sometimes i'll have to like cover the front of the crate or like or if she's on the other side of the fence and i'm moving dogs around she'll she'll get frustrated because she can't come over
as far as like actual i don't see any aggression okay like with the dog um i think most of it was probably as far as like dog issues issues a mix of stress and environmental stress in general and then also just if you guys are giving attention to that dog she wants the attention
A single bark at someone staring is not her fault: say 'let's go', ask them to stop, and walk away
I'll just do a let's go command instead, instead of a correction, because I'm like, that's really your fault, right, you're not doing anything wrong, this is a normal dog behavior, people should not do that to dogs or people, to be honest, right,
or if i notice somebody doing that i just advocate and i just go hey like that's not a good idea yeah she gets nervous you staring at her is gonna make her more nervous please don't do that and if they keep keep doing it then i'll just be like all right let's go and i'll walk away from that right just so she doesn't have the opportunity to even like do the bark
she has to be able to handle everyday life stuff but something like that really isn't an everyday life thing
Some discomfort with long stares is managed, not trained out, in a grown dog
because she's not a puppy and i'm doing it like puppies i can teach better like hey if i stare at you for super long time don't freak out right but an older dog already mature has a lot of life experience she'll probably always get a little more uncomfortable if somebody's like this yeah for like more than 30 seconds right but if somebody like looks and then like looks away she's fine
What the work has aimed at so far: lower stress first, then healthier coping
stress level down enough to, like, add more stress to be able to handle it, basically.
can't get rid of all of it right but like she's learning to manage it better she's a little more she has coping mechanisms now that are healthier
The e-collar is being faded
in the beginning we obviously had to use it more you know now we're we're fading off more and she wears it but and she's doing we're not using it
Next time: the commands first, and the next lesson at your house
i'm gonna have you guys practice more of the command stuff next session because we'll kind of jump to that right away um and so that she's not like already worn out or anything
test stuff in the house we'll do a walk around the neighborhood see how that looks and everything
In the family's own words
She definitely, like, I don't know if you see it too, but she seems much more relaxed.
the e-collar thing was my biggest question from the videos
Did she start to do better with laying down and everything? Because I know that was one in the, every trainer has been like, like beyond frustrated with that one.
what like what's setting because i know like there was the one time in the house that she kind of freaked out and like tried to hide yeah because of it what's the difference in like the settings
how is she with the other dogs at like at the house and everything
What wrench does our presence throw into it all?
Outcomes
What the trainers reported
She has opened up: she engages, plays, lets herself be petted, sniffs, and is no longer nervous with the staff.
The public-work trainer, before 2026-09-01 (watch)
On film
so you know she's been here for a little while now and we've been building confidence and building
She's doing great.
No reaction to dogs beyond the fence; recall going well at mid-level distraction.
The public-work trainer, before 2026-09-01
On film
Her recall is going really well, even with mid-level distractions.
Doing great at the house with many people coming and going and other dogs around.
The public-work trainer, 2026-09-01
On film
great at the house with a lot of people around and people going in and out and even other dogs being around she's doing really great with that
A verbal-only down within a session or two (a prediction made on 2026-09-04, met on 2026-09-08 by the same trainer's account).
The walk trainer (probably Kelton)
On film
We're packing up. That was pretty good. She'll have a verbal only down probably within the next session or two at max.
surprise me whiskey down down whiskey down and she did she surprised me good girl
Doing really good. Reactivity is only a little and only to staring people. Standing still is a lot better, the down needs no guidance, and she does all the other commands really well.
The public-work trainer, 2026-09-15
On film
So Whiskey's doing really good The only time she's becoming like a little reactive at this point and it's not too bad
So that was a lot for her. She does all the other commands really well.
Eleven minutes on place through everyday room movement.
The title of watch (a title is a claim)
Only one person barked at in two weeks: a man who kept staring after being asked not to.
The public-work trainer, 2026-09-19 (watch)
On film
In the last two weeks we've only barked at one person.
Like really hardcore like staring at us.
A Labrador barked at her from about four feet in a store the day before, and she walked away. His camera had died, so this is his account.
The public-work trainer, 2026-09-19 (watch)
On film
because the lab was like four feet from us and was barking at us and she walked right away
The down now comes on the verbal cue with no added pressure, and she held it while a cart went by.
The public-work trainer, 2026-09-19 (watch)
On film
where i showed she does the down for me like verbally um without having to add any pressure
and she holds like she was holding it and she'll stay with it yeah okay we had a cart go by and she stayed there she was fine
She has learned to manage noise and is less bothered by the sight of dogs and people.
The public-work trainer, 2026-09-19
On film
the louder the noise adds more stress to her body um which you're not going to get rid of but she's learned to manage it
she's not caring about the noises as much or like the sight the sights of you know of like dogs and people and stuff
Fine with the other dogs where she is staying; frustrated behind barriers, and no aggression toward dogs that he can see.
The public-work trainer, 2026-09-19 (watch)
On film
as far as like actual i don't see any aggression okay like with the dog um i think most of it was probably as far as like dog issues issues a mix of stress and environmental stress in general and then also just if you guys are giving attention to that dog she wants the attention
Handling of her hindquarters and coat no longer bothers her, and light brushing is fine.
The public-work trainer, 2026-09-19 (watch)
On film
but now like it's a lot more like chill where it's like I can like really like mess with her like all the way down yeah and like it's not irritating anymore it's more desensitized now
The e-collar is being faded: she wears it, but it is not being used.
The public-work trainer, 2026-09-19 (watch)
On film
in the beginning we obviously had to use it more you know now we're we're fading off more and she wears it but and she's doing we're not using it
Much more relaxed, with healthier ways of coping, though not all of her stress can be removed.
Her family and the trainer, 2026-09-19 (watch)
On film
She definitely, like, I don't know if you see it too, but she seems much more relaxed.
can't get rid of all of it right but like she's learning to manage it better she's a little more she has coping mechanisms now that are healthier
What the footage shows
In the first store she whines on a stop and then goes quiet as people pass. The trainer moves on only then. The change within the session is narrated as it happens.
On film
And that time she whined a little bit, but then she immediately stopped, and we stood there and had a couple people even go by and stuff, and she didn't whine, so then we moved forward
A verbal-only down on 2026-09-08 after a session of refusals, heard as three cue words, no conditioned punisher, and praise.
On film
surprise me whiskey down down whiskey down and she did she surprised me good girl
Fixation on people is audible on 2026-09-08. A barking episode is interrupted with 'leave it' and 'no barkies', and a later pass is described as quiet.
On film
leave it there you go stop don't do that no barkies come on let's go
one no barking or anything like that she was chilled out not sure what the difference between this one and that one or if it was just that the correction from last time is useful
Early heel in a store on 2026-09-15. The trainer narrates her checking for the box and losing it on slow pace.
On film
Ah, there we go. She's a little more aware. As I move, she kind of checks, like, where's the box.
Long place holds are on film, including one of about eleven minutes that ends with 'stay right there'.
On film
Alright, place!
Her first walk with her family on film, on 2026-09-19. The trainer hears more whining with them than with him, 'more just like kid wise'.
On film
definitely a little more whining with you guys okay more than she is with me
it definitely seems more just like kid wise right
During that walk she fixes on something and gives a little bark. On a loud 'uh uh' and 'let's go' she breaks off and runs to her family, and the trainer describes it straight after.
On film
she kind of breaks out of it yeah and then like she ran to you guys and she got excited and she was like oh hey and then like leaves it alone so like that response is fine because she didn't continue the fixation
At the end of the lesson she climbs into her family's laps and has to be coaxed away from them.
On film
she missed you guys too just like you're missing her she misses you guys too
i know i know you like me but you like them more
The ideas Whiskey's case runs on
- 'Easy': the conditioned relaxer
- Aggression read as insecurity
- Another dog as helper, tester or draw
- Breed is a checklist, not a verdict
- Clarity is the kindness
- Close the other door: the escape hatch
- Collar awareness: the collar is a paperweight
- Command, marker, collar - in that order
- Contingent, avoidable, and the right size
- Control is not obedience
- Fit before level: check the tool before you judge the dog
- Fixation is the failure mode
- Generalisation is the whole job
- Go and look at the scary thing
- Greetings are the handler's call
- He has to be allowed to get it wrong
- Heel entry versus heel in motion
- Heel is a box, not a stare
- Hidden help
- If it works, it stays: the strategy has to stop paying
- Meaningful release
- Opening up
- Pick the place for what it contains - life is the training ground
- Play becomes the reward - and play is a contest
- Pressure, release, reward
- Punish the act, not the feeling: he may look
- Raise the criterion in steps
- Reading the dog
- Release to freedom
- Social pressure
- Start with freedom
- Stop before you shut him down
- The camera is part of the method
- The dog is a different dog for his owner - and authority transfers
- The dog tells you the reward
- The dose of a session
- The level is not a number
- The owner as a guarded resource
- The radius
- The settle criterion
- The three Ds, and the variables nobody counts
- Two events, not one - and what the handler does in between