Who Wiley is
As the trainers describe him
The ball is his whole currency. Every speaker who describes him reaches for the same cliff image, and another trainer uses him as the example of a ball dog when describing a different dog.
On film
Those are crackhead eyes right there.
I think he'd jump off a cliff to get it.
I have a blue healer named Wiley.
wiley you know wiley's all about um he's all about the uh the ball right he he's a crackhead for the
yeah he's great i had several people say man you got lucky with that dog yeah he just loves to fetch and yeah oh he would jump off a cliff yeah to get a ball
A herding dog whose nipping has two targets: people running past, and his 'brothers' in tight spaces. The trainer names the second as one of the main reasons he is in training, and explains the first as breeding.
On film
healer and so he wants to do that kind of stuff that's also what he does to his brothers when they're in tight spaces this is why they're one of the big reasons why he's here
it up there he'll go to bite him not bite like hard yeah just nip because he's a healer so he's a blue healer they're named that for a reason they nip at things heels
High drive, and aroused rather than tired. The trainer reads his panting as excitement, and describes the goal for him as obedience rather than calm.
On film
he's a very high drive dog
That's not from exertion. That's from like amped.
calm yes but well no you know what not not calm just obedient how about that that's the best we're
Hard on dogs who crowd him. For that reason the trainer keeps him away from greetings with unknown dogs, and punishes charging a dog outright.
On film
i don't want any potential issue because he gets weird about space mostly if another dog's like in his space too much he'll correct them but sometimes he corrects kind of hard
don't want him charging dogs so i'm punishing to make that not an option in these kinds of settings
He tolerates correction easily. The trainer notes it during the program, and at Murphy's lesson he sets Wiley against Murphy as the dog who shrugs it off.
On film
and by the way i did hit him with a 70 there earlier when he saw the squirrel and you can see he tolerated it just fine
can put a good deal like you can use the e-collar on a fairly high level and you can't hurt him
he'll blow it right off
A down-stay that is the trainer's benchmark for other dogs.
On film
He'll need more reinforcement than Wiley does. Wiley would probably just stay for ten hours
he couldn't care less he might as well be laying in his bed right now
The trainer's favourite dog. He says so unprompted, in public, and on a video he says he is posting.
On film
And Wiley's my favorite.
That was the most fun I've ever had training a dog.
As the family describes him
Before the program, the household's other big dog, Murphy, guarded and harried him during fetch. Wiley would wait at the owner's side for help, cowered, and began fighting back as he got older.
On film
i got to the point where if the ball rolled near murphy wiley would sit by me and
you know pick on him or put him down or something and how was wiley responding to that uh mostly he would just cower but uh i think as he got older um he started fighting
The program, stage by stage
Intake, off camera
About 2025-11-01 to 11-02. Nothing filmed.
The form describes a five-year-old cattle dog with no prior training. He was reliable on sit, come and let's-go only when distractions were low, did stay and place only for food in the hand, and had no heel or release. The form reports doorway fights with the household's older dog, rough play and jumping, barking at visitors and for attention, escapes through gates, and aggression toward power tools. A newborn in the house made the jumping and rough-housing urgent. Their priorities were barking for attention, manners around small children, and recall and control. None of this is on camera.
Foundations already in: down, release, thresholds
The earliest recording is a dawn public-access visit to a Sheetz. It carries a progress report. The down has improved a lot, the release word 'okay' is working, and doorway manners are installed: a sit at thresholds, doorways and the kennel gate, waiting for the door and the release. That routine answers two of the intake's problems, the doorway fights and the escapes through gates, although nobody on film connects them. Kelton later describes it to the family as a down at every door and gate.
On film
His down has improved a lot. I've been able to work with him on the down command.
And we've taught doorway manners. Wiley, sit. Nope. So we have him set at thresholds, doorways, kennel gate.
goes through a gate like out in and out of his kennel area because they both stayed in five by
The e-collar comes in, and the squirrel sets the scaleTurning point
2025-11-18, one outing in three recordings (watch, watch, watch)
The richest day in his file. At a park new to both of them near Zebulon, the trainer moves the heel onto the e-collar at 15 to 20. He works an implied stay in sit and down while walking behind Wiley, hoping for mistakes to correct. In the long-line play segment he layers the collar into the down with leash pressure, defines 'good' as a duration marker, and flags two of his own errors: cocking his arm before saying 'okay', and pushing heel duration too fast. He introduces the fines analogy while raising the level from 20. In the third segment he goes hunting for distractions. Dogs turn out to be a small distraction for Wiley. A squirrel is a different order of problem, and he uses level 70 for it. From that he sets out the doctrine that 'the number means almost nothing', with levels by task: 75-80 for a squirrel recall, 20-25 for a broken sit, and 40 too high for a sit. He declines to extinguish prey drive, calling that borderline unethical in a blue heeler, and uses the squirrels to reinforce the recall instead. A second squirrel at the same distance draws a better response.
On film
heel see what that's set on it's probably set a little bit too high for the uh heel nope heel put it on 15 or 20 for correcting heel mistakes in the heel
So I'm putting a little bit of leash pressure on because I want to layer the e-collar into the down.
Kind of like traffic ticket a lot of people will pay, you know $100 speeding fine But a thousand dollar fine or five hundred dollar fine starts to hurt most people
out to people that it's not about the number number means almost nothing the number means almost nothing because that number can change
chase a squirrel and need to recall them well for Wiley it might need to be on a 75 or an 80 right it's on a 70 right now is Wiley just breaking a sit command then maybe a 20 or 25 that's what it was on earlier
I don't think I want to completely kill his prey drive here. It would be way too hard to do anyway with, or I think it's borderline unethical with a blue heeler.
Good job man. So you can see squirrel, same distance away, same everything else as the first one. But this time, his reaction was much better.
Long line, jumping, and the down that breaks when the trainer leaves his view
About 2025-11-19 and 11-20 (watch, watch; possibly one outing)
Long-line work toward off leash. Wiley jumps at the trainer for the ball, and the trainer removes it on the owners' behalf. The heel needs leash help, and two e-collar taps stop him running toward another handler's dog. In the down, Wiley keeps breaking to keep the trainer in view. The trainer works it with the ball held back as the reward until 'He learned'. He later calls it 'a little moment' that they 'figured out'. Nothing more is said, and it is not treated here as a bite. The session closes with the throw schedule made deliberately random, and with the crate put on a cue ('go home') because he sometimes refuses it.
On film
You went to jump on me and I don't want that
Because I know that your your owners aren't gonna like that. Gotta get rid of it
you're gonna get the ball nope down so he wants to keep me in view
We had a little moment there. It's okay
Come on, you see the the number of times that I throw it before we do any obedience needs to be relatively random
Put it on cue and just make them do it.
Downtown: heel where freedom is unsafe, recall off a dog, a new command, a night walk
2025-11-21 (watch, watch, watch by day; watch at night, probably the same evening)
Urban generalisation. A down by the elevator in a parking structure, which he holds with complete indifference, then broken once under a leaf blower. A sit at the roadside while cars pass. Heel on a narrow path by the river, because freedom there would be dangerous. With a dog in view, the trainer turns the collar up in case he needs it, then does not: Wiley recalls cleanly off the dog. Then middle, taught from scratch on the Great Lawn. The trainer names two more of his own errors (saying the cue before the behaviour exists, and reaching for the reward before the release), reads Wiley's frustration as thinking, and predicts the behaviour will be free of help in a session or two. The night walk passes another dog without interest, frames the goal as obedience rather than calm, and gets a first 'He's getting it' on middle.
On film
I don't want him thinking he's free and you know, jumping off into the river.
you smart dog come on oh yeah proud of you bud you called right off that no no no verse of
middle, I shouldn't actually be saying middle here, see, handling mistakes
okay probably another session or two and he'll be able to do that with uh with nothing
dog goes out he'll interrupt their train and walk by him good job wiley i didn't even care about it
Impulse control in drive, aimed at the brothersTurning point
The first time the ball work is tied explicitly to his home problem. At night, Wiley is asked to down and leave the ball while it is thrown, starting with short throws. When a sit proves too hard the trainer lowers the criterion and says why. The stated purpose is the household: if he can be called off the ball, he can be called off an aroused moment with Murphy or Rafi, into an emergency down backed by the conditioned punisher and the collar. The trainer is not sure which brother is which. He says the on-leash heel is already skilled and they are now proofing the off-leash down.
On film
Down so I want him to get the point that he can't go even if he wants it really bad.
where he's amped with his brother, right? One of his brothers, either Murphy, or I think it's Rafi, right?
then we should easily be able to use the condition punisher, do an emergency down, right?
so he's already gotten really skilled at the on leash heel now we're just proofing the off leash down
or maybe let's put it on right at a 40 actually just uh because there are dogs here but i won't
The runner, and the choice pointTurning point
About 2025-11-26, the day before Thanksgiving (watch)
The presenting problem happens on camera. A runner passes from behind and Wiley goes after him. What exactly he did is not described. The trainer's words are 'what if he had bit that guy... what if he had nipped him'. The correction is a long, emphatic 'never do that'. It is followed at once by what the trainer calls a makeup: sniffing, ball, praise, and 'back to being good again'. He frames the correction as authority, the fifth of five aspects after evaluation, cooperation, fulfilment and socialization. With the next runner, Wiley looks at the runner and then back at the handler, and the trainer asks viewers to replay that moment. He plans to come back for choice points he does not stage, then admits he spoiled the next one by saying Wiley's name as a dog approached. He calls that management rather than the dog choosing.
On film
nope nope never do that nope you understand never do that never okay good
so i cannot let stuff like that slide that cannot slide cannot slide but i can do a makeup with him
because that is definitely not allowed what if he had bit that guy right what if he had nipped him
was another choice point this guy running by right and you can see he looked at it and he looked back at me
problem there which is fine most of the time but it's management right instead i want him to make a good choice on his own without me having to say anything
Off leash and almost done; dogs are the remaining work
By 2025-11-27 (store trip watch + watch) and by 2025-12-02 (watch)
The store trip opens with the status report: off leash for the last couple of sessions, which were not recorded, heeling off leash, obedience 'beautiful', and other dogs as the remaining work. In the store the trainer explains his preference for putting a problem behaviour on cue rather than punishing it: one thing is forbidden and everything short of it is fair game. He never wants Wiley charging dogs, so it is taken off the table. A shopper warns that Wiley might nip her corgi, and he is kept back. At the lake by 2 December Wiley is off leash, choosing, swimming and recalling. To a stranger the trainer explains that he records sessions mainly so Wiley's owners can see him, that runners trigger breed-typical nipping (he says Wiley has just done it 'up there'), and that he lives and dies by the release command.
On film
last last couple of sessions i've just had him completely off the leash
More than anything else, I've been looking for some opportunities to keep working through it with other dogs
don't want him charging dogs so i'm punishing to make that not an option in these kinds of settings
But yeah, I record it so that people can either find out about us or the other reason is and honestly This is more crucial is for like you know Wiley's owners want to see him
mostly just sniff stuff and so like i live and die by the release command
The last outing: runners passed, off-leash heel self-corrected, and the method explained to a stranger
2025-12-03, five parts (watch, watch, watch, watch, watch)
Wiley passes a runner without nipping and is praised for it. There is a down inside the visitor centre, place on raised objects, and swimming. On the off-leash heel he drifts and 'caught it' himself. On the walking loop Kelton explains his method to a woman with a small dog. Play is the teaching vehicle. Correction is fair under a command and unfair on a break. The down was taught by pressure until it came smoothly, then named. He does not let Wiley greet unknown dogs because he corrects hard.
On film
Look, you didn't nip that guy. You didn't nip that lady running. That's a good job, Wiley. Been working on Wiley's nipping.
Started to get distracted. He caught it. Good job
right but that way you can like tell them okay do it or don't do it like right there i told him come and then i put him in the heel so then it's like okay he knows he's supposed to be doing something else so then if he doesn't do that i can punish it
I was gonna teach it down when I taught him down. I just did like this Like that until he went into a down and then as soon as he did that smoothly without me having to like really pressure it Then I just started naming it down
Home: what held, what didn't, and the dog in the penTurning point
Go-home about 2025-12-04 (not filmed); reported at Murphy's go-home lesson, about January 2026 (watch; re-cut as watch)
No handover for Wiley is filmed. What survives is the owners' report at the visit that returned Murphy. The down held in a chaotic car park while both parents dealt with a screaming baby. The owners have built a trash-run routine: a down at the sidewalk, a recall, a down by the dumpsters, then a release from out of sight. Kelton judges the training maintained and 'well installed'. The jumping on the owner at the back door and gate persists, though with less force. The owner says he has not needed firm corrections since Wiley came home. The same visit brings out what the program did not solve and what happened during it. When the dogs come in, Kelton sees Murphy guarding and Wiley afraid of him. His advice for Wiley's side is to let him avoid Murphy and never force the interaction. The corrective plan he builds that day is for Murphy.
On film
So I put Wiley into a gown, and not a worry in the world.
i'll tell him to down at the sidewalk and i'll walk to the trash and then tell him to come to me and then i'll put him down by the dumpsters where we just walked by and i'll walk all the way up to the front door he can't even see me anymore and i tell him to release and he'll come
he'll come to you yeah okay so the training's been maintained fine and it was well installed
He's not doing it with force and knocking me over like he used to.
now he's avoiding so um one is don't force the interaction so if wiley avoids let him avoid it's
Skills
Down and implied stay
How it was taught
By Kelton's account, pressure until the dog went down smoothly, then naming it. It was then layered: the e-collar paired with leash pressure, 'good' used as a duration marker, the handler walking behind to provoke breaks, the ball held back until he allowed the handler out of view, and finally a down while the ball is thrown.
On film
yeah but then i can just say down and he'll go right into it even from like over there
good good it's a duration marker it means he can't get up yet but he's doing the right thing
He's not wanting to let me go behind him. He doesn't like if I go out of sight.
Right now. I have the ball. He's gonna want to look at me. Oh, he did good. He learned
Down and leave the ball and let me throw it without him getting it. So I'm gonna try like small throws first
He'll need more reinforcement than Wiley does. Wiley would probably just stay for ten hours
Recall
How it was taught
Freedom on a flexi or long line, recall, sit, then release back to what he was doing as the reward. Proofed against dogs, a dog park and squirrels, with the collar level set to the distraction. Reps where he cannot win are skipped, and so is practice where nothing competes.
On film
all right i was looking for him to finish it because i want him to come back and sit every time after the recall and wait for further commands
He still wanted to go to the squirrel. He started going towards it. When I recalled, he stopped, but he didn't come all the way back, so that's why he got hit.
thing important is that if you know that your dog can recall perfectly when there's nothing going on and nobody else is looking at him nothing is competing for his attention there's no competing motivator don't practice that the heck is the point that's like doing a thousand uh push-ups on the wall
you smart dog come on oh yeah proud of you bud you called right off that no no no verse of
Heel, on leash to off leash
How it was taught
E-collar at 15-20 for heel mistakes, with leash taps. The transfer to the long line brings errors the trainer calls common: going round the right side and across the front. Leash help when he cannot find the position, reward withheld until a turn is correct, turns made deliberately hard, and a couple of taps when he leaves the off-leash heel.
On film
Most of the time when I start transferring into the long line for the off leash heel.
Alright, I'm gonna give him a little bit of help with the leash.
Let's try and make sure he pays attention when he's in the heel. There's a lot of stuff out here for him to look at. That's much better this time.
so he definitely doesn't need this thing anymore he heals off leash just fine
when he went out of the heel he got distracted we're proving the off-leash heel here obviously
Release ('okay') and the line between command and freedom
How it was taught
Every hold ends in 'okay' and a return to what he wants. Out of command he is told so explicitly and is free. The trainer's two timing errors (arm before 'okay', reaching for the pocket before 'okay') are both about protecting the release.
On film
And his release, he's doing really well with his release word, which is okay.
okay go go go you're not command i didn't tell him to do anything go go go go do stuff
small mistake but nevertheless important i cocked my arm back before i said okay i should have said okay and then cocked my arm back to throw it
Doorway and gateway manners
How it was taught
Sit or down at every threshold, doorway and kennel gate, and wait for the door to open and the release.
On film
Wiley, sit. Then he has to wait for me to open it up and give him the okay.
doing great okay yeah but i always like think it's always a good practice to keep is like before he comes in so that he doesn't bust in make him do it down
Not nipping runners
How it was taught
An emphatic verbal correction (whether the collar was also used is not recorded), an immediate makeup, then unstaged choice points on paths where people run.
On film
was another choice point this guy running by right and you can see he looked at it and he looked back at me
Look, you didn't nip that guy. You didn't nip that lady running.
like with him that right there like there's a this like when runners go by like that if we're standing here watching and they run by us he just did it up there
Around other dogs
How it was taught
Distraction-hunting at dog parks and on night walks, with the collar level raised when dogs are present. Charging is punished before any command. No greeting of unknown dogs.
On film
improved a lot let's go as you can see like he uh he's he's fine if there's some dogs
the command right only because i don't want him doing that kind of thing ever
i normally don't let him meet other dogs when i'm out and about just because
Middle (a bonus command)
How it was taught
Guiding him through the legs with the ball as the reward, the ball 'going away' until the behaviour happens, and the cue withheld until the behaviour exists.
On film
He's trying to go everywhere but there.
See, if you see a little bit of frustration like that, that's good. That means they're thinking, man.
Middle. Nope. Come here, Wiley. Almost.
Jumping on people
How it was taught
Not described beyond 'no' and making the ball conditional on a heel.
On film
Because I know that your your owners aren't gonna like that. Gotta get rid of it
He doesn't jump as strong as he used to.
Place, out, crate on cue
How it was taught
Cue and 'nope'. For the crate, cue and insist.
On film
Place nope, why up up come on up here down
It's a nice release command there,
wiley has a funny thing where he doesn't want to go into the crate sometimes get on cue now go home
Heel, on leash to off leash
On film
Heel. It's a little distracted.
that he needs an additional command to sit to finish up.
Recall
On film
Put him in the heel because all I did was recall him there
Place, out, crate on cue
On film
Good job. Come on, come on, come on. Yeah. Out. It's bouncy, huh?
Down and implied stay
On film
put him in his mandrake he's laid down chilling
Place, out, crate on cue
On film
go home go home because he was a little resistant to going into the crate at first nope go home go home back in the crate come on there you go
From the Shorts
Short clips posted from Wiley's training. They are undated, so they sit beside the program rather than inside it.
Heel among the chickens, finished in a sit he isn't asked for
The trainer walks Wiley in a heel past free-ranging chickens and a cat, using 'nope' when he gets distracted and sniffs. The retractable leash is left unlocked and, he says, locked only to give a correction; Wiley follows his turns. When the heel ends, the trainer does not say 'sit', because he wants Wiley to learn that the heel always finishes in a sit without an extra word. When some of the resident dogs bark, he calls Wiley off them, then puts him back in the heel so he finishes with the sit.
On film
Wiley, heel. Just want to show you those chickens. He's still in the heel. There's a cat right here. Wiley, nope.
Those are some baby chickens. I can turn. Follows me in the heel. This is unlocked.
Unless I lock it for some reason. Just to do a correction. And he stays in the heel with me just
i'm not marking with the sit there only because i don't want him to think
that he needs an additional command to sit to finish up.
Wiley, come! So you see he's a little bit like that, but I can recall him off of it.
Put him in the heel because all I did was recall him there
so he could have walked out of the heel. Trying to teach him to always finish with the sit.
Patient in the store, then the new ball
Leaving a store checkout, the trainer says he forgot to film it but Wiley did great: without being given a command, he lay down and chilled. Outside he gives Wiley the new ball, asking whether it was worth the wait because he was so patient in the store, and plays fetch, asking him to let go of the ball with 'out' several times.
On film
whole checkout process here i forgot to turn the camera on so well i did great he just i didn't
put him in his mandrake he's laid down chilling oh i've got some new toys for you
was it worth the wait dude he was so patient in the store
Good boy. Out. Yeah. Wiley. Wiley. Good boy. Come on. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Out. Out. Good boy.
A cue for going into the crate
After a down and a short heel, the handler explains that he has been teaching Wiley a 'go home' cue because Wiley was a little resistant to going into the crate at first, and sends him in with it. Earlier in the clip he says Wiley walks right in the heel with no pressure needed.
On film
good boy all right and then I've been teaching him the go home command Wiley go home go home because he was a little resistant to going into the crate at first
Wiley heel. He'll fall under the heel. Walks right in it. So obviously with no pressure coming from this.
The ball after a patient wait
The handler asks Wiley to lie down and relax, then gives him a ball, saying he was so patient.
On film
Just lay down and chill.
You probably want this more than anything.
Was it worth the wait, dude? He was so patient.
How the method adapted
Wiley is the case where a single, strong currency and a high tolerance for correction let the trainer run the method close to its plainest form: play as the reward, release as the reward, and e-collar levels set per task. The adaptations are about calibrating that currency and those levels, and about the one limit the trainer sets himself, which is prey drive.
The ball replaced food almost entirely, and the throw schedule was made random so drive would not sag before obedience.
His ball drive far exceeds his interest in food. A fixed schedule would teach him when obedience is coming.
On film
the number of times that I throw it before we do any obedience needs to be relatively random say for instance i did it every three times i got him to do something for it well then you know on the third time he wouldn't be that pumped up for the fourth time
The collar level was set by the task and the distraction, not by the dog, and the collar was tightened before the level was raised for squirrels.
A squirrel matters to him about ten times as much as a dog or a person, by the trainer's estimate. The fine has to outweigh what he wants in that moment.
On film
Just gonna make sure this is on tight enough that if he is moving hard, he can still feel it.
And again, that was on a 70. Because it needs to be higher for this particular circumstance because he's not nearly as wanting to go see dogs or people not even close i mean i'd say it's like one tenth of what he feels about the squirrels
criteria because he's figuring out what I'm doing here so he's learning about the fines and his obedience is getting better so if somebody knows better the fines are higher for a responsible person
Prey drive was used, not removed. Squirrels became the proofing distraction, and a recall only counts if he still believes he can win.
Removing it would be 'borderline unethical with a blue heeler', and the squirrel is the only distraction strong enough to test him.
On film
be careful about here is is he recalling because he thinks he can't get the squirrel anymore or is it because he can get the squirrel he thinks he believes still that he can get the squirrel but now he's listening
no i did not actually use that as a rep because um this squirrel went up the tree already so he
The runner incident got the strongest correction in his file, followed at once by a deliberate makeup.
It is the behaviour he is in training for and 'cannot slide'. The trainer restores the relationship immediately so the correction stands alone.
On film
so i cannot let stuff like that slide that cannot slide cannot slide but i can do a makeup with him
evaluation cooperation fulfillment socialization but we also have authority and that that case is authority
When he struggled, the trainer blamed the pace and lowered the criterion.
Duration pushed too fast produced frustration and failures. A dog who is trying gets an easier version.
On film
come on okay next rep's gonna be a little bit shorter i think i just was trying for too much duration there
Nope. Good boy. Okay. You tried. Look at that. So you gotta, you gotta lower the criteria if you see they're struggling right so he tried he wanted to do what I wanted him to do
Ball impulse control was aimed at the home problem: calling him off an aroused moment with a housemate.
The trainer's reasoning is that a dog who can leave the ball in full drive can be downed out of an escalation with Murphy or Rafi.
On film
he's getting it he's getting the impulse control and the idea here is that we want to create impulse control in a really high drive state
Greetings with unknown dogs were ruled out rather than trained.
He corrects dogs who crowd him 'kind of hard'. Kelton treats that as a risk to avoid, not a skill to build.
On film
i don't want any potential issue because he gets weird about space mostly if another dog's like in his space too much he'll correct them but sometimes he corrects kind of hard
What the family was told
The videos are for the owners
But yeah, I record it so that people can either find out about us or the other reason is and honestly This is more crucial is for like you know Wiley's owners want to see him
E-collar numbers (addressed to clients in general, recorded on a Wiley video)
number means almost nothing because that number can change so when people ask me after I've trained their dog what number should I put the e color I tell them I don't know
Door routine: a down, not a sit, before the dogs come in
comes in so that he doesn't bust in make him do it down
Wiley and Murphy: let them communicate; never force Wiley to engage
now he's avoiding so um one is don't force the interaction so if wiley avoids let him avoid it's
Wiley in his area while he was trying to interact with you, right? I don't call that jealousy
In the family's own words
So we went to a park, and there were dogs barking, kids running, cars driving.
He can't even see me anymore, and then I tell him to release, and he'll come.
to see like uh how we did with wiley and walk around we don't have to do all that but uh i was
Outcomes
What the trainers reported
The down is much improved and the release is working, about twelve days in.
The trainer, about 2025-11-14
On film
His down has improved a lot. I've been able to work with him on the down command.
The recall has improved a lot, and he is fine around dogs; squirrels are the remaining problem.
The trainer, 2025-11-18
On film
improved a lot let's go as you can see like he uh he's he's fine if there's some dogs
The on-leash heel is really skilled.
The trainer, about 2025-11-26
On film
so he's already gotten really skilled at the on leash heel now we're just proofing the off leash down
Off leash in the last couple of sessions, which were not recorded; training almost fully done; obedience 'beautiful'.
The trainer, by 2025-11-27
On film
at this point his training is almost fully done his obedience is all like beautiful
The down held in a chaotic car park and the recall works from out of sight at home.
The male owner, about January 2026
On film
So I put Wiley into a gown, and not a worry in the world.
He can't even see me anymore, and then I tell him to release, and he'll come.
The training was maintained and 'well installed'. This is the trainer's judgement from the owners' report, not from observation.
Kelton, about January 2026
On film
he'll come to you yeah okay so the training's been maintained fine and it was well installed
Jumping on the owner is reduced but not gone.
The male owner, about January 2026
On film
He's not doing it with force and knocking me over like he used to.
What the footage shows
A squirrel recall improving between two reps at the same distance, at level 70, with the trainer's account of what counted as failure on the first rep.
On film
Good job man. So you can see squirrel, same distance away, same everything else as the first one. But this time, his reaction was much better.
A clean recall off a dog he was clearly interested in, with no correction needed.
On film
you smart dog come on oh yeah proud of you bud you called right off that no no no verse of
One failure with a runner, then a look-back at the next runner, and a week later a runner passed without a nip. The trainer narrates each.
On film
nope nope never do that nope you understand never do that never okay good
and watch it again and you'll see that he looked at it and then he looked back at me
Look, you didn't nip that guy. You didn't nip that lady running.
An off-leash heel drift that the dog corrected himself.
On film
Started to get distracted. He caught it. Good job
A charge at a dog in a public store, punished. The event itself falls in an untranscribed gap; only the explanation is on the audio.
On film
don't want him charging dogs so i'm punishing to make that not an option in these kinds of settings
At home after the program, Wiley avoiding Murphy while Murphy guards space, seen and named by Kelton.
The ideas Wiley's case runs on
- Breed is a checklist, not a verdict
- Control is not obedience
- Maintenance is use, not practice
- Play becomes the reward - and play is a contest
- Proof it against his own currency
- Release to freedom
- Teach the move, then the word
- The handler is the first suspect
- The pair is the unit of training
- The settle criterion
- The stakes set the severity
- Two events, not one - and what the handler does in between