The answer
You run the same three steps every time, in the same order. Say the command once. If he does not do it, say your marker word - on film it is 'eh-eh', 'ah-ah', 'uh-uh' or 'nope' - and, in most versions, the command again. Only if he ignores that does the collar come in, straight after the marker.
The order is what makes the correction mean anything. The trainers give two reasons, both on film. First, the dog has to be able to tell where the consequence came from. "This only comes after something you said," one tells an owner, holding up the remote - the dog has never looked at it; to him, all that matters is "me or you" (watch 26:39, 27:02). Kelton gives Beo's owner the general form: you say it first 'before you use any kind of consequence at all', because 'the first thing in the chain is what means something' (watch 19:43, 20:08); to Sofia's family he says it in Spanish: 'Yo digo ah ah y esto sigue' - I say ah-ah, and this follows (watch 25:43). Press with nothing said, and the feeling attaches to whatever he was looking at: in a scuffle that is the other dog, so "that shot came from this dog which means i gotta get even bigger" (watch 25:40); in a park it can be a patch of grass he will never step on again (watch 22:40). Second, the word first gives the dog a free chance: "that's their chance to be like, oh, sorry" - the same as counting to three with a child, where one costs nothing (watch 15:14; watch 10:02). A trainer who wore the collar himself put it from the dog's side: he heard the word a split second before he felt it, which he calls exactly what you want, because once the sensation arrives it "takes over all of my attention" (watch 02:53, 03:14).
What goes wrong is doing it the other way round. Say "sit" and press in the same breath and "you just taught the dog the sit means you're getting punished" (watch 18:56); undoing a poisoned word is put at two to four weeks (watch 04:02; watch 01:23). The collar is also not used to make the behaviour happen, so the dog is "not reliant on feeling the e-collar to do the command" (watch 14:24), and the marker only works if it is backed nearly every time - otherwise it becomes a bluff (watch 27:03).
There are named exceptions, and a family should know them rather than improvise. Owners are given one wordless case: a dog hitting the end of the leash, and only if the press lands at that instant (watch 15:24). In the September 2026 handovers a second wordless case is taught in the same breath: a dog drifting out of the radius he is allowed gets the collar with no marker, 'one of the few times you can do it without a marker' (watch 07:00; watch 10:26). Boog's go-home gives the reason: heel is a command, so it gets the marker, and the radius is not (watch 14:04). Some trainers set aside the word for an attack on a dog or person (watch 18:33). Kelton settled it on 23 Sep 2026: the collar after 'come' at handover is case-dependent, with no blanket rule. A wider reading of the session record adds three refinements in trainers' words. The order is for every word, not only corrections: 'the verbal has to come first every time so you say it and then the consequence happens whether it's good or bad', and on the release that means feet planted, say okay, only then move (Stormy; Peque: 'verbals always first'). One trainer gives the gap a size - the word, then the collar 'maybe like half a second after a second after' - because a press with no context leaves the dog asking what he did (Neo). And the marker is charged on purpose: Pepper's trainer taps every time he says the word so it has 'a physical connection' behind it, and Milo's owner hears that the word can be said quietly in her own way, but only works if it 'predicts the thing' the dog does not like.
What is inferred rather than said: apart from that one half-second-to-a-second figure, the trainers do not agree on exactly how long the gap should be, and these exceptions are never put side by side; ask your trainer which apply to your dog.
Angier K9 is a family-owned, play-based Board & Train serving Angier, Raleigh and the Triangle, with three full owner lessons.
What to do
Say it once. If he does not do it, your marker word and the command again - that is his free chance (watch 15:14). Never press with nothing said (watch 26:39). Back the marker nearly every time so it is not a bluff (watch 27:03). Ask your trainer about the exceptions for your dog - the leash, the recall, a fight.
What the trainers say
to use either the nope depending on like what she does and the e-collar always comes after never before there is only one time that you can use the e-collar without a word and that is if she pulls on the leash
so you always want to do the command first then the word or you'd like command then the marker that's like hey you didn't listen then the e-collar so the e-collar always comes last
if you can only take away one thing, one thing from this whole thing, it is that you use the e-collar after the marker.
never used without a marker first that is like i want to like if you only get one thing from this
it's very important that the e-collar always comes after the word that you don't just do it out of the blue because if you do he won't know why
the e-collar always comes after a word. So, how does the dog know if it's a reinforcement or a punishment if you don't specify? So, that is why we have two words.
so with him, I may like, I don't always mark with the collar. I mark with everything else except the collar, right?
if you don't say anything you panic and you just crank it up and hit the button that actually works so what she'll say is oh that shot came from this dog which means i gotta get even bigger versus if she hears a verbal cue from you
i'm not pushing it to get the command to happen or anything like that it's just i ask the command if she ignores and i give a correction I give one correction without if she ignores that correction she gets an e-collar correction And then so then she's not reliant on feeling the e-collar to do the command
Same idea with the dogs. It's just the eh-eh is the one, two, three, right? So if that's their chance to be like, oh, sorry, and, like, correct themselves.
Yeah, so, like, anything like that, like, anything, if he ignores a recall or anything, I do ah-ah, and then I say the command, and that basically tells him, like, you messed up
And so then, um, when you do use it, as long as you proceed using it with your voice, you give him the the thing first, right? You tell him nope or you tell him come and then nope if he doesn't come or you tell him whatever it is. And then this only comes after something you said.
Not from here. He doesn't know what this is. This doesn't exist to him. He's never like looked at this ever, right? To him, all that makes any difference is me or you, right?
and then no that was perfect you said at first and then immediately I felt the shock but I heard before I felt the shock right it was a split second but that's that's exactly what you want
uh i can tell you from the other side of this that what i feel takes over all of my attention
just for it to make sense for it to be intelligible so learning has to be legible
So if I taught him that way and did that every single time the whole time forever, then if I said Zeus down, he'd just look at me because Zeus down never meant anything. Me bending over and pointing meant something.
if the dog like sees right and is like starting to fixate you just hit the e-collar with no like nothing you can like a negative association to just people whereas if it's like a let's go and then you hit the e-collar and then it's a punishment for not listening right they're two very different worlds.
some people still were like I just like I was like show me how you do and they're like sit boom and I'm like yeah you just taught the dog the sit means you're getting punished which that's a really bad thing
So I would say, don't make it too long, so it'd be like two seconds being the most after. But it should never be at the same time.
just like a like a split second difference and it makes all the difference in the world for the dog
Words first. Words first. Then whatever it is.
Confuse them or poison the command, you know That's where were you say a command and then hit the e-collar and they start thinking like sits a bad word
the second thing is that make sure that you do not press the e-collar after you have said come
the collar, but I say uh-uh first. So that's another really important concept, is that the conditioned punisher is what they call it, but it can also be a negative reinforcement marker, is uh-uh. And you have to say it first before you use any kind of consequence at all.
things together and so the first thing in the chain is what means something
yo lo uso siempre después de decir ah ah. Yo digo ah ah y esto sigue.
want it to be within like two seconds after okay uh because the longer the time goes on the more window the dog has to like maybe associate it to something else
and then you use eco so because that we use our marker then the eco is followed up after it and the dog understands what happened
Right, because my uh-uh is always just after I ask for something.
the warning basically right with my with my mouth i can just use the the my own warning which is ah
is just hit the e-collar that's it it's one of the few times you can do it without a marker
you use them properly use it with the right word order with the right emotional affect depending on the context
Yeah, Drago, come, come, nope, come.
um but yeah like 15 or around 15 or 20 and you just say nope and you hit that and like each
And number two, the way that he'll adapt to it is only if it then predicts the thing that
we say the word and then e-collar like as close to being simultaneous as possible right so not at the
same time but like maybe like half a second after a second after like very quickly the reason for
So it's really important that the e-collar always comes after. It needs to be a cause and an effect.
kind of set some boundaries with it and chart what we call just charging my marker so my marker for
verbal first PK come right recall with the voice first right so verbals always
three um because she heard me say come she knows what that means and she ignored me so i clicked
for for her and you what you're going to want to do is use the let's go okay and then if she doesn't
no longer have to push the button i say out and they go oh and i spit it out right because they
neck right same idea i give a chance and i say when i say that word you have to do it right
the condition punisher i would only do that if you blew me off good job good good boy
and he doesn't do it right away I can go and tap the econ right and asking them
Then the verbal has to come first every time so you say it and then the consequence happens whether it's good or bad
anything else you're not moving you're not doing nothing then you say okay and then only after
How it looks, dog by dog
Stormie
The fullest owner-facing version, taught at a return visit and a go-home lesson: the collar always after, never before; one wordless exception, a dog hitting the end of the leash, and only with perfect timing; a gentle pull if she is confused after the stim. The marker has to be charged first - a word that predicts nothing is a word in a language she does not speak - and the sequence is drilled live with the owner holding the remote.
On film
so you always want to do the command first then the word or you'd like command then the marker
she just the thing about it is you have to charge the word up um you know like if you didn't know what a word meant in another language you'd be like whatever
so i'm gonna have you put her into a down a down uh-huh so it's like basically what she's doing right now funny enough
Deuce
The rule treated as non-negotiable, with two marker words for two kinds of consequence, a timing window of about two seconds, and the dog's side of a mistimed press: there was no context - he did not hit the end of the leash, he did not blatantly refuse. The collar is not the default marker ('I mark with everything else except the collar'), and in leash-pressure conditioning the marker is deliberately dropped. A poisoned word is said to take two and a half to four weeks to undo.
On film
that is that there was no context like he didn't hit the end of the leash he didn't blatantly
Um, and for this, I really don't prioritize the the markers here because what I like him to know is that every time he hits the leash, it's just the e-collar
it can take like three to four weeks. I'm going to say maybe two and a half to three weeks sometimes just to like unpoison the word.
Dutchess
A dog with a history of fights with dogs she lives with, so the rule becomes a safety rule: say the word above all in a scuffle, or she concludes the other dog shocked her and escalates. Minutes later two of the household's dogs flare up in front of the family and it is demonstrated live - nope, then the collar, 'it's gotta be quick too'.
On film
it's just like that's one of those things always important but if you can only pick one opportunity where you actually say it that's the one
But you saw right there, there was a nope and then the e-collar happened right there.
Lola
A nervous dog, and the strongest form of the argument: word order decides what the collar means. Fire it at a dog starting to fixate with nothing said and you build an association with people; say 'let's go' first and it is a penalty for not listening - 'two very different worlds'. Upstream sits the question of whether the dog knows the word or the body language; downstream, the half-second that gives him the chance to comply before any pressure. The go-home lesson adds the patch of grass that became 'electric'.
On film
no don't look at me like that uh but yeah so um really the question is do they know the word
and that in that half a second i think is a lot of meaning because in that in that half a second to a second is an opportunity for them to do it before feeling any pressure
i would say use the marker just because when you're newer with the e-collar timing is just you gotta have the muscle memory
Zeus
The principle in the trainer's own phrase - learning has to be legible - and the silent failure it catches: bend and point before the word every time and the bending is the command, so the word alone gets a blank look. At go-home: always right after, never right before, so it is you the dog responds to.
On film
So if I taught him that way and did that every single time the whole time forever, then if I said Zeus down, he'd just look at me
on it and you say I'm happy yeah always right after you say never never never right before
Dolce
Commands in German, and the ladder as three fixed steps with one prohibition: never use the collar to produce the behaviour, so she is not reliant on feeling it. Taught through counting to three with a child. A junior handler runs the same ladder six weeks earlier without narrating it.
On film
Same idea with the dogs. It's just the eh-eh is the one, two, three, right?
so she knows the words. She She didn't want to do it at that time.
Bo
The attribution reason, made physical: the trainer holds up the remote - the dog has never looked at it, it does not exist to him - so what he concludes afterwards is that he should have listened. The use is announced to the owner each time rather than hidden.
On film
He's just like, "Oh, I should have listened to mom."
So at that point I was like all right nope. And then as soon right after I said nope I tapped it.
Bullet
The ladder made countable at an evaluation: marker plus command, back into position, then the tap. And the outer boundary in one small scene - a weak handshake with a stranger, because a stray press would be non-contingent and the dog would go home dreading handshakes.
On film
ever then i'll tap the button and like reinforce be like tap and then that's like my three where
because then it would be non-contingent. He would have no idea why.
Sage
The domestic unit a family rehearses: name, command; marker and command again; 'okay', spelled out as O and then a K; then love on her.
On film
All right. And that'll tell her O and then a K. Okay. Okay. And that's how she knows how to get like and that's how she ends the command.
Luna
The two markers contrasted live: the soft one with the collar as she came out of a sit meant 'get back into it'; 'nope' in that moment would have told her she can never sit again. When she fought, the leash was locked so she lost access to exploring rather than the level being raised.
On film
And so it's kind of like a dual reinforcement. Um, and so you saw there I I did the ant with the e-collar
that I'm taking away people's freedom. But what's happening is that I do the e-collar.
Finn
The exception in the record: a major flight risk whose family is told not to press the collar after 'come' - say it, wait one or two Mississippi, and when he does arrive, 'you cannot be mad'. The sentence that says what the collar should attach to instead is garbled on the track.
On film
come he doesn't come but wait a second give him a minute right one Mississippi two Mississippi if he
come he's acting stupid or he panics a little bit when he does finally get to you you cannot be mad
Baxter
The receiving end: the trainer wears the collar himself while the owner practises, reports hearing the marker a split second before the stim as exactly right, and explains why - the sensation takes over all his attention, so a word said after it is never heard. He says he would rather new handlers practise timing on people than on dogs.
On film
uh i can tell you from the other side of this that what i feel takes over all of my attention
leash a little bit and tap the e-collar right after you say ah it's important that it's after you say ah
Titan
Connor's handover gives the window in numbers - no more than two seconds after the marker, never at the same time - and the reason in his own words: action, then effect. The marker only has power if it is always followed through, and 'charging the marker' is his phrase for both the family's first week and his own heel work.
On film
it's always like an action and then an effect afterwards right so it's always
come you know better okay good heel see i just had to charge up the marker a little bit
Apollo (the Bully)
Christian's version is a count to three in the right tone: command; if ignored, a verbal correction that is low and firm rather than hollow; the command again; the collar only as the third count - with a small mistake given an 'ah-ah' first so the dog can fix it himself.
On film
give a command or a recall or a sit or anything right if he ignored me i'm gonna do my first
Same idea with dogs, it's mostly tone-based,
Stormi
Named the one thing to keep, with markers conditioned from the first night because a dog who goes home unsure of them is a risk. The one marker-less place is the end of the leash, where the boundary and the stim are meant to become the same thing. At the second in-program lesson (20 Sep 2026) the rule is restated with its exceptions: a marker before every press, except when she drifts too far out or hits the end of the leash. At the go-home (27 Sep) the trainer adds that with a temperament like hers the marker alone is sometimes enough, rather than pressing over and over.
On film
longer you go without really making them know their markers of course the more risk that they have when they go home
it's actually the only time you can e-collar and not use a marker
but the main thing i want to stress is just before you hit that button make sure that you use a marker so you can communicate what you want to the dog
the dog okay um the only time that you don't need to say the marker before is like if she gets really really far out
you can just use the marker too sometimes like if you don't want to like continuously e-collar over and over and over especially with a temperament like her
Shadow (German Shepherd puppy)
The organising rule of every owner session, called 'the one thing'; its single named exception is the leash, where the end of the line and the stim become 'one and the same' and she learns the end of the leash is 'electric'.
On film
it automatically, in her brain, she's like, oh, the end of the leash is electric.
Shadow (Siberian Husky)
The owners' core rule with its reason: out of the blue, he will know he got it but not why, and that confuses him.
On film
out of the blue because if you do he won't know why he'll know he got shot but he'll be like i
Chunk
The leash is the one wordless exception. At the in-program lesson (22 Sep 2026) the chain is the first thing taught before the owners handle: the marker before the collar, with the radius as one of the few wordless presses. The trainer allows an occasional marker without follow-up, but not in the first week home, because the word is still being powered up. At the go-home (29 Sep) he tells them to use the collar, with the marker, when Chunk lags in the heel, instead of pulling him.
On film
I do is anytime he hits the end of the leash, right? Whether it's like the slip lead or just
um so the main thing is using the markers before you use the collar right
is just hit the e-collar that's it it's one of the few times you can do it without a marker
occasionally you can just say the marker and not follow it up but i say for the first week the dogs come home it needs to just because like you're kind of powering up the word
so using that e-collar every time he like starts to stray too far make sure you use the marker of course
Marvin (Giant Schnauzer)
Words first, because dogs remember whatever is first in the chain - with an explicit exception: a behaviour to be wiped out entirely, such as attacking another dog or a person, is punished without a warning word.
On film
So, yeah, so that's the way it would look, is you could do it with the Zapper, as long as you don't do it without having said anything.
Now, there is one exception to that rule.
Clark Kent
A ladder with the leash below the marker: a little pop, then 'let's go', then a stern 'nope', another pop, and only then the collar. For a leash-sensitive dog the first rung usually does it.
On film
so if a little pop on the collar is not going to work I'm defaulting to let's go if that's not working I will say nope
Dory
Timing as the failure: a correction that came late left her not knowing why; it has to land as her first two paws go wrong, 'because dogs live in the moment'.
On film
she didn't really know why you did it because it was pretty late so it needs to be almost like an instantaneous thing
Hattie
Forward conditioning: the recall word first and pressure a split second later only if she has not responded, so she learns to avoid the pressure by answering the word. At handover: 'you have to say the thing first'. At the follow-up with the adopters (22 Sep 2026) the trainer gives the timing again for a new collar: the word, then the press 'within like half a second'.
On film
just like a like a split second difference and it makes all the difference in the world for the dog
then the timing there the other major thing is that um you just you have to say the thing first
right at almost the same time right after okay like within like half a second
Lunna
Word first, the collar about half a second later, taught at both lessons - and the follow-through rule stated as a number: a marker has to be backed nearly every time, or the dog learns it is a bluff.
On film
eh right or ah depending on how you say it
you gotta do it 95% of the time
Rocky
Command before any correction; if it is ignored, the marker and the tap follow without a long wait and without a second chance.
On film
right so if he doesn't come right away don't like wait too much just and then if he doesn't do it then then tap the e-collar
Lucy
A stop command ('out') is kept consequence-free; only if it is ignored does 'nope' follow, and only after 'nope' the collar - because the barking being stopped is wanted on other occasions.
On film
but the out shouldn't have that
doesn't stop the whole thing right away then you have this all the way turned up and you go okay nope and you tap this after you say out
Kali
The fix for a dog who waits for the marker before complying: one repetition backed a little harder after the word, to move compliance back to the command, then back down again.
On film
and then i'll use that um that e collar uh level and um that should negatively reinforce doing it on the uh actual command
Kane
'Let's go' said first, then leash pressure, then the collar, so that what is reinforced is the word.
On film
so i just um and and i gave him a let's go first right so i'm reinforcing the command there
Kalypso
Command first, a chance, then pressure - and the retractable version of the same error: lock it and then call, and she is punished for coming.
On film
goes and it and then when it locks it goes and so then they get punished for coming to you
Thor
Command, disobedience, marker, collar, collar always last; stimulating on the command word makes 'sit' a bad word. After a break the owner marks and follows through without repeating the cue.
On film
Confuse them or poison the command, you know That's where were you say a command and then hit the e-collar and they start thinking like sits a bad word
Bandit
At the go-home (28 Sep 2026) the order is named as part of keeping the training up: the verbal first, then the collar, and if he doesn't do it, make him, because otherwise it becomes optional.
On film
keeping the right like order of things right so like the verbal uh first
Beo
At the first owner lesson (24 Sep 2026) Kelton teaches the chain as a general rule: say 'uh-uh' first, before any consequence, because the first thing in the chain is what means something. The sessions around it show the same steps on the street: 'let's go' once, then 'uh-uh', then a tap of the collar, so the command does not have to be said twice. Kelton also uses the conditioned punisher, backed by the collar, to tone down Beo's jumping.
On film
the collar, but I say uh-uh first. So that's another really important concept, is that the conditioned punisher is what they call it, but it can also be a negative reinforcement marker, is uh-uh. And you have to say it first before you use any kind of consequence at all.
things together and so the first thing in the chain is what means something
So the next time I'm going to say, Bale, let's go. And then if he doesn't move along when I first asked him, then I'm going to go, uh-uh, then I'm going to tap the e-collar, right?
Tone down his Jumping and excitement and stuff like that with the condition Punisher and then back up the e-collar
Boog
Not a map member before this update. Connor teaches both owners the sequence at the in-program lesson (21 Sep 2026): command once, the marker, then the button within about two seconds, never at the same time, because a longer gap gives the dog time to tie the press to something else. At the go-home (28 Sep) he separates the two kinds of press: heel is a command, so a break gets the marker first; the radius is not, so it gets none.
On film
just stress like make sure that the marker comes first and then the e-collar
want it to be within like two seconds after okay uh because the longer the time goes on the more window the dog has to like maybe associate it to something else
out of that zone I do the econ only difference is because he was a command I'm gonna want to reinforce it so I use the marker whereas with radius you don't use the marker
Bun
Narrating to camera (29 Sep 2026), the trainer names 'the right word order' as part of how training is maintained through use, alongside the right emotional tone for the context; the order itself is not spelled out in this session.
On film
you use them properly use it with the right word order with the right emotional affect depending on the context
Mazi
At the in-program lesson (22 Sep 2026) the trainer explains the order to the owner with an analogy: a press with no marker is like being hit out of nowhere in a friendly conversation, while a marker first means the dog understands what happened. He applies it to the owner's own problem scenario: 'let's go', then the collar if it is ignored.
On film
and then you use eco so because that we use our marker then the eco is followed up after it and the dog understands what happened
Reaper
At the in-program lesson (26 Sep 2026) the trainer describes his own 'ah' as the warning: Reaper knows that if he hears it, the punishment follows unless he stops or does what was asked.
On film
the warning basically right with my with my mouth i can just use the the my own warning which is ah
and he knows if if he hears ah then that means like hey like the punishment falls that if you don't fix it
Sofia
Kelton teaches the order to Sofia's family in Spanish (25 Sep 2026): he always uses the collar after saying 'ah ah' ('Yo digo ah ah y esto sigue': I say ah-ah, and this follows), and gives the example of Sofia trying to go at another dog to fight: 'ah ah', then the collar. The marker is kept even in that case.
On film
yo lo uso siempre después de decir ah ah. Yo digo ah ah y esto sigue.
Por ejemplo, si ella está tratando de ir a un perro y quiere pelear, ah ah y esto.
Whiskey
At the first in-program lesson (19 Sep 2026) the trainer walks the family through the steps on the street: 'let's go'; if she ignores it, 'uh-uh, let's go'; the collar only if she still ignores it. The 'uh-uh' always comes just after a request, as a verbal correction that she didn't do the thing.
On film
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.
Drago
The sequence run in one breath on a park recall - come, come, nope, come - and then the collar once; the trainer reports that Drago responded perfectly.
On film
Yeah, Drago, come, come, nope, come.
So I used the e-collar once there
and he responded perfectly.
Madam
At an update evaluation the owner is told how jumping on people is handled for a small dog: say nope, then press at the low level she works at on that collar (the trainer puts it at around 15 or 20, low because she is small), each time she jumps - with a promise to show the nuance in person at the drop-off.
On film
um but yeah like 15 or around 15 or 20 and you just say nope and you hit that and like each
Milo
In a behaviour-modification session the owner hears what makes a conditioned punisher work: it can be said quietly in the owner's own way, as long as it is different from everyday words - and only if it then predicts the thing the dog does not like.
On film
He will adapt to the way that you say it.
And number two, the way that he'll adapt to it is only if it then predicts the thing that
Neo
At an in-program lesson the family is given the order and the gap: say the word, then the e-collar, not at the same time but about half a second to a second later - because a stim with no context leaves the dog confused about what he did.
On film
we say the word and then e-collar like as close to being simultaneous as possible right so not at the
same time but like maybe like half a second after a second after like very quickly the reason for
if you just e-collar with no context he doesn't know why he's being why he feels anything he's
Ozzy
At the first in-program lesson the family is told the e-collar always comes after the word - a cause and an effect - illustrated with being punched out of nowhere versus after a warning.
On film
So it's really important that the e-collar always comes after. It needs to be a cause and an effect.
If you say it, then the e-collar. The reason that's important, I use this analogy for like every single person I tell this to,
Pepper
At the first in-program owner lesson the trainer explains that he is using the e-collar mostly to charge his marker on trails: every time he says the word he taps, so that the word has a physical connection behind it.
On film
kind of set some boundaries with it and chart what we call just charging my marker so my marker for
say i'm gonna tap this so that i have a physical connection to a sign like that means you pushed
Peque (PK)
At a follow-up lesson the owner is told verbals always come first - the recall with the voice before any leash pressure, and the same for every command and the release. In a behaviour-modification Short the sequence is shown: come, nope, come, then one press, because she heard come, knows it, and ignored it.
On film
verbal first PK come right recall with the voice first right so verbals always
three um because she heard me say come she knows what that means and she ignored me so i clicked
Phoebe
At the go-home lesson Kelton tells the family that the first instinct with her reactivity - say no or pop and keep moving - is not as efficient for her: use 'let's go' first, and only if she does not listen, the 'ah' and a little pop.
On film
for for her and you what you're going to want to do is use the let's go okay and then if she doesn't
listen to that then you can reinforce that with like the ant and do a little pop the reason for
Rocky (the Rottweiler)
In a private lesson the out is taught the same way: say the word, press only if he does not let go, until saying 'out' alone gets the toy spat out - the dog gets a chance first, like a mother dog who warns before she pinches.
On film
no longer have to push the button i say out and they go oh and i spit it out right because they
neck right same idea i give a chance and i say when i say that word you have to do it right
Samson
In sessions the trainer uses only the conditioned punisher and says he would press only if Samson blew him off. At the go-home lesson he explains the collar's role as negatively reinforcing commands: ask, and if he does not do it right away, tap and ask again.
On film
the condition punisher i would only do that if you blew me off good job good good boy
right so say I ask Samson like hey like sit or down or come or whatever it is
and he doesn't do it right away I can go and tap the econ right and asking them
Stormy
In private lessons the order is taught for every word, good or bad: the verbal comes first every time and then the consequence. The common error is shown on the release - stepping off as 'okay' is said - so the owner is told to plant the feet, say okay, and only then move.
On film
Then the verbal has to come first every time so you say it and then the consequence happens whether it's good or bad
was better make a lot of sense though yeah so you have to say the verbal thing first without doing
anything else you're not moving you're not doing nothing then you say okay and then only after
Why it works
Two halves, both stated on film. Attribution: the dog must be able to tell where the consequence came from and what it was about. With nothing said, the sensation attaches to whatever he is attending to - the other dog in a fight (watch 25:40), a patch of grass (watch 22:40), a stranger's handshake (watch 55:00), people themselves for a dog starting to fixate (watch 37:14). The word says it came from the handler and is about the thing just asked (watch 26:39, 27:02). Legibility of order: whatever comes first is what means something (watch 66:11; watch 18:23), so a movement before the word becomes the cue (watch 68:10), and a consequence that arrives first swamps the word - a trainer wearing the collar reports that the sensation 'takes over all of my attention', which is why the marker must be heard before it is felt (watch 02:53, 03:14). The word also opens a free window: comply at 'one' and nothing happens (watch 15:14; watch 10:02), which is how the dog learns to avoid the pressure by answering the word (watch 01:27). A marker keeps its power only by being backed nearly every time (watch 27:03); in September 2026 Chunk's trainer allows an occasional marker without follow-up, but not in the first week home, 'because like you're kind of powering up the word' (watch 15:25). Kelton states the order rule as a general one at Beo's lesson: 'the first thing in the chain is what means something' (watch 20:08). The radius exception follows the same logic from the other side: the radius is a standing boundary rather than a command, so there is no word to mark (watch 14:04; watch 07:00). Inferred, not stated: nobody tests the attribution claim directly; the evidence offered is observed outcomes (escalating fights, avoided places), and the explanation is asserted most fully in owner lessons.
Where the trainers differ
How long the gap should be.
One view
Short: a split second to half a second, and no more than about two seconds between marker and collar, never simultaneous.
On film
and that in that half a second i think is a lot of meaning because in that in that half a second to a second is an opportunity for them to do it before feeling any pressure
So I would say, don't make it too long, so it'd be like two seconds being the most after.
right so if he doesn't come right away don't like wait too much
want it to be within like two seconds after okay uh because the longer the time goes on the more window the dog has to like maybe associate it to something else
right at almost the same time right after okay like within like half a second
Another view
Longer on the recall: wait a second, one Mississippi, two Mississippi, before anything.
On film
come he doesn't come but wait a second give him a minute right one Mississippi two Mississippi if he
How to read it
Partly different gaps (command-to-pressure against marker-to-collar).
Whether the word is kept when a dog attacks another dog or a person.
One view
Most of all then: in a scuffle, a wordless press makes her blame the other dog and escalate.
On film
it's just like that's one of those things always important but if you can only pick one opportunity where you actually say it that's the one
Por ejemplo, si ella está tratando de ir a un perro y quiere pelear, ah ah y esto.
How to read it
Different handlers, never put together.
Whether a leash pop sits below the marker.
One view
Marker then collar, with nothing physical first.
On film
So after you choose one of those words, then you use the e-collar.
Another view
A leash pop and 'let's go' come before the marker, and often suffice.
On film
so if a little pop on the collar is not going to work I'm defaulting to let's go
How to read it
A variant rather than a contradiction; recorded because the rungs owners are given differ.
Common owner mistakes
- Pressing the button with nothing said and nothing outstanding.
On film
that is that there was no context like he didn't hit the end of the leash he didn't blatantly
Deuce · Watch at 5:51 ↗ it's very important that the e-collar always comes after the word that you don't just do it out of the blue
Shadow (Siberian Husky) · Watch at 4:19 ↗ - Pairing the collar with the command itself.
On film
some people still were like I just like I was like show me how you do and they're like sit boom
Lola · Watch at 18:56 ↗ Confuse them or poison the command, you know
Thor · Watch at 15:15 ↗ - Panicking in a scuffle and pressing with no word.
On film
if you don't say anything you panic and you just crank it up and hit the button that actually works
Dutchess · Watch at 25:40 ↗ - Moving before speaking, so the movement becomes the command.
On film
So if I taught him that way and did that every single time the whole time forever, then if I said Zeus down, he'd just look at me
Zeus · Watch at 1:08:10 ↗ - Using the collar to make the behaviour happen.
On film
i'm not pushing it to get the command to happen or anything like that
Dolce · Watch at 14:24 ↗ - Saying the marker and not backing it, until it is a bluff.
On film
you gotta do it 95% of the time
Lunna · Watch at 27:12 ↗ - Pressing late, after the moment has passed.
On film
she didn't really know why you did it because it was pretty late
Dory · Watch at 3:52 ↗ - Using the hard marker where the soft one belongs.
On film
And so it's kind of like a dual reinforcement.
Luna · Watch at 18:32 ↗
Questions owners ask
Why can't I just press the button when he does something wrong?
Because he has to be able to tell where it came from. With nothing said, he attaches the feeling to whatever he was looking at - in a scuffle the other dog, so he escalates (watch 25:40); in a park, a patch of grass (watch 22:40). 'He won't know why,' one trainer tells a family; 'he'll know he got shot' but not what for (watch 04:19). The word points at the cause.
On film
if you don't say anything you panic and you just crank it up and hit the button that actually works
it's very important that the e-collar always comes after the word that you don't just do it out of the blue because if you do he won't know why
What exactly do I say, and when?
The command once. If he does not do it, your marker and the command again - his free chance (watch 15:14). If he seems confused afterwards, a gentle pull towards you (watch 48:31). End with your release word and praise - 'O and then a K', then love on her (watch 08:37).
On film
So I would say, don't make it too long, so it'd be like two seconds being the most after.
so you always want to do the command first then the word or you'd like command then the marker
Won't this make my dog afraid of the word?
Only if you do it the other way round. Press on the command itself and 'you just taught the dog the sit means you're getting punished' (watch 18:56); undoing that is put at two to four weeks (watch 04:02; watch 01:23). The order is what protects the command: the collar follows the marker, not the command.
On film
some people still were like I just like I was like show me how you do and they're like sit boom
Is there ever a time I use the collar without saying anything?
Owners are given one: the dog hitting the end of the leash, and only if you press at that instant (watch 15:24) - the aim is that the end of the leash itself feels 'electric' (watch 12:45). One trainer adds attacks on a dog or person as a no-warning case (watch 18:35), while another says a dog fight is exactly when the word matters most (watch 28:07). Ask your trainer which applies to your dog.
On film
to use either the nope depending on like what she does and the e-collar always comes after never
And that's if they're doing something that you want to get rid of entirely and never have it even start ever again.
is just hit the e-collar that's it it's one of the few times you can do it without a marker
the dog okay um the only time that you don't need to say the marker before is like if she gets really really far out
My marker word doesn't do anything.
Then it has not been charged, or it has been said too often without follow-through. A word means nothing until it predicts something - 'if you didn't know what a word meant in another language you'd be like whatever' (watch 00:05) - and it has to be backed nearly every time or the dog learns it is a bluff (watch 27:12).
On film
she just the thing about it is you have to charge the word up
you gotta do it 95% of the time
The lesson
The goal
Run command, marker, collar in that order under pressure, with the marker charged, the gap short, the body still, and the named exceptions known.
Learn first
- Don't poison the command
- Meaningful release
- The marker vocabulary: eh, good, okay - and two corrections
See it done
- The rule and its one owner-facing exception. Watch at 15:24 ↗
- The owner runs the sequence live on a down. Watch at 44:25 ↗
- The trainer wears the collar while the owner practises timing. Watch at 2:53 ↗
- The sequence in a real flare-up, named as it happens. Watch at 21:27 ↗
The drill
Pick a command the dog knows. Stand still, hands down. Say it once. If he does it, release and praise. If not, marker and command again - nothing else. Before using it on the dog, practise the timing on a person, as one trainer does by wearing the collar himself (watch 02:53). Have someone watch your body: any rep where you moved before you spoke does not count (watch 68:10).
Watch out for
- Moving before the word.
- Pressing with nothing said.
- Pressing on the command itself.
- Leaving the marker unbacked.
- Pressing late (watch 03:52).
- Using the collar to produce the behaviour.
Check yourself
Your two dogs start scrapping and your hand is on the remote. What do you do first? (Dutchess's trainer: say the word first, or she blames the other dog - but ask your own trainer, because another handover treats attacks as a no-warning case.)