The answer
This is the house answer to reactivity, and it is taught to owners in almost the same words across ten dogs. When the dog sees a dog, a person or a child that would set him off, the handler says "let's go", a command that means follow me in this direction. If he follows, good. If he ignores it, he is corrected for ignoring it. He is never corrected simply for seeing, looking at or reacting to the trigger.
The trainers give two reasons. The first is what the dog blames. Shadow's trainer (the German Shepherd puppy) tells the owners that correcting reactivity directly carries two risks: the dog may think the other dog caused the stimulation, or you may "teach their brain to be scared of all the other dogs." Done through the command, "i didn't listen to the let's go and so i got e-collared for disobedience not oh my gosh dogs are scary." Stormi's trainer says the same thing at her first owner lesson.
The second is what the dog learns to expect. Said every time, the cue gets attached to the sight of the trigger. Levi's trainer: "say let's go every single time they see that person their brains gonna start to associate that with let's go eventually they just don't chase after the dog." Kelton, at Phoebe's go-home, compares it to reaching for a ringing phone: every time she wants to be reactive, "i get told to let's go." Chunk's trainer: after fifteen times, his brain goes "he told me let's go so i'm gonna do it automatically." This, he says, is how they train public neutrality with all the dogs.
Timing matters. Callie's go-home tells the family to say "let's go" when she fixates, before she lunges, "instead of correcting her for lunging or barking." At Phoebe's go-home Kelton gives the order explicitly, cue first and correction after, so the dog knows why. For small moments the trainers skip the correction altogether. Drago's trainer uses "let's go" instead of "nope" when the dog heads off, and Shadow the husky's trainer uses it when he is stuck sniffing: "i don't want to punish it he just needs to come my way."
Outcomes, as reported. Akira's trainer tells the owners her lunging at people "is pretty much gone", and that he got there by punishing the lunge and reinforcing a command she cannot perform while lunging. Major's owner reports several successful "nope, let's go" moments the morning of her follow-up.
The record holds one dissent, and it is worth reading. Louie's trainer argues that redirecting every time wears out: "eventually my redirection is worthless." With Louie's car reactivity he gave the car no response at all and walked on, until reacting stopped being fun. His target was redirection by treat or by pulling attention away. The let's-go trainers correct the ignored cue, which is a different thing. But nobody on film puts the two side by side.
What to do
Every time your dog sees what sets him off, say 'let's go' and walk on, before he lunges. If he follows, praise. If he ignores it, mark it and correct him for ignoring the command, then keep moving. Always cue first and correct second. Never correct him just for seeing, staring at or barking at the dog.
What the trainers say
what i do is whenever she sees a dog i say let's go and if she doesn't listen then i e-collar but
e-collared for disobedience not oh my gosh dogs are scary right hey stop it
You just create a conditioned response to where a command is essentially triggered each time.
leash right just trying to get closer and closer or like in her case starting to like bark their head off a little bit you give them the let's go and you punish if they don't listen to the let's go
looks like they don't care but in reality they're conditioned to where like they associate the dog or the kid with a let's go and they just walk past and there's no reactivity
say let's go every single time they see that person their brains gonna start to
pulling back and punishing the curious behavior what you can do is say let's go and that way every
you say let's go and then she doesn't listen and you reinforce it what happens is every time she wants to be reactive it will make this pathway in her brain
then afterwards, keep it moving. And you want to do it after, because if you do it before,
every time the dogs here's let's go every time he sees the dog then eventually he just correlates the two as one every time i see a dog then i need to let's go whereas if you punish it it takes a lot more time to correct and also you run the risk of like confusing the dog
and the reason that i do go over the let's go is because that's how we train like public neutrality with all the dogs
that we use when we're going on walks and maybe she might be fixated on
um it's incompatible for her to be dragging over towards somebody and barking if i've said let's go
that you don't want him to you immediately say nope and then you redirect him with the let's go
say the dogs running off there I can either do a redirection cue right so I can just redirect him and say let's go instead of saying nope
he gets punished for not listening over time every time he sees a dog or something his brain will
redirect him every time then eventually my redirection is worthless right at some point
How it looks, dog by dog
Shadow (German Shepherd puppy)
At the first of three owner lessons, Shadow's trainer sets out the reasoning in full. Correcting reactivity directly has two risks: the dog may think the other dog caused the stimulation, or learn to fear all dogs. So whenever she sees a dog he says 'let's go', and corrects only if she does not listen. From her side it reads: I did not listen to let's go, so I was corrected for disobedience, not because dogs are scary. Said often enough, it becomes a conditioned response.
On film
the dog can think that the other dog caused the e-collar stimulation.
what i do is whenever she sees a dog i say let's go and if she doesn't listen then i e-collar but
e-collared for disobedience not oh my gosh dogs are scary right hey stop it
Stormi
Stormi's owner wants her beach days back after Stormi planted and barked at people and dogs there. At the first owner lesson the trainer gives the rule: when she starts pulling toward a dog or child, or barking, say 'let's go' and punish only if she ignores it. Hitting the button at the sight of a dog teaches her dogs are bad; correcting the command keeps her focused on the fact that she disobeyed. Dogs trained this way look as if they don't care, he says, but they are conditioned to hear 'let's go' when they see the dog or the kid.
On film
leash right just trying to get closer and closer or like in her case starting to like bark their head off a little bit you give them the let's go and you punish if they don't listen to the let's go
know that I'm hitting the button she just sees the dog and goes oh man this is bad versus if you do the let's go and correct it then they're focused on the fact that they disobeyed a command not that they got e-collared for for a dog
Levi
Levi wants to chase dogs and people. At the first owner lesson the trainer explains the conditioning: say 'let's go' every time he sees one, and the sight starts to mean moving on, so eventually he stops chasing. At the second she coaches the owner live. When Levi spots a dog, instead of pulling him back and punishing his curiosity, say 'let's go'.
On film
say let's go every single time they see that person their brains gonna start to
associate that with let's go eventually they just don't chase after the dog
pulling back and punishing the curious behavior what you can do is say let's go and that way every
Phoebe
Phoebe is a nervous Weimaraner who barks at drive-thrus and outdoor restaurants. At handover the trainer tells the owner that the instinct, to say no or pop and keep moving, is less efficient. Say 'let's go'. If she does not listen, mark and give a small pop. Always in that order, cue then correction, because correcting first would leave her confused. Done every time, it builds a pathway: each time she wants to react, she gets told 'let's go', like reaching for a ringing phone.
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
go my phone rang what does that mean i think it means i got a message it's almost like you hear it and you just instinctively just grab it because you've been conditioned to do that
i want to get reactive i get told to let's go yeah so then eventually you fix reactivity and
Shadow (Siberian Husky)
A different Shadow, a husky. His trainer uses 'let's go' for any distraction: sniffing, grass eating, other dogs. When he is stuck on something, 'i don't want to punish it he just needs to come my way.' At the second lesson she gives the owner the reason. Paired with every dog he sees, 'let's go' becomes automatic. Punishing the look takes longer and risks confusing him, and confusion is 'probably one of the worst things for a dog.'
On film
right would be let's say he's like stuck sniffing something or he's distracted and you're like i don't want to punish it he just needs to come my way
every time the dogs here's let's go every time he sees the dog then eventually he just correlates the two as one every time i see a dog then i need to let's go whereas if you punish it it takes a lot more time to correct and also you run the risk of like confusing the dog
Chunk
At Chunk's first owner lesson the trainer explains why he spends time on 'let's go': it is how they train public neutrality with all the dogs. Chunk is less inclined to do it in front of his owners, which the trainer welcomes because he can reinforce it. After fifteen repetitions, the sight of a person or dog brings the cue to mind and Chunk does it automatically.
On film
and the reason that i do go over the let's go is because that's how we train like public neutrality with all the dogs
eventually when he sees another person or another dog and like the park or the store his brain goes oh the last 15 times we did this he told me let's go so i'm gonna do it automatically
Callie
On day two, Callie raises her hackles heading toward a dog and is recalled away before any greeting. At go-home, 'let's go' is given its job: it means follow me. On walks, say it when she fixates, before she lunges, instead of correcting her for lunging or barking afterwards.
On film
Oh, yeah, she was going towards the dog, and her hackles were raising, so I had to recall her over.
so the let's go is the redirection cue it just means hey follow me we're going
Instead of correcting her for lunging or barking, right?
Akira
Akira, a young, high-energy German Shepherd, was reactive and vocal toward people. On day two her trainer introduces 'let's go' as the redirection cue, calling it a very easy solution once she is fluent. At the first owner lesson he reports the lunging at people is pretty much gone, and explains the two things he did: punished the lunge, and reinforced a command she cannot do while dragging toward someone and barking.
On film
and more fluent in that redirection cue and then that's a very very easy solution when she is
Yeah. And so like the way that I got rid of that is two things. One, I positively punished it.
I negatively reinforced commands that were incompatible with it.
Major
At the follow-up after Major's program, the trainer hides and watches the owner walk him alone. He passes cars, people and children without reacting. The owner reports several successful 'nope, let's go' moments that morning, and the trainer restates the routine: nope at once, redirect with let's go, then praise. Major, she says, loves barking at people.
On film
that you don't want him to you immediately say nope and then you redirect him with the let's go
because he just he loves that he loves barking at people it brings him joy it brings him so much joy to be
Drago
Drago's trainer uses 'let's go' as a way to avoid correcting at all. When the dog heads off, he can redirect with 'let's go' instead of saying 'nope', and, with a new calming cue, 'easy', he narrows the jobs the correction word has to do.
On film
say the dogs running off there I can either do a redirection cue right so I can just redirect him and say let's go instead of saying nope
very very useful because it narrows the kinds of things that you need to use the condition punisher the nope cue the nope marker for or cue for
Zeus (March 2026)
At the March Zeus's first in-program lesson, the trainer describes the method as what they do with a lot of reactive dogs. Say 'let's go' whenever something sets him off. If he does not do it, give a prong pop or the collar. Over time, every time he sees a dog he knows to go with his owner and not start barking. The trainer says this is how Zeus stopped going off at people.
On film
dog so the let's go i was showing you if every time you get near a dog or basically anything
he gets punished for not listening over time every time he sees a dog or something his brain will
automatically not to start barking so that's what we do with a lot of reactive dogs
Louie
The dissent. Louie reacted to cars, and the family had been redirecting him. His trainer argues that redirecting every time wears out, until the trigger outweighs it. What he did instead: treat the car as if it does not exist, walk on, and give no response to a lunge, until reacting is no fun any more. With passing dogs his standard is not zero interest. Excitement is fine as long as saying 'Louie' makes him back off.
On film
because if if i have to redirect him every time then eventually my redirection is worthless
say the car doesn't matter yeah we're just gonna walk by the car if you lunge I'm gonna do nothing
it's fine as long as i can go louie and have him back off right hey sit good boy
Why it works
As the trainers explain it: a correction is attributed to whatever the dog is focused on. Delivered at the sight of a dog, it can be pinned on that dog, or teach fear of dogs (Shadow the German Shepherd puppy, Stormi). Delivered for an ignored cue, it is attributed to the disobedience. Repetition then conditions the cue onto the trigger. The trigger comes to predict 'let's go', and following becomes automatic, like picking up a ringing phone (Levi, Phoebe, Chunk, March Zeus). The cue works because the dog cannot follow it and lunge at the same time (Akira). Order matters for fairness: cue first, correction after, so the dog knows why (Phoebe). The dissent's mechanism is extinction: a reaction that gets no response and no redirect stops paying (Louie).
On film
Second thing is you could say a marker, and now they know it's coming from you,
touched on this last time i saw you like when your phone rings your brain doesn't every single time
um it's incompatible for her to be dragging over towards somebody and barking if i've said let's go
I'm just gonna say whatever and I'm just gonna walk by it and because I gave no response eventually he went yeah it's just it's not fun anymore
Where the trainers differ
Whether a redirect keeps working
One view
'Let's go' at every sight of the trigger becomes an automatic alternative
On film
eventually when he sees another person or another dog and like the park or the store his brain goes oh the last 15 times we did this he told me let's go so i'm gonna do it automatically
Another view
A redirect used every time loses value until the trigger outweighs it; teach indifference instead
On film
redirect him every time then eventually my redirection is worthless right at some point
How to read it
The map's conflict. Laid out, not resolved: the let's-go trainers correct the ignored cue, so the cue is enforced rather than bargained; Louie's trainer is arguing against a redirection that competes with the trigger. Whether 'let's go' also wears out without enforcement is not tested on film.
Common owner mistakes
- Pulling the dog back and punishing his curiosity when he spots a dog.
On film
pulling back and punishing the curious behavior what you can do is say let's go and that way every
Watch at 7:55 ↗ - Saying no and popping the leash at a reaction, which the trainer calls the first instinct and less efficient.
On film
right would be to you know say no or do a pop and then keep moving right that way is not as efficient
Watch at 14:41 ↗ - Using the collar at the sight of the trigger, which can teach fear of dogs or of anything nearby.
On film
make a dog scared of grass if you don't know how to use the collar
Watch at 22:05 ↗ - Redirecting with treats or attention every time the trigger appears.
On film
try to get a treat in front of your face we're not gonna do any of that we're I'm just gonna
Watch at 10:23 ↗
Questions owners ask
Should I correct my dog when he barks at another dog?
Not for the barking at the dog itself, say the trainers. Say 'let's go' when he sees it, and correct only if he ignores the command. Corrected for the sight of the dog, he may blame the other dog or learn to fear dogs. Corrected for ignoring you, he learns it was about disobeying.
On film
but you teach their brain to be scared of all the other dogs,
know that I'm hitting the button she just sees the dog and goes oh man this is bad versus if you do the let's go and correct it then they're focused on the fact that they disobeyed a command not that they got e-collared for for a dog
When do I say 'let's go'?
As soon as he sees the trigger, when he starts to fixate and before he lunges. Callie's family is told to use it instead of correcting the lunge afterwards, and Levi's owner to use it every time he sees a dog.
On film
Instead of correcting her for lunging or barking, right?
time he sees a dog his brain starts to be conditioned every time i see a dog she tells
How is 'let's go' different from 'come'?
Come means come to me and sit in front until released. 'Let's go' means follow me this way. The trainers use 'let's go' for triggers because it keeps the dog moving past.
On film
so the let's go is the redirection cue it just means hey follow me we're going
with the recall I say shadow come and then she comes up to me and she plops and she sits right
Won't he just get used to the redirect and ignore it?
Louie's trainer warns that a redirect used every time can become worthless, and for Louie's car reactivity he gave no response at all and walked on. The let's-go trainers answer it by enforcing the cue: if he ignores it, he is corrected for ignoring it. The film does not test the two against each other.
On film
redirect him every time then eventually my redirection is worthless right at some point
what i do is whenever she sees a dog i say let's go and if she doesn't listen then i e-collar but
The lesson
The goal
The owner can cue 'let's go' at the trigger, enforce only the ignored cue, and explain why the correction never lands on the sight of the dog.
Learn first
- 'Let's go' is not 'Come' - and the recall has an ending
- Command, marker, collar - in that order
- Fixation is the failure mode
The drill
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Watch out for
- Correcting at the sight of the trigger.
- Correcting first and cueing second.
- Waiting until the lunge to say anything.
- Using 'come' when 'let's go' is meant.
Check yourself
Your dog sees a dog across the street and starts to stare. What do you say, and when would a correction come?