The answer
Not at first, and the trainers say so to owners' faces. The obedience a board-and-train produces starts out belonging to the person who built it. Connor to Deuce's family: "he's a little cranked up with you guys i've noticed that's a pattern with him" - super tight on the videos, loose the moment they came round. Levi's trainer, at a follow-up where Levi sits for him and not for his owner: "He thinks that I have the power." Major "acts out when, you know, the trainer's not around." King's trainer knows it from his own home: King is a great dog right now, "but if my wife was here, he probably would not listen. That's why we do the home lesson." Chunk's trainer gives the lesson's premise in one line: "He listens to me, but I need him to listen to you guys" - and names the commonest sight at his drop-offs, the dog looking back at its owner during the heel.
The trainers' explanation is that authority is not a feeling the dog has about one person; it is a running total of who has actually enforced things. Connor to Stormie's family: "the thing with respect though is that it's not like a permanent thing. Once you reinforce it, then the authority goes up." That is why a dog finds the softest person in the house and tests there - "i know who the softy of you two is now though" - and why, at Apollo the Bully's lessons, Christian tells the wife that if her husband enforces her command the dog learns to listen to dad: she has to make it happen herself. Savage's trainer says the same about old habits: with me he doesn't try it, with you he did it before, so maybe he does it again.
The good news on film is that it does transfer, and more easily than owners fear, once other people do what the trainer did. Kelton, working Bo's crate problem with other staff: "people always think that the authority is just an individual level respect thing and it's not it's very easily generalized and transferable to people." Two other people were enough. It is tested, not assumed: Bullet is handed to somebody he has never worked for, ignores her for a moment, then works; Pepper's release is checked with a helper (Alec) and holds; Clark Kent's trainer notices that the dog is watching him rather than the person holding the leash, and names it as the thing to fix. Whiskey's trainer has Claudia walk her first, to check her behaviour "wasn't like relying on just me"; Coco is handed to a second handler with the aim that she feel the radius with that person immediately.
The handover is where this gets proved. Luna's trainer: "I have a video of her healing with me. That's great. But if you can't get her to do it, it doesn't really matter." So at the drop-off the owner holds the leash and gives the cues, and the trainer steps out of the picture - Lucy's trainer says plainly that the dog does not need to care about him, she sees him once a year, and she sees you every day.
Two honest limits are stated. Transfer reaches only people who do what the trainer did: a handler who uses a different word, or does not follow through, will not get the behaviour. And some dogs do not distribute themselves across a household at all - Louie is "like one dog one person kind of dog", Samson is called a one-man dog - and that is built around, not fixed.
For a household with two adults the rule is simple: whoever holds the leash is the one the dog answers, and both people must be able to handle him.
(Inferred, not said: the trainers treat people the same way they treat places - as context. The dog has to learn that the rule holds with this person too, the same way he learns it holds in this room.)
Two refinements. The piece that most often fails to carry over is the implied stay - a dog will do the command for the owner and then drift the moment the owner turns away - so Connor has both owners practise it in front of him and describes the lessons as carrying over 'the behavior that she already does with me' (Shadow, watch 27:30). And the transfer is tested, not assumed, in more households: Titan's owner is set up to get the first refusal so he learns 'it works with her too' (watch 11:00); Max is expected to ask 'now if mom says it what happens', and the trainer ties the answer to the handler's confidence (watch 13:37, 14:12); a second handler's first down with Bun takes an 'uh-uh' and then comes (watch 15:57). One file runs the other way: Rocky leaves the trainer's release faster for his owner, and the trainer puts that down to the owner's bond, not a better 'okay' (watch 18:33). And on children, Milo's trainer puts the question as whether the kids will reinforce it properly, not whether the dog can learn it (watch 30:06).
Angier K9 is a family-owned, play-based Board & Train serving Angier, Raleigh and the Triangle, with three full owner lessons.
What to do
Take the leash and give the commands yourself from the first handover session, with the trainer out of the picture. Follow through on every command you give, yourself - if your partner steps in, the dog learns to listen to your partner. Whoever is holding the leash is the one the dog answers to; do not correct from the side while someone else is walking him. When he hides behind you from somebody else's command, do nothing except step out of the way. Write down the commands he knows and how you follow through, for anyone else who handles him.
What the trainers say
and so once we generalize that to different people like we've done here we've generalized it to two other people then it becomes very easy to transfer that and it's not like people always think that the authority is just an individual level respect thing and it's not it's very easily generalized and transferable to people
The main thing that we're trying to establish here is that Bo is capable of listening to more than one person, including people that he hasn't worked with, so like kennel staff
the best thing that we can do is be like, "Hey, like you can tell him these are the commands he knows. Um, and this is how I follow through with it typically. Maybe they don't want to do it that way.
uh when you are with him, you following through the same way every time consistently will make it easier in all those other circumstances because then he at least has some consistency in practice even if it's not perfect. Some is better than none if that makes sense.
he's a little cranked up with you guys i've noticed that's a pattern with him because you've seen the videos right super tight and then you got like you came around and he like loosened up
Sometimes they'll do that around their owner and won't do it around me.
You act out a lot around your mom. I'm not going to lie to you.
happens so like what would end up happening is she might have the leash but like the authority is like gonna get mixed up and then maybe he starts paying more attention to you than her even when she has a leash
so anybody who has the leash the respect needs to be whoever is walking them
She does, like she respects me more because like I reinforce everything with her. So the thing with respect though is that it's not like a permanent thing. Once you reinforce it, then the authority goes up.
i know who the softy of you two is now though
Because, like, sure, it might, like, you know, I have a video of her healing with me. That's great. But if you can't get her to do it, it doesn't really matter.
You do nothing except for like kind of like get out of the way so he doesn't hide behind you and Then it's up to the other person that they just have to do like what I did They just have to make it not optional. They have to make sure he does it. That's it.
like right now he's a great dog, but if my wife was here, he probably would not listen. That's why we do the home lesson.
Oh, she's with me, so she's not listening to your command.
Because, like, when they go home, they're not going to be one-person dogs. They need to listen to both.
you said what yeah whichever one of them like you can't make it voice specific
right um because whoever reinforces is going to be the one he sees as like listening in the moment right and if you want equal listening power
to be like oh dad reinforced it right and made me come to mom but if mom reinforces it and makes it happen then he'll respect you more
He thinks that I have the power.
for right um because he's gonna see you there you go he's gonna see you and go well i used to do this right so with me i don't allow it but with you he's like i did it before so maybe i do it again
looking at me right and she doesn't need to care about me she might see me you know once a year right who knows like how often she's gonna see me but she sees you every day and she needs to listen to you right
probably where the the problem is actually um is is authority um and like authority doesn't have have to be like harsh or like crazy
Another important aspect of this training is that I've so far been the only one working with Clark Kent, and so since I'm with him, He's looking to me for direction, but I'm not the one holding the leash. That's Kelton
so when we train our dogs we do train them not to jump on us funny thing about jumping is it's a localized thing so i can get luna to not jump on me and claudia can get luna to not jump on her
the so sometimes when you put the leash on you kind of like put that like handler authority back on
to like uh dog handlers all the time like police dog handlers and stuff like that when they're out in the field dog listens amazing yeah and then they go home
oops. Because he was in movement. Yeah. She doesn't, she, she can't connect the words to the person
what that means because i've done it to him um and you can then transfer that to you
he's he's a kind of like a like one dog one person kind of dog does that make sense like he doesn't like everybody he likes one guy all right and so that one guy needs to be you
That is true. He's a one-man dog.
she did good alec gave her the command gave her the release so she definitely knows it very well
so right there what she was doing that's like a type of testing the dog will do she was basically kind of doing like a roundabout
like a piece of the puzzle that's in the like a novel piece in the puzzle that creates different behavior which is a problem
He listens to me, but I need him to listen to you guys
that's like the number one thing that happens on my drop-off when i do heel is they keep like looking back at their owner they're like you're gonna let him do this to me
Yeah, and you may want to lock the leash a little bit in here just because with you, it's a little bit like the authority is less strong.
because you guys are around he is like kind of trying to test it
i think it's that she's done here with me and she hasn't done it with you and so she's kind of like do i have to listen right
She's fine, no problem. Yeah, it wasn't like relying on just me or anything like that.
que yo tengo autoridad y también los dueños tienen autoridad y que ella no puede hacer lo que quiere cuando nosotros hemos dicho un mando a ella es necesario es una obligación no es opcional
usually kind of don't want to carry over unless it's forced is the implied state
He's gonna see, do you do the same thing I do?
How it looks, dog by dog
Bo
The explicit rejection of the one-person-respect model. The goal stated to the family is that anyone - kennel staff included - can take him in and out of the crate. The honest limit comes in the same case: a sitter who uses a different word or does not follow through will not get the behaviour, so write down the commands and your follow-through, and be consistent yourself - some is better than none.
On film
different kinds of issues that he's shown with kind of like not wanting to give to pressure from someone who isn't me
and so once we generalize that to different people like we've done here we've generalized it to two other people then it becomes very easy to transfer that
Well, if they don't give the right command, like if there's like if they're
Deuce
The case that measures the gap. A recall that was fine around Connor collapsed when the owner joined a session; he names the pattern to the owners' faces and to the dog; and he gives a mechanism - dogs act helpless around the people who have come and rescued them before. The last two weeks follow from it: the owner takes the leash, the trainer removes himself, and for two-adult households whoever holds the leash is the one the dog answers.
On film
distance and then of course proof it under higher distractions because like while his recall is pretty nice for on me
Sometimes they'll do that around their owner and won't do it around me.
right, so what I'm going to do here is So, don't All right, don't follow me.
so anybody who has the leash the respect needs to be whoever is walking them
Stormie
Connor gives the arithmetic: respect is not permanent; each enforced command raises it, which is why she respects him more. And it is not evenly spread: she works for whichever owner means it and routes round the other. He tells the couple he now knows which of them is the soft one.
On film
She does, like she respects me more because like I reinforce everything with her.
i know who the softy of you two is now though
Luna
The handover as the test. With a dog who tests a lot, the drop-off is where the training is proved, because a video of her heeling with the trainer means nothing if the owner cannot get it. The owner's marker is charged the way the trainer's was, with the trainer's collar behind it, and the family are told the dog will get tighter still with them.
On film
So that's going to be the big thing with her is that she does a lot of testing.
Because, like, sure, it might, like, you know, I have a video of her healing with me. That's great.
like it's a little more charged up right because like she's used to me using the e-collar
Bullet
The only filmed hand-to-a-stranger test. The handler gives the line to a colleague the dog has never worked for; Bullet ignores her ('You don't know me') and then works, down included - 'I was questioning it, and then he actually did it.' The coaching that keeps the test honest is about the line: hold it steady, add nothing.
On film
Alright, I want you to try.
And just don't let it pass through your hands. Just hold it steady. Don't let it move.
Yeah, I was questioning it, and then he actually did it.
Pepper
A helper - Alec - takes the leash and gives the cue and the release on the fourth filmed day; the release working for somebody else is taken as proof she knows it. At the second in-program lesson the trainer checks that her auto stay holds for the owner as it does for him.
On film
Alright good. You hold the leash and I want to see what she does with you walking her around.
she did good alec gave her the command gave her the release so she definitely knows it very well
i want to see just how she responds to the auto stay for you
Clark Kent
Named inside the staff before it is a family problem: the regular trainer has been the only one working him, so Clark Kent looks to him for direction even when Kelton is holding the leash - he does not yet understand that whoever holds the leash is the one to attend to.
On film
Another important aspect of this training is that I've so far been the only one working with Clark Kent
King
Seen from the trainer's own household. King is a great dog with Kelton; with Kelton's wife beside him he probably would not listen - that is why the home lesson exists. His wife says the same about her own dog: she knows she is with me, so she isn't listening to your command.
On film
like right now he's a great dog, but if my wife was here, he probably would not listen. That's why we do the home lesson.
With me she knows she's with me, so she's not listening.
Zuri-chan
The same household from the other side: beside Kelton's wife, Zuri-chan ignores cues from others; obedience is partly attachment to the handler of the moment. At another placement the handler tells a family member the dog jumps on her because she lets it.
On film
Oh, she's with me, so she's not listening to your command.
she knows that she shouldn't jump on me and yet you let her so she thinks she can't but she don't play those games with me
Roxy
Roxy and Ramsey's trainers state the goal as both dogs answering both people - they will not be one-person dogs at home - and note that you cannot make obedience voice-specific. They also notice the dogs are used to the owner standing to give commands, so posture is part of what transfers.
On film
Because, like, when they go home, they're not going to be one-person dogs. They need to listen to both.
Because they're used to you standing and giving commands.
Zeus
When the dog hides behind his owner from somebody else's command, her job is to do nothing but get out of the way; the person who gave the command makes it non-optional and sees it through. Two people, two jobs.
On film
You do nothing except for like kind of like get out of the way so he doesn't hide behind you
Apollo (the Bully)
Christian's version, over four sessions with one family: Apollo tests the husband more than the trainer and the wife more than the husband. Whoever reinforces is the one he listens to; if dad enforces mom's command, Apollo learns to listen to dad. Each person has to make it happen themselves.
On film
reinforce, but then you don't, right. Then he's going to go, mom doesn't care. Right.
to be like oh dad reinforced it right and made me come to mom but if mom reinforces it and makes it happen then he'll respect you more
Levi
In every owner meeting and at the follow-up, Levi is less obedient with the owner present, and sits for the trainer because 'he thinks that I have the power'. The remedy is per person: the owner holds the remote and gives the commands herself.
On film
around me all right Levi sit all right so he's doing it now because he's kind
He thinks that I have the power.
Savage
A protection dog solid with the trainer offers old behaviour to the owners because it used to work with them; the in-program sessions exist to correct it with them present, before the defence work begins.
On film
for right um because he's gonna see you there you go he's gonna see you and go well i used to do this right
Sputnik
The penalty the dog already knows from the trainer has to be rebuilt by each owner; the trainer tells the family it transfers, but by their doing it when needed.
On film
what that means because i've done it to him um and you can then transfer that to you where then you can tell him to knock it off
Lunna
Jumping is 'a localized thing': the trainer and Claudia can each stop it on themselves, but the owner has to set her own boundary. After drop-off even the trainer loses some authority, and putting the leash on puts it back.
On film
a localized thing so i can get luna to not jump on me and claudia can get luna to not jump on her
the so sometimes when you put the leash on you kind of like put that like handler authority back on
Lucy
Authority is not harshness - you can be the dog's buddy - but it has to belong to the person she lives with, so the visiting trainer steps back from the cues even when he could get compliance himself. He also names himself as a variable: his presence changes her, so the owner's everyday failure cannot be reproduced while he is there.
On film
probably where the the problem is actually um is is authority
looking at me right and she doesn't need to care about me she might see me you know once a year
like a piece of the puzzle that's in the like a novel piece in the puzzle that creates different behavior which is a problem
Callie
At go-home a family member's 'let's go' fails because he said it and walked off; the trainer explains that she cannot connect the word to the person yet, and that she has to learn to listen to everybody in the house.
On film
to the person i mean you said it and he walked away yeah right so she can't do it
Peque (PK)
PK's whole post-adoption file is the gap between how she is with staff and at home. Kelton compares it to police dogs that listen perfectly in the field and not at home - context - and also to clarity of communication.
On film
to like uh dog handlers all the time like police dog handlers and stuff like that when they're out in the field dog listens amazing yeah and then they go home
just a contextually based so um like you know she sees me or hemma and she's with us and we're out walking
Major
The problem shows up when the owner is around and not with the trainer, so the follow-up is spent watching how mom corrects him.
On film
He acts out when, you know, the trainer's not around.
Dory
She tries more with her owner than with the trainer, and the roundabout recall is the test; the answer when she does it at home is to give her no option.
On film
so right there what she was doing that's like a type of testing the dog will do she was basically kind of doing like a roundabout
Louie
The honest exception: a dog who attaches to one person and is indifferent or worse to others. The placement is chosen so that the one person is the new owner - 'that one guy needs to be you' - and the first days make him the source of food and company.
On film
he's he's a kind of like a like one dog one person kind of dog does that make sense like he doesn't like everybody he likes one guy all right and so that one guy needs to be you
Samson
A one-man dog, safe with a few familiar people, whose tolerance for being handled by a less familiar person runs out without warning; managed by not letting strangers handle him.
On film
That is true. He's a one-man dog.
Yeah, they get over-stimulated with the petting, and then they go to nip.
Coco
The trainer's version: she already knows the radius; she just hasn't connected 'I do it with the trainer' to 'I do it with mom and dad' - it doesn't always click that it applies to anybody walking her. On 25 Sep she is handed from her trainer to a second handler on a walk, with the stated aim that she feel the radius 'with you' immediately, and the same consequences applied by the new handler.
On film
because the dog already knows it they just kind of haven't really generalized it with the idea of like okay i do it with connor
i want her to feel the radius with you and then to it into it immediately okay because everybody's radius is different anyways
Beo
At Beo's first in-program owner lesson, run by Kelton, Beo is a different dog with his owner present: it is said at the lesson that he gets more excited while the owner is there, and Kelton says it is the first time he has had Beo bark. Beo's case file reads the owner lesson itself as the test of the dog with the owner.
On film
Well, he gets more excited while you're here.
that's actually the first time I've had him bark
Boog
At the in-program lesson he says there is usually one person who does not get listened to as much, tells one owner that Boog pays the other more attention, and has the owner then walking him lock the leash because with them 'the authority is less strong'. Speaking of clients in general, he puts it as respect that has to be built: 'your dog doesn't respect you but we're gonna make him respect you'. At go-home he says Boog is testing because the owners are around - something he can get Boog not to do with him alone.
On film
there's usually one person yeah that doesn't get listened to as much
he pays attention to him a little bit more than you
Yeah, and you may want to lock the leash a little bit in here just because with you, it's a little bit like the authority is less strong.
your dog doesn't respect you but we're gonna make him respect you
because you guys are around he is like kind of trying to test it
Chunk
The premise of Chunk's in-program lesson is stated in one line - he listens to the trainer, but he needs to listen to the owners, because the trainer cannot come and live with them. At go-home the trainer names the commonest thing on his drop-offs: during the heel the dog keeps looking back at the owner, as if asking whether they will let him do this. The heel is looser with one owner than the other, and the more both of them do it, the tighter it gets.
On film
He listens to me, but I need him to listen to you guys
i tell people i'm like well if you listen to me that's great but i can't come and live with you full time
that's like the number one thing that happens on my drop-off when i do heel is they keep like looking back at their owner they're like you're gonna let him do this to me
his heels a little looser with you than it is with you
the more both of you do it the more tighter it gets
Sofia
Not a map member; read because Sofia's trainer states the goal in Spanish on a walk: she has not yet fully learned that he has authority and the owners also have authority, and that when they give her a command it is necessary, an obligation, not optional.
On film
que yo tengo autoridad y también los dueños tienen autoridad y que ella no puede hacer lo que quiere cuando nosotros hemos dicho un mando a ella es necesario es una obligación no es opcional
Stormi
Stormi (not Stormie) tests the new handler. At the in-program lesson she is dramatic when her owner presses the button, which her trainer calls a shepherd thing done in front of the owner; at go-home her heel falls apart with the owner, and he reads it as 'she's done here with me and she hasn't done it with you', so she is asking whether she has to listen. His answer is follow-through: when he did not back off she complied, and backing off teaches the dog that she is in charge.
On film
she's a shepherd that's funny so shepherds do this thing okay where they will actually intentionally be dramatic in front of you
i think it's that she's done here with me and she hasn't done it with you and so she's kind of like do i have to listen right
i think she thought i was gonna back off and i didn't that's kind of like a thing that you have to do with dogs though because if not if you back off then you teach them that they're in charge
Whiskey
The lesson then tests her with the family, where the trainer reports more whining.
On film
You know, and like Claudio walked a little earlier just to see if it changed anything.
She's fine, no problem. Yeah, it wasn't like relying on just me or anything like that.
Shadow (German Shepherd puppy)
Connor names which behaviour most often fails to carry over to owners: the implied stay - she will do the command for them and then, as soon as they turn their back, go back to her own thing. So both owners practise it while he is there, and he states the purpose of the lessons: 'I'm here to carry over the behavior that she already does with me.' He also warns that his presence carries an authority that may lapse once he leaves, which is why the family's consequence has to be exactly what his would be. Earlier, her down was fast for him and took a minute for them.
On film
both of you do a little bit of something then so mainly the big one that dogs
usually kind of don't want to carry over unless it's forced is the implied state
So probably what would happen is that she would do the command for you
And then you'd like turn your back and see it immediately just like start doing her thing again
So that's that's what most of the sessions are is just I'm here to carry over the behavior that she already does with me
about the only thing that could happen is once i leave and she's here um sometimes that happens
where because i've trained the dogs there's a certain authority that like my presence that
in here so like she'll you saw how fast she did it for me but she took a minute to do it with you
Titan
Titan won't test the trainer while he is there - 'the second I leave though he'll like test' - so the trainer has the owner run the down first: he probably won't do it, she gives the marker, he feels the collar and learns 'oh crap, it works with her too'.
On film
come here I want you to test me so I can show them how to do it he's not gonna do
it now the second I leave though he'll like test and you're gonna be like how
probably won't and then you're gonna do the marker and he's gonna feel the e
collar and be like oh crap it works with her too okay okay i did that i'm just i was expecting him
Max
Max has stopped making mistakes with the trainer, so the lesson hands the remote to the owner and waits for the test: 'now if mom says it what happens'. Whether he tests depends partly on how confident she is - hesitant, repeated recalls tell the dog she isn't serious. With the owner and grandmother, the trainer calls it a transition period: the dog checks whether each person does the same thing he does, and listens if they do.
On film
collar okay um because sometimes like at this point he's not really making mistakes with me at
might like try to make a mistake with you okay right uh which is just part of the learning phase
where it's like hey yeah i know it but now if mom says it what happens right right right yeah he
the dog goes yeah whatever right like you're not serious about it so i'm just gonna do what i want
there's, like, a transition period, right?
He's gonna see, do you do the same thing I do?
You do the same thing, he'll listen.
Fiona
Fiona stares at passers-by without reacting, and the comment in the cue is that she is 'behaving the teacher's way' because he is there; the trainer's answer is that the owner must follow the same method he has shown, so Fiona sees that 'mom got some training'.
On film
staring at them yeah well that's because you're here she's behaving the teacher's way yeah
most important thing is to follow the same the same method
that i have showed her for her to see that oh wow mom got some training you know
Phoebe
At the handover the trainer says the jumping is fixed with him - she won't jump on him - but generalising it is the owners' job: when dogs go home the owners often have to show them quickly that it isn't allowed there either, with the marker and a pop or the collar (the grandkids-at-grandma's picture again).
On film
okay the thing with jumping is that like i can fix it with me right and she won't jump on me
but as far as generalizing it that's something that like i noticed that a lot of times when they
go home the the owners have to handle it a little bit just you know really quickly just show them
Rocky
The reverse case on film: Rocky jumps out of the trainer's release to get to his owner faster, and the trainer says it isn't that the owner's 'okay' is better - the dog would 'way rather be with you than me', because the owner raised him and the trainer is recent. Authority has to be built by each person, but the bond can already favour the owner.
On film
how he jumps out of mine yeah it's it's not just because my okay is better it's because he would
way rather be with you than me okay because like i bonded with him and tried my best and stuff like
Milo
On whether the dog will listen to the children, the trainer's test is whether they will reinforce it properly, negatively or positively - if not, the commands get weaker.
On film
A big part of it is, what is the likelihood that the kids are going to reinforce it properly,
either negatively or positively?
Because if they do, then it can make it where it's not reinforced properly a bunch of times.
And then it can make the commands less strong.
Bun
He doesn't do it on the first ask, gets an 'uh-uh', then downs and is praised, and the trainer moves her on to the heel.
On film
Ask him to do a down for you.
Uh-uh.
You good boy.
All right, ask her to do a heel for you.
Why it works
Said on film: authority is a running total of enforced commands, not a relationship - "it's not like a permanent thing. Once you reinforce it, then the authority goes up" (watch 50:27); "whoever reinforces is going to be the one he sees as like listening in the moment" (watch 07:51). So a dog's compliance starts out handler-specific (watch 03:31; watch 28:11; watch 00:14), a dog finds and tests the softest person (watch 48:52), and old habits come back with the people they used to work on (watch 08:29).
Transfer is the same process run with other people: enforce the same way and the authority is theirs too, and after two people it becomes easy (watch 10:35). The trainer can charge the owner's word by backing it with his own collar (watch 14:14), or step back so the owner does it (watch 30:16).
A second mechanism is offered for why the owner is the hard case: dogs act helpless around people who have rescued them before (watch 13:53).
The limits: a different word, or no follow-through, and there is nothing to transfer (watch 08:16); some dogs attach to one person (watch 14:03; watch 27:45).
Inferred, not stated: people act as context, like rooms and surfaces - see generalisation-is-the-whole-job.
Where the trainers differ
Transfer is easy, or each person must build it themselves.
One view
Authority established by one handler transfers; two people is enough to make it easy.
On film
and so once we generalize that to different people like we've done here we've generalized it to two other people then it becomes very easy to transfer that
She's fine, no problem. Yeah, it wasn't like relying on just me or anything like that.
the more both of you do it the more tighter it gets
Another view
Each person must earn and enforce authority directly; a partner stepping in builds the partner's authority, and old habits come back with the family unless the sessions break them.
On film
to be like oh dad reinforced it right and made me come to mom but if mom reinforces it and makes it happen then he'll respect you more
for right um because he's gonna see you there you go he's gonna see you and go well i used to do this right
a localized thing so i can get luna to not jump on me and claudia can get luna to not jump on her
Yeah, and you may want to lock the leash a little bit in here just because with you, it's a little bit like the authority is less strong.
He listens to me, but I need him to listen to you guys
i think it's that she's done here with me and she hasn't done it with you and so she's kind of like do i have to listen right
How to read it
Probably compatible - transfer is easy to people who do what the trainer did - but the two are stated to families as opposite expectations.
Should every dog answer every household member?
One view
Yes - both dogs answer both people; she must listen to everybody in the house.
On film
Because, like, when they go home, they're not going to be one-person dogs. They need to listen to both.
specific person yeah but it's important that she also listens to you and listens to mom and you know everybody
Another view
Some dogs are one-person dogs; build the placement and handling around that person.
On film
he's he's a kind of like a like one dog one person kind of dog does that make sense like he doesn't like everybody he likes one guy all right and so that one guy needs to be you
How to read it
A goal for typical family dogs against a management decision for particular dogs; both stand.
Common owner mistakes
- Letting a partner enforce your command - the dog learns to listen to your partner.
On film
to be like oh dad reinforced it right and made me come to mom but if mom reinforces it and makes it happen then he'll respect you more
Apollo (the Bully) · Watch at 8:04 ↗ - Enforcing sometimes and not others - 'mom doesn't care'.
On film
reinforce, but then you don't, right. Then he's going to go, mom doesn't care. Right.
Apollo (the Bully) · Watch at 14:25 ↗ - Correcting from the side while someone else holds the leash.
On film
happens so like what would end up happening is she might have the leash but like the authority is like gonna get mixed up
Deuce · Watch at 7:41 ↗ - Being the place the dog hides from somebody else's command.
On film
You do nothing except for like kind of like get out of the way so he doesn't hide behind you
Zeus · Watch at 13:06 ↗ - Giving a command and walking away before it is done.
On film
to the person i mean you said it and he walked away yeah right so she can't do it
Callie · Watch at 14:09 ↗ - Letting the dog do with you what he is not allowed to do with the trainer.
On film
she knows that she shouldn't jump on me and yet you let her so she thinks she can't but she don't play those games with me
Zuri-chan · Watch at 4:21 ↗
Questions owners ask
Why does he listen to the trainer and not to me?
Because, as the trainers explain it, authority goes to whoever has actually enforced things - and so far that is the trainer. It is not about love or respect in the ordinary sense; it goes up each time a command is followed through. It also means you can change it: do what the trainer did, every time.
On film
She does, like she respects me more because like I reinforce everything with her. So the thing with respect though is that it's not like a permanent thing. Once you reinforce it, then the authority goes up.
He thinks that I have the power.
Will he ever listen to me the same way?
The trainers say authority transfers readily to people who follow through the same way - Kelton says two people is enough to make it easy. It is tested by handing the dog to someone new; on film a dog ignores a stranger for a moment and then works for her.
On film
and so once we generalize that to different people like we've done here we've generalized it to two other people then it becomes very easy to transfer that
Yeah, I was questioning it, and then he actually did it.
There are two of us. Who is in charge on a walk?
Whoever holds the leash. The other person should not correct from the side as a habit - it mixes up the authority and the dog starts watching the wrong person. Both of you need to be able to handle him on your own.
On film
so anybody who has the leash the respect needs to be whoever is walking them
What about the dog sitter, or my kids?
Transfer reaches only people who use the same words and follow through. The advice on film is to write down the commands he knows and how you follow through, and to be consistent yourself, so he has practice even when others are imperfect - some is better than none.
On film
the best thing that we can do is be like, "Hey, like you can tell him these are the commands he knows. Um, and this is how I follow through with it typically.
My dog only seems to like one person. Is that fixable?
Some dogs are described on film as one-person dogs, and the trainers build around it rather than promising to change it: the placement is chosen so that person is the owner, and strangers are kept from handling the dog.
On film
he's he's a kind of like a like one dog one person kind of dog does that make sense like he doesn't like everybody he likes one guy all right and so that one guy needs to be you
The lesson
The goal
The owner, not the trainer, gets the behaviour at the handover; each adult in the household enforces their own commands; and the family knows the leash rule for two handlers.
Learn first
See it done
- Bullet: The dog handed to someone he has never worked for; she holds the line steady and adds nothing; he works. Watch ↗
- Luna: Why the drop-off is the real test: a video of her heeling with the trainer proves nothing. Watch ↗
- Apollo (the Bully): Christian explains why mom has to enforce mom's command. Watch ↗
- Deuce: The leash rule for two adults, with its failure mode. Watch ↗
The drill
As run on film: the trainer steps away (watch 10:43) or leaves the picture, the owner takes the leash and gives the cues; the trainer may back the owner's word with the collar at first (watch 14:14). Hand the dog to a new person, coach them to hold the line steady and add nothing, and see whether he works (watch 39:20; watch 06:59). Each adult enforces their own commands (watch 08:04).
Watch out for
- The trainer staying in the picture at the handover.
- A partner enforcing the other's command.
- Two handlers correcting at once.
- Assuming a stranger's success proves the owner's.
Check yourself
Your partner tells the dog to come, he ignores her, and you are standing next to him. What do you do, and why?