The answer
More than most owners expect, and the trainers say so about themselves as readily as about families. The sharpest version is about the leash. A tight line, something approaching, and a worried person on the other end is not a safety measure - in Kelton's words about his own trade, 'that's how we train protection dogs we train them by frustrating them with the leash we don't let them get to the thing they want'. Owners do the same thing by accident every day. With tension on the line, a trainer adds, you cannot even tell why the dog reacted, because you are one of the causes.
Restraint does this without nerves too. Pull a dog back and his first reflex is to pull forward; hold him back from something he is only curious about and he gets frustrated, 'when they get frustrated what a dogs do they start barking and reacting'. Give him the choice and very often 'all of a sudden they're like oh i don't care'. So one trainer leaves a flexi unlocked on day one with another dog in sight, and the owner of a formerly reactive dog is told that keeping him at heel the whole walk 'creates reactivity'.
The owner's own anticipation is the next layer. Across dog-reactive and car-reactive cases the instruction is the same: do not prepare, do not tighten, do not stop and wait, do not look for the trigger - 'your reaction a lot of times controls his reaction'. A nervous owner scanning for dogs can lead the dog to conclude the other dog is the problem and try to scare it off 'because if i scare the dog away mom feels better'. People who approach a dog expecting aggression create 'a self-fulfilling prophecy'. And a handler who acts as if a dog might bite - hesitating over a lift, backing away after a pat - invites the question 'Why are you acting like that? Do we have a problem?'
Voice and energy are the last layer. What reaches the dog is 'a sound, but then there's other stuff' - body language and something like vibe - so a soft-spoken owner may be sending only the sound. A lighter voice takes longer to carry authority. Energy is matched to the dog: quiet cues for a receptive nervous dog, more energy at the handover for a household whose commands were flat, and excited praise indoors is a signal that things are exciting. Fiona's trainer puts it in one line at her go-home: 'People will get what they put out energy wise with Fiona' - calm praise, a calm dog; excited praise, a nip. The trainers turn this on themselves - Drago's trainer admits that backing away from a dog whose body language he did not like is a bad habit because 'they sense' it; a dog who can tell her handler is in a rush, dogs with upset stomachs on go-home day because the trainer is anxious too, tough dogs who fight harder in front of their owners because they know the trainer will not pull as hard.
The 30 Sep update adds a live case and a sharper word for the voice. At Chaparro's evaluation the evaluator tells the owner, minutes after the moment, that the dog 'didn't care about that dog coming up until you got nervous' - then he guarded her and the couch, thinking that would fix it - and asks for the whole family at the lessons because the dogs feed off people's nervousness. And Mazi's trainer pins the voice down: it is tone, not pitch - commands more authoritative, praise lighter - something he says he had to learn himself.
What is inferred rather than said: nobody explains how the transmission works beyond 'I think they can feel it', and no one on film gives an owner a technique for changing their own nerves - the instructions are about the leash, the eyes, the voice and the walk.
Angier K9 is a family-owned, play-based Board & Train serving Angier, Raleigh and the Triangle, with three full owner lessons.
What to do
Keep the leash loose when something approaches; do not tighten, stop, stare or prepare the dog for it. Do nothing unless he does something, and answer only what he actually does. Walk on as if nothing is happening. Do not keep him at heel all walk just to feel safe. Handle him like a normal dog. Give commands with enough energy that they sound meant, and keep praise calm indoors if you want calm.
What the trainers say
I'm putting tension on the situation he's like why is they pulling me back right and then I want to get there so it makes frustration that's how we train protection dogs we train them by frustrating them with the leash we don't let them get to the thing they want
and then they bark bark bark bark bark the person goes away and they go look that worked I'm doing that again people do that accidentally all the time just walking out walking their dog they don't want it to happen at all but they're basically doing the same thing that I would do to train a second dog
if there's tension on the leash then it's harder to know for sure why they're reacting that way because if you have a dog pulled back and you've tightened up the leash and you're feeling nervous about it then they're gonna be like oh what's going on and so then it creates frustration
like this and they're always pulling on the leash and then they see another dog or a person that find interesting and they want to go to it but they don't have the choice to go to it what they're gonna do is get frustrated when they get frustrated what a dogs do they start barking and reacting and stuff right
the walk instead of like all right he has to be here the whole time because that creates reactivity
created like this resistance we're now like oh well why are they holding me back i want to go do that thing now because they're holding me back right but if you just gave them the choice and all of a sudden they're like oh i don't care right
locked the Flexi because I don't want to hold him back because that would probably cause more drive and desire
cared about any dogs we walk by at all so um your reaction a lot of times controls his reaction
nervous but the dog must be making her nervous okay right and then that can trigger the dog him going well to scare the dog away right right because if i scare the dog away mom feels better
of him and so they walk up with that fear and he feels it and then he goes what's wrong with you
so one of the main things is if you act funny like he's gonna do something Yeah, then he's gonna be like what's up? Why why are you acting like that? Do we have a problem?
So, from Bose's perspective, um, what is communication to him? It's not rational language. It's like a sound, but then there's other stuff, right? Plus the sound, right? So, they respond to like body language cues. They respond to um like vibe almost, right?
a little more apprehensive just because i hadn't worked with that many dogs and so obviously like me being apprehensive made the dogs kind of go what's up with this guy
anxious stomach either the day that they go home because I think honestly
and i think they can feel it
Because even that, like, he didn't care about that dog coming up until you got nervous. And then he was like, why are you so nervous?
And then he thought you were nervous because he was on the couch. And so he started guarding the couch and you trying to get him to go away because he thought that's what would fix the issue.
mostly i want everybody here um because like all family off of people's nervousness too so we're gonna have to like address that and make sure that everybody knows what to do
the big thing with like a puppy like him is like the tone of voice
it's not like a particular like pitch or anything it's more just about like the commands they're more strong they have more like the voice is more authoritative and then the good stuff is more like it can be a little lighter a little higher
that's something i had to learn how to do though when i started training because my voice like doesn't naturally go up into that like really high zone
but what he does understand is tone tone vibe energy
People will get what they put out energy wise with Fiona.
How it looks, dog by dog
Zeus
At Zeus's first owner lesson Kelton sets it up as a demonstration: a tight line with another dog in view, then his own job as the answer - tension on the leash plus something the dog wants and cannot reach is how protection dogs are built, and owners run it by accident. He asks the owner how she feels when she pulls the dog closer: anxious. A later lesson at the owner's home adds the diagnostic point - with tension on the leash you cannot know why he reacted - which turns a loose line into the only fair test.
On film
I'm putting tension on the situation he's like why is they pulling me back right and then I want to get there so it makes frustration
And you're like, oh, oh. Trying to pull him closer, putting pressure on him. And then how do you feel? Anxious.
if there's tension on the leash then it's harder to know for sure why they're reacting that way
Bo
Bo carries three faces of the idea. The physics, given at go-home: pull back on a dog and he pulls forward, the way a person pushed from behind braces; hold him back from something interesting and the frustration is the barking; keeping him at heel all walk creates reactivity. People: a staff handler lifting him into a vehicle is told not to act as if he might bite, and another is told not to back away nervously after petting him. And voice: his owner is soft-spoken, and the trainer - explicitly not as a criticism - says a word delivered without the body and 'vibe' may not reach him, so he may not even know he is ignoring her; though sometimes he did get the message and ignored it anyway.
On film
the second one right you would push forward right so if I pull back on a
Yeah, don't act weird about it. Just treat him like a normal dog. Yeah, just pick his butt up and put him in there.
Alright, just reach in and pet him. Good boy. Tell him good boy. Good boy. I said good boy. Don't back away nervously. Yeah.
And so then he might not even know that he's just ignoring you, if that makes sense.
Bullet
On Bullet's first day, with no recall and another dog in sight, Kelton deliberately does not lock the flexi, because holding him back would build drive and desire for the other dog; the management is done by choosing a quieter venue next time instead.
On film
locked the Flexi because I don't want to hold him back because that would probably cause more drive and desire
to, next time I take him out, probably take him to a little bit lower dog population space, potentially a state park or something like that.
Max (Goldendoodle)
At Max's go-home Kelton names the owner procedure 'no-show it': when a dog approaches, do nothing in advance - no tightening, no name, no treats - and respond only to what Max actually does. Anticipating makes the other dog an event. The same applies to noises he used to fear: do not anticipate and ramp up, or you bring the fear back into his head.
On film
you do nothing unless he does something you're giving him a choice point so he's choosing how to react and you wait until he reacts a certain way you don't try to manage it ahead of time
Yeah. So with that newfound knowledge, what I want you to do is just make sure that you don't care about it and you're not like anticipating and ramping up for it and then starting to bring it back into his head.
Louie
Louie's family is told that prepping him for an approaching car tells him they care about it, so he starts looking for it: the owners must genuinely not care. The trainer's alternative to redirecting him every time - which eventually makes the redirection worthless - is indifference: walk past, and if he lunges, do nothing, until reacting stops being fun.
On film
because now you're drawing attention to it right right and he's already anticipating his reaction
just needs to like not care as much as you don't care which means like you really need to make sure you don't care about it
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
Max
Max's owner is nervous about other dogs. The trainer's model: the dog reads her nerves, concludes the other dog is the cause, and tries to scare it away so that she feels better. His own model for the owner: when he sees a dog he does not care, does not look, and lets it pass.
On film
nervous but the dog must be making her nervous okay right and then that can trigger the dog him going well to scare the dog away
like when i see a dog i just don't care yeah i'm just like whatever and i don't even look at the dog like i don't pay attention
Milo
Walking a dog-reactive dog past others, the owner is told not to stop and wait: that makes the pass an event and loads him up. Walk on, so he thinks nothing is happening.
On film
sense that loads him up yeah so we don't want to load him up we want him to think nothing's happening
Astro
Kelton says his main goal in Astro's program was for the owner to feel she had a normal dog. In the owner's own walk the second trainer warns that if she, or her other dog, reacts every time, Astro will start reacting again - and tells her to walk away relaxed and keep the image of today's calm pass.
On film
that was probably my number one focus in the program like more generally um was i wanted it to get it to a place where you felt like you had a normal dog
Right. Well, if she's reacting every time, he's going to start reacting again.
Major
At a private lesson the trainer offers the owner a gentle hypothesis for Major's protectiveness: she carries some anxiety and he feels it. At a later follow-up the change is in her - she is not afraid of what he will do and knows what to do.
On film
maybe it's also because you carry some anxiety around and he feels it so he's like no when I
like you're not afraid of what he will do and you know what to do if he if you
Roman
At Roman's evaluation the trainer describes how a dog's reputation is made: people approach him expecting aggression, he feels it, and 'it creates the scenario' - a self-fulfilling prophecy. Dogs are commonly worse around the person they are attached to, because they pick up on it. The verdict: nothing wrong with him.
On film
and then it creates the scenario it's like a self-fulfilling prophecy
Well, unfortunately, it's very common just because they pick up on it, especially if they're attached to the bee.
this uh you have a great dog seriously roman's a great dog there's nothing wrong with him that i can see
Phoebe
Phoebe's file is about the handlers as much as the dog. One handler describes becoming quieter and more mindful - dropping the yelled marker and the pop; Kelton, at the go-home, remembers his own early apprehension making dogs uneasy, and tells the owner Phoebe feeds off people's emotions, so stay calm and do not get her worked up.
On film
i think phoebe's probably the most i feel like the most mindful i've ever been training before
the biggest thing with her too is like obviously she's feeding off of other like people's emotions
Dutchess
The trainer turns the idea on himself three times. On the final off-leash check he says she can probably tell he is in a rush to finish the video. At the owner lesson he says tough dogs fight harder in front of their people, because they know he will not pull as hard with the family watching. And at home he says she is at her worst with him and calmer with her family, because with them the house is relaxed.
On film
and you know i'm sure like she can tell i'm a little bit of a rush right now
how hard are you gonna pull me in front of them and like she knows that there's if she fights me hard enough i'm not gonna pull as hard
like she's one of the few dogs that i can confidently say she's on her worst behavior with me
Deuce
Two personal versions. On a town walk the trainer explains the dogs' upset stomachs on go-home day by his own anxiety that day. And at the owner lesson he tells the owner, carefully, that she has the lightest voice of the three people present and her commands will take longer to carry - it is about authority in the tone, not shouting - backed by a client whose dog ignored her and obeyed him at once.
On film
anxious stomach either the day that they go home because I think honestly
little bit longer because like I have to be like put some like authority into it
wouldn't because when I got there I told the dog no and it was like immediate she was like she's
Lola
Lola's file holds the volume dial at both ends. In an in-house session the trainer gives her commands quietly on purpose because she is so receptive. At the go-home the household gets the opposite note: throw more energy into it, because a flat threat is one you cannot take seriously.
On film
and I'm saying them quietly because apparently she's really like receptive to them
so only thing I would say is just throw a little more energy into it. That's like the big one.
Louie
Teaching Louie's down, the handler makes energy a pass-fail condition on the person: without being really persistent and really high energy, it will not work.
On film
you got to be really persistent really high energy yet if you're not really high energy then it's not gonna work
Marvin (Giant Schnauzer)
At Marvin's go-home the owners are told their energy is a signal: excited praise indoors tells him things are exciting, so if they want calm inside, praise calmly.
On film
that things were exciting right now yeah right so if you don't want that then don't don't give him that signal
right, you're putting out an energy,
Angus
On a woods walk a staff member shouts at a loose dog, and it is Angus on the handler's own leash who is unsettled - the noise landed on the wrong dog.
On film
Yeah, he's a little freaked out.
Chaparro
New in the 30 Sep update. The idea caught live, at a first visit. During Chaparro's in-home evaluation the owner becomes frightened on the couch; afterwards the evaluator tells her what he saw: the dog did not care about the other dog coming up until she got nervous; then he read her nerves as being about the couch, started guarding it and her, and tried to make the other dog go away because he thought that would fix it. The fix he names is in the dog, not the owner: teach him not to do that - even if she gets nervous, it is okay; he does not have to. And because the dogs feed off people's nervousness, he wants the whole family at the lessons so everybody knows what to do.
On film
Because even that, like, he didn't care about that dog coming up until you got nervous. And then he was like, why are you so nervous?
And then he thought you were nervous because he was on the couch. And so he started guarding the couch and you trying to get him to go away because he thought that's what would fix the issue.
Right. And so we just need to teach him to like not do that. Even if you get nervous, like it's okay.
mostly i want everybody here um because like all family off of people's nervousness too so we're gonna have to like address that and make sure that everybody knows what to do
Mazi
New in the 30 Sep update. Mazi's trainer makes voice the big thing for a puppy like him - and specifies that it is tone, not pitch: commands are stronger and more authoritative, praise and release can be lighter and a little higher. He turns it on himself: his voice does not naturally go into that high zone, so he had to learn it when he started training, and for a while his was too flat. In an earlier session he gives the reason: dogs know the words without knowing what they mean, so the tone carries more than the word.
On film
the big thing with like a puppy like him is like the tone of voice
it's not like a particular like pitch or anything it's more just about like the commands they're more strong they have more like the voice is more authoritative and then the good stuff is more like it can be a little lighter a little higher
that's something i had to learn how to do though when i started training because my voice like doesn't naturally go up into that like really high zone
more apparent with dogs than people because dogs don't actually know the words like they know the words they don't know what the words actually mean
Drago
On a walk with Drago the trainer turns the idea on himself. Drago does not understand his talk to the camera, but he does understand tone, vibe and energy - he picks up how the trainer is feeling.
On film
but what he does understand is tone tone vibe energy
about it right but he understands that very well right he picks up how i'm feeling
on the edge of, of coming for me. So I was just trying to get out of there. Um, but unfortunately that's a bad habit when dealing with those kinds of dogs because, um, they sense that they feel
Fiona
At Fiona's go-home lesson the trainer cautions the owner that people get what they put out, energy-wise, with Fiona, and demonstrates: calm, low praise and she stays chilled out; excited praise and she gets wound up enough to nip a finger.
On film
People will get what they put out energy wise with Fiona.
Right? So she's chilled out, right?
right um so and like she'll nip you right like she got me on my finger just a little bit
Why it works
Three mechanisms are stated, and they are separable. Opposition: a dog pulled back braces forward (watch 16:14), so restraint in front of something interesting produces frustration, and the frustration is the barking (16:26); given the choice, the dog often loses interest (watch 02:13). Anticipation: an owner who prepares, stops, stares or tightens makes the trigger an event, and 'your reaction a lot of times controls his reaction' (watch 11:17); a nervous owner can lead the dog to read the other dog as the cause (watch 07:46). Signal: what reaches the dog is 'a sound, but then there's other stuff' (watch 17:38), so a word delivered without body and energy may not register (18:42), and a handler's energy is read as information about the situation (watch 05:11). The diagnostic consequence is stated too: with tension on the line you cannot tell why the dog reacted (watch 39:09). The 30 Sep cases add a stated account of attribution from a first visit: the dog read the owner's nerves, took them to be about the couch, and guarded it to fix the problem (watch 21:10); and on the signal side, what carries is tone rather than pitch, because dogs know the words without knowing what they mean (watch 12:11; watch 08:02). Inferred, not stated: how nerves are transmitted. 'I think they can feel it' (watch 04:42) is the nearest the record comes.
On film
leash their first reflex is to pull forward on the leash so if I walk a dog like this and they're always pulling on the leash and then they see another dog
um well, you're not, you know, you're kind of chilled out um in in the way that you talk.
And then he thought you were nervous because he was on the couch. And so he started guarding the couch and you trying to get him to go away because he thought that's what would fix the issue.
more apparent with dogs than people because dogs don't actually know the words like they know the words they don't know what the words actually mean
Where the trainers differ
Turn the handler's volume and energy up, or down?
One view
Down: a receptive nervous dog gets her commands quietly, on purpose; a nervous dog feeds off people's emotions, so stay calm; excited praise indoors signals excitement.
On film
and I'm saying them quietly because apparently she's really like receptive to them
the biggest thing with her too is like obviously she's feeding off of other like people's emotions
Another view
Up: a flat command is not taken seriously, and some exercises will not work without high energy.
On film
it's really just like if I was talking to you like this and like you like made me mad and I was like, "You know what? If you don't if you don't stop it, might just hurt you." You know what I'm saying? You're like, "I can't take this dude seriously."
you got to be really persistent really high energy yet if you're not really high energy then it's not gonna work
How to read it
Both settings appear within Lola's own file, so the criterion is not simply the dog; the record never states it.
Is restraint a mistake or a tool?
One view
A mistake in front of a trigger: it manufactures the drive, so the flexi stays unlocked even on day one.
On film
locked the Flexi because I don't want to hold him back because that would probably cause more drive and desire
Another view
The same procedure is used deliberately, by the same business, to build protection dogs.
On film
I'm putting tension on the situation he's like why is they pulling me back right and then I want to get there so it makes frustration that's how we train protection dogs
How to read it
Not a disagreement about the effect - both sides say restraint builds drive - but about when that is wanted.
What should a handler do about being the variable?
One view
Change the behaviour, not the feeling: do nothing in advance, don't look, walk on, keep the leash loose.
On film
you do nothing unless he does something you're giving him a choice point so he's choosing how to react
Another view
Change the feeling: 'you really need to make sure you don't care about it'; be not afraid of what he will do.
On film
just needs to like not care as much as you don't care which means like you really need to make sure you don't care about it
like you're not afraid of what he will do and you know what to do if he if you
How to read it
The second side is asked for but no method is given for it on film; Major's follow-up suggests confidence came from knowing what to do.
Common owner mistakes
- Tightening the leash when a trigger appears.
On film
people do that accidentally all the time just walking out walking their dog
Zeus · Watch at 48:10 ↗ if there's tension on the leash then it's harder to know for sure why they're reacting that way
Zeus · Watch at 39:09 ↗ - Keeping the dog at heel the whole walk to stay out of trouble.
On film
the walk instead of like all right he has to be here the whole time because that creates reactivity
Bo · Watch at 24:10 ↗ - Preparing the dog for the trigger - stopping, waiting, saying 'it's okay', watching for cars or dogs.
On film
because now you're drawing attention to it right right and he's already anticipating his reaction
Louie · Watch at 1:33 ↗ sense that loads him up yeah so we don't want to load him up we want him to think nothing's happening
Milo · Watch at 2:52 ↗ - Redirecting with a treat or command every time, until the redirection is worthless.
On film
because if if i have to redirect him every time then eventually my redirection is worthless
Louie · Watch at 9:48 ↗ - Handling the dog as if he might bite.
On film
so one of the main things is if you act funny like he's gonna do something
Bo · Watch at 3:31 ↗ Alright, just reach in and pet him. Good boy.
Bo · Watch at 9:15 ↗ - Giving commands flat, or praising excitedly when you want calm.
On film
so only thing I would say is just throw a little more energy into it.
Lola · Watch at 28:38 ↗ that things were exciting right now yeah right so if you don't want that then don't don't give him that signal
Marvin (Giant Schnauzer) · Watch at 5:11 ↗
Questions owners ask
Does my dog know when I'm nervous?
The trainers believe so and act on it - 'I think they can feel it' - though nobody on film explains how. What they can show is what nervous handlers do: tighten the leash, stare at the trigger, stop and wait, prepare the dog. Those are the things they ask owners to stop. At one first visit the evaluator reads it live: the dog ignored another dog until the owner got nervous, then guarded her and the couch.
On film
and i think they can feel it
maybe it's also because you carry some anxiety around and he feels it so he's like no when I
Because even that, like, he didn't care about that dog coming up until you got nervous. And then he was like, why are you so nervous?
Am I causing my dog's reactivity?
Partly, perhaps, and without meaning to. A tight leash plus a trigger plus a worried owner is described as the same procedure used on purpose to build protection dogs. The trainers' fix is procedural: loose leash, do nothing in advance, walk on.
On film
and then they bark bark bark bark bark the person goes away and they go look that worked I'm doing that again people do that accidentally all the time
Shouldn't I keep him close so nothing happens?
Not for the whole walk. One trainer tells the owner of a formerly reactive dog that keeping him at heel all the time 'creates reactivity'; another leaves the flexi unlocked on purpose so the other dog does not gain value.
On film
the walk instead of like all right he has to be here the whole time because that creates reactivity
locked the Flexi because I don't want to hold him back because that would probably cause more drive and desire
He listens to the trainer and not to me. Is it respect?
The trainers point to voice and delivery. A lighter voice takes longer to carry authority; a soft-spoken owner may be sending the word without the rest of the signal. The fix given is authority in the tone, not shouting.
On film
little bit longer because like I have to be like put some like authority into it
that's one thing I'm noticing is, and this is not like a uh like a dig because I'm, this is just a personality question sometimes, right?
Should I be louder, then?
It depends on the dog, and the record does not give the rule. A receptive, nervous dog gets quiet cues on purpose; a household with flat commands is told to add energy; excited praise indoors signals excitement. One trainer adds that it is not about high or low at all but tone: commands more authoritative, praise lighter.
On film
and I'm saying them quietly because apparently she's really like receptive to them
so only thing I would say is just throw a little more energy into it.
it's not like a particular like pitch or anything it's more just about like the commands they're more strong they have more like the voice is more authoritative and then the good stuff is more like it can be a little lighter a little higher
The lesson
The goal
Walk past a trigger with a loose leash and no anticipation, and answer only what the dog actually does.
Learn first
The drill
As run on film ('no-show it'): when a dog or car approaches, keep walking at the same pace, leash loose, eyes ahead; do not say the dog's name, do not reach for treats, do not stop. If he reacts, answer that (a 'let's go' and keep moving); if he does not, do nothing. On a flexi, leave it unlocked where it is safe to.
Watch out for
- Tightening the leash.
- Stopping to let the dog pass.
- Saying 'it's okay' in advance.
- Redirecting every time.
Check yourself
When the last dog passed, what did your hands and eyes do before your dog did anything?