Learning notes · Learning notes / pressure
A correction that produces no useful response is a diagnostic problem, not proof that the dog simply needs a higher setting.
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Answer
The same appearance—pressure happens and the requested response does not—has several explanations in the training record. Finn’s trainer describes freezing and panic that prevent him from acting. Stormie’s record distinguishes how readily she notices a stimulus from how she responds to repeated prompts. Luna may begin the recall and then veer away. During Louie’s work, an ineffective correction word is described as not yet fully conditioned. These cases should not be collapsed into one category of toughness.
The first question is whether the dog can identify and perform the response in this situation. The next is what the response to the intervention actually was: a change in attention, attempted escape, immobility, movement toward the task, or increased conflict. The trainer’s comments about Rocco in a Kodak-indexed video are an especially useful reminder that the subject of a statement can differ from the folder containing it. That passage openly acknowledges that setting the level too high or too low can both be mistaken judgments.
Some Stormie lessons interpret vocalization or avoidance in front of people as socially effective behavior. That is the trainer’s interpretation of those events. It is not evidence that crying generally means manipulation, or that relaxed ears alone rule out discomfort. The concept belongs beside the shutdown and dog-reading concepts so that an ineffective correction is not automatically converted into permission to continue or intensify it.
Owner takeaway
Report what your dog actually does after a cue and intervention, including freezing or increased distress. Have the trainer check understanding, setup and the equipment before interpreting the event as resistance.
Across the cases
Finn
The central description is inability to act while panicking: Finn is said to absorb the penalty rather than find the requested response. The trainer’s stated aim is thinking and acting instead of freezing.
when he freezes and panics like that, all of the thoughts go out the window, and so then I'm asking him to do a thing, and at first he would just eat whatever the penalty was.
Watch at 44:41 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
so getting him from that place where instead of freezing he goes oh and then like thinks about what to do to make the pressure go away and then goes and does the thing and then he's happy again yeah that's what we need cuz he's smart
Watch at 45:04 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Stormie
The current down-work transcript separates noticing the stimulus from conceding to it. Later avoidance descriptions are attributed to the trainer rather than treated as proven motives or a breed-wide rule.
i have to tap it a couple times because she's a little bit of a voltage wise she's not super tough
Watch at 12:37 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
so because she's a bully breed type dog um they all have like tendencies to avoid so they might know what you're asking them to do and they'll still kind of like pretend like they don't know how to do it or they'll like yelp or they'll lay on their belly and try to like submit to not do it so what i want both of you guys to focus on for like the first week she's here is just focus on not letting her avoid
Watch at 23:42 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
i don't love doing this part it's not my jam but it's what it is so in this case i'm not gonna start with the collar i'm just gonna grab her out of the avoidance part because sometimes that's really all you have to do is just show like you don't have an option
Watch at 50:31 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Luna
The recall example identifies a specific observable sequence—starting toward the handler and then veering away. It is more useful than assuming that every missed cue means she never learned it.
Um, the main thing is that she does uh, you'll hear this term a lot where it's like the dog blows you off. And what that is is like she knows that I want her to come to me, but what she'll do is she'll start and then she's like, I don't really want to do it. And so she'll like verge off. And so that's what we're working on.
Watch at 13:37 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Rocko
The relevant judgment-call discussion is in Kodak’s source collection but refers to Rocco. It is included as comparison material, not as a finding that Kodak is the tougher dog.
So, you know, it's always a judgment call where I'm trying to make sure that I use the right level of negative reinforcement and the right level of positive reinforcement to get the right result, and sometimes you make the wrong call, you make the wrong judgment you have it too high or you have it too low and it's not effective
Watch at 11:30 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
because Rocco's a really excited dog, and he's a relatively tough dog when it comes to the e-collar, so I don't want him to be desensitized to it, such that it's no longer very effective
Watch at 11:18 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Lola
The current transcript states that motivation and context change the situation. That is a contextual explanation, not a numerical setting that transfers between environments.
that illustrates how context changes things yeah motivation changes things yeah so you're in the
Watch at 71:07 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Louie
The trainer describes the correction word as still being conditioned, and voices a reservation about it. The paired statements preserve that ambivalence.
because he's actually not really nervous of the word yet it means that the word doesn't have it's not reached its like full power yet so we're gonna keep conditioning him
Watch at 01:00 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
but you know the punisher word which i'm not a huge fan of
Watch at 00:53 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Roxy
The lesson asks who determines the level and answers with the dog. This is a responsiveness principle within the lesson, not a universal level or a demonstration that every nonresponse warrants an increase.
don't worry about doing that. Like because who decides how high the e-collar is, you every time. Yep. The dog. That makes me happy that you said the dog.
Watch at 75:59 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Deuce
A story about a more difficult dog is told during Deuce’s lesson; Deuce’s own refusal is addressed by holding the situation in place. The other dog’s escalation is not assigned to Deuce.
because if he saw it like he looked for fights. Like, it was the kind of thing where if you told him most dogs, if you're like, "Nope, we're at Like they're like, "Okay, like let me back off."
Watch at 09:24 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
if I had the leash, what I'll do is when they don't listen, I just like hold them in place and I'm like you're not going to move until you do it.
Watch at 11:01 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Source excerpts
when he freezes and panics like that, all of the thoughts go out the window, and so then I'm asking him to do a thing, and at first he would just eat whatever the penalty was.
Watch at 44:41 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
so getting him from that place where instead of freezing he goes oh and then like thinks about what to do to make the pressure go away and then goes and does the thing and then he's happy again yeah that's what we need cuz he's smart
Watch at 45:04 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
i have to tap it a couple times because she's a little bit of a voltage wise she's not super tough
Watch at 12:37 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
so because she's a bully breed type dog um they all have like tendencies to avoid so they might know what you're asking them to do and they'll still kind of like pretend like they don't know how to do it or they'll like yelp or they'll lay on their belly and try to like submit to not do it so what i want both of you guys to focus on for like the first week she's here is just focus on not letting her avoid
Watch at 23:42 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
i don't love doing this part it's not my jam but it's what it is so in this case i'm not gonna start with the collar i'm just gonna grab her out of the avoidance part because sometimes that's really all you have to do is just show like you don't have an option
Watch at 50:31 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Um, the main thing is that she does uh, you'll hear this term a lot where it's like the dog blows you off. And what that is is like she knows that I want her to come to me, but what she'll do is she'll start and then she's like, I don't really want to do it. And so she'll like verge off. And so that's what we're working on.
Watch at 13:37 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
So, you know, it's always a judgment call where I'm trying to make sure that I use the right level of negative reinforcement and the right level of positive reinforcement to get the right result, and sometimes you make the wrong call, you make the wrong judgment you have it too high or you have it too low and it's not effective
Watch at 11:30 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
because Rocco's a really excited dog, and he's a relatively tough dog when it comes to the e-collar, so I don't want him to be desensitized to it, such that it's no longer very effective
Watch at 11:18 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
that illustrates how context changes things yeah motivation changes things yeah so you're in the
Watch at 71:07 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
because he's actually not really nervous of the word yet it means that the word doesn't have it's not reached its like full power yet so we're gonna keep conditioning him
Watch at 01:00 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
but you know the punisher word which i'm not a huge fan of
Watch at 00:53 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
don't worry about doing that. Like because who decides how high the e-collar is, you every time. Yep. The dog. That makes me happy that you said the dog.
Watch at 75:59 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
because if he saw it like he looked for fights. Like, it was the kind of thing where if you told him most dogs, if you're like, "Nope, we're at Like they're like, "Okay, like let me back off."
Watch at 09:24 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
if I had the leash, what I'll do is when they don't listen, I just like hold them in place and I'm like you're not going to move until you do it.
Watch at 11:01 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
How the trainers explain it
These records offer multiple mechanisms: panic blocking action, a competing behavior that has worked, context changing motivation, and a cue whose meaning is still being taught. The common test is whether information produces a usable response. Labeling all nonresponse as low sensitivity hides those different processes.
when he freezes and panics like that, all of the thoughts go out the window, and so then I'm asking him to do a thing, and at first he would just eat whatever the penalty was.
Watch at 44:41 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
so getting him from that place where instead of freezing he goes oh and then like thinks about what to do to make the pressure go away and then goes and does the thing and then he's happy again yeah that's what we need cuz he's smart
Watch at 45:04 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Um, the main thing is that she does uh, you'll hear this term a lot where it's like the dog blows you off. And what that is is like she knows that I want her to come to me, but what she'll do is she'll start and then she's like, I don't really want to do it. And so she'll like verge off. And so that's what we're working on.
Watch at 13:37 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
So, you know, it's always a judgment call where I'm trying to make sure that I use the right level of negative reinforcement and the right level of positive reinforcement to get the right result, and sometimes you make the wrong call, you make the wrong judgment you have it too high or you have it too low and it's not effective
Watch at 11:30 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
This is a synthesis of the cited training record, not a controlled comparison or a measurement of the dog’s internal state.
Differences to review
Social interpretation versus distress
Stormie’s trainer interprets some vocalization as audience-dependent avoidance. That does not independently exclude discomfort and cannot be generalized to every dog.
so because she's a bully breed type dog um they all have like tendencies to avoid so they might know what you're asking them to do and they'll still kind of like pretend like they don't know how to do it or they'll like yelp or they'll lay on their belly and try to like submit to not do it so what i want both of you guys to focus on for like the first week she's here is just focus on not letting her avoid
Watch at 23:42 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
i don't love doing this part it's not my jam but it's what it is so in this case i'm not gonna start with the collar i'm just gonna grab her out of the avoidance part because sometimes that's really all you have to do is just show like you don't have an option
Watch at 50:31 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Sensitivity versus willingness
The down-work discussion separates feeling the stimulus from responding after one or several prompts. Those are distinct observations; the source does not measure either as a stable biological trait.
i have to tap it a couple times because she's a little bit of a voltage wise she's not super tough
Watch at 12:37 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Questions and answers
Does no response mean the dog did not feel it?
Not necessarily. Finn’s trainer describes feeling pressure but freezing, while Louie’s case raises cue conditioning. The outward absence of the requested behavior is not a measurement of sensation.
when he freezes and panics like that, all of the thoughts go out the window, and so then I'm asking him to do a thing, and at first he would just eat whatever the penalty was.
Watch at 44:41 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
because he's actually not really nervous of the word yet it means that the word doesn't have it's not reached its like full power yet so we're gonna keep conditioning him
Watch at 01:00 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Can a dog behave differently in another setting?
Yes, that is explicitly discussed in Lola’s lesson as a change in context and motivation. The lesson does not make any one setting or intensity universally appropriate.
that illustrates how context changes things yeah motivation changes things yeah so you're in the
Watch at 71:07 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Teaching outline
A correction that produces no useful response is a diagnostic problem, not proof that the dog simply needs a higher setting.
Compare the Finn and Luna excerpts. Identify the actual response, the trainer’s explanation, and which part remains inferred. Use those distinctions when reporting a failed repetition to the trainer.
when he freezes and panics like that, all of the thoughts go out the window, and so then I'm asking him to do a thing, and at first he would just eat whatever the penalty was.
Watch at 44:41 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
so getting him from that place where instead of freezing he goes oh and then like thinks about what to do to make the pressure go away and then goes and does the thing and then he's happy again yeah that's what we need cuz he's smart
Watch at 45:04 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Um, the main thing is that she does uh, you'll hear this term a lot where it's like the dog blows you off. And what that is is like she knows that I want her to come to me, but what she'll do is she'll start and then she's like, I don't really want to do it. And so she'll like verge off. And so that's what we're working on.
Watch at 13:37 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
So, you know, it's always a judgment call where I'm trying to make sure that I use the right level of negative reinforcement and the right level of positive reinforcement to get the right result, and sometimes you make the wrong call, you make the wrong judgment you have it too high or you have it too low and it's not effective
Watch at 11:30 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
What evidence distinguishes not knowing, freezing, and choosing a competing behavior in this particular repetition?
Trainer notes
These records offer multiple mechanisms: panic blocking action, a competing behavior that has worked, context changing motivation, and a cue whose meaning is still being taught. The common test is whether information produces a usable response. Labeling all nonresponse as low sensitivity hides those different processes.
when he freezes and panics like that, all of the thoughts go out the window, and so then I'm asking him to do a thing, and at first he would just eat whatever the penalty was.
Watch at 44:41 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
so getting him from that place where instead of freezing he goes oh and then like thinks about what to do to make the pressure go away and then goes and does the thing and then he's happy again yeah that's what we need cuz he's smart
Watch at 45:04 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Um, the main thing is that she does uh, you'll hear this term a lot where it's like the dog blows you off. And what that is is like she knows that I want her to come to me, but what she'll do is she'll start and then she's like, I don't really want to do it. And so she'll like verge off. And so that's what we're working on.
Watch at 13:37 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
So, you know, it's always a judgment call where I'm trying to make sure that I use the right level of negative reinforcement and the right level of positive reinforcement to get the right result, and sometimes you make the wrong call, you make the wrong judgment you have it too high or you have it too low and it's not effective
Watch at 11:30 ↗ · Current transcript match · Audio confirmation pending
Source moments
Still to establish
What observation protocol should distinguish discomfort, inability and learned avoidance without relying on a single body signal?
Source limitations
Dossier language about pretending, drama and breed tendencies is retained only as attributed context, not a verified diagnosis. Kodak-folder quotes about Rocco are explicitly identified.
Quotations are copied verbatim from the current local transcript, including transcription errors. Exact text matching does not independently verify the audio or identify a speaker.
The dossier is derived from existing Tier 1 and Tier 2 research; its broad-concept sighting cap may omit further examples. Dogs covered records reviewed dossier context, not a claim that every dog supplies equally strong evidence.
Equipment levels, inferred motives and outcome claims describe the cited case; they are not universal settings, diagnoses or independently established results.
Connected library collections
These links follow eligible video assignments in the reviewed library. A source can feature more than one animal; the older research-folder name is not used to merge identities.