The answer
On film, the trainers treat being handled as something a dog is taught, not something he either tolerates or doesn't, and they give a medical reason for it before an obedience one.
The home version is plain. With Stormy, a young puppy who has not yet learned to object, the owner is told to roll her over, hold her paws and nails, look at and take hold of her teeth while holding her collar, and let go only once she relaxes. Then everyone in the family does it, then visitors. Being picked up is taught the same way: if she growls or struggles she stays held, and she is put down the moment she goes quiet, because a dog who is put down for growling learns that growling works.
The trainers read vet snapping as a sensible reaction, not a disorder. The household's other dog snaps at the vet and the groomer, and the trainer asks the family to think of it as 'a situational thing' rather than anxiety. His comparison is a person who has never seen an airport being searched at security in a language he doesn't speak. The snapping lasts because it worked: people backed off.
When a dog already bites over one procedure, the trainers change everything around that procedure rather than forcing it. Irwin had bitten while his e-collar was being taken off. His trainer did it outside, away from the kennel and the spot where the bite happened. He had Irwin do a couple of easy commands first, stopped bending over him or reaching over his face, and wore gloves so the dog could object without anyone being injured. Two tools are introduced before they are ever needed. A muzzle is conditioned with food and a word before it goes on, because 'if you just force a dog to put a muzzle on, it sometimes increases the anxiety of the situation.' For Finn, a flight risk the family dreaded taking to the vet, the plan was to go in loose, on a flexi, without a muzzle, and let him choose; a bark or lunge is corrected and then everything carries on as normal. Starting tight and muzzled tells the dog something is wrong.
With Louie, a dog who has to be sedated for nail trims, the trainer argues that sedation keeps the problem alive: the screech ends the handling every time, so 'he thinks it works and it does.' He offers to go to the vet and test handling through the screech. That is his opinion on a medical matter, and it is recorded here for review, not as advice.
Our inference, not said on film in these words: one lesson runs through all of it. What the dog does during handling decides whether the handling stops, so the handling stops for calm and never for protest.
What to do
Start now, before there is a problem. Handle paws, nails, teeth, collar and tail, holding on until the dog is calm and then letting go with praise; then have every family member do it, then visitors (watch 51:40). If you pick your dog up and he growls or struggles, keep holding and put him down only when he is quiet (watch 56:02). If he already objects to one procedure, ask your trainer to plan the setting around it rather than forcing it.
What the trainers say
egg needs to be able to go to the vet and do other stuff you know otherwise he's not going to get proper medical care he's going to bite people
Instead of thinking of it like, okay, this is like an anxiety disorder, think about it like this is just a situational thing that actually, from the dog's perspective, makes a whole lot of sense.
anybody can basically think of it like all right we want to train her that anybody can come and like grab her paws and do all this stuff and she's not supposed to do nothing about it
times what will happen is they will learn that a strategy works so when she growls she gets put down then she's like that worked i'm gonna do that again
If he feels confined or something like that, or if it's near the place where we originally had the issue
on let's go and that way you're unhappy with me you can just go ahead and
They're pretty specific. So like, you know, like if you just force a dog to put a muzzle on, it sometimes increases the anxiety of the situation and it can encourage like a reaction.
walk him around the parking lot for a minute first and like let him settle and if he tries something dumb punish it um but let him make the choice don't assume he's gonna do anything okay so don't start off with the muzzle
Again he thinks it works and it does
How it looks, dog by dog
Egg
His handling problem is set out as a welfare problem, not an obedience one: a dog nobody can handle can't get normal vet care, and 'he's not used to having anybody put any kind of pressure on him.' The handling work is the reason the pressure work matters.
On film
egg needs to be able to go to the vet and do other stuff you know otherwise he's not going to get proper medical care he's going to bite people
because he's not used to having anybody put any kind of pressure on him.
Stormy
The prevention case. Stormy is a puppy the trainer can already handle anywhere, so the work is homework for the family: paws, nails, teeth, collar and tail, held until she relaxes and then released, first by the owner, then the whole family, then visitors. She growls when picked up, so she stays held until she goes quiet. The household's other dog, Stella, is the reason: she snaps at the vet and the groomer, and the trainer describes that as a sensible reaction to strange handling that people then reinforced by backing off. He calls Stormy's handling work the way to stop her learning the same thing.
On film
is get her used to one first you where you can do like you can flip roll her over on her back grab her feet wiggle them around
her teeth grabbing a tooth and grab her collar here so she can't get away and and then as soon as she chills okay cool good girl right start doing that now with everything that you think might need to happen with a vet
That's what, we're just gonna keep holdin' her, and if she struggles or growls, she doesn't get to go down.
from where she's already doing that and it's a successful strategy because I
Irwin
The trainer changes everything around it. He sits in the kennel scattering treats so the kennel predicts nothing bad. He makes a slip lead so he never has to reach over Irwin's face, and he puts gear on and takes it off outside, away from the spot of the first bite. Before handling, Irwin does a couple of easy commands and gets a decompression walk. The trainer wears gloves so Irwin can object without the session ending in an injury. The collar stays 'a sticky point', but by the trainer's report it came off 'No problem' once it was done outside.
On film
Now I need to get through a barrier that we had before from day one
slip lead put on and then I don't have to reach over to his face and then when
trying to do some positive counter conditioning in the kennel area
very badly because me putting this collar on still a sticky point with you
Rocky (the Rottweiler)
At a private lesson, the owner asks about a muzzle. The trainer's answer is to condition it first. He holds it open with peanut butter inside, lets the dog lick it clean without closing it, says the word, and repeats this until the dog puts his own nose in when he hears it. Forcing a muzzle on can raise anxiety and set off a reaction.
On film
They're pretty specific. So like, you know, like if you just force a dog to put a muzzle on, it sometimes increases the anxiety of the situation and it can encourage like a reaction.
And I'll take, like, peanut butter or something on a spoon.
And I say, Muzzle, good.
Finn
At the go-home lesson, Kelton gives the family a plan for the visit they dread most. On their last trip Finn was walked in on the tightest leash and muzzled at the clinic's request. The new plan: walk the parking lot first, go in loose on a flexi with no muzzle, and let him choose. If he barks or lunges, lock the leash and correct, then praise at once and carry on as if nothing happened. Have someone film it either way. Starting tight tells him something is wrong.
On film
walk him around the parking lot for a minute first and like let him settle and if he tries something dumb punish it um but let him make the choice
don't start off tight because that's yeah that's what i did i was like yeah because then he's like why what's happening right be loose this is loose you're loose you feel loose he feels loose
Louie
The family reports that Louie screeches at the vet and is sedated for nail trims and vaccines, because the clinic won't treat him otherwise. The trainer's view is that the screech is a protest that works: every visit ends with him being sedated, so 'he thinks it works and it does.' He offers to go to the vet after Louie is settled at home and test handling through the screech, with gloves as a safeguard, if the vet agrees. He adds his own opinion against medication where it can be avoided.
On film
No, and I would even be willing to go to the vet with him and talk to the vet and see if they would be willing to do some prediction error tests with me.
Again he thinks it works and it does
Because, like, I've worked with some vets that are just not good at, like, nervous dogs, right?
Why it works
As stated on film: whatever the dog does at the moment the handling stops is what he learns works. If growling gets a puppy put down, 'she's like that worked i'm gonna do that again' (watch 58:01). If a screech gets a dog sedated and left alone, 'he thinks it works and it does' (watch 09:45). So the handling ends on calm, and the quicker it ends on calm, the faster the dog learns (watch 60:38). The trainers also say setting and posture matter: confinement, the place of an earlier incident, and bending over a dog all make trouble more likely (watch 00:33; watch 25:57). Stormy's trainer ties the handling homework to giving to pressure: holding until she relaxes is the same lesson as leash pressure and release (watch 22:05). Our inference: the Irwin changes lower the dog's arousal so that calm can happen and be rewarded; the trainer gives the reason as risk ('I have a feeling that he'll have more of a problem with it'), not as a learning theory.
Where the trainers differ
Hold through the objection, or change the conditions so the objection does not come?
One view
Hold on through the protest and release only on calm; a small correction for the growl (puppy, prevention).
On film
That's what, we're just gonna keep holdin' her, and if she struggles or growls, she doesn't get to go down.
Another view
For a dog who has already bitten over the procedure, change the place, posture and order around it, and use gloves so an objection costs nothing, rather than confronting it.
On film
If he feels confined or something like that, or if it's near the place where we originally had the issue
on let's go and that way you're unhappy with me you can just go ahead and
How to read it
These may be one rule applied to different dogs (a puppy with no history against an adult with a bite history) rather than a disagreement; the record doesn't say.
Medication and sedation at the vet
One view
One trainer's opinion: routine sedation keeps the vet problem going, and medication should be avoided unless the dog absolutely needs it.
On film
in my opinion it's like avoid medication as much as possible unless the dog absolutely has to have
Another view
No vet is heard on film.
On film
And we feel that, like, we're stressing him out too much, so we're not going to provide services unless we can sedate him.
How to read it
Veterinary and medical. Recorded, not resolved.
Common owner mistakes
- Backing off when the dog snaps or growls during handling, which teaches the dog that snapping works.
On film
from where she's already doing that and it's a successful strategy because I
Watch at 50:59 ↗ - Putting a dog down, or ending handling, while he is still growling or struggling.
On film
times what will happen is they will learn that a strategy works so when she growls she gets put down then she's like that worked i'm gonna do that again
Watch at 58:01 ↗ - Walking a nervous dog into the vet tight and muzzled, which tells him something is wrong before anything has happened.
On film
don't start off tight because that's yeah that's what i did i was like yeah because then he's like why what's happening right
Watch at 25:25 ↗ - Forcing a muzzle on without conditioning it first.
On film
They're pretty specific. So like, you know, like if you just force a dog to put a muzzle on, it sometimes increases the anxiety of the situation and it can encourage like a reaction.
Watch at 27:00 ↗
Questions owners ask
My dog snaps at the vet. Does he have an anxiety problem?
Not necessarily, in the trainers' view. From the dog's side, being handled by strangers in a way nobody can explain is like being searched at airport security in a foreign country. A dog who snaps and is then left alone learns that snapping works, so it continues. The trainer calls it situational, not a disorder.
On film
Instead of thinking of it like, okay, this is like an anxiety disorder, think about it like this is just a situational thing that actually, from the dog's perspective, makes a whole lot of sense.
What should I practise at home?
Paws, nails, teeth, collar and tail. Hold until the dog relaxes, then let go and praise. Once it works for you, have the rest of the family do it, then visitors, so that anybody can handle the dog.
On film
anybody can basically think of it like all right we want to train her that anybody can come and like grab her paws and do all this stuff and she's not supposed to do nothing about it
Should I muzzle my dog for the vet?
The trainers don't start with one. If a muzzle is going to be used, condition it first: hold it open with peanut butter inside, let the dog lick, say the word, and build up until he puts his nose in on cue. For one nervous dog, the plan was to go in loose and without a muzzle, and correct only if he barked or lunged.
On film
They're pretty specific. So like, you know, like if you just force a dog to put a muzzle on, it sometimes increases the anxiety of the situation and it can encourage like a reaction.
walk him around the parking lot for a minute first and like let him settle and if he tries something dumb punish it um but let him make the choice
My dog bit when I took his collar off. What now?
In the case on film, the trainer did not force the procedure. He changed everything around it: outside instead of in the kennel, away from where the bite happened, easy commands first, no bending over the dog or reaching over his face, and gloves on. A dog with a bite history needs a trainer on this, not a home experiment.
On film
If he feels confined or something like that, or if it's near the place where we originally had the issue
slip lead put on and then I don't have to reach over to his face and then when
The lesson
The goal
Teach a dog that calm, not protest, is what ends handling, and set up procedures a dog already fears so that calm can happen.
Learn first
The drill
As set for Stormy: roll her over, hold each paw and nail, take hold of her teeth while holding her collar so she can't get away; keep holding until she relaxes, then 'okay', release and praise. Owner first, then every family member, then visitors (watch 51:40). Pick-up variant: if she struggles or growls she stays held; once she is quiet, hold for about five seconds and put her down (watch 56:02).
Watch out for
- Letting go during the protest.
- Starting with the muzzle or a tight leash.
- Doing the procedure where the dog was last hurt or confined.
- Bending over the dog or reaching over his face.
Check yourself
Your dog growls when you lift him. When do you put him down?