The answer
When two separate questions both come out yes, and the trainers keep them apart. The first is whether the dog is reliable. The sharpest standard on film is pass-fail: in one trainer's opinion there is no kind-of-reliable off leash - it is either super reliable or it does not work - and that standard was the stated reason for keeping one dog an extra week rather than sending her home on schedule. The judgement is about intent rather than obedience, because a fit dog is faster than the person on the other end of the leash anyway: the honest question, as one handler puts it with the line still in his hand, is whether she has the desire to leave. Two checks are named that an owner can run: does she put any weight on the leash at all, and come off pressure the instant she feels it? And does she check in with you, off leash, without being asked?
The second question is whether he is allowed off, and the place answers that, not the dog. A handler who says his dog does great off leash keeps her on the line in one park because the staff are strict and would ban them. Another will not work dogs loose near roads at all: all it takes is one moment where the dog does not listen right away or gets scared, and he is under a bus. Reliability is quoted with its exception attached - his own dog is good 99.99 percent of the time, until she sees a squirrel, a cat or a bird. Kelton's answer (23 Sep 2026) joins the two: the e-collar is what makes it possible to reinforce for that 0.01%. Where the law is the only problem, a thin, short leash dragged on the ground was described as a way to be on leash. What governs access in practice, one trainer says at a handover, is whether the dog is visibly under control; that is his opinion about how bystanders react, not permission to ignore a venue's rules.
Around the off-leash question the trainers practise a wider habit: they state limits out loud when it would be easiest not to. A trained dog is still crated when nobody is home, because training is not supervision. A nervous dog may never love people - the goal is tolerance. A fault is narrowed by the condition that produces it (the lag only happens off leash). A handler refuses to say a dog looks really good with two weeks left. A family is told what was never trained, and that a relapse on the first morning home is not unusual.
The 30 Sep footage adds both halves at five more dogs. On reliability: Beo's trainer keeps the line on a dog he calls 'pretty much off leash ready', proofing recalls against bigger and bigger distractions 'that way before i take a leash off i know instead of i hope', and wants a usable heel first, because on a trail you cannot see what is round the next corner. At Boog's go-home Connor tells the owners not to bother with off leash in the first week home - 'if you can't walk a dog on leash you can't walk one off leash' - and tells of a big black lab who looked perfect on leash and, the moment it came off, trotted away and bolted across a store. Kelton (Reaper's trainer) is plain that nobody will catch Reaper at a sprint, so in big fields the safety is a 50-foot line you can grab, not your speed. On permission: Bandit, judged fully off-leash on his first test, still has a leash in the trainer's pocket so he can be called and leashed if someone seems unhappy, and as a jogger approaches the trainer says Bandit will do nothing, but he does not want to make her uncomfortable with a big off-leash dog. Bun's trainer, on a trail where 'technically' dogs should be leashed, keeps a tab leash and has Bun step aside into a down as people pass, saying that people read that as polite and as a dog under control - the same position Kelton has approved for King's dragging leash. And Bandit's go-home walk names a limit of temperament rather than training: he is walked round the dog park, not into it, because he is 'not a good candidate' and most dogs are not - the program needs neutrality and the ability to stop a behaviour, not friendliness with every dog.
Said on film: the pass-fail standard, the intent test, the leash-weight check, the road rule, venue rules honoured, training is not supervision, per-dog ceilings. Inferred: nobody reconciles the pass-fail off-leash standard with the percentages the trainers use elsewhere, and no written off-leash checklist appears.
A wider reading of the session record found the same habit at eighteen more dogs, on both halves. On reliability: Lola's file gives the plainest warning - a dog 'can look really good because nothing's happened', and two bolts in ten are invisible if you only saw the eight - and her family is told at handover that they will not catch her if she runs. Coco's trainer applies the road rule to himself: he needs to trust her through the half-second he is not watching. Murphy's trainer discounts a good recall because it was on a six-foot leash. And Rocky's owner is told what was not trained: less off-leash heel work, so he still expects leash guidance. On ceilings, the trainers say out loud what training will not change. Of Bane's startle: 'we might not have that go away'. Roman may never love all dogs, 'that's okay'. Louie is a one-person dog. Poseidon cannot be trained to like being poked, so that is management. Killing a working dog's prey drive is called 'borderline unethical' (Wiley). Handlers say the same to strangers in public: Piglet does not meet small dogs, and Hattie finds high-energy dogs too much.
Angier K9 is a family-owned, play-based Board & Train serving Angier, Raleigh and the Triangle, with three full owner lessons.
What to do
Ask two questions separately before unclipping: is he reliable here (no weight on the leash, checks in unasked, no known trigger in sight), and is he allowed off here (no road, no leash rule)? If either answer is no, the leash stays on. Keep crating a trained dog when no one is home.
On film
she's marking again uh last marks good girl but she doesn't put any pressure on the leash
Well no, it's not even other people in that case, it's just that all it takes is one moment that either the dog doesn't listen right away
here good so like i can train the dog all day but that doesn't mean
What the trainers say
which off leash is one of those things where it's in my opinion, there's no like kind of reliable off leash. It's either like super reliable
that's just the truth of the matter. So, I'm not saying it to scare any, you know, Luna Luna, anybody that's watching this video, Luna's people, but that's why we're keeping it longer
she could pretty pretty easily get away from me if she wanted to she's faster than I am that's for sure she's extremely athletic so she could get away from me but I don't think that she has that
she's marking again uh last marks good girl but she doesn't put any pressure on the leash
so dulce does great off leash Dose is just fine off leash, but I don't want to do it here because especially at this time of day, they will kick us out immediately
And, uh, I would take her off leash here, but they're pretty strict at this part.
Well no, it's not even other people in that case, it's just that all it takes is one moment that either the dog doesn't listen right away
Well and Zuri-chan does really good 99.99% of the time
I'm happy with her. She's checking in with me, even off-leash, which is exactly what she's going to be looking for in an off-leash, ready dog.
can, it all comes down to is your dog under control for 99.99% of the population. If your dog is clearly under control, no one will say anything or be upset with you.
here good so like i can train the dog all day but that doesn't mean
when the heel is off leash. When it's on leash, he does just fine.
I don't think she's going to take off running and get her, but if she takes off running on that thing in the it's over. She's gone.
he would uh he would take off immediately i think that he would run from me so we'll have to keep
of the video to like you know retriever level i love everybody she may never get to that point
get you to not run away and poop on people because my goal is for you to like sit there and be like
full transparency we haven't had him stay on place while playing with another
all right so we're working out here for a little bit with deuce he's looking really i'm not gonna say like really good because he's still part of his training
tiny taps there for the negative reinforcement. This is a pet dog. It does not have to be perfect,
call him um and then you just do that with like progressively bigger distractions that way before
i take a leash off i know instead of i hope and uh one of the reasons that i like having the
think i said this before but as far as the off leash stuff goes if you can't walk a dog on leash
because if the lease comes off too early and the authority is not there then you're just gonna get
like, ain't no way I could catch Reaper, zero shot, right?
I can just recall him and put him on a leash if somebody else is coming and they seem unhappy about him being off leash.
let's go come on that's why yeah he's not a good candidate going to dog park and most dogs aren't
that as polite and respectful it also demonstrates that you have control over your dog and that
So I'm still working on his off-leash heel, and it looks like his heel entry could use a little bit of improvement.
we're just talking realistically. I want to train for real real world scenarios and make sure that things are workable for you and the home.
don't do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable yeah right um because he never needs to do any of it right he doesn't need to it's not gonna affect his happiness at all
But for protection purposes, realistically, we might not have that go away, right? But we can improve it, but we can be realistic about how far we need to take it
do more, but I just, I need to trust her that she won't like go and walk off into the road or something if I'm not paying attention for, you know, a half a second,
Which, if she's getting up on her own, maybe she wouldn't stay if there was some big distraction walking past.
But he learned one thing that was a mistake on my part that I did not want him to learn.
it's like a high energy dog will often be uh too much for her
still got a couple little things that like sometimes a dog can look really good because nothing's happened. You know what I mean? So like maybe two out of 10 times the dog will bolt.
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
I neglected to mention in the last video his recall is looking really good come this is on a six foot leash though so not super impressive
No, I wouldn't do that. She's got a little bit of prey drive. Yeah, so smaller dogs, she wants to eat them sometimes. So we're still working on that.
that's more of a management thing just like don't because you i can't train him to be like okay with people poking him no he shouldn't be okay yeah like that's not what he wants
well i thought he was ready he's on a little bit of a sensory overload just a tad bit
Yeah, so I will say I didn't do as much with him off the leash.
oh i want to be best buds with all the dogs right turns into like your stereotypical like golden retriever that might not ever be roman right yeah that's okay
physically put him up there it was like day one all over again because he absolutely did not want to do it
I don't think I want to completely kill his prey drive here. It would be way too hard to do anyway with, or I think it's borderline unethical with a blue heeler.
proving that a little bit that's like the one command I've noticed that he kind of doesn't want to do
How it looks, dog by dog
Luna
Where the standard is stated and where it costs something. Another session records that a clean repetition came after about fifty failures.
On film
that's just the truth of the matter. So, I'm not saying it to scare any, you know, Luna Luna, anybody that's watching this video, Luna's people, but that's why we're keeping it longer
which off leash is one of those things where it's in my opinion, there's no like kind of reliable off leash. It's either like super reliable
good job to our viewers at home she failed that like 50 times before she started doing it
Dolce
Both halves in their cleanest form. The intent test, said with the line in hand: she is faster than him, so the leash is not what holds her - the question is whether she has the desire to leave. The leash-weight check: she puts no pressure on it and comes off pressure the moment she feels it. And the venue rule: she does great off leash, but not here, because this park would kick them out.
On film
she could pretty pretty easily get away from me if she wanted to she's faster than I am that's for sure she's extremely athletic so she could get away from me but I don't think that she has that
she's marking again uh last marks good girl but she doesn't put any pressure on the leash
so dulce does great off leash Dose is just fine off leash, but I don't want to do it here because especially at this time of day, they will kick us out immediately
I'm pretty close to feeling like I can trust her on that. I'd like to see a couple more instances
King
The counterweight to his own off-leash titles. The same trainer who works dogs loose all evening will not do it near roads - one moment of hesitation or fright and the dog is hit - and gives his own dog's reliability with its exception attached. Where only the law is at issue, a thin short leash left dragging is his workaround.
On film
Well no, it's not even other people in that case, it's just that all it takes is one moment that either the dog doesn't listen right away
Well and Zuri-chan does really good 99.99% of the time
a just like a regular retractable is just let them drag like a little tiny leaves like this and then you can always just pick it up if anybody says
Roxy
At the handover the trainer describes how access works in practice - a dog clearly under control draws no complaints - and in the same breath names places he still will not take dogs. The Roxy arc cautions that this is an opinion about bystanders, not permission to break a venue's rules.
On film
can, it all comes down to is your dog under control for 99.99% of the population. If your dog is clearly under control, no one will say anything or be upset with you.
even when I am training a service dog, I don't take dogs in the mall.
Dutchess
The off-leash verdict stated as a checkable behaviour: she checks in with him off leash without being asked, which is what an off-leash-ready dog looks like. Elsewhere the trainer declines to promise a result he cannot guarantee.
On film
I'm happy with her. She's checking in with me, even off-leash, which is exactly what she's going to be looking for in an off-leash, ready dog.
yeah so like i i don't want to promise it because i don't want to make a promise they can't be like
Zuri-chan
A very large, well-trained dog is heeled close past people and leashed when they appear - not for anything she would do, but because of how she looks to them.
On film
people might be afraid of her or something i'm not trying to deal with that so i keep her close
She's not going to do anything. It's more just... People saying stuff.
Bullet
The reporting habit: a fault narrowed three minutes later by its condition - he lags only in the off-leash heel - which says the heel had been leaning on the leash. Later, at distance, the long line is admitted to be doing nothing.
On film
when the heel is off leash. When it's on leash, he does just fine.
And obviously, I trust him off leash because that long line wouldn't do me any good this far away.
Sage
The stakes, plainly: the short line goes on just in case, and if she takes off, it is over - he is not catching her.
On film
I don't think she's going to take off running and get her, but if she takes off running on that thing in the it's over. She's gone.
Zeus
The equipment admitted honestly: a line long enough to be useful is, at that distance on a dog that fast and strong, no better than no leash.
On film
Because that far away from me, a dog that fast and strong, might as well not have leash on him at all
Finn
The limit that makes his later result legible: early on he is nowhere near off-leash ready and would run. A later session names his ceiling - a nervous dog can improve a great deal, but a complete personality change is not the realistic outcome. A 30 Sep Short from his first off-leash session reports it as a great first experience and, in the same breath, says what is not there yet: the off-leash heel is still being worked on, the heel entry needs improvement and he is still a little late.
On film
he would uh he would take off immediately i think that he would run from me so we'll have to keep
Again, like humans, they have different personalities, and some humans are more introverted or have more social anxiety than others
So I'm still working on his off-leash heel, and it looks like his heel entry could use a little bit of improvement.
He's still like a little late, but he has room to do his own thing.
Doja
At the drop-off, the limit of training itself: he can train the dog all day, but that does not mean it works unsupervised - so she is still crated when nobody is home.
On film
here good so like i can train the dog all day but that doesn't mean
Anna
Three admissions about a very nervous dog: the trainer does not know what in her genetics and temperament makes her so suppressed; it is taking time and many methods; and she may never get to a retriever-level love of everybody. The goal is set lower and concretely - off leash in the store without bolting.
On film
that makes her so kind of like suppressed like this, I'm not really sure.
of the video to like you know retriever level i love everybody she may never get to that point
but we at least want to get to the point where i can take her off in the store and no matter what
Ozzy
The ceiling set per dog and said aloud to the owner: not friendliness, but tolerance - not running away or soiling on people, sitting beside her while visitors are there.
On film
You probably aren't going to get the one part that I trained to be like that, you're probably not going to get Ozzy to that level, but you can get him to a level where they're like cool people
get you to not run away and poop on people because my goal is for you to like sit there and be like
Irwin
Kelton's rule for a dog who has bitten: lay off when the dog is not ready, but not when he knows the command and is offering a bite instead. The aim is a dog for whom biting is not an option.
On film
arbitrary rule where i like they must always do what i say like sometimes they're not ready for
get them to the point where they think that's not an option and they choose other things instead
Egg
A down openly shelved: not the most crucial command for this dog, and pushing it hard risked his trust and a bite. Other commands carry the negative-reinforcement learning instead.
On film
this process cause there's no need for me to like jam him up really hard on the down and make him do it
Sputnik
At the go-home Kelton tells the family what was never trained - place while another dog plays - and that a relapse the first morning home is not unusual.
On film
full transparency we haven't had him stay on place while playing with another
which there might be it's very very not very uncommon especially with this kind of situation
Shadow (German Shepherd puppy)
An equipment mistake admitted on camera: a stimulation far higher than intended, an apology to the dog, and the acknowledgement that it happens with remotes every now and then.
On film
It happens with wands every now and then I feel really bad shadow down
Deuce
A published video that opens by refusing to say the dog looks really good, because he is still in training with two weeks left.
On film
all right so we're working out here for a little bit with deuce he's looking really i'm not gonna say like really good because he's still part of his training
Bo
The standard the business works to, in one sentence: a pet dog does not have to be perfect.
On film
tiny taps there for the negative reinforcement. This is a pet dog. It does not have to be perfect,
Stormie
A handler says on camera that he has got nothing from her on the down and does not think she has even settled on place yet.
On film
I mean, that's okay because I haven't been able to get anything from her at all, like
Kodak
For a household where two dogs must coexist, the trainer says the worst case is possible and he cannot control the best case - only set up the best chance for it.
On film
oh boy and i i see that uh that worst case scenario is obviously possible it's definitely
Beo
On a park walk with Beo on a short line, the trainer says he is 'pretty much off leash ready' and still does not unclip. He takes every small chance to call Beo away from something interesting, with bigger and bigger distractions, so that before the leash comes off 'i know instead of i hope'. The other prerequisite is a heel that works off leash: on a trail you cannot see round corners, and a dog that runs straight into a stranger's dog is a problem even if he is friendly, because you do not know their dog.
On film
call him um and then you just do that with like progressively bigger distractions that way before
i take a leash off i know instead of i hope and uh one of the reasons that i like having the
the off leash shield before i take them fully off leash is because going around corners
i don't know the other dog even if they're friendly like bale loves people and dogs he's not
Boog
At Boog's go-home Connor gives the owners a limit for the first week home: do not bother with off leash. It is not that they could not handle it; the authority has to be shown on leash first, because 'if you can't walk a dog on leash you can't walk one off leash'. His example is his own: a big black lab that was doing everything right on leash, and when he took the leash off, looked at him, trotted away and bolted to the other side of a store.
On film
think i said this before but as far as the off leash stuff goes if you can't walk a dog on leash
you can't walk one off leash so one thing that i tell people is like that first week
because if the lease comes off too early and the authority is not there then you're just gonna get
ground I'd say down down right come come it was all great and I took him off the leash and he
Reaper
Walking Reaper's owners through equipment at their second lesson, the trainer is blunt about speed: athletic as he is, there is no way he could catch Reaper, and neither could they. So in big fields Reaper wears a 50-foot long line - catching a rope is possible where catching the dog is not - which lets him be almost off leash with something to grab if needed.
On film
like, ain't no way I could catch Reaper, zero shot, right?
But if he has a 50 foot long line attached to him
and all I have to do is catch that rope, I can do that.
That way you can basically have him pretty much off leash,
Bandit
Bandit's first off-leash test ends with the trainer calling him 'definitely fully off leash now', and the limits are said alongside. The leash stays in his pocket, so Bandit can be recalled and leashed if someone coming seems unhappy about an off-leash dog; when a jogger approaches he says Bandit will do nothing, but he does not want to make her uncomfortable with a big off-leash dog. On the go-home day the walk goes round a dog park, not into it: Bandit reacted to one dog and was corrected, he is 'not a good candidate' for dog parks and most dogs are not, and the program's goal is neutrality and the ability to stop a behaviour, not friendliness with every dog - 'not every dog can get there'.
On film
That way I still have this leash in my pocket. I can pick it up and use it if I need to.
I can just recall him and put him on a leash if somebody else is coming and they seem unhappy about him being off leash.
but i mostly don't want to make her uncomfortable with big off leash german shepherd
let's go come on that's why yeah he's not a good candidate going to dog park and most dogs aren't
we just need neutrality and we need the ability to stop a behavior but we don't need you know
friendly towards all dogs right not not every dog is going to get there um not every dog needs
Bun
On a trail walk with Bun, effectively off leash, the trainer tells viewers how he handles a place where 'technically' dogs should be leashed: a tab leash to grab if someone is actually upset, and when a bike, a person or another dog comes, call the dog aside, put him in a down and let them pass. People read that as polite and respectful, he says, and it shows the dog is under control; most people then have nothing to say. This sits with the settled position on King's dragging leash rather than with the strict-park example.
On film
like a little tab leash while you're out walking in like a trail like this where technically you're
like if you hear a bike or another person you see them coming with their dog or something like that
that as polite and respectful it also demonstrates that you have control over your dog and that
they're listening to you and they're good boys right or a good girl and most people don't don't
Ace (Chihuahua-terrier mix)
Ace's trainer explains his plan by naming the household's limit out loud: Ace's owner is an amazing owner who will not be able to chase this dog down. He says he means no offence - 'we're just talking realistically' - and trains for what will be workable in that home.
On film
who isn't going to be able to, you know, chase this dog down.
we're just talking realistically. I want to train for real real world scenarios and make sure that things are workable for you and the home.
Astro
Astro's trainer states the limits on camera from the start: Astro has bitten him, and he wears gloves and holds the leash differently because Astro has no recall yet. Later he tells the family they never have to say yes to strangers who want to greet him, because 'he never needs to do any of it'.
On film
some of the videos and holding it slightly differently only because i want to make sure he doesn't get away because he doesn't have any recall yet
don't do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable yeah right um because he never needs to do any of it right he doesn't need to it's not gonna affect his happiness at all
Bane
Bane startles and growls at a fast movement even from someone he has liked for ten minutes, which the trainer calls normal for his kind of dog. He says that desensitisation can improve it but, realistically, 'we might not have that go away', so they set a realistic standard for everyday life.
On film
But for protection purposes, realistically, we might not have that go away, right? But we can improve it, but we can be realistic about how far we need to take it
Coco
Coco's trainer applies the road rule to himself. He would give her more freedom near the road, but he needs to trust that she will not walk into it during the half-second he is not paying attention, and as a human he will have those moments. He also qualifies his own good results: the 'fancy stuff' has not happened yet, and a clean pass of a dog was 'decent public neutrality right there well isolated of course'.
On film
do more, but I just, I need to trust her that she won't like go and walk off into the road or something if I'm not paying attention for, you know, a half a second,
let's go very good that was decent public neutrality right there well isolated of course
past like it doesn't matter but you know all that all that fancy stuff hasn't happened yet
Daisy
Daisy's handler names what her down cannot yet do: because she is still getting up on her own, she might not stay if a big distraction walked past.
On film
Which, if she's getting up on her own, maybe she wouldn't stay if there was some big distraction walking past.
Drago
He also tells them the heel may slip a little on a long line or fully off leash, because it is a harder skill.
On film
With him, I've actually, so this is one of the existing issues.
But he learned one thing that was a mistake on my part that I did not want him to learn.
over here heel good boy so he has a nice heel um he might make a mistake a little bit here and there um especially if he's on like a long line or completely off leash
Hattie
Out in public, Hattie's handler tells people plainly what she cannot handle. She does not get along with all dogs: a calm dog is fine, but a high-energy dog that roughhouses will often be too much for her, and she may get nippy.
On film
she doesn't get along with all dogs uh some dogs she does if they're like really calm chill temperament
it's like a high energy dog will often be uh too much for her
Lola
Lola's file is full of off-leash honesty. Kelton warns that a dog 'can look really good because nothing's happened': if she bolts two times out of ten and you only see the eight, you think she's fine, so at a narrow spot he calls her in rather than risk it. Her trainer keeps a 50-foot line on her until he is really confident in her recall. At handover the family is told plainly: 'you are not going to catch her if she runs'.
On film
still got a couple little things that like sometimes a dog can look really good because nothing's happened. You know what I mean? So like maybe two out of 10 times the dog will bolt.
50 foot long line um and it's just she's just going to drag it around on the ground for a while um until i'm like really confident in her recall
you are not going to catch her if she runs.
Louie
Handing Louie (the Australian Shepherd) to his new owner, the trainer is plain about what kind of dog he is: a one-dog, one-person kind of dog who does not like everybody, so 'that one guy needs to be you'. Off leash is treated as 'a real determining factor', to be tried only if he does well enough first.
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
And if he does well enough, we're going to see how he does off-reach. That'll be a real determining factor.
Murphy
Murphy's trainer discounts his own good result - the recall looks good, but 'this is on a six foot leash though so not super impressive'. He also keeps a rough patch in the video on purpose, because 'very often that's how dog training actually goes'.
On film
I neglected to mention in the last video his recall is looking really good come this is on a six foot leash though so not super impressive
so I show all this because very often that's how dog training actually goes right
Piglet
Asked by a stranger if their dogs can meet, Piglet's handler says no and explains: she has some prey drive and sometimes wants to eat smaller dogs - 'we're still working on that'.
On film
No, I wouldn't do that. She's got a little bit of prey drive. Yeah, so smaller dogs, she wants to eat them sometimes. So we're still working on that.
Poseidon
Kelton draws the line between training and management for Poseidon's family: he cannot train the dog to be okay with people poking him, and the dog shouldn't have to be. What he can train is a recall or an alternative behaviour, and the rest is management.
On film
that's more of a management thing just like don't because you i can't train him to be like okay with people poking him no he shouldn't be okay yeah like that's not what he wants
Ramsey
Out with Ramsey near a park, the trainer corrects his own call on camera - 'well i thought he was ready' - after reading sensory overload in Ramsey's face, and does not stay long.
On film
well i thought he was ready he's on a little bit of a sensory overload just a tad bit
Rocky
When Rocky's heel sags at a lesson, the trainer tells the owner what was not trained: 'I didn't do as much with him off the leash', so Rocky still expects a little leash guidance.
On film
Yeah, so I will say I didn't do as much with him off the leash.
Yeah, so he's used to a little bit of leash guidance still.
Roman
Roman's trainer sets the ceiling plainly: Roman may never become the stereotypical golden retriever who wants to be best buddies with all dogs - 'that's okay' - though he plays with some dogs he knows.
On film
oh i want to be best buds with all the dogs right turns into like your stereotypical like golden retriever that might not ever be roman right yeah that's okay
Thumper
Thumper's sessions keep the setbacks in. After a gap, loading him into a vehicle was 'like day one all over again'. A rep that goes wrong is stopped and called what it was: 'didn't go well', and 'that's what happens sometimes'.
On film
physically put him up there it was like day one all over again because he absolutely did not want to do it
nope come on no okay okay all right that's enough okay didn't go well
Wiley
With squirrels about, Wiley's trainer states a limit on what training should try to do. He does not want to completely kill Wiley's prey drive: it would be very hard, and with his kind of dog 'borderline unethical'. He works on the recall instead.
On film
I don't think I want to completely kill his prey drive here. It would be way too hard to do anyway with, or I think it's borderline unethical with a blue heeler.
Zeus (March 2026)
At the March 2026 Zeus's owner lesson, Connor names the command still being proofed - 'the one command I've noticed that he kind of doesn't want to do' - rather than presenting every command as finished.
On film
proving that a little bit that's like the one command I've noticed that he kind of doesn't want to do
Why it works
The trainers' reasons: (1) off-leash reliability is pass-fail because a partial result fails at exactly the moment that matters (Luna); (2) the leash is not what holds a fit dog, so readiness is a judgement about intent (Dolce) - and a dog who never loads the leash is not being restrained by it anyway; (3) the cost of a single failure near a road is the dog's life, so a very reliable dog is still kept on leash there (King); (4) training does not supervise the dog when no one is home (Doja). The broader habit - stating limits and ceilings aloud - is not argued for on film; it is simply done, repeatedly, by several handlers. Coverage pass (1 Oct 2026): one more reason is stated on film for the pass-fail standard - successes hide failures, because a dog 'can look really good because nothing's happened' and a two-in-ten bolt rate goes unseen (Lola). The road rule is extended to the handler's own attention: freedom near a road requires trusting the dog through the half-second the handler is not watching (Coco). Training versus management is drawn explicitly: some things a dog cannot or should not be trained to accept, so the owner manages them instead (Poseidon).
On film
chance that that off leash would not be as reliable as we would want it to be,
she's marking again uh last marks good girl but she doesn't put any pressure on the leash
Well no, it's not even other people in that case, it's just that all it takes is one moment that either the dog doesn't listen right away
here good so like i can train the dog all day but that doesn't mean
still got a couple little things that like sometimes a dog can look really good because nothing's happened. You know what I mean? So like maybe two out of 10 times the dog will bolt.
do more, but I just, I need to trust her that she won't like go and walk off into the road or something if I'm not paying attention for, you know, a half a second,
that's more of a management thing just like don't because you i can't train him to be like okay with people poking him no he shouldn't be okay yeah like that's not what he wants
Inferred
That the leash-weight check is a pre-condition for off leash is inferred from Dolce's session, where it is shown rather than stated as a rule.
Common owner mistakes
- Taking a mostly reliable dog off leash near a road.
On film
Well no, it's not even other people in that case, it's just that all it takes is one moment that either the dog doesn't listen right away
King · Watch at 41:04 ↗ - Trusting a long line at distance to stop a fast dog.
On film
Because that far away from me, a dog that fast and strong, might as well not have leash on him at all
Zeus · Watch at 34:33 ↗ - Leaving a trained dog loose in the house unsupervised because 'he's trained now'.
On film
here good so like i can train the dog all day but that doesn't mean
Doja · Watch at 23:55 ↗ - Taking the leash off in the first days home because the dog looked perfect on leash.
On film
because if the lease comes off too early and the authority is not there then you're just gonna get
Boog · Watch at 18:40 ↗
Questions owners ask
My dog is good off leash most of the time. Is that enough?
By the standard stated on film, no: off leash is either super reliable or it does not work. Kelton puts the same trap in numbers at Lola's lesson: a dog 'can look really good because nothing's happened'. If she bolts two times out of ten and you have only seen the eight, you will think she is ready.
On film
which off leash is one of those things where it's in my opinion, there's no like kind of reliable off leash. It's either like super reliable
still got a couple little things that like sometimes a dog can look really good because nothing's happened. You know what I mean? So like maybe two out of 10 times the dog will bolt.
How do I know he is ready?
Two checks are shown: he puts no weight on the leash and comes off pressure instantly; and he checks in with you off leash without being asked. Underneath is a question about intent - a fit dog can outrun you either way, so the question is whether he wants to leave.
On film
she's marking again uh last marks good girl but she doesn't put any pressure on the leash
I'm happy with her. She's checking in with me, even off-leash, which is exactly what she's going to be looking for in an off-leash, ready dog.
He is reliable. Can I let him off anywhere?
No. Not near roads - one moment is enough - and not where the venue forbids it; a handler who calls his dog ready keeps her leashed in a strict park.
On film
Well no, it's not even other people in that case, it's just that all it takes is one moment that either the dog doesn't listen right away
so dulce does great off leash Dose is just fine off leash, but I don't want to do it here because especially at this time of day, they will kick us out immediately
Will my nervous dog end up loving people?
The trainers say plainly that some may not. For one dog the goal was a retriever-level love of everybody 'she may never get to'; for another, tolerance - not running away, sitting beside the owner with visitors present. A wider reading of the session record adds more ceilings stated in the same spirit. Roman may never be a dog who wants to be friends with all dogs, 'that's okay'. Louie is a one-person dog. Poseidon cannot be trained to be okay with being poked, so that part is management.
On film
of the video to like you know retriever level i love everybody she may never get to that point
get you to not run away and poop on people because my goal is for you to like sit there and be like
oh i want to be best buds with all the dogs right turns into like your stereotypical like golden retriever that might not ever be roman right yeah that's okay
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's more of a management thing just like don't because you i can't train him to be like okay with people poking him no he shouldn't be okay yeah like that's not what he wants
He's perfect on the leash. Can we go off leash as soon as he's home?
Not in the first week, by the trainer's advice at Boog's go-home. If you cannot walk a dog on leash you cannot walk him off it, and the authority has to be visible on leash first; his warning is a dog that looked flawless on leash and bolted the moment it came off. Beo's trainer puts the test the other way round: keep the line on until repeated recalls away from bigger and bigger distractions mean you know rather than hope.
On film
you can't walk one off leash so one thing that i tell people is like that first week
i take a leash off i know instead of i hope and uh one of the reasons that i like having the
Will training make my dog good at the dog park?
Not necessarily, and the trainers say so. On Bandit's go-home day he is walked round the dog park, not into it: he is not a good candidate, and most dogs are not. The program aims for neutrality around dogs and the ability to stop a behaviour; not every dog needs to, or can, become friendly with every dog.
On film
let's go come on that's why yeah he's not a good candidate going to dog park and most dogs aren't
friendly towards all dogs right not not every dog is going to get there um not every dog needs
The lesson
The goal
The owner can decide separately whether the dog is reliable and whether this place allows him off, and can run the checks the trainers use.
Learn first
- Freedom is given in measured steps
- Reliability is what you have not tested
- The flight-risk protocol, and the one command that matters
The drill
As shown on film: walk the dog on a loose line and watch whether she ever loads it and how fast she comes off pressure (Dolce); on a long line or off leash in a legal, road-free space, watch whether she checks in unasked (Dutchess); then ask the venue question separately - roads, posted rules, strict staff - before unclipping (Dolce, King).
Watch out for
- Treating 'mostly' as reliable (Luna 25:37).
- Relying on a long line at distance (Zeus 34:33).
- Confusing trained with supervised (Doja 23:55).
Check yourself
Two questions, two answers: is he reliable here, and is he allowed off here?