The answer
They look identical from where you stand and they need opposite answers, which is why the trainers spend more time on this read than on almost anything else. The fork, as it is handed to owners, is this: does it look like he understands what you want, or does it look like he wants to know and is a little confused? If he is trying and not getting there - he sits when you asked for a down and then looks at you - you help him the rest of the way ('okay all the way buddy') and you do not punish it. If he plainly knew and is off sniffing something, that is the other branch: the marker word, then a consequence. Another trainer gives the same fork in physical terms - a dog confused between two positions gets placed by hand, 'don't need collar', and a dog who heard and declined gets the collar. A third, at Egg's sessions, says the test aloud: he knows sit, he is looking at me, he is not distracted, so it is refusal.
The trainers add possibilities most owners never consider. The dog may be unable rather than unwilling: one trainer stops a session to define a word for it - her energy and self-control would not 'permit' her to hold the stay - and shortens the exercise instead of insisting. The dog may be trying alternatives: a smart dog under pressure runs through everything that worked before, which is 'not stubborn' but a dog seeing what works. The dog may never have learned what pressure is asking: two young Rottweilers first read as tough and 'doesn't care' turn out not to know how to handle pressure. The fork also shapes the forecast: Boog's trainer tells the family that confused or nervous dogs often come home 'cool', while a dog who tests 'every single thing' will need a lot of reinforcing at home. The reaction may be a reflex - a startle at a noise - which is not corrected at all. Or the dog may just be bored.
When you cannot tell, there is a test: stop saying the word and put the dog into the position with the leash. If the problem was clarity, that fixes it on the spot; if he braces and yanks against the collar with his neck, he knew and is avoiding. The cost of getting it wrong runs one way: pressing a confused dog does not teach him, and on a confident-looking dog it is how a command gets poisoned by hand. So the default when unsure is the gentler branch - and the trainers flip from pressure to encouragement the moment a dog starts to give. The September handovers put both branches in the owners' hands in one breath, keyed to what the dog does: Chunk's trainer finds 'two reactions' - a lock-up he encourages into the down, and a bolt he answers with the collar and a pull back into position - and warns that punishing the lock-up teaches the dog that complying 'didn't work'. Kelton, on a slow recall with Beo, says the read is of the dog's emotional state: rejecting it, or 'am i in trouble'; if he is coming the right way, confirm the choice so he comes all the way in. And Stormi's go-home trainer handles a belly roll as a way out of the command, but tells the owner to release the moment the confused dog gets it right.
A wider reading of the session record adds thirteen dogs and three more tells. The release itself is a test: Rocky's trainer says that if the dog jumps out of the position on 'okay' he knew where he was supposed to be, and if he just keeps walking he probably lacks clarity - 'either that or they're frozen'. A change of place can separate the command from the circumstance: Kali refuses a down on concrete and drops at once on grass, so it was the surface, not understanding. And a pause can be the answer: Bun's trainer felt the urge to correct, held back because the dog seemed about to comply, and gave him a second to process. On the refusal side, the reads are spoken plainly - 'I know you know it' (Maverick), 'blowing you off slash avoidance' (Titan), he 'does know the command' (Max) - and Bane's trainer rules out both easy explanations at once: not a relationship problem, not a knowledge problem, a distraction-level problem. Oscar's go-home lesson hands the family the same fork as an instruction: unclear but trying, no 'nope', help him; not going to do it, 'nope' and make him.
Said on film: every fork and tell above.
Angier K9 is a family-owned, play-based Board & Train serving Angier, Raleigh and the Triangle, with three full owner lessons.
What to do
Before you correct anything, ask: does it look like he knows what I want? If he is trying and falling short - offering the wrong position, getting halfway - help him into it and tell him he got there. If he heard you, is looking at you or is off sniffing, use your marker word and follow through. If you cannot tell, stop saying the word and put him into the position with the leash: if he slides in, it was clarity; if he braces and yanks with his neck, he knew. Keep the other possibilities on the list: he may not be able to hold it yet (ask for less), he may be startled (leave it), or he may be bored of that exercise.
What the trainers say
or not? Um, and try to read, does it look like he understands what you want or does it look like he wants to know what he's supposed to do, but he's maybe like a little little confused about it if you see that just help him right
and because I saw he was trying because he sat if he had just sat and then looked at me he's trying to do what you asked him but not quite getting there all the way so then I don't go and punish that I just kind of go okay all the way buddy
the ready command, you're just going to want to make it very clear. So most of dog training is about clarity, right? So, uh, clarity to them, not to you. It might be super clear to you cause you know what you're trying to say, but they're not telepathic.
is like he kind of thinks maybe he can just do either so what i want you to do don't need collar just just pull him up if you put him in a sit that's all you gotta do just just pull him up into the position he'll know because i do that to him
When I say let's go and he gave me that look, and that's the look That's not the look of like, "I don't know what that means." That's the look of like that's that like blowing you off look.
If you're not careful you can hand poison a command thinking that they're being tough because they have this like kind of look and they're very confident so when you see them like lock up sometimes you're like oh he's just being stubborn but genuinely they can be kind of confused sometimes
do sometimes is sometimes when the dog uh does a command and I teach a couple other commands. We come back to it like to heal in this case. Um I try not to assume that the dog is just like actively avoiding doing what I want him to do. So, what I'll do is I stop saying the word and I just start doing the position with the leash.
There's normally an emotional component, so like what's the dog's emotional state, and then there is a clarity response.
And so if you see they get flat, or they get kind of desperate where they're just trying to do stuff,
encourage I cheerlead a little bit and then she comes oh then she's like oh and she speeds up and comes because you don't want to punish like uncertainty
Permit means like basically like you can't, right? I'm I'm not permitted to do this. I it's not within my ability at this time. So, genuinely, it was not within her ability. So, I instead was doing shorter times.
I'm not gonna use the word stubborn because dogs I'm gonna say avoiding
having a hard time learning it now um or maybe he just finds it boring but uh which wouldn't be shocking uh he's a high octane lots of other things he
She's trying alternative strategies.
didn't want to do it right because he knows it and he was clearly engaged with me like he was was looking at me he was paying attention he wasn't distracted he just was refusing
right over here right instead of putting pressure because he doesn't need
the only reason that that would turn into a habit is if it worked
so the thing with both the roddies i'm working with right now is they have an interesting tendency of like or not tendency they both have the background of like seeming like they don't have a ton of like real world experience in terms of handling pressure
It's just a reaction. That was a reflex.
You can see he suppressed a little bit there, and I could tell he was processing.
you got to read the dog's emotional state like are they are they now rejecting it they don't want to come to you right should you put more pressure or like in this case with bail and in a lot of cases are they just kind of like i don't know like am i in trouble
so i like tested it out and there were like two reactions i got from him i either would say down and he would be like kind of lock up and then i could encourage him into it or i would say down he'd like kind of like freak out and run away and and I would just hit the e-collar and wrangle him back in.
I mean, because if you punish him for it, he's going to be like, well, dang, I did it, and it didn't work, so I guess I should probably not do it again.
but he looked at you and was like you gonna make me do it or not and so once he gives you that look then you use the marker
yeah so with him like i'll be honest it's just it's gonna be a lot of reinforcing when he comes home some dogs that come home and like they're cool but they're usually dogs that i would say are more confused or nervous
And she's a little confused, so why don't you go ahead and give her the release now to let her know, like, this is what I want you to do.
should be your first thought right because you want to make sure that it's clear in the dog's
mind um but if i apply pressure like that if you go straight into the heel okay well he knew what
Because, um, like it's not a relationship problem, right?
It's not a knowledge problem.
That's it, he's confused.
down so he is trying something right he's not trying nothing he's trying to
inside of me to you know tell him ah ah right go ah and um i held back because it seemed like he
nope down down so i gave her that one really easily because it looked like she was trying
like the uh the concrete but yet she clearly knows the command because she did it boom right away
I know you know it, and you're not doing it because I don't have a treat.
He's not trying to disobey or anything.
he avoided i don't mind repeating and i just wait until he finally does it because he does know the
like he's unclear about what he's supposed to do but he's trying if that's the case don't use nope
or something else if he looks like hey i'm not gonna do that then say nope and make him do it
probably don't have clarity on what heel means yet right um either that or they're frozen
I think there's a little bit of confusion and a little bit of, she doesn't really want to do it.
testing me a little bit i've worked with them before and obviously dogs do that especially
blowing you off slash avoidance which that's not good that's a lot of what titan's program was
How it looks, dog by dog
Bo
The fork set out formally at the handover and given twice - once with a worked example and once as the closing answer to the owner's only stated worry. The framing is clarity first: clarity to the dog, not to you, because 'they're not telepathic'. If he is trying and short - sits when asked to down, then looks at you - he is helped in and not punished. If he knew and is off doing something else, he gets the marker word, 'the word that predicts that something bad will happen next'. The observational half is on camera weeks earlier: you can see on his face that he knows what you want.
On film
and because I saw he was trying because he sat if he had just sat and then looked at me he's trying to do what you asked him but not quite getting there all the way so then I don't go and punish that I just kind of go okay all the way buddy
down. Nope. Down. You know, you see that look on his face where he knows what I want. Bow. Down.
If he seems like he's just distracted and doing something else and doesn't care what you asked him to do, tell him no and put him back and then make sure he goes into the den.
Deuce
The fork in its most actionable form, because it tells the owner which hand to reach for. The dog treats sit and down as interchangeable, so: no collar, pull him into position, because hands are how he learned it. The opposite case is read off his face just as confidently - not the 'I don't know what that means' look, the blowing-you-off look. And the warning that makes the read matter: on a confident-looking breed a lock-up reads as stubborn and is often confusion, and pushing the wrong reading is how you 'hand poison a command'.
On film
is like he kind of thinks maybe he can just do either so what i want you to do don't need collar just just pull him up if you put him in a sit that's all you gotta do just just pull him up into the position he'll know because i do that to him
When I say let's go and he gave me that look, and that's the look That's not the look of like, "I don't know what that means." That's the look of like that's that like blowing you off look.
If you're not careful you can hand poison a command thinking that they're being tough because they have this like kind of look and they're very confident so when you see them like lock up sometimes you're like oh he's just being stubborn but genuinely they can be kind of confused sometimes
Stormie
The experiment an owner can run. A command that was working has stopped, and rather than assume avoidance the handler drops the word and produces the position with the leash: if the failure was clarity, that fixes it on the spot - and he names his own teaching schedule, other commands taught in between, as the likely cause. Later the test comes back with the other answer, and he names the physical tell: she is yanking against him with her neck, which a confused dog does not do.
On film
do sometimes is sometimes when the dog uh does a command and I teach a couple other commands. We come back to it like to heal in this case. Um I try not to assume that the dog is just like actively avoiding doing what I want him to do. So, what I'll do is I stop saying the word and I just start doing the position with the leash.
second time she's done it. She did this for me on a down the other time too where it's like all of a sudden she's just acting like she didn't know how to do it. She's like really yanking on me there with her neck which tells me like she kind of knows what's going on and she's just avoiding because she's like I just really don't want to do this.
King
The staff version: a two-question diagnostic for every failure - what is the dog's emotional state, and how clear was it to him? The symptoms are named: flat, or desperate and throwing behaviours, or simply wrong answers. The session then argues that play, not more pressure, is the reflex when a rep is failing, and answers the objection that help is cheating with training wheels: you use them to start, and soon they come off.
On film
There's normally an emotional component, so like what's the dog's emotional state, and then there is a clarity response.
And so if you see they get flat, or they get kind of desperate where they're just trying to do stuff,
so i might use a lure if he's confused the next time i don't right so here's the thing
You can get them to engage in something else, like play. Then you can get them to ease up a little bit, feel a little more comfortable.
Lola
A nervous dog, and the read becomes a live dial. Working a recall, the trainer watches her emotional state: a dog who has blown him off gets told; a dog who starts back and hesitates gets cheerleading, because you do not punish uncertainty - the analogy is a parent telling a child to clean 'that' without saying what. He names the moment to switch: the shift between 'I'm not doing this' and 'I'm not sure'. Another session adds a third outcome: a behaviour read as fear-based gets neither correction nor reward, and the next correct behaviour is paid while he is still unsure what caused it.
On film
Right. Because what I'm looking for is emotional state. I'm looking at her emotional state and changing based on that.
the parents told their kid like I need you to clean that and the kid was like what do you want me to clean the parent was just like like that's kind of a problem there's not like clarity at all.
right. So you can see like a shift if you're paying attention between them breaks on like dude I'm not doing this and then as soon as they start to give in oh god I'm not sure then go okay come on
I know that may or may not be fear-based, So I'm going to reward that for a down because she did the right thing.
Dutchess
The possibility neither branch covers, and the trainer stops the session to define a word for it. She was visibly trying to hold the stay, and her energy and self-control would not permit it - not declined, but not within her ability at that time. He shortened the exercise to what she could do and raised it as the ability arrived, instead of raising the pressure. A separate session gives the simpler reading on the down: sometimes she just gets a little confused.
On film
things like stare at me and I could tell she was really trying to stay in place but her energy level really just wouldn't permit her to do that or her her her level of control at the time would not permit her, right?
Permit means like basically like you can't, right? I'm I'm not permitted to do this. I it's not within my ability at this time. So, genuinely, it was not within her ability. So, I instead was doing shorter times.
um the big thing with it down is i think sometimes she just gets a little confused
Roxy
The vocabulary changing on camera. In one session the trainer reaches for 'stubborn', says he doesn't want to use the word, and uses it; in another he rejects it outright - not stubborn, avoiding, because she knew what she was doing and wanted to go away. The word decides the response: a dog who did not understand needs clearer teaching; a dog who is avoiding needs the avoidance to stop working. The same file shows help still attached to a command - 'training wheels on her'. (Her arc cautions that the upload record does not establish the two sessions' order within a day.)
On film
She knows it, but like she just, I don't want to use this word stubborn, but kind of stubborn.
That makes more sense because she knew what she was doing. She just wanted to go away
I still have to put training wheels on her so I have to pull her down while I say it
Bullet
The least flattering possibility, offered unprompted about an exercise never reported as solved. Working the heel turns, the handler lists the candidates aloud: maybe his own fault for not being clear when he first taught it, maybe the dog is having a hard time learning it, or maybe he just finds it boring - 'which wouldn't be shocking' for a high-octane dog.
On film
for some reason um maybe it's my fault maybe i wasn't making clear enough uh when i was first practicing it i don't know
having a hard time learning it now um or maybe he just finds it boring but uh which wouldn't be shocking uh he's a high octane lots of other things he
Akira
The reading that replaces day one's 'stubborn': under pressure a smart dog runs through the behaviours that worked before - whining, biting, rolling, sitting - to see what works, and the handler's job is to show her very clearly which one does. Taught to the family as the lens for her.
On film
She's trying alternative strategies.
And my goal as a teacher is to show her very clearly what works and what doesn't work.
she just tried like five or six different things
Egg
The test spoken aloud before any pressure: he knows sit, he is looking at the trainer, he is paying attention, he is not distracted - so this is refusal, and it is the right moment for a little negative reinforcement.
On film
didn't want to do it right because he knows it and he was clearly engaged with me like he was was looking at me he was paying attention he wasn't distracted he just was refusing
Marvin (Giant Schnauzer)
At the go-home the fork is framed as evaluation: a dog who is 'man, I want to' and bolting gets pressure with the long line giving it direction; a dog who looks unsure - predicting a correction on the recall - gets verbal encouragement instead, because 'he doesn't need pressure there, he needs reassurance'.
On film
what's happening why is the dog doing it so that's evaluation right I'm so like if he's
right over here right instead of putting pressure because he doesn't need
Josi
When a dog hides from a command, the December trainer lays out two readings - confused and afraid, or does not want to and has learned that hiding works - and reasons that it only becomes a habit if it worked. He weights Josi heavily toward learned escape. Her arc records that the March trainer, facing the same dog leaving under the collar, in effect reads it the other way.
On film
when they do that kind of thing where they kind of like go and like hide under something or something like that um it could be that they're uh confused and afraid that's possible right
so they freak out and leave right that's possible um the other possibility is that they don't want to do it and so then they're like i'm gonna go hide
the only reason that that would turn into a habit is if it worked
Mazi
A young Rottweiler first read as tough - 'she feels it, she just kinda doesn't care' - is re-read within a week as a dog who never learned that pressure is a question with an answer, and the handling moves with the reading, from layering pressure to reassurance.
On film
I mean, she feels it, she just kinda doesn't care.
so the thing with both the roddies i'm working with right now is they have an interesting tendency of like or not tendency they both have the background of like seeming like they don't have a ton of like real world experience in terms of handling pressure
once he like got everything and understood what i was communicating him it went really well
Stormi
The same idea as a general rule: some dogs have to be taught how to handle pressure before commands can rest on it - typically not a German Shepherd, the trainer says, but he doubts she is purebred. Her arc notes the same trainer says a week later that this is not her case. A belly roll in place of the down is read as a way out - 'maybe if I submit, then I won't have to do what she's asking me' - and the owner is told to pull her out of it at once and stay strict, because this kind of testing goes away fast only if it does not work. A moment later, when Stormi is plainly confused, the same trainer tells the owner to release her as soon as she is in the right position, 'to let her know, like, this is what I want you to do'.
On film
Sometimes you gotta teach a dog how to handle pressure. Typically with Shepard you don't, but I also don't think that she's a pure breed
What she's doing is she's submitting to you because she's like rolling on her belly. And she's like, maybe if I submit, then I won't have to do what she's asking me.
And she's a little confused, so why don't you go ahead and give her the release now to let her know, like, this is what I want you to do.
Yeah, this is very, like, classic, like, Shepard testing. So don't worry. Like, as long as you stay, like, strict with it, but this kind of weird stuff goes away really fast. If you're not strict with it, then it won't go away.
Ace (Chihuahua-terrier mix)
The answer that is neither help nor press: a startle at a noise is a reflex, not disobedience, and it is left alone. When the environment frightens him, slower compliance is accepted - keep going until he complies, then release generously.
On film
It's just a reaction. That was a reflex.
And so then if it takes them a little bit longer to comply with the command because of that, don't worry about it.
Dory
After a long failed down the diagnosis is confusion, and the remedy is a clearer picture - a food lure next time, then fading it - and the same reading governs her stay: a little confused, so put her back rather than correct.
On film
Worked a ton on that today Still got work on the down with her I'm planning on next time I take her out doing like a food lore with her probably get the down fixed because she's just a little confused
because she's a little confused right now
Milo
The consequence rule that follows from the read: a dog who is trying is not pressed hard, and the better a dog knows something, the firmer the consequence when he does not do it.
On film
trying. That's why I'm not being super hard on him right now. Because he is trying. That's
make it worse right um and the better a dog knows something the worse you make it when they don't
Samson
Two sides. When a dog visibly processes a cue, wait rather than correct: the answer he finds himself teaches more. But a dog who knows the cue and waits to see whether it will be enforced is showing latency, and the delay itself is the target.
On film
You can see he suppressed a little bit there, and I could tell he was processing.
knows it but he's waiting to see if I'm gonna reinforce it you gotta get gotta
Bumblebee
A dog sent in for nervousness turns out partly to be nervous because he was confused - he did not know what to do - and the first sessions are spent working out which.
On film
just kind of confused and that confusion was creating some nervousness. So some of it is just
Lunna
Her lock-ups and guessing are read as confusion to be resolved; a flinch at the correction marker is read as the marker being understood, whereas a flinch at her name would have meant something wrong.
On film
thing goes oh so obviously if i say a dog's name and the dog flinches immediately that's a problem
Neo
Failures consistently read as confusion - the word not known yet - and worked from there.
On film
all right so i understand what he's confused on
Beo
On the last recall of an off-leash readiness walk he half blows it off, heading for the truck; the conditioned punisher (not the collar) turns him, but he comes slowly, looking apprehensive. Kelton reads that as 'am i in trouble', not as refusal, says 'good job', and Beo runs in happy. He gives it to camera as a rule: read the emotional state, and once the dog is doing the right thing, confirm the choice so he makes it all the way. Earlier on the same walk he swaps pressure for encouragement when Beo lags in the heel, and says he tries never to use pressure and encouragement together.
On film
punisher i didn't use the e-collar in this case but i used the condition punisher and when i used it like it worked and he started coming towards me but like slowly right he was like i don't know he looked a little apprehensive so all i did there was just go like good job and then he looked super happy and ran towards me
you got to read the dog's emotional state like are they are they now rejecting it they don't want to come to you right should you put more pressure or like in this case with bail and in a lot of cases are they just kind of like i don't know like am i in trouble
you've said uh but now they're doing the right thing so confirm their choice tell them they did good right tell them they did the right thing so that they make it all the way to you
he looked like he just needed like a little bit of reassurance when he went around to the right side again and when he lagged back so instead of pressuring when he lagged back i just um i just encouraged and he took that right away and and found the right spot
so i try to um as best i can um as i mature as a trainer and get better and better i try to make sure that i um that i never use pressure when i put in courage
Boog
The fork is used as a prognosis. At the handover the same reading governs: some tests you let run to see how far he will go, 'because there's always a limit'.
On film
yeah so with him like i'll be honest it's just it's gonna be a lot of reinforcing when he comes home some dogs that come home and like they're cool but they're usually dogs that i would say are more confused or nervous
whereas like if it's a dog to generally just test every single thing
sometimes you just have to like see how far they're willing to test you because there's always a limit
Chunk
At the in-program lesson the trainer gives the owners the look to watch for - 'you gonna make me do it or not' - which earns the marker and then the collar, but says Chunk also freezes from nerves, and then the marker alone and a wait are enough. On go-home day he names both again: the lock-up gets pointing and encouragement, because punishing it teaches him that doing it 'didn't work'; running off or ignoring the command gets the collar and a pull back into the down. In the same day's tune-up he calls Chunk 'a little confused' and possibly in a 'fear cycle' one minute, and the next is managing an 'avoidance phase' he expects to come and go because Chunk is a puppy.
On film
but he looked at you and was like you gonna make me do it or not and so once he gives you that look then you use the marker
and one thing like with chunk is because he does like kind of have a tendency to freeze up sometimes um because i think that's just like a little bit of nerves he has right
Right. In this case, you can sometimes use the marker and not hit the collar immediately and wait to see what he does.
he knows down really well too he just is trying to see if he can get away with not using said knowledge around you
if he locks up though and he just sits there and like freezes the last thing you want to do is like boom e-call it right
I mean, because if you punish him for it, he's going to be like, well, dang, I did it, and it didn't work, so I guess I should probably not do it again.
so i like tested it out and there were like two reactions i got from him i either would say down and he would be like kind of lock up and then i could encourage him into it or i would say down he'd like kind of like freak out and run away and and I would just hit the e-collar and wrangle him back in.
he might still be in his fear cycle too right so he's a little weary um so just being very encouraging and i'm gonna go over that on the drop-off day is like yeah like being encouraging with chunk don't only go negative because he'll lock up
so we're kind of hitting like another avoidance phase because he's a puppy um that's just gonna happen over time he'll do really good and all of a sudden he'll try to go through another avoidance phase
Bandit
At an owner lesson Kelton gives clarity as the first suspect - 'that's always my first thought' - and then the tell that settles it: under light pressure Bandit goes straight into the heel, so he knew what was asked and was simply more interested in someone nearby.
On film
should be your first thought right because you want to make sure that it's clear in the dog's
mind um but if i apply pressure like that if you go straight into the heel okay well he knew what
Bane
Asked how to get commands followed in an adrenalised protection scenario, the trainer rules out both usual explanations - it is not a relationship problem and not a knowledge problem, he understands the commands - and names it a distraction-level problem, answered by raising the negative reinforcement.
On film
Because, um, like it's not a relationship problem, right?
It's not a knowledge problem.
Baxter
In the first private session the trainer stops to read Baxter during a down: he is shaking his head, confused, and does not know how to make the pressure go away. He is trying something - evading, offering a sit - which means it is not clear enough yet.
On film
That's it, he's confused.
He doesn't know how to make that pressure go away.
down so he is trying something right he's not trying nothing he's trying to
Bun
The trainer points out a correction he did not give: he felt the urge to say 'ah ah', held back because Bun seemed about to do it, and gave him a second to process instead of pushing for speed.
On film
inside of me to you know tell him ah ah right go ah and um i held back because it seemed like he
he didn't know what to do and he was going to do it and sometimes you just need to give them a
Hattie
A down that looked like an attempt to comply gets a little help rather than punishment, and the handler says why on camera.
On film
nope down down so i gave her that one really easily because it looked like she was trying
to comply right good girl so i didn't punish it all there because i don't think i did instead i
Kali
When Kali will not down on concrete, the trainer moves to grass to separate understanding from the ground: she downs at once there, so it was not a clarity issue but the surface - and he still wants the down on concrete.
On film
like the uh the concrete but yet she clearly knows the command because she did it boom right away
here on the grass so i don't think it's an issue with her understanding of the command or any kind
Maverick
The opposite read, said to the dog: after several unanswered sits the handler decides it is not confusion - he knows it and is not doing it because there is no treat.
On film
I know you know it, and you're not doing it because I don't have a treat.
Max
Both branches in one dog. Outdoors, missed sits are read as distraction - he is not trying to disobey. In a store, the avoided down is read as refusal because he does know the command by now, so the trainer waits him out rather than helping.
On film
He's not trying to disobey or anything.
He's just distracted.
he avoided i don't mind repeating and i just wait until he finally does it because he does know the
Oscar
At the go-home lesson the family gets the fork as an instruction: if he looks unclear but is trying, do not use 'nope' - say the command again and help him with the leash; if he looks like he is not going to do it, say 'nope' and make him do it.
On film
like he's unclear about what he's supposed to do but he's trying if that's the case don't use nope
or something else if he looks like hey i'm not gonna do that then say nope and make him do it
Rocky
The release is used as a test of understanding: if the dog jumps out of the position on 'okay', he knew where he was supposed to be; if he just keeps walking where he is, he probably does not have clarity yet - or he is frozen.
On film
walking where they're at then they might not have they they that's an indication that they
probably don't have clarity on what heel means yet right um either that or they're frozen
Shadow (German Shepherd puppy)
Connor reads a run of failed downs as a mix - a little confusion and a little not wanting to do it - and keeps placing her into the position.
On film
I think there's a little bit of confusion and a little bit of, she doesn't really want to do it.
Simba
On day one of a return stay, lapses on 'let's go' are weighed before they are answered: is he testing the handler, or was the command simply never taught to him the first time?
On film
command just happened to not be a part of it because I am noticing either he's
testing me a little bit i've worked with them before and obviously dogs do that especially
Titan
Connor names the refusal branch for the family: a dog that is interested but does not listen when given a command is 'blowing you off slash avoidance', and much of Titan's work was showing him that he could not pretend not to know.
On film
blowing you off slash avoidance which that's not good that's a lot of what titan's program was
hands and then for a minute showing him like hey i know you know it you're not gonna trick me to
Why it works
A consequence works on a choice, so it needs a dog who had one. A dog who did not understand has nothing to comply with - the parent telling a child to clean 'that' - so pressure there does not select a behaviour; it produces worry, and on a confident-looking dog it poisons the command by hand. The cost is asymmetric: helping a dog who was refusing loses a repetition; pressing a dog who was confused can cost the word. The diagnostic is behavioural: trying-and-short is an offered wrong position followed by a look; refusal is engagement with the handler and no attempt, or engagement elsewhere; avoidance has a physical tell, the neck bracing against the collar; inability is visible effort that fails anyway; trying alternatives is a run of previously successful behaviours. Learned escape has its own logic: it only becomes a habit if it worked. Where none resolves it, withdraw the word and supply the position, so clarity is either restored or ruled out. And the reason given for staying strict with an avoidance move: it goes away fast only if it does not work (Stormi's handover) - the same logic as learned escape above.
On film
the parents told their kid like I need you to clean that and the kid was like what do you want me to clean the parent was just like like that's kind of a problem there's not like clarity at all.
If you're not careful you can hand poison a command thinking that they're being tough because they have this like kind of look and they're very confident so when you see them like lock up sometimes you're like oh he's just being stubborn but genuinely they can be kind of confused sometimes
second time she's done it. She did this for me on a down the other time too where it's like all of a sudden she's just acting like she didn't know how to do it. She's like really yanking on me there with her neck which tells me like she kind of knows what's going on and she's just avoiding because she's like I just really don't want to do this.
the only reason that that would turn into a habit is if it worked
I mean, because if you punish him for it, he's going to be like, well, dang, I did it, and it didn't work, so I guess I should probably not do it again.
Yeah, this is very, like, classic, like, Shepard testing. So don't worry. Like, as long as you stay, like, strict with it, but this kind of weird stuff goes away really fast. If you're not strict with it, then it won't go away.
Inferred
How to choose between the readings when the dog's face is ambiguous is never stated.
Where the trainers differ
What to reach for when a rep fails: change the state first, or the marker and the collar.
One view
Staff-facing: read the emotional state and the clarity first; play and training wheels before more pressure; cheerlead the instant the dog starts to give; reassurance, not pressure, for an unsure dog.
On film
There's normally an emotional component, so like what's the dog's emotional state, and then there is a clarity response.
right over here right instead of putting pressure because he doesn't need
so i try to um as best i can um as i mature as a trainer and get better and better i try to make sure that i um that i never use pressure when i put in courage
you got to read the dog's emotional state like are they are they now rejecting it they don't want to come to you right should you put more pressure or like in this case with bail and in a lot of cases are they just kind of like i don't know like am i in trouble
Another view
Owner-facing: where the dog knew and declined, the marker word and then a consequence, with the collar named.
On film
conversely if it looks like he did know what you wanted him to do and he just ain't doing it because he don't want to because he's sniffing something doing something else and he doesn't recall cuz of that then I'm gonna use the word that predicts that something bad will happen next if he doesn't listen
that's the perfect time to just use a little bit of negative reinforcement make him do it
but he looked at you and was like you gonna make me do it or not and so once he gives you that look then you use the marker
How to read it
And side A now has a clean, page-usable statement from Kelton (Beo, watch 19:38 and 24:05), though it is about not mixing pressure with encouragement and reading the dog, not a rule never to add pressure. Still not resolved here.
Same dog, two readings: learned escape or fear.
One view
Josi's December trainer: hiding is most likely learned escape, because it would only become a habit if it worked; turn the obligation up.
On film
the only reason that that would turn into a habit is if it worked
Another view
Josi's March trainer, facing the same dog leaving under the collar, reads it in effect as fear and confusion and eases off (per her arc).
How to read it
The March reading is recorded in Josi's arc; no single clean quote states it, so it is not quoted here. Kelton, 23 Sep 2026, did not choose between the readings, but says Josi came out well in the end.
A dog who breaks a known position: could not, or would not.
One view
Could not: energy and self-control did not permit it; shorten the exercise.
On film
Permit means like basically like you can't, right? I'm I'm not permitted to do this. I it's not within my ability at this time. So, genuinely, it was not within her ability. So, I instead was doing shorter times.
Another view
Would not: she knew and wanted to go away - avoiding, which needs the avoidance to stop working.
On film
That makes more sense because she knew what she was doing. She just wanted to go away
second time she's done it. She did this for me on a down the other time too where it's like all of a sudden she's just acting like she didn't know how to do it. She's like really yanking on me there with her neck which tells me like she kind of knows what's going on and she's just avoiding because she's like I just really don't want to do this.
How to read it
Different dogs and handlers, so not a dispute about one case. Listed because the same visible event gets opposite actions, and only avoidance has a named physical tell.
A dog who does not respond to the collar: tough, or never taught pressure?
One view
First read: she feels it and doesn't care.
On film
I mean, she feels it, she just kinda doesn't care.
Another view
A week later: no real-world experience handling pressure; reassurance rather than layering.
On film
so the thing with both the roddies i'm working with right now is they have an interesting tendency of like or not tendency they both have the background of like seeming like they don't have a ton of like real world experience in terms of handling pressure
How to read it
One trainer changing his own read on camera; recorded because the first reading is the one owners reach for.
Common owner mistakes
- Correcting a dog who was trying and fell short - he offered the wrong position and then looked at you.
On film
and because I saw he was trying because he sat if he had just sat and then looked at me he's trying to do what you asked him but not quite getting there all the way so then I don't go and punish that I just kind of go okay all the way buddy
Watch at 11:30 ↗ - Reading a confident dog's lock-up as toughness.
On film
If you're not careful you can hand poison a command thinking that they're being tough because they have this like kind of look and they're very confident so when you see them like lock up sometimes you're like oh he's just being stubborn but genuinely they can be kind of confused sometimes
Watch at 2:04 ↗ - Reaching for the e-collar when the dog is confused between two positions he was taught by hand.
On film
is like he kind of thinks maybe he can just do either so what i want you to do don't need collar just just pull him up if you put him in a sit that's all you gotta do just just pull him up into the position he'll know because i do that to him
Watch at 23:30 ↗ - Punishing hesitation instead of flipping to encouragement the moment the dog begins to give.
On film
encourage I cheerlead a little bit and then she comes oh then she's like oh and she speeds up and comes because you don't want to punish like uncertainty
Watch at 30:55 ↗ - Holding a criterion the dog's state cannot carry.
On film
Permit means like basically like you can't, right? I'm I'm not permitted to do this. I it's not within my ability at this time. So, genuinely, it was not within her ability. So, I instead was doing shorter times.
Watch at 8:29 ↗ - Correcting a startle.
On film
It's just a reaction. That was a reflex.
Watch at 9:58 ↗ - Calling the dog stubborn.
On film
I'm not gonna use the word stubborn because dogs I'm gonna say avoiding
Watch at 28:47 ↗ She's not stubborn.
Watch at 1:07:22 ↗ - Making a known command worse by repeating it over and over under heavy pressure.
On film
times like you have to make him do it over and over and over again then you're just going to
Watch at 1:00:18 ↗ - Answering a lock-up with the collar, so the dog learns that doing it 'didn't work'.
On film
if he locks up though and he just sits there and like freezes the last thing you want to do is like boom e-call it right
Chunk · Watch at 3:42 ↗ I mean, because if you punish him for it, he's going to be like, well, dang, I did it, and it didn't work, so I guess I should probably not do it again.
Chunk · Watch at 4:05 ↗ - Letting a belly roll or a dive into the crate get the dog out of the command.
On film
What she's doing is she's submitting to you because she's like rolling on her belly. And she's like, maybe if I submit, then I won't have to do what she's asking me.
Stormi · Watch at 20:52 ↗
Questions owners ask
How do I tell whether my dog is confused or ignoring me?
Read the attempt, not the outcome. A confused dog is usually doing something - offering the wrong position, getting halfway, then looking at you. That gets helped. A declining dog is doing something else - sniffing, looking away - or is looking right at you, paying attention and not moving. If you are not sure, treat it as confusion: helping a dog who was refusing loses a repetition; pressing a confused dog can cost you the command. Chunk's trainer gives owners a simple version: a dog who freezes or locks up gets a point and encouragement; a dog who looks at you as if to say 'you gonna make me do it or not', or walks off, gets the marker and then the collar.
On film
or not? Um, and try to read, does it look like he understands what you want or does it look like he wants to know what he's supposed to do, but he's maybe like a little little confused about it if you see that just help him right
didn't want to do it right because he knows it and he was clearly engaged with me like he was was looking at me he was paying attention he wasn't distracted he just was refusing
but he looked at you and was like you gonna make me do it or not and so once he gives you that look then you use the marker
if he locks up though and he just sits there and like freezes the last thing you want to do is like boom e-call it right
Is there a way to test it rather than guess?
Stop saying the word and produce the position with the leash. If the failure was clarity, that fixes it on the spot, and the likely cause is something you taught in between. If he braces and fights the guidance - yanking with his neck - he knew and is avoiding.
On film
do sometimes is sometimes when the dog uh does a command and I teach a couple other commands. We come back to it like to heal in this case. Um I try not to assume that the dog is just like actively avoiding doing what I want him to do. So, what I'll do is I stop saying the word and I just start doing the position with the leash.
second time she's done it. She did this for me on a down the other time too where it's like all of a sudden she's just acting like she didn't know how to do it. She's like really yanking on me there with her neck which tells me like she kind of knows what's going on and she's just avoiding because she's like I just really don't want to do this.
My dog is just stubborn, isn't he?
Two trainers throw that word out on camera. One replaces it with 'avoiding' - she knew and wanted to go away - which tells you what to do: make the avoidance stop working. Another replaces it with 'trying alternatives' - a smart dog running through what worked before - which tells you to make it very clear which behaviour works. If you cannot finish the sentence 'he knew, and he wanted to…', you do not yet know that he knew.
On film
I'm not gonna use the word stubborn because dogs I'm gonna say avoiding
it's more so that she is trying alternatives, right?
He holds the stay and then breaks it every time. Is he testing me?
Possibly not. One trainer stops a session to define 'permit': the dog was trying, and her energy and self-control would not let her hold it yet. He shortened the exercise to what she could hold and lengthened it as she improved, rather than adding pressure to a requirement she could not meet.
On film
things like stare at me and I could tell she was really trying to stay in place but her energy level really just wouldn't permit her to do that or her her her level of control at the time would not permit her, right?
Permit means like basically like you can't, right? I'm I'm not permitted to do this. I it's not within my ability at this time. So, genuinely, it was not within her ability. So, I instead was doing shorter times.
Isn't helping him just teaching him he doesn't have to do it himself?
The trainers answer with training wheels: you put them on to start and take them off soon after. A lure used when he is confused is dropped the next time he isn't. The part that takes attention is noticing when the help is no longer needed.
On film
so i might use a lure if he's confused the next time i don't right so here's the thing
I still have to put training wheels on her so I have to pull her down while I say it
What if he starts to come and then stops?
That gets encouragement, not pressure, and the switch is made mid-repetition: a dog who has blown you off gets told; a dog who falters gets cheered in, because you do not punish uncertainty. Watch for the shift from 'I'm not doing this' to 'I'm not sure' and move to the encouraging side the instant it happens. Kelton's version with Beo (30 Sep update): a recall turned by the marker word but coming slowly and apprehensively gets 'good job' straight away - confirm the choice so he comes all the way in.
On film
encourage I cheerlead a little bit and then she comes oh then she's like oh and she speeds up and comes because you don't want to punish like uncertainty
right. So you can see like a shift if you're paying attention between them breaks on like dude I'm not doing this and then as soon as they start to give in oh god I'm not sure then go okay come on
you've said uh but now they're doing the right thing so confirm their choice tell them they did good right tell them they did the right thing so that they make it all the way to you
Is there a quick check I can do without adding any pressure?
Two are shown on film. Release him: if he jumps out of the position on your release word, he knew where he was meant to be; if he just carries on where he was, he probably is not clear yet - or he is frozen (Rocky's trainer). And change one thing: Kali would not down on concrete but downed at once on grass, so the trainer concluded it was the surface, not her understanding.
On film
probably don't have clarity on what heel means yet right um either that or they're frozen
like the uh the concrete but yet she clearly knows the command because she did it boom right away
The lesson
The goal
The handler classifies every failed repetition before reacting - confused, declining, unable, trying alternatives, startled or bored - names the evidence, runs the leash test when unsure, and matches the response to the classification.
Learn first
The drill
Assembled from the handovers: on a command the dog answers most of the time, say your classification aloud on every failure before you act, with the evidence. Confused gets hands and words ('all the way, buddy'), no correction. Declining gets the marker and follow-through. Unable gets a shorter version next rep. When you cannot classify it, drop the word and produce the position with the leash, and log clarity or avoidance by what the dog does.
Watch out for
- Classifying after you have already reacted.
- Correcting a dog who offered the wrong position and then looked at you.
- Reaching for the collar on a dog taught by hand who is confused between two positions.
- Pressing through a hesitation.
- Holding a criterion the dog's state will not carry.
- Using the word stubborn.
Check yourself
You ask for a down. The dog sits, holds it and stares at you. What do you do, and why? (Help him the rest of the way and tell him he got there: he offered a position and looked at you, which is trying and falling short.)