From the training
Room to choose
In this lesson, the trainer explains why the dog is allowed to look and make a choice within clear boundaries. The aim is to build trust without directing every moment through obedience.
Beo · Training lesson
The answer
By arranging situations where the wrong thing is really available, saying nothing, and then answering what he picks. The trainers call these choice points, and the word is house vocabulary across more than twenty dogs. In Lola's first lesson Kelton tells the family: 'find those choice points allow them to make the choice and then either reward or make some kind of penalty'. Lucy's evaluator: 'You give them choice points. You let them make choices. You don't manage the behavior.'
The first half of the concept is a distinction drawn out loud. At a park, watching other people's dogs pull hard on their leads, Bullet's handler says those owners 'do technically have control over them it's not obedience'. A leash gives you control. It is not what the program is teaching. The second half answers the complaint most families arrive with: he knows all his commands and still does it. Roxy's trainer explains it from the dog's side. Suppose he follows every command, is released, and goes straight back to the thing you gave the command about. In his mind he did everything you asked, so when you finally snap he does not know what the problem is. The fix is not a better command. It is to put the consequence on the behaviour itself, and to mark the wrong choice before the recall, 'because I want them to think that running over to that dog is bad … Not just that they need to recall'.
The trainers use 'lawful' as a working term, precisely. Looking at another dog is lawful. So is moving away, sniffing where a person was, walking off from a cat he would like to chase, and circling back after a 'let's go'. Circling back after a 'come' is not. Hackles are not punished; the act is. Sniffing with no command in play is left alone. Piglet's trainer says plainly that the interest in the cat is still there: 'she doesn't want to snuggle with willow she wants to eat willow but she's making better choices'.
The choice has to be real. That means a loose or unlocked leash, often a long retractable, and a trigger that arrives by itself, not one that is staged. Saying the dog's name first is itself management (Wiley). The end state the trainers name is a dog you rarely have to talk to: 'you never say a word you never ask them to do anything uh they just make the right choices' (Lucia). The payoff claimed at handover is that walks 'become simple because you're not having to tell them to do stuff all the time'.
The 30 Sep footage states the same thing at four more dogs, and names the alternative more sharply. At Beo's first owner lesson Kelton lets Beo look at a trigger and penalises only the whining, barking or charging - 'i'm allowing the choice to happen' - and gives the reason: without choice points followed by a consequence, 'you just end up with a dog that you micromanage with obedience every time you take them out'. Kelton (Reaper's trainer) tells his owners the same in the language of trust ('emphasize trustworthiness over micromanaging forever'), shows a live pass with no command, and on a later walk lists what stays lawful - walking, seeing, avoiding, walking by - up to 'that one bad decision'. He also names something owners count as good handling as management: turning the other way when a dog appears 'is preventing the scenario from ever happening so that he never has to make the choice'. Chunk's trainer makes the leash half of the point to the family: a dog kept glued to you 'doesn't really have an opportunity to do the right thing', and the first taste of freedom will be taken as licence. Kelton narrates the same to camera in Spanish on a walk with Sofia: she chose badly and got the bad consequences, and that is how she learns what is forbidden and what is acceptable.
Inferred, not said in these words: the concept moves the consequence from the command to the behaviour, and so moves the dog's attention from the handler's voice to the situation. That is why the trainers expect it to generalise where commands do not. Nobody on film explains why it generalises better; everybody behaves as if it does. The strongest supporting claim, that a dog never allowed to choose goes off 'like a spring' once the structure is gone, is made as an analogy about helicopter-parented children, not as anything observed.
A wider reading of every session note that tagged this idea found it stated or shown at fifteen more dogs. Two lines sharpen it. Astro's trainer gives the reason in one breath: once the wrong option is penalised and no longer available, the dog has to do something else, and that opens room to reinforce what he picks, and he says this holds for nervous dogs too. Kelton, in Bandit's first owner lesson, widens what counts as lawful: a dog need not love strangers, and walking round to the other side of the handler to avoid them is 'totally fine'. Rocky's and Max's trainers name the habit to break - locking the leash before anything has happened - and Rocky, left unlocked, looks at the dogs and turns away.
Angier K9 is a family-owned, play-based Board & Train serving Angier, Raleigh and the Triangle, with three full owner lessons.
What to do
Find the choice points and stop pre-empting them. Keep the leash loose or the retractable unlocked. Don't say his name or give a command in advance. Let him look and decide. If he takes the lawful option, praise him and give him his freedom back. If he goes for the thing, answer that act, marking the wrong choice before any recall. 'Let them make a choice. If they make the wrong choice, go the e-collar. If they make the right choice, good job' (Roxy's lesson, watch 17:00).
What the trainers say
good control of their dogs but at least they're on the leaf so they do technically have control over them it's not obedience
so like knowing commands is good but ideally you do better than that right so instead of just teaching them commands and they follow them you teach them to make better choices
sweet that was cool right yeah but giving them the freedom to make that choice I call them choice points right gotta get choice points so find those choice points allow them to make the choice and then either reward or make make some kind of penalty
And so how do you get a dog to make good choices? You give them choice points. You let them make choices. You don't manage the behavior.
managing the behavior they're like oh let me prevent that uh don't prevent it let it happen
They followed every command, but they end up going back to the thing that was the reason you gave them the command in the first place. every time in their mind they followed every command and then you released them to freedom and then they went and did the thing they want to do
they want to do and you just gave them another command and then by the end of that you're like dude stop and they're like stop what I did everything you asked I don't understand what the problem here is
So, let's see what they're gonna do. Let them make a choice. If they make the wrong choice, go the e-collar. If they make the right choice, good job. You did good. And then they go back to freedom.
instead of saying come first is because I want them to think that running over to that dog is bad. Mhm. Not just that they need to recall.
with that solution that's always option A for me because then it becomes hands off and automatic because they start learning what's lawful and what's not lawful. They learn to make good choices instead of you having to manage them with obedience.
circles right back around leaves because let's go would be fine you could do that that would be lawful for him to do if you said let's go he could come to you and then circle right back to the thing he's doing right but if you say come he's supposed to come to you
is because what it develops is their own ability to make good choices. Okay. So, instead of you having to micromanage them with obedience, which I look at as like a band-aid, you just you have to right trust them.
and that is that if he does make bad decisions one let him
That's the best way to train dogs. Make it such that they make better decisions on their own, not constant micromanagement and band-aiding over the bad decisions they make with constant management and obedience.
alone right he didn't do anything he did nothing he did zero things and that is acceptable that's a lawful response to that, right? So it would be unfair of me to punish his hackled being raised
So if she chooses to avoid instead of attack, that's a perfectly acceptable choice. It's a lawful choice And she can look at it all day, that's not a problem either
because uh kind of like what we were talking about um a little bit ago is that in order for them to learn they have to have the opportunity to make the choice um otherwise you're just avoiding it you're just managing it forever right
and again looking that's not a sin right that's a lawful thing to do he can look
choices you got to have those chose points if you want to teach about chose points you just stuck managing your your dog's micromanager slash prison guard forever
point and uh and then you get to see what choice they make right right um but if you're constantly managing then they never get to make the decision right
Well, you have to let them make decisions and then provide consequences, good or bad, right?
is that you take your dog out and never say anything to them you never say a word you never ask them to do anything uh they just make the right choices
problem there which is fine most of the time but it's management right instead i want him to make a good choice on his own without me having to say anything
her hair is like but then that's when you use the let's go and if she's choosing to lunge that's when you punish her the let's go is the choice uh-huh and when she chooses that that's the pop
she got excited she ran up but she stopped when she realized she got too far yeah well and you gotta give them the you gotta give them the chance to make a right decision it's like those it's like kids who like they get like helicopter parented their whole life
That kind of tight management doesn't allow for any kind of learning.
didn't do anything he shouldn't so i'm allowing the choice to happen gotcha right so that's
another really big concept in my mind is like you have to let choice points um if you don't allow them to make the choice and then give them a positive or a negative consequence after the choice then what you never end up with is a dog you can actually have some trust with you just end up with a dog that you micromanage with obedience every time you take them out
And so I'm not gonna give me any command.
them like this close that's not really like productive for the dark yeah like you want some
some space because if he's like glued to you all the time he doesn't really have an opportunity to
can trust so you want to emphasize trustworthiness over micromanaging
can see them you can avoid them you can walk by them you can do everything up till that one bad bad decision. Don't do that, right? That's not allowed. Everything else is lawful.
of like um preventing this it's management it's preventing the scenario from ever happening
Bien hecho. Vamos, toma Sofía. Y por eso ella puede aprender lo que está prohibido y lo que
preempt it and I lock it up and I put him in like obedience as a band-aid he never makes a choice there's no choice point that ever happens so he can't
yeah i don't say heal i just let them make a choice so what you're searching for is choice
have those lawful options and so they're like well I'll just choose these other
Instead, I give them choice points.
How it looks, dog by dog
Bullet
Where the distinction is drawn, against something the viewer can see. Other people's dogs pull past on leads, and the handler says their owners have control, not obedience. In the same session he says knowing commands is good, but the aim is to teach better choices. His evidence of success is cautious. A dog came very close and Bullet 'chill[ed] out', and the handler says Bullet 'responded to to me kind of preempting his urge'. On another walk he credits the dog: 'It was a good decision.'
On film
good control of their dogs but at least they're on the leaf so they do technically have control over them it's not obedience
You can see they can walk right by him and uh he'll chill out. He thought about it because the dog got really close to him, but he responded to to me kind of preempting his urge.
squirrel. It was a good decision. Good boy.
Roxy
The answer to 'he knows it and still does it'. In the second in-program lesson the trainer walks the owners through it from the dog's side, then gives the procedure in four sentences: let them choose, e-collar for the wrong choice, praise for the right one, back to freedom. The following lesson adds the ordering rule: mark the wrong choice first, recall second. At home the goal is a dog who can walk around in calm liberty and make her choices, 'but one of those choices is not jumping on me or jumping on the couch'.
On film
is right but if they go to do the thing that you're like hey like don't do that and you go tap the e-co and they're like oh fudge
instead of saying come first is because I want them to think that running over to that dog is bad.
She needs to be able to walk around and make her choices,
King
The word 'lawful', applied precisely. The trainer calls the choice route 'option A' because it becomes 'hands off and automatic' once the dog learns 'what's lawful and what's not lawful'. A week later he applies it to one difference. Circling back to the thing after 'let's go' is lawful. After 'come' it is not, because come is usually said to get him away from something.
On film
with that solution that's always option A for me because then it becomes hands off and automatic
important that you don't mess up the recall because very often the reason that you're telling him come is because you want him to not be over there
Lola
The term introduced to a family. In the first in-program lesson Kelton names choice points: find them, allow the choice, then reward or penalise. At the second lesson, asked how not to undo the work, the trainer gives two rules: allow space and choice ('Don't pull her in'), and penalise 'those behaviors that made you come to see us in the first place'. Every command pays the same way: comply, then freedom on 'okay'.
On film
sweet that was cool right yeah but giving them the freedom to make that choice I call them choice points right
Yeah, honestly that's that's the big one is allowing space, allowing choice. Don't pull her in. And then the other big one is punishing when necessary.
Same thing with complying with, like, a position. Right? Like a sit. As soon as she complies with position, she gets to release the freedom.
Rocko
The handover instruction (the shared Rocko/Kodak owner lesson, during Rocko's demonstration). The trainer contrasts micromanaging with obedience, 'which I look at as like a band-aid', with building the dog's own ability to choose. On another recording an approaching dog is narrated live as a choice point.
On film
is because what it develops is their own ability to make good choices.
alone and um this is upcoming this is important because what this is going to be is a choice point right oh i was hoping this is a choice point so we're gonna let him make the choice
Bo
A clip in which nothing happens, which is the point. Bo is walked near people on a loose leash with the handler silent. He looks and does nothing. The narration draws the lesson: dogs only get there with practice in that window, and pre-empting creates the resistance it is trying to manage.
On film
did nothing. He just was like, okay, whatever. So then I never told him anything.
only get there with your dog if you practice that if you don't practice that uh them being in that window on a regular basis they won't make the right choices
created like this resistance we're now like oh well why are they holding me back i want to go do that thing now because they're holding me back right
Zeus
The mechanics. In a lesson, the choice point is equipment: with a retractable there is no tension, so don't lock it. Let him choose, and if he acts up, tap the collar. At a later session the trainer says the dog 'makes the choice' and, if he walks along on 'let's go' and leaves the thing alone, 'That's totally lawful'. After one correction he notes it happened with him giving the choice, not locking the leash.
On film
connection but with the flexi oh no tension there's nothing so if you don't lock it you just let it go you give him what's called a choice point
right? I let him make the choice. Do you want to give him the choice?
after him and that was with me giving him the choice I wasn't locking the leash and holding him tight
Luna
The argument and its limit. The trainer makes the helicopter-parenting analogy right after Luna runs up to something and stops by herself. In the same session he refuses to punish sniffing because no command was in play, and says that if he had said 'let's go' and she ignored it, 'that's a different story'.
On film
she got excited she ran up but she stopped when she realized she got too far
so right there, like, I would not punish that. The reason that I would not punish that is that while she was sniffing, there was no, like, clear command.
Finn
Aimed at the handler. One of Finn's owners walks him past something she feared without locking the leash, and the trainer hands the method back to her as praise: 'you let him make a choice and what did he do nothing'. Later, on a fearful dog: 'He has control over his life. And that's what you want.'
On film
oh did you see the fear in my eyes yep so you didn't lock the loo chef no i was like i was ready you you let him make a choice and what did he do nothing he did nothing
And this is where you can start seeing like normal dog behavior from a dog like Finn. He can be happy, right? He has control over his life.
Sage
The nervous-dog mechanism. Tight management is not a mild treatment but the absence of one: it 'doesn't allow for any kind of learning'. Freedom is what lets prediction errors happen, and those are what change how she feels.
On film
in terms of management that she's not able to learn how to cope with the scenario.
So I have to allow enough freedom for prediction errors to occur for management to be out of the way for her to start feeling differently about what's going on.
Dutchess
Proof by the handler's inaction. Off leash, with a squirrel left in play, she backs off on her own: 'I didn't have to do anything.'
On film
I didn't have to do anything. She automatically just kind of backed off on her own.
Deuce
What success looks like late in a program. The dog drops what he was chewing, looks up and starts doing the right thing, and 'i didn't hit anything there he just of his own volition'.
On film
it's like the he dropped the thing out of his mouth looked up he started doing that thing so that's a really good sign i didn't hit anything there he just of his own volition just
Louie
The complication, told to a new owner. Letting the dog refuse is deliberate, because those moments are where authority is established. And it does not transfer: the new owner will have to have 'a couple of those moments' herself.
On film
And it's important to have those little moments where you're able to have some kind of authority over the dog.
So we'll have to transfer that over, and you're going to have to have a couple of those moments yourself where he's like,
Lucy
The evaluator's closing philosophy for a household that manages with short leashes and place at the door. Place at the door 'works', but it is a band-aid. Don't prevent it: give choice points on a retractable or long line, have a way to obligate, and let consequences teach, so the dog chooses better 'without needing you to say anything'.
On film
it's a bandaid you put them in a work window and you make them stay in place it works but is it
then you just you let them make the choices and then you have consequences good or bad and then
Nash
Freedom as the setting for a real choice. Near other dogs at a park the trainer releases Nash ('be free go') rather than keeping him stuck to his side, and says freedom is kept as long as he chooses well.
On film
choice point okay be free go and i don't want him stuck to me there i want him free to make the
And so as long as he make good choices like that, then he gets to retain the freedom
Peque (PK)
Three handlers across six months teach PK's dog problem the same way. On day four a handler says 'I'm going to let her make the choice' as they pass staff dogs. On the refresher, staff reject punishing a dog for looking. At the adopters' home, 'let's go' is the choice offered, and the pop answers the lunge.
On film
I'm going to let her make the choice.
yeah i don't like that whole thing where a lot of trainers will they'll they'll preempt it they'll punish the dog for looking at another dog it doesn't help
you allow a choice point and if they make a good choice you you reward it and then if they make a bad choice then you handle that you penalize it
Piglet
A predatory dog and a changed choice, not a changed feeling. The trainer wants Piglet to actually go for a cat at the lesson, because without the opportunity 'you're just managing it forever'. Looking and excitement are allowed. The goal he names is that she walks away rather than cuddles. In a later test with Willow, on a slack line so the avoidance is her own, she avoids and ignores the cat, and he calls that 'a lawful choice'.
On film
she made a good choice so why would i right i don't there's nothing wrong with looking at the cat right there's nothing even wrong with looking at the cat and being excited
and so then instead of going after the cats maybe they don't cuddle with them
although she's still very interested she doesn't want to snuggle with willow she wants to eat willow but she's making better choices
Reaper
The serious case. On a public trail, late in a behaviour-modification program, the trainer refuses to distract Reaper with treats and attention: 'He needs to learn the consequences, good and bad, that follow choices'. He gives more choice with each group of people. When Reaper walks a circle away with his hackles up and does nothing, that is 'a lawful response', and punishing the hackles 'would be unfair'. The 30 Sep footage carries the idea through his owner lessons. At the first, the trainer tells the owners that tightening the leash, pulling him away or distracting him is management, and that if they want a dog they can trust they have to allow a choice point - then shows one, with no command, as a dog passes; his hackles going up 'is fine', because the emotion cannot be changed directly but the choice can. On a later walk he lists what stays lawful - walking, seeing, avoiding, walking by - up to 'that one bad decision', with his speeding-ticket comparison; on the trail ignoring and avoiding are 'a lawful response', reacting 'an unlawful response'. At the second lesson, in the owners' neighbourhood, he answers the question whether to turn the other way: he does not, because that is management, 'preventing the scenario from ever happening so that he never has to make the choice' - though in tight spaces, with a dog this big and strong, he is still more cautious.
On film
He needs to learn the consequences, good and bad, that follow choices, right?
but we're giving him choices he needs to make choices we give him a choice point and when we give him a choice point he starts making better choices better decisions on his own
can trust so you want to emphasize trustworthiness over micromanaging
choice point where they make a choice right so there that was a choice point
since like his hackles went up a little bit that's fine right because i can't i can't change that emotional state necessarily but i can change the choice he makes when he sees it and feels that way
can see them you can avoid them you can walk by them you can do everything up till that one bad bad decision. Don't do that, right? That's not allowed. Everything else is lawful.
to teach him that that's not a good response, right? That's not something that's a lawful
pays them no mind and just wanders well we're gonna let him do that right because that's a
probably turn the other way i normally don't you know yeah i don't just leave because that's kind
of like um preventing this it's management it's preventing the scenario from ever happening
that one yeah uh so with how big and strong he is i am more cautious with the tight spaces still
Bun
Hitting reactivity from both ends. The unwanted action is penalised and the emotion is not. Every lawful choice is allowed: moving away to the right, looking, sniffing where a person was. The trainer argues this raises the nervous dog's confidence while the actions go. The prison-guard line on the old concept page comes from Bun's sessions.
On film
the reactivity in the first place so you're hitting it from both ends right
himself and them and avoid just slightly by going over onto my right and look there's nothing wrong with that that's a totally lawful choice
Doja
Why the retractable. At the drop-off the trainer explains choice points to the family, 'not like gold stars' but a juncture where the dog decides. If you are always managing, she never decides, and you do not even know what she would do.
On film
the only way that i like that's why i like using the retractable because you allow for something
But if they're never given that opportunity...
Josephine
A fearful dog given room. On a 33-foot retractable in town, a passing stranger is 'a choice point for Josephine', and she moves toward him with curiosity. At the go-home lesson the trainer tells the owner that a dog held at her side 'can't make choices because you're taking away options', and gives the rule: let her decide, then consequences.
On film
So that was a choice point for Josephine.
can't they can't move around they can't make choices because you're taking away options
so if you come in that circumstance just think about like okay we're hitting like a a choice point
Lucia
The gold standard stated. With excited dogs the trainer gives choices and teaches what they lead to. The end state is a dog you take out and never say a word to. It is reached through choice points and a few lines of communication, not suppression.
On film
i give them a chance to make choices and then i teach them what those choices ultimately end up doing for them.
you let them make choices you give them choice points they learn what you want them to do and what you don't want them to do
Wiley
The choice point has to be organic. After Wiley goes for a runner, the trainer will not stage another. He catches himself saying the dog's name before a trigger and calls it management. The success marker is Wiley choosing well 'without me having to say anything'.
On film
and give him another choice point i'm not gonna like set him up or anything like that in a in a
problem there which is fine most of the time but it's management right
Beo
At Beo's first owner lesson Kelton explains a penalty as something the dog must be able to avoid by his own behaviour - his comparison is speeding tickets - and then uses a moment from earlier in the lesson: Beo fixated, but did not whine, bark or charge, so nothing was done. 'I'm allowing the choice to happen.' Without choice points followed by a good or bad consequence, he tells the owner, you never get a dog you can trust, only one you micromanage with obedience on every outing. On a walk the next day, as a dog and its people go by, the trainer gives no command at all and lets Beo stand there.
On film
If I'm getting tickets, well, I just want to avoid those tickets, and I know it's contingent on my behavior, so I can avoid it.
he didn't start doing all the whining he didn't start doing he didn't bark he didn't charge he
didn't do anything he shouldn't so i'm allowing the choice to happen gotcha right so that's
choice then what you never end up with is a dog you can actually have some trust with you just
And so I'm not gonna give me any command.
I'm just gonna let him stand here.
Chunk
At Chunk's owner lesson the family are told how far the radius should be: their choice, but not glued to them. A dog kept right beside you all the time 'doesn't really have an opportunity to do the right thing', and when he gets one taste of freedom he will take it as licence rather than choose well. The radius is enforced by the collar when he goes too far, and the space inside it is where the right choice can happen.
On film
some space because if he's like glued to you all the time he doesn't really have an opportunity to
to you all the time and he gets one little taste of freedom do you think he's gonna be like yeah
i'm gonna do the right thing and not like push at all and no he's gonna be like freedom i can do
Sofia
On a walk past dogs, cyclists and families, Kelton narrates to camera in Spanish, the family's language. After a moment where Sofia chose badly ('ha escogido malo' - she chose wrong) and got the bad consequence, they are fine again, and he says that this is how she can learn 'lo que está prohibido' (what is forbidden) and 'lo que está aceptable' (what is acceptable). On a narrow bridge with three adults passing she does nothing and is not reactive.
On film
en este momento ella ha escogido malo, ha escogido malo ella y por eso yo le he dado
los consecuencias malas de esta mala decisión. Pero ahora estamos bien.
Bien hecho. Vamos, toma Sofía. Y por eso ella puede aprender lo que está prohibido y lo que
que está lo mejor hacer. Lo que está aceptable. Bien hecho. Aquí hay tres personas adultos
Astro
At an update walk the trainer tells Astro's owners not to lock the flexi when a dog passes: locking it pre-empts the moment, so Astro never makes a choice, and the restraint gives him something to pull into. Elsewhere he gives the reason the method works even with nervous dogs: once the wrong option is penalised and no longer available, the dog has to do something else, and that opens room to reinforce the good choices.
On film
preempt it and I lock it up and I put him in like obedience as a band-aid he never makes a choice there's no choice point that ever happens so he can't
if the if the wrong choice is no longer available well they are gonna have to do
Bandit
In his first in-program lesson with Bandit's owner, Kelton says he does not call heel when a reactive dog meets something on a walk: he looks for the choice point, lets the dog choose, penalises a bad choice and repeats. He widens what counts as acceptable: Bandit does not have to love strangers, and walking round to Kelton's other side to avoid them is 'totally fine'.
On film
yeah i don't say heal i just let them make a choice so what you're searching for is choice
to walk to the other side of me and avoid them yeah totally fine that's that's not off limits
Bernie
Proofing near a flock of chickens. The trainer lets Bernie get close and explains that the dog decides what to do next - sniff, ignore or try to eat them - and the reward or correction follows that decision. Because Bernie ran at them, he was recalled; a sniff would have been allowed.
On film
sniff them or they go and ignore them or they go eat them right so we let them decide and then
we either reward or we correct based on their decision so because he ran up to them
Drago
A short recall rep beside ducks. After the first recall the trainer says to let Drago make a choice before the next 'come', and that the e-collar is there to reinforce the recall if he chooses the ducks.
Fiona
The trainer ties the choice to the leash. Kept unlocked, Fiona will usually not react, and if she does it is 'a simple fix' because she was not pushed into it: she chose it, so it can be fairly penalised. In another lesson he says this is why he prefers a flexi to a six-foot lead: the dog makes the choice without pressure already on her collar.
On film
She did it of her own volition.
She made a choice that didn't make any sense.
because then you can let them make the choice they don't already have pressure on their collar
Hattie
At the first meeting with the family who would adopt her, the trainer explains why a corrected dog is not a fearful one: the penalised option becomes 'expensive', but the dog still has many lawful options and simply picks another that is just as fun. (The line just before is uncertain audio; the quoted line is not.)
On film
have those lawful options and so they're like well I'll just choose these other
Kalypso
On a walk the trainer keeps the lead unlocked so Kalypso can make good or bad choices and he can see which. At a later owner lesson he draws the line: she may look, even with a suspicious face, because she has only felt something; the consequence comes when she goes at or barks at someone.
On film
leash and make her do it good girl because i want to allow her to make choices so i can see if she
thing that you should be penalizing is the actual act of doing it so like if she looks
She hasn't done anything, right?
Max (Goldendoodle)
The trainer coaches the owner not to tighten Max up when a dog appears: do nothing unless he does something, because that is the choice point. If he charges, the leash is locked and the e-collar tapped with a 'come', because he made a bad choice.
On film
you do nothing unless he does something you're giving him a choice point so he's choosing how to react and you wait until he reacts a certain way you don't try to manage it ahead of time
Milo
Walking past a dog with Milo's owner, the trainer frames 'let's go' as the choice point: go with mom and get verbal praise, or keep pursuing the dog and meet the consequence.
On film
And then he has an opportunity to hit a choice point.
And the choice is, I can either go with mom
or I can keep trying to pursue the thing I'm interested in.
Murphy
The trainer describes his routine for leash-reactive dogs: a clear 'nope' with a real consequence, then lots of freedom on a 33-foot flexi so they can make choices, after which they stop barking and just look around. In a Short, Murphy is praised for 'a good choice' when another dog comes into view.
On film
of free this is a 33 foot long flexi leash um and then i give them lots of freedom to kind of go do what they're going to do and then i let them make choices all of a sudden they just don't care
There's another dog up that way. Oh, that's a good choice. Come on. Let's go
Oscar
At Oscar's go-home lesson the trainer appears to show a 'nope' and a light pop only after Oscar has had the chance to come on his own, and to call that giving a choice point first (this part of the lesson is uncertain audio). On clean audio he adds that dogs described as very reactive have surprised him once the leash was simply slack.
On film
where like I was like oh like they told me like hey this dog's super reactive and stuff like that
yeah but just by the very fact of me giving them the choice the choice like giving them the leash
Rocky
The trainer tells Rocky's owner he does not like pre-empting everything: he gives choice points and lets consequences follow. On a follow-up walk he shows it working - instead of locking the leash he lets Rocky choose, and Rocky looks at the dogs and turns away. Locking 'all the time', he warns, becomes a habit that prevents things that might never have happened.
On film
Instead, I give them choice points.
So I let him do the things he's going to do.
case he made great choices he walked up he looked he was like oh interesting and then he turned
Samson
During an off-leash radius exercise in a park, Samson spots a ball and people, and the trainer lets him look and make the choice: run off to it, or stay within a good distance.
On film
all right so now he's spotting the ball and people so i'm gonna let him look and make a choice right
Sputnik
Proofing near dogs at play, the trainer lets Sputnik loose so he can make a decision. He recalls straight away despite the excitement and is praised for 'a good decision'.
On film
Got some practice and proofing so I'm just gonna let him be free
That's a good decision, buddy. Good boy.
Whiskey
A dog passes while the trainer and Whiskey stand still. She does not bark, whine or lunge; she watches it go by. The trainer names it to camera: he gave her a choice point and she made a good choice.
On film
really good decisions there she didn't get crazy she didn't bark she didn't whine even though we
right so i gave her a choice point she made a good choice uh the only reason that i said
Why it works
Stated, in three parts. First, a consequence teaches about what it lands on. Put it on a command and the dog learns about commands. Put it on the behaviour and he learns about the behaviour. Hence the ordering rule, wrong choice first and recall second (Roxy watch 22:11). Hence also the account of the dog who obeys every command and still goes back, who from his side did nothing wrong (Roxy watch 21:52). Second, choosing is practised, not given. A dog who has always been pre-empted has never had to try (Bo watch 01:46). The analogy offered is the helicopter-parented child who goes off like a spring (Luna watch 06:12; Doja watch 04:38). Third, for nervous dogs, management blocks the prediction errors that would change how they feel (Sage watch 19:02). Lawful choices build confidence while the penalised actions go, which 'hits it from both ends' (Bun watch 22:29). Two handling requirements follow. The leash must be really loose at the moment of choice, or the dog did not choose (Zeus watch 35:59; Piglet watch 01:21). The choice point must arrive by itself and not be prompted, because saying his name first is management (Wiley watch 08:31). Inferred, not stated: why a consequence attached to a choice generalises better than one attached to a command is never explained, only assumed.
Where the trainers differ
Allow the choice, or deny the completion?
One view
Let him get it wrong and answer what he picked; let the dog decide before intervening.
On film
and that is that if he does make bad decisions one let him
because uh kind of like what we were talking about um a little bit ago is that in order for them to learn they have to have the opportunity to make the choice
Another view
Once a direct command is in play the choice is gone: ignoring it is disobedience, not a lawful choice, and after 'come' circling back is not allowed.
On film
so right there, like, I would not punish that. The reason that I would not punish that is that while she was sniffing, there was no, like, clear command.
circles right back around leaves because let's go would be fine you could do that that would be lawful for him to do
How to read it
Not resolved on film. The files treat the two as dividing at the command: no command, the choice is the dog's; a command given, the choice is whether to obey it. Whether a behaviour should ever be prevented rather than answered (deny the completion) is set out under must-make-the-bad-choice.
Who gets the credit for a good choice: the dog, or the handler's quiet pre-emption?
One view
The dog chose, and the handler did nothing.
On film
did nothing. He just was like, okay, whatever.
I didn't have to do anything.
Another view
In at least one cited success the handler says he pre-empted the urge himself.
On film
You can see they can walk right by him and uh he'll chill out.
How to read it
It matters because the concept's evidence is mostly the handler's inaction, and Wiley's trainer treats even saying the name first as management.
Does the old page's framing still stand?
One view
The existing page: choice points, and the cost of not having them.
On film
choices you got to have those chose points if you want to teach about chose points
How to read it
The choice-point wording is the most repeated form across dogs; the control/obedience distinction is the clearest single statement.
Common owner mistakes
- Pre-empting: shortening the leash, saying his name or cueing something else before he has had the chance to decide.
On film
only get there with your dog if you practice that if you don't practice that uh them being in that window on a regular basis they won't make the right choices
Bo · Watch at 1:46 ↗ problem there which is fine most of the time but it's management right
Wiley · Watch at 8:31 ↗ - Using obedience (place at the door, a sit at every dog) to prevent what the dog should learn to choose.
On film
it's a bandaid you put them in a work window and you make them stay in place it works but is it
Lucy · Watch at 12:36 ↗ - Recalling instead of correcting, so the dog learns a recall happened, not that the thing was the problem.
On film
instead of saying come first is because I want them to think that running over to that dog is bad.
Roxy · Watch at 22:11 ↗ - Answering every problem with another command, then getting angry.
On film
they want to do and you just gave them another command and then by the end of that you're like dude stop
Roxy · Watch at 22:09 ↗ - Punishing the dog for looking, or for hackles.
On film
yeah i don't like that whole thing where a lot of trainers will they'll they'll preempt it they'll punish the dog for looking at another dog it doesn't help
Peque (PK) · Watch at 19:56 ↗ alone right he didn't do anything he did nothing he did zero things and that is acceptable
Reaper · Watch at 56:03 ↗ - Holding a nervous dog at your side, so she has no options.
On film
can't they can't move around they can't make choices because you're taking away options
Josephine · Watch at 7:15 ↗ - Turning around or crossing away every time a dog appears, so the dog never has to make the choice at all.
On film
of like um preventing this it's management it's preventing the scenario from ever happening
Reaper · Watch at 11:17 ↗ so that he never has to make the choice right if it's a tight space
Reaper · Watch at 11:22 ↗
Questions owners ask
My dog knows all his commands. Why does he still do it?
Because the consequence has been landing on the command, not on the behaviour. Roxy's trainer puts it from the dog's side: he followed every command, was released and went back to the thing, so in his mind he did everything you asked. Put the consequence on the choice itself.
On film
They followed every command, but they end up going back to the thing that was the reason you gave them the command in the first place.
What is a choice point?
A moment where your dog can do the wrong thing and gets to decide. 'Not like gold stars', as Doja's trainer puts it, but a juncture: a dog passing, a cat, a runner, a squirrel, met on a loose leash with nothing said. Kelton's version: find them, allow the choice, then reward or penalise.
On film
that that's uh called it's called choice points right okay um uh and by points i don't mean like
sweet that was cool right yeah but giving them the freedom to make that choice I call them choice points right
Should I correct my dog for staring at another dog?
No. Looking is lawful, and so are hackles and walking away. What gets answered is the lunge or the charge. 'Looking that's not a sin'; the pop comes 'when she chooses' the lunge over 'let's go'. At Beo's first owner lesson Kelton applies it live (30 Sep material): Beo fixated but did not whine, bark or charge, so nothing was done - 'i'm allowing the choice to happen'.
On film
and again looking that's not a sin right that's a lawful thing to do he can look
her hair is like but then that's when you use the let's go and if she's choosing to lunge that's when you punish her
didn't do anything he shouldn't so i'm allowing the choice to happen gotcha right so that's
Isn't it safer to just keep him close and in a heel?
It is control, and the trainers say it is not obedience. It is a band-aid that works as long as you hold on, and it means you never learn what he would do. Lucy's evaluator: 'don't prevent it let it happen', with a way to obligate him if he chooses wrong. Chunk's trainer gives the family the reason in one line (30 Sep material): a dog glued to you all the time 'doesn't really have an opportunity to do the right thing', and when he finally gets some freedom he will treat it as licence. Kelton (Reaper's trainer) adds that even turning the other way when a dog appears is management that stops the choice from ever happening.
On film
managing the behavior they're like oh let me prevent that uh don't prevent it let it happen
But if they're never given that opportunity...
some space because if he's like glued to you all the time he doesn't really have an opportunity to
of like um preventing this it's management it's preventing the scenario from ever happening
Will my dog stop wanting to chase the cat?
Maybe not, and the trainers don't promise it. Piglet's trainer says she is 'still very interested' and would like to eat the cat. What changed is her choice: she walks away, and that is 'a lawful choice'.
On film
although she's still very interested she doesn't want to snuggle with willow she wants to eat willow but she's making better choices
The lesson
The goal
Replace managing and commanding with choice points: the dog decides, lawful choices are left alone, the unlawful act is answered.
Learn first
- Restraint manufactures the reaction
- 'Let's go' is not 'Come' - and the recall has an ending
- He has to be allowed to get it wrong
See it done
- Bo: Loose leash, handler silent, dog decides. Watch at 1:22 ↗
- Piglet: Slack line with a cat; avoidance accepted as lawful. Watch at 1:21 ↗
- Peque (PK): 'Let's go' offered as the choice; the pop answers the lunge. Watch at 11:03 ↗
The drill
As run with Bo, Zeus, Josephine and Peque. Walk somewhere triggers will appear on their own, on a long retractable left unlocked. Do not stage the trigger and do not say the dog's name in advance. When one appears, stay quiet and let him look. If he looks, moves away, sniffs or walks on, that is lawful: praise quietly or say nothing, and give freedom back. If he goes for it, answer the act (verbal marker, then the agreed consequence), marking the wrong choice before any recall. If you do give 'let's go' and he circles back, that is allowed; after 'come' it is not. Repeat across many walks.
Watch out for
- Tightening the leash or saying his name before he has decided.
- Punishing looking or hackles.
- Recalling instead of marking the wrong choice.
- Staging triggers.
- Using place or heel as a permanent substitute for choosing.
Check yourself
On your last walk, how many times did your dog meet a trigger on a loose leash with nothing said, and what did he choose?