The answer
On film the trainers draw the line in plain words. Management means arranging the situation: a crate, a closed door, a gate, food put away, a dog kept in commands. Training means the dog learns to do something different. One trainer tells a three-dog household that management is "constant", like catching a toddler every time before he wets himself: "you can live that way it's just exhausting." Kelton tells Murphy's family the same thing at go-home: "management solutions never go away you do it forever."
So the trainers' default is training, and management has to earn its place. Across the twelve dogs first read for this page, it earns it in four kinds of situation.
The first is when nobody is there to correct the dog. Dolce's trainer, chatting with a stranger in a park, says owners ask him how to stop dogs chewing things up while they are out, and he tells them to use a crate. Supervised, it is "easy"; unsupervised, it is "just management", because training it out would take more punishment than he is willing to use.
The second is when the thing is not the dog's to fix. Poseidon's trainer tells the family he cannot train Poseidon to be okay with a child poking him, and that he should not be okay with it. So the child side is managed: most dogs, and especially a bully-type dog with a bite history, are never left alone with a child. The dog side gets training, a recall or another behaviour to do instead. Lola's handler gives a child the same rule: no kissing a dog's face, however well you think you know the dog. He says Lola probably never would, but it is "a chance" nobody needs to take.
The third is when it is cheap and unobtrusive. Kelton tells Murphy's family that closing a bedroom door is not invasive, while shuttling dogs through gates like "a prison guard" is. Sputnik's trainer calls food "an easy win" for management. Louie's new handler puts the food away at the first meeting so there is nothing to fight over.
The fourth is when the dog's routine, not the dog, is the problem. Connor says Stormie tripping him will probably fade once she gets more work and exercise at home. Thumper's trainer links his chewing and jumping to long days in a crate and suggests an outdoor place instead.
Where the trainers refuse management as the answer is a problem between dogs in the same house. At Sputnik's go-home the trainer (probably Kelton) tells the family that keeping the dogs apart with sit, down and the place cot all day would be "a band-aid". The fix they sell is behaviour change: one clear consequence for the dog who starts it, so the dogs can be loose together. They do not make a family give up its separation first, though. Sofia's family keep their two dogs apart in shifts - one inside, one outside, half a day each - because, the family said, the two fight when the father is out at work. Kelton, teaching in Spanish, tells them that if it is working, switching which dog uses the space is fine ("no es malo", it isn't bad); the goal he adds is supervision, so the two can be together without fighting, with Sofia punished when she starts to go at the other dog, not when she is only looking.
What is inferred rather than said: the trainers seem to decide with two questions. Can the dog be corrected at the moment it happens? And is it fair to ask the dog to change? If either answer is no, they manage. Nobody on film states that rule in one sentence.
A wider reading of the session record adds fourteen dogs from their session notes, and it widens what counts as management. On film the trainers file obedience used to prevent a problem under management too, not only crates, doors and gates: a place command at the door is a band-aid (Lucy), so is a dog parked on place to keep him calm (Bun), saying the dog's name before he reacts (Wiley), locking the leash (Rocky), or pulling the dog off the cat or away from the problem (Drago, Thor). Oscar's go-home puts the definition in one line: training is getting the dog to behave a certain way without having to use obedience. Bernie's gives the cost: managing means the dog never gets to make the choice. The pass also shows a fifth case where management stays: the risk left after training works. Samson's trainer says the training changed his behaviour and helped a lot, but he is still a serious dog and needs to be managed still. Rocky the Rottweiler's trainer feeds his own dogs bones apart just for safety, while training the possessiveness itself.
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What to do
Sort each problem before you work on it. If it only happens when you are away, if it is a reflex like noise panic, or if it is something your dog should not have to put up with, manage it and make the management easy to live with: a crate while you are out (Dolce's trainer), no child left alone with the dog (Poseidon), food put away (Louie, Sputnik), no dog parks with unknown dogs (Astro). If you can be there when it happens, ask for a training solution, because management you have to keep up forever (Kelton, Murphy).
What the trainers say
Management is, well, I can manage the situation, meaning I can kind of change it if it happens.
So that's temporary and management is constant, right?
to stop doing a behavior you don't want them to do so what this solution is is behavioral change not just behavioral management
a band-aid would look like for this a band-aid for this would be to use obedience only to fix it
of times, um, there are problems within like the house, like living stuff that don't have
it's not invasive to close the bedroom door right um whereas like there's other like
better right because management solutions never go away you do it forever isn't that great yeah
something that's like not a training thing it's just management because like you can't train them to like like i mean you could but i don't want to do i wouldn't want to do it because i think I don't want to punish them that much.
like, doing it while they're supervised, that's easy.
that's more of a management thing just like don't because you i can't train him to be like okay with
set them up for success and then but that doesn't mean you have to like treat them like a prisoner
You don't need to take it with any dog. As a general rule, unless you know the dog very well,
I feel mean that I have to keep giving Lola commands, so that she doesn't end up bumping into her cheeks.
Food away. I don't want conflict over the food.
manage the environment right because we can only control two things we can control uh uh training
like erwin was going to tear him up man can't be doing that some nonsense but you got to step in
si está funcionando que pueden switchar y cambiarlos quien está usando el espacio está bien eso es no es malo
if it is working, that you can switch them and change which one is using the space, that's fine - that's it, it isn't bad
creo que está una buena educación si pueden ver como supervisar cuando están aquí que pueden estar juntos sin pelear
I think it's good education if you can see how to supervise when they're here, so that they can be together without fighting
cuando están como afuera de la casa en el parque también necesitan hacerlo allá es castigarlo cuando ello muestra esto cuando cuando quiere hacer algo no antes si están mirando no hay nada pero si empieza a ir castigarlo
when they're outside the house, in the park, they need to do it there too: it's punishing it when she shows this, when she wants to do something - not before; if they're looking there's nothing, but if she starts to go, punish it
between like management and training right management is you like build your life in such a way that you're kind of like managing the problem so it doesn't occur but like it's a lot of work for you
to make them do something to prevent it that's management right you're using obedience to manage
typically people's uh reaction is they just kind of like grab him and like make him stop but the dog's still like in that same head space so they never get punished they just get pulled away so it's just management right
Managing is for, like, if the dog has a behavioral problem, then, yeah, you might have to manage some of their life.
How it looks, dog by dog
Sputnik
A three-dog household where Sputnik pushes Bear around. He offers the family the choice between loose dogs and a problem fixed fast when it happens, or constantly telling dogs to sit, down and go to the cot. At a later home visit, another trainer spells out the distinction with a toddler analogy and names what they are avoiding: shuttling dogs through gates and crates, 'managing a jailhouse'. He keeps management for two things: food, where it is an easy win, and reflexive problems like noise sensitivity, which are not behaviours a dog does for a reason.
On film
a band-aid would look like for this a band-aid for this would be to use obedience only to fix it
that in a way that will not be uh managing a jailhouse because that's that's the that's a
right yeah so um the only thing that i ever recommend like that particular thing as like just
it's not exactly operant it's not a behavior that like oh i'm doing this behavior for this reason
Murphy
At Murphy's go-home, Kelton praises the family for taking earlier management advice. Some household problems have no good training solution but an easy management one, and the question is how invasive it is: a closed bedroom door is fine, turning yourself into a prison guard is not. For Murphy guarding Wiley, though, he hands over a training solution and says why that is better: management never goes away. He ties this to his own life, when dogs ran his days.
On film
of times, um, there are problems within like the house, like living stuff that don't have
it's not invasive to close the bedroom door right um whereas like there's other like
better right because management solutions never go away you do it forever isn't that great yeah
Dolce
Dolce is not the subject here. Her trainer is talking to a passer-by in a park while Dolce holds a down. Asked in consultations how to stop dogs chewing things up when left out, he says he tells people to crate them. It is not a training thing: he could train it, but would not want to punish a dog that much, and the dog would be just as happy asleep while the owner is out. Correcting it while supervised is easy; nobody can correct a dog who is alone.
On film
A lot of times when I'm doing a consultation or evaluation or something like that, they're like, hey, if I leave my dogs out, unsupervised, they chew stuff up. how i fix that i'm like put him in a crate or something
Like, they'd be just as happy just to sleep for a little while while you're gone, and then you come back
like, doing it while they're supervised, that's easy.
Poseidon
The family said Poseidon does not like their young child's handling and has warned the child off. The trainer calls the dog's side fair and splits the problem in two. The child side is management: he cannot train Poseidon to be okay with being poked, and he should not be okay with it. Most dogs, and especially a bully-type dog with a bite history, are never left unattended with a child. The dog side gets training: a recall, or something else to do. He adds that setting people and dogs up for success does not mean treating the dog like a prisoner.
On film
that's more of a management thing just like don't because you i can't train him to be like okay with
like i can train like okay where you could like recall him or get him to do something else exactly
like uh most dogs should never be like left unattended with a child no yeah right um especially
set them up for success and then but that doesn't mean you have to like treat them like a prisoner
Lola
Lola holds commands in a room full of children while the adults do other things. A child asks to kiss her and is told no, with the reason: every dog has a limit, and nobody wants to find this one's with a child's face. The handler says Lola probably never would, and that the rule applies to any dog you do not know very well. The child also has to stay put until Lola is released. Later the handler admits it feels mean to keep giving Lola commands only so she does not bump into the children, and does it anyway.
On film
I'm not going to lie. There's going to come a point where Lola can't take it anymore. And I would really hate for that point to be your case. I'm not saying Lola ever would. Lola probably never would. But that's just a chance. You don't need to take it with any dog.
You were doing really great. But the thing is you have to stay there until we let Lola leave. Stay there!
I feel mean that I have to keep giving Lola commands, so that she doesn't end up bumping into her cheeks.
Louie
The first seconds of a handler's first meeting with Louie: the food goes away so there is nothing to have a conflict over. Nothing is tested or corrected. While the relationship is new, the flashpoint is simply removed.
On film
Food away. I don't want conflict over the food.
Stormie
Stormie, a puppy, keeps crossing in front of Connor and tripping him. He does not correct it. He predicts it will go away once she is getting more than a session or two a day and her exercise at home. He reads it as a puppy who wants to be close and has too little to do, not as disobedience. On another day a staff member parks Fiona on the place cot while she sweeps and mops. The finished behaviour does household work.
On film
i think maybe when she has because the thing is i manage like a few dogs a day right so when she has like more than a session or two a day and she has like her exercises she has when she goes home she probably won't have this to step over like right in front of me thing
hello i figured um i'd record while i am cleaning um i have fiona on the place cot right now um
Thumper
At go-home, the owner says Thumper is crated about ten hours on workdays and has chewed furniture. The trainer links the jumping and chewing to that: he comes out of the crate wanting to destroy everything. He describes Thumper's day in the program, mostly outside in a run with a turf patch, and suggests an outdoor place during the day. The answer offered is a change of routine and exercise, not a command.
On film
the the the desire to want to jump and chew things it's just because he might be just in the crate
him again and come and and get him in the car and stuff like that um so that's why I was suggesting
Astro
Astro has a history of fighting with dogs. At his update meeting the trainer says an owner controls only two things, the training and the environment, and manages the environment: no dog parks with unknown dogs. He calls it defensive dog handling, like defensive driving: you cannot count on other people. At the next visit he turns it into a procedure for a dog that rushes in: step between, put Astro in a sit behind you, drive the other dog off, and never run, because a chase makes everything more intense.
On film
manage the environment right because we can only control two things we can control uh uh training
like defensive dog handling so to speak um when you know your dog has that potential uh then it's
chase fight and you don't want to chase fight got it um it's always more intense if the dog
Irwin
Kelton is walking Irwin, who is not safe with strange dogs, when an off-leash dog comes up. Kelton blocks it and tells its owners plainly that their dog is friendly and Irwin is not. Afterwards he tells the camera the handler has to step in, and he reroutes the rest of the walk to avoid that dog. Management here is the handler's body and route, not a crate.
On film
You're a dog friendly, but he's not I'm not I'm not being mean. I just don't want a dog fight. We're good
like erwin was going to tear him up man can't be doing that some nonsense but you got to step in
Let's go this way. We'll walk back around along the road, bud. I don't want to run into that dog
Roxy
At the second owner lesson the trainer arranges the house so Roxy cannot finish the unwanted behaviour. At the door she is put in a down set back from the door, not in front of it. If she goes to get up, the door can be closed on her before she makes it through. For the morning sprint from crate to door, she makes no progress until she moves slowly. He says a gate that closes every time is clearer to a dog than a correction she does not understand, because it denies access every time. This is management used as a teaching method, not in place of one.
On film
Cuz if they're right there, you have no recourse. If the door opens and they you can't like put them back. They were already gone. But if you put them in a down a little bit away from the door, you can close on them, right? Um they're they're not going to make it through. So they don't get to complete the behavior, right? And you can watch their body language if they go to get up.
if you want it to stick quickly, um it's better to like not let her practice it. So if she goes to do it and then you tap the econ just kind of like goals, not know like what you want because there's no desired behavior that she understands. Um, which is why like the gate thing where you close it is really clear and easy to the dog because like access is denied every time they go to do it.
Sofia
Sofia's second in-program lesson is at the family's home, in Spanish. The family describe their arrangement: the wife rotates the two dogs half a day each, one inside and one outside, because, the family said, the two fight when the father is not there. Kelton does not tell them to stop. If it is working, switching which dog uses the space is fine - 'no es malo', it isn't bad. What he adds is the training goal: supervision, so that the two can be together without fighting. And he gives the rule that goes with it, at home and in the park: punish her when she starts to go at the other dog, not before, and not for looking. Here management is the arrangement for when nobody can answer the dog, and the training is aimed at the times when somebody can.
On film
si está funcionando que pueden switchar y cambiarlos quien está usando el espacio está bien eso es no es malo
creo que está una buena educación si pueden ver como supervisar cuando están aquí que pueden estar juntos sin pelear
cuando están como afuera de la casa en el parque también necesitan hacerlo allá es castigarlo cuando ello muestra esto cuando cuando quiere hacer algo no antes si están mirando no hay nada pero si empieza a ir castigarlo
Akira
At the evaluation the trainer says what owners ask for after watching videos - a better place command to park the dog - is not what they really want. They want the dog free in the house without doing anything dumb, and what that takes is a strong conditioned punisher, which Akira already has.
On film
but um she's really good at that but what what people really actually would love is it is like like have their dog free in the house while they're there and not worry about them doing anything dumb
right um so what you really need for that is um something she has already which you've already seen me do it is a strong what's called a condition punisher
Bernie
The go-home gives the cleanest definition on film. Shooing Bernie away from the table means he never gets to make the choice, because you managed it; management is building your life so the problem does not occur, and it is constant work. Training is letting him try it and then punishing it, or rewarding it when you are teaching.
On film
between like management and training right management is you like build your life in such a way that you're kind of like managing the problem so it doesn't occur but like it's a lot of work for you
training is where you like let him try it he goes to do it and And then you punish it.
Bun
The trainer files the common online advice under management: putting a dog on place so he is calm and not bothering anybody is okay to do, but it is just management, not training. What he teaches instead is the calm-liberty window.
On film
do is oh well put him on place that way he's not bothering anybody and he's but he's still there and he's calm on the place that is okay to do as but it's just management it's not actually training
Drago
At the go-home the owner's instinct with Drago pestering the cat - telling him to get off her - is called not entirely wrong but a management solution: it solves the issue for that moment and does not change him.
Fiona
Asked about jumping on some people but not others, the trainer gives the owner the choice: ban it, which trains it, or allow it selectively and be stuck managing it with commands.
On film
to that question is like well you can either ban it but if you don't want to ban it then you can just manage it
yeah you you're kind of stuck managing it then but you can use commands for it
Kali
At the household's first owner lesson the trainer says the result people want is not micromanaging the dog.
On film
the result people actually want is not manage the dog micromanage with either something like that or
Lucy
At the evaluation Kelton gives the two usual answers to a dog rushing the door. Putting her on place works, but it is a band-aid. The ideal people rarely think they can have is a dog who does not rush the door without being told anything. Using obedience to prevent it is management.
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 actually the ideal that you'd want no not really
to make them do something to prevent it that's management right you're using obedience to manage
Oscar
The go-home splits the door problem into two maintained training fixes and one management fix, and defines the difference: training gets the dog to behave a certain way without having to use obedience, and management is the household rotating reactive dogs like a prison system.
On film
Two of them are training things that we've already done for you and that you'll just have to maintain.
i i think of it more as you're training them to behave a certain way without having to use obedience
Pepper
At the first in-program owner lesson the trainer states the default: he does not like managing dogs if he does not have to. Management is for a dog with a behaviour problem, and otherwise it is like restricting a child's life so that he never learns.
On film
Yeah, I don't like managing the dogs very much if I don't have to, right?
Managing is for, like, if the dog has a behavioral problem, then, yeah, you might have to manage some of their life.
Rocky
At an in-program lesson the trainer points to his own management on the walk: with the setup wrong, he locked the leash when Rocky went to jump on a passing child, and Rocky learned nothing about the act. The training answer would have been to let him try and pop the leash with an ah. In another session he says place is not just a management technique in the house; it is also authority, settling on request and impulse control.
On film
um but that was a management thing all i did was just lock the leash okay and then he hit the end
decisions so that you don't have to constantly manage the dogs. But place isn't just a management technique for in the house
Rocky (the Rottweiler)
At a private lesson the trainer separates the two halves of a resource problem: bones are high-value and he gives his own dogs bones in separate areas just for safety (management), but Rocky's possessiveness around the other dogs is something he would want to correct.
On film
stuff that's really normal because that's a high value item right um like when I give my dogs bones I typically give them bones in separate areas you know stuff like that just for safety
For the other dogs, I would want to correct that some.
Samson
Management that remains after training works: at the go-home Kelton says the training changed Samson's behaviour and helped a lot, but he is still a serious dog that random people should not play around with, so he needs to be managed still.
On film
But he still is a dog, he's still a serious dog
He needs to be managed still.
Thor
At the go-home Kelton tells the owner that grabbing a dog and pulling him off is just management: the dog is still in the same headspace and is never actually punished. What is wanted instead is training - a penalty clear enough that the dog has plainly been punished, with or without a tool.
On film
typically people's uh reaction is they just kind of like grab him and like make him stop but the dog's still like in that same head space so they never get punished they just get pulled away so it's just management right
Wiley
The handler catches himself: saying Wiley's name as he ramped up at a passing dog avoided the problem, which is fine most of the time, but it is management - he wanted Wiley to make the good choice on his own, and will wait for the next choice point.
On film
that i hadn't said anything it's kind of instinctual because i could easily avoid the 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
Why it works
As the trainers explain it: management changes the situation and has to be repeated forever, while training changes the dog and eventually stops needing the handler (Sputnik's home visit; Kelton at Murphy's go-home). A correction only teaches if someone is there to deliver it at the moment, so behaviour that happens when the dog is alone cannot be trained without disproportionate punishment (Dolce's trainer). A reflex such as noise sensitivity is not an operant behaviour, so there is no consequence to change it with; the trainer can build resilience but ultimately manages it (Sputnik). Some things the dog should not be trained to accept, such as a child poking him, so the people are managed and the dog is given an alternative (Poseidon). Where management is part of teaching, it works because it is consistent: a gate denies access every time, which the dog reads more clearly than a correction he does not understand (Roxy).
On film
So that's temporary and management is constant, right?
like, doing it while they're supervised, that's easy.
it's not exactly operant it's not a behavior that like oh i'm doing this behavior for this reason
if you want it to stick quickly, um it's better to like not let her practice it. So if she goes to do it and then you tap the econ just kind of like goals, not know like what you want because there's no desired behavior that she understands. Um, which is why like the gate thing where you close it is really clear and easy to the dog because like access is denied every time they go to do it.
Inferred
The link between Stormie's and Thumper's routines and their behaviour is the trainers' prediction, not a measured outcome.
Where the trainers differ
Remove the flashpoint, or let the dog make the bad choice
One view
Take the trigger away while the relationship is new
On film
Food away. I don't want conflict over the food.
Another view
Wait for the behaviour to happen so it can be answered once, clearly
On film
to stop doing a behavior you don't want them to do so what this solution is is behavioral change not just behavioral management
How to read it
Louie's handler removes food at a first meeting. The difference on film is timing and readiness: a first meeting, against a dog the trainer knows and can answer.
Common owner mistakes
- Asking training to fix what happens when nobody is home. Owners ask how to stop a dog chewing things while they are out; the trainer's answer is a crate, not a command.
On film
A lot of times when I'm doing a consultation or evaluation or something like that, they're like, hey, if I leave my dogs out, unsupervised, they chew stuff up. how i fix that i'm like put him in a crate or something
Watch at 14:17 ↗ - Long crating followed by an explosion of energy, then treating the chewing and jumping as disobedience.
On film
the the the desire to want to jump and chew things it's just because he might be just in the crate
Watch at 6:56 ↗ - Living as a prison guard: shuttling dogs through gates and crates as the permanent arrangement rather than as a precaution while away.
On film
with clients like that where it's like hey like they open this gate and they make sure the dog's
Watch at 14:51 ↗ situations where like a management solution would be like like making yourself into a prison guard
Watch at 14:10 ↗ - Leaving a child and a dog with a bite history together, even briefly.
On film
So, and you have one with a bite history, so then that's even, like, more of a no-no, right?
Watch at 10:27 ↗ - Taking a dog who is not safe with strange dogs to a dog park with dogs you do not know.
On film
yeah but we can manage whether or not he's in a dog park as an example yeah I
Watch at 6:20 ↗
Questions owners ask
Is managing a problem the same as giving up on training?
No, but the trainers treat it as a cost. Kelton tells Murphy's family that management never goes away and you do it forever, which is why he prefers a training solution where there is one. Where there is not, because the dog is alone, the problem is a reflex, or the dog should not be asked to accept something, management is the honest answer and the trainers say so.
On film
better right because management solutions never go away you do it forever isn't that great yeah
behavior that's fine like you a lot of people live their whole lives with their dogs just
My dog chews things when I leave. Can training fix that?
Dolce's trainer says he could train it, but would not, because it would take more punishment than he thinks is fair. Correcting it while you are there is easy; while you are gone it is a management problem, and his answer is a crate. He adds that the dog would be just as happy asleep while you are out.
On film
something that's like not a training thing it's just management because like you can't train them to like like i mean you could but i don't want to do i wouldn't want to do it because i think I don't want to punish them that much.
Like, they'd be just as happy just to sleep for a little while while you're gone, and then you come back
Can you train my dog to tolerate my child climbing on him?
Poseidon's trainer says no, and that the dog should not have to. He manages the child side (never leave them unattended, stop it before the dog has to warn) and trains the dog side: a recall, or something else to do.
On film
people poking him no he shouldn't be okay yeah like that's not what he wants but um but you know
like i can train like okay where you could like recall him or get him to do something else exactly
My dogs fight. Should I just keep them separated?
As a precaution while you are out, the trainers do it themselves. As the permanent arrangement, they call it managing a jailhouse. For Sputnik's household the solution sold is behaviour change, so the dogs can be loose together, with management kept for food. Separation already in place is not something they make a family drop first: Sofia's family were told their half-day rotation is fine if it is working ('no es malo', it isn't bad), while the training aims at the two dogs being together under supervision.
On film
in and out of different places in the house and they're not allowed to be together and we do that
because it can be really easy it's like an easy win is with like food stuff because food is hard
si está funcionando que pueden switchar y cambiarlos quien está usando el espacio está bien eso es no es malo
creo que está una buena educación si pueden ver como supervisar cuando están aquí que pueden estar juntos sin pelear
The lesson
The goal
The owner can sort a household problem into one to manage and one to train, and knows why the trainers default to training.
Learn first
The drill
As run at Sputnik's go-home, the trainer puts the choice to the owners out loud: dogs loose in the house with a problem fixed right away when it happens, or constant sit, down and cot to keep them apart. Then he builds the plan from their answer. At Poseidon's go-home the same move splits a single problem (dog and child) into a management rule and a trainable alternative.
Watch out for
- Treating a behaviour that only happens when the dog is alone as a training failure.
- Making management permanent where a training solution exists.
- Asking a dog to tolerate what he should not have to, instead of managing the people.
Check yourself
If you stopped doing this arrangement tomorrow, would the problem come back? If yes, is there a moment when you could be there to answer it?