The answer
On film the trainers count repetitions the other way from most owners. The goal is not a number of sits. It is one good one, and then stopping.
Bo's trainer, teaching a down without food: "If I can get one nice rep, then I'll be able to let him go." He says one smooth rep, followed by a release the dog badly wants, is what teaches the position, because the dog works out that complying quickly is the cheap way to the fun. He turns it into a test of himself: "how few reps can you get away with?" Louie's trainer sets one rep as the whole target for a session: "does he know the word it's the question i want to get one rep in where he knows." In the park he says that after a hard minute-long down he may wait four or five minutes, and "it might be the only down rep i do because i want that one rep to be as effective as possible."
Two reasons come up. The first is that the last rep is the one the dog keeps. Kodak's trainer packs him up the instant he holds the heel through a hard turn: "i want to end on that really really high note." He does not test it a second time. Bullet's handler opens his last block by saying he "just wanted to get one good" turn, and when it comes he stops and celebrates.
The second is that a hard rep is not over when the dog does it. Louie's trainer says that if you go straight back to it, "he's going to be still in the first rep psychologically... So he never reset to baseline. And so then it's like that rep never ended." Baxter's trainer waits ten minutes or more after a stressful first down. Madam's senior trainer tells a junior to take longer between reps and get her "super happy again" when she looks suppressed.
King's trainer puts the budget in numbers. Get the 20 percent of the session that makes 80 percent of the difference, then "quit go home". Ten minutes of real energy (a few sits and downs, a lot of ball, some rest) beats thirty minutes of twenty of each.
There is a floor under the rule: the session never ends on a skipped command. Stormi's trainer, cutting a hot session short, insists on one more sit first, because ending when she has learned she does not have to sit is "how you erase progress rather rapidly." Chunk's trainer never ends on pressure. He finishes with an easy sit and a release so the dog's last memory is a good one. Kelton, working Sofia in Spanish, will not end while she is not content and relaxed.
The 30 Sep footage carries the rule out of obedience and into play and bite work, and puts the reason in the trainers' own words. On two arrival days the same trainer ends a tug set the moment the dog first pulls back harder - 'so we're going to end it there' - and says why: 'hopefully what happens next time she comes out she remembers that' (Muna), and she 'should just hopefully be a little more competitive right away' (Tesla). In protection work a block is put away when the returns fall off - 'we'll just do one next time' (Bandit) - and a decoy session closes on a good out with 'keep her wanting more' (Dolce). In obedience, an apprehensive heel entry is stopped at the first right position with 'a big win right away' (Bandit), and a two- or three-second heel is accepted as 'all we really need' before heel is left alone for the rest of the stretch (Mazi). The floor holds too. At Chunk's go-home the trainer coaches the owner that after a couple of failed attempts the next rep should be short and sure, and released, because 'if you fail something five times and you succeed once you're gonna remember your five failures'; Stormi, hot again, gets one more sit before the session is called.
A wider reading of the session record adds thirteen dogs and makes the habit audible in more voices. The stop is often announced before the rep, as an exit condition: if Bun gives a verbal-only down, 'then that's it, we're ending'; with Beo, whichever rep he gets it on next, 'i'm going to quit'. Rocky's trainer puts the temptation as a question to the camera - 'Do I go for more?' - and answers it: 'Slow is fast.' 'Do less, right?' Drago's trainer makes the same point from the other side: after one hard sit, he asks the viewer to count from that moment (the audio is unclear, but apparently the commands given since), because piling 30 more commands on would leave the lesson no time to be retained. The good rep is paid with an ending (Kali: 'that was exactly what i wanted we're going to end on that note'; Max the Goldendoodle: a moment of clarity, then inside to play), and the reason given most often is the one Titan's handler says aloud - more pressure would risk 'putting the work backwards'.
What is inferred: the trainers do not agree on whether to try one more after the good rep. Kodak's trainer at one point does "one more and that's it", and Sofia's session ends with one more attempt after the good one. The rule is stated firmly, and applied with some give.
Angier K9 is a family-owned, play-based Board & Train serving Angier, Raleigh and the Triangle, with three full owner lessons.
What to do
Decide before you start what one good rep looks like. When you get it, release the dog to something he wants and stop, or give him several minutes off before the next one. Keep sessions short and lively. Never end on a command he skipped: get one easy, successful rep and finish with him having a good time.
What the trainers say
We don't want that. I want him to go smoothly there from standing. If I can get one nice rep, then I'll be able to let him go.
you're having a lot of fun with your dog and they they're happy to comply because the uh criteria for success is super clear
one of the tests here, it's like, look, how, how few reps can you get away with?
does he know the word it's the question i want to get one rep in where he knows
so it might be four or five minutes before i try to get him to do a down again or longer it might be the only down rep i do because i want that one rep to be as effective as possible
there's no um there's no real relief from the pressure the pressure just continues because you're drilling over and over and over again
we're going to pack him up because i want to end on that really really high note
I think my guy Kodak's about done because he keeps leaving his ball out there now, which he was not doing before.
is to do the minimum effective dose for every session
In that short 10 minute period, if you do two reps of sit, three reps of down, two reps of pump, some outs, a whole bunch of ball, and some rest, You'll get more done in that than if you do 30 minutes and you do like 20 of each.
do another one now, in the early learning stage, I'm gonna wait, like, I might not do anything else
take a little longer get her into a great mindset super happy again
i never like to end it on like a pressure pressure like pressure type thing i always want it to end on the dog having a really good time
that is not how i would want to end the session at all it's a bad idea and honestly that's how you erase progress rather rapidly
en esta nota porque no se siente bien, no está contenta, no está relajado. Es muy importante que se termine con una buena nota.
you know for the most part she's doing good let's end on a high note duchess sit
so so we're going to end it there she's sniffing around now and then and then hopefully what happens next time she comes out she remembers that
So we're going to end it there, and then when we come back out again for the next round, I want a little more, she should just hopefully be a little more competitive right away
yeah you get a little bit less so we'll put it away and we'll do we'll just do one next time
He got into the right position and then I'm just gonna give him a big win right away.
come on good girl dulce let's go keep her wanting more
So, I got about like a two, three second heel out of him, but that's all we really need.
there we go and then from what i would do here is he's had like a couple like failed attempts so make it a shorter rep where it's like a positive where it's like uh it went well this time that way you don't build like a negative association
maybe i'm a little hot so we'll do one more uh we'll do a sit and then we'll call it a session
think where we are is really good um so i am going to let him go outside i'm going to let him run
we get it on i'm probably going to end it here right i'm going to quit um and and call that good
or without any, if he gives me a verbal only down,
then that's it, we're ending.
Dory, down, I'll accept it because it's good enough.
That happened way over on the other side of the park now and I want you to count
it. Drago, down. I could have gotten a clean rep. Down. Down. Now he's confused. That was dumb,
Good girl. I did not try to get her to stay or anything like that because I was very happy with that
I'm gonna end it where we're gonna have a good time together we're gonna we're
that is it because that was exactly what i wanted we're going to end on that note
go and put them up we got a nice recall again to finish it he did great he celebrated so we're
clear right i'm gonna i'm gonna end it there um and we're gonna take him inside and we're i i'm
Slow is fast.
Do less, right?
there you go okay okay come on yeah right and you don't want to do too many of these
on come on come on and come on good good all right we're gonna get you one good
We're just going to do that for a bit because that last thing was, like, super duper impressive.
How it looks, dog by dog
Bo
Bo's down is taught without food. His trainer turns down two reps where Bo suppressed into the position, and says he wants one smooth rep and then he will let him go. His finding: once the dog does it once and gets a release he really wants, he realises compliance is the easy way to the fun. That only works if the criterion is super clear. He sets himself a test: how few reps can you get away with. In the next session he withholds the mark from the first down that works and gives it to the one with less resistance.
On film
We don't want that. I want him to go smoothly there from standing. If I can get one nice rep, then I'll be able to let him go.
i can i can do whatever i want as long as i just comply real quick then we're gonna have lots of fun together
one of the tests here, it's like, look, how, how few reps can you get away with?
with a down good boy because there's a lot less resistance on that one than on the first one and
Louie
Louie was very nervous, and his down is hard. In a four-minute public session the target is a single rep that answers one question: does he know the word. In the park, after a minute-long pressured down, the trainer explains the wait. Go straight back and Louie is still inside the first rep, never having reset, so the learning is cancelled. Drilling also takes away the relief that gives the reward its meaning. He accepts it might be the only down of the day.
On film
does he know the word it's the question i want to get one rep in where he knows
instead of him learning from the first rep, he's going to be still in the first rep psychologically. He's still going to be a little bit stressed. So he never reset to neutral. He never reset to baseline. And so then it's like that rep never ended.
there's no um there's no real relief from the pressure the pressure just continues because you're drilling over and over and over again
Kodak
Kodak is a fearful dog, and for him the heel through a turn on the outside was a milestone. When he finally holds it without panicking, his trainer packs him up at once to end on that high note, and does not ask again. In an earlier session, teaching down from nothing through fetch, he says 'one more and that's it': enough physical activity and enough learning for one session. In a later one he reads the end off Kodak himself, who has started leaving the ball out in the field.
On film
he did it he did a full turn he didn't panic he didn't freak out he stayed with it yes mmm that makes me so happy
we're going to pack him up because i want to end on that really really high note
so I'll probably just do one more and that's it because that's plenty of physical activity for him and also plenty of of learning in one session for him
I think my guy Kodak's about done because he keeps leaving his ball out there now, which he was not doing before.
Bullet
Bullet's problem is the turns in the heel. His handler opens the last block by saying he just wants one good one, re-cues each failed turn without heat, and when a better one comes, stops, calls him in and celebrates. The good rep ends the session rather than earning more work.
On film
Just wanted to get one good turn.
Oh, that was better. Come here, man. Come here, man. You did good.
You did it. He did it. He did it. I knew he would learn it. He's figuring it
King
On King's first day in public his trainer spreads the work thin and names the rule: the minimum effective dose. Get the 20 percent that makes 80 percent of the difference, then quit and go home. Staying another twenty-five minutes for a bit more impact is double the time. In a later session a senior trainer teaching a junior puts numbers on it. Ten high-energy minutes (two sits, three downs, some outs, a lot of ball, some rest) beat thirty minutes of twenty of each. He would rather have longer gaps between dogs and more energy in each session.
On film
basically it's better to like get the 20 yeah i mean that makes 80 of the impact for that session and then quit go home
In that short 10 minute period, if you do two reps of sit, three reps of down, two reps of pump, some outs, a whole bunch of ball, and some rest, You'll get more done in that than if you do 30 minutes and you do like 20 of each.
Because I'd rather have like longer breaks in between each dog but higher energy from the trainer
Baxter
At Baxter's first private lesson, amped from ball play, he struggles into a pressured down. His trainer pays it with a release and a throw and does not ask again straight away. In the early learning stage he may do nothing else for ten minutes, because back-to-back trials after a stressful one teach nothing.
On film
down down down almost almost almost down good boy so that was close enough right
do another one now, in the early learning stage, I'm gonna wait, like, I might not do anything else
Madam
A senior trainer coaches a junior through Madam's pressured down. He counts reps out loud, about three or four in all, to track them. When she looks suppressed after the early ones, he says to take longer and get her back into a great mindset, super happy, before the next.
On film
many reps have we done total maybe like three or four because I want to track
take a little longer get her into a great mindset super happy again
Chunk
Chunk's session is a down under pressure on gravel. It closes on an easy sit and a release, because his trainer never likes to end on pressure: he always wants it to end with the dog having a really good time. At his go-home lesson (30 Sep material) the trainer teaches the owner the same thing on a down that has stuck: after a couple of failed attempts, make the next rep short and successful and release him, so he does not build a bad association - five failures and one success, he says, and the dog remembers the five failures.
On film
i never like to end it on like a pressure pressure like pressure type thing i always want it to end on the dog having a really good time
there we go and then from what i would do here is he's had like a couple like failed attempts so make it a shorter rep where it's like a positive where it's like uh it went well this time that way you don't build like a negative association
but if he has five failures and one success it's like people right if you fail something five times and you succeed once you're gonna remember your five failures
Stormi
Heat cuts Stormi's session short. Her trainer reads subtle lapses of impulse as fatigue, and says the window for reinforcing newer commands has closed. He still will not end on a sit she skipped. He asks for one more, because ending on 'I don't gotta sit' is how you lose progress fast. In a later session (30 Sep material), hot again, the trainer still closes on one more sit before he calls it.
On film
She's giving in to her impulse a little more now. They're subtle, but I'm noticing them, which means she is getting tired, which means the window for reinforcing newer commands,
that is not how i would want to end the session at all it's a bad idea and honestly that's how you erase progress rather rapidly
maybe i'm a little hot so we'll do one more uh we'll do a sit and then we'll call it a session
Sofia
Kelton trains Sofia in Spanish, the family's language. In one session he will not end while she is not content and relaxed ('it's very important that it ends on a good note'). He gives her sniffing time to get back to neutral, then does one more sit to check what she has kept, because everything is new, especially with him. A week later he announces the end after a very good down, then tries one more because she is close to doing it without pressure.
On film
en esta nota porque no se siente bien, no está contenta, no está relajado. Es muy importante que se termine con una buena nota.
quizás uno más de repetición de sentar y ya, porque quiero ver si ella está reteniendo lo que está aprendiendo o no
todo vamos a terminar aquí porque ella ha hecho muy muy bien en este última repetición
Dutchess
At the end of a late-program tune-up, Dutchess's trainer says she is mostly doing well, and closes on a sit she gets right: 'let's end on a high note'.
On film
you know for the most part she's doing good let's end on a high note duchess sit
Luna
Luna's second session of the day is deliberately short, because she is worn out. A child on a bike and then a passer-by go by; she is interested, takes the 'let's go', and does not act. Her trainer ends there on purpose: seeing it and not acting on it is a good thing to end on.
On film
Again, cause I didn't give her a huge break. She's, her coat's too fluffy for this weather.
It's actually really good to end the session out with. I know you see people with them, but she can't act on it, right?
Muna
On Muna's arrival day the trainer is finding out what game she likes, and the tug is new to her. She loses interest, comes back, and when he pulls a little harder she bites a little harder. He stops there, because her confidence has gone up and she is starting to work out that when he pulls she should pull back; the hope is that she remembers it next time the tug comes out, and that over the next sets she will pull every time, before any rules are added.
On film
pull, but I gave it a little more, and she bit a little harder.
So we're going to end it there, because her confidence went up a little bit, and she's
so so we're going to end it there she's sniffing around now and then and then hopefully what happens next time she comes out she remembers that
Tesla
Tesla's arrival-day test, run straight after Muna's by the same trainer, ends the same way: the first time she pulls the toy out of his hand instead of waiting for the throw, he ends the set, so that next round she is competitive straight away.
On film
I got it, she went for it, she didn't wait for me to throw it, she actually like pulled
So we're going to end it there, and then when we come back out again for the next round, I want a little more, she should just hopefully be a little more competitive right away
Bandit
Bandit shows the rule twice. In a protection session, after a second run that gave 'a little bit less', the handler puts him away and plans to 'just do one next time', later when it is cooler, to build confidence slowly. On a park walk his heel entry looks apprehensive, so the trainer stops working it at the first right position and gives him 'a big win right away'.
On film
now and then um like later on when it's cooler outside we try one more and just like keep it to one and see if we can get a bigger bark out of it
yeah you get a little bit less so we'll put it away and we'll do we'll just do one next time
because he looked a little apprehensive about it.
He got into the right position and then I'm just gonna give him a big win right away.
Dolce
A decoy session for Dolce ends after a clean out: someone asks 'More, or is that it?', the other agrees it is enough, and the handler takes her off with 'keep her wanting more'.
On film
More, or is that it?
come on good girl dulce let's go keep her wanting more
Mazi
On a downtown walk with Mazi, who is a little unsettled by the cars, the trainer gets a heel of two or three seconds and calls it 'all we really need'. He lets it cool down and does not ask for heel again until the far end of the walk.
On film
So, I got about like a two, three second heel out of him, but that's all we really need.
So, now I'm going to let it cool down, and I actually won't really reinforce that again
Astro
After correcting his growling at other dogs indoors, the trainer stops while it is going well - where they are is 'really good' - and lets Astro outside to run instead of working it further.
On film
think where we are is really good um so i am going to let him go outside i'm going to let him run
Beo
After a big learning rep on the down the trainer gives Beo a rest so the puzzle pieces can come together, and says in advance that whichever rep he gets it on next will end the session so he can consolidate.
On film
rest now i think that he probably put some puzzle pieces together there so um i would hope that like
we get it on i'm probably going to end it here right i'm going to quit um and and call that good
Bun
Teaching the down while fading help, the trainer sets the exit condition before the rep: if Bun gives a verbal-only down near the bench, that is it - the session ends.
On film
or without any, if he gives me a verbal only down,
then that's it, we're ending.
Dory
In a store, the session is closed on one more command: a down that is good enough is accepted, and they leave.
On film
Test out one more command, that should be good honestly.
Dory, down, I'll accept it because it's good enough.
Drago
After one hard negative-reinforcement sit across the park - meant to teach him to sit rather than panic - the trainer asks the viewer to count from that moment; the audio is unclear on exactly what, but he appears to ask whether he has given any commands since. The reason is clear: he does not want to overwhelm him, so the lesson has time to settle and be retained, which cannot happen if he immediately puts 30 more commands on him. In a heel Short he names the opposite mistake: going for an implied stay instead of releasing a clean rep.
On film
Instead just sit and then it goes away
That happened way over on the other side of the park now and I want you to count
be able to retain it and that can't happen if I immediately put 30 more
it. Drago, down. I could have gotten a clean rep. Down. Down. Now he's confused. That was dumb,
Hattie
A good unaided down is released at once: the handler did not try for a stay because he was very happy with that one, with no physical pressure or aids.
On film
Good girl. I did not try to get her to stay or anything like that because I was very happy with that
Kali
Two sessions end on the rep the trainer wanted. After a down she figured out under a little pressure, he ends it with affection on a good note; on another day a much better down on the same spot closes the session at once - 'that was exactly what i wanted'.
On film
I'm gonna end it where we're gonna have a good time together we're gonna we're
very good great job caddy that's it that's done we're done complete session no mas
that is it because that was exactly what i wanted we're going to end on that note
Kane
A session closes on a good recall the dog celebrated.
On film
go and put them up we got a nice recall again to finish it he did great he celebrated so we're
Max (Goldendoodle)
The moment the down comes straight and clean - the moment of clarity the trainer was looking for - he ends the session and takes Max inside to play.
On film
clear right i'm gonna i'm gonna end it there um and we're gonna take him inside and we're i i'm
I was looking for like a moment of clarity for him.
Rocky
On day one, after a second down that came faster and with less stress, the trainer asks the camera whether to go for more - fifty downs? - and answers no: slow is fast, do less, because the pressure has to actually go away for the learning to set in.
On film
Do I go for more?
Slow is fast.
Do less, right?
Stormy
In a private lesson the owner is told not to do too many downs, because the dog will start to be done - and on camera the trainer reads that she is done with this session and says not to push it.
On film
there you go okay okay come on yeah right and you don't want to do too many of these
because then she'll start to be like right if you see that literally right now she's done with
Thor
Early heel work is closed by setting up one good rep and praising it.
On film
on come on come on and come on good good all right we're gonna get you one good
Titan
After a super impressive last effort the handler stops asking, saying out loud that more pressure would risk putting the work backwards.
On film
We're just going to do that for a bit because that last thing was, like, super duper impressive.
And I don't want to put too much pressure on you to do more.
And risk putting the work backwards, you know?
Why it works
As the trainers explain it: one clean rep paid with a release the dog wants teaches that quick compliance is the cheap route to the fun - provided the criterion is clear enough for the dog to see what earned it (Bo). The last rep of a session is the one that is stored, so a session ended on the milestone keeps the milestone (Kodak), and one ended on a skipped command keeps the skip (Stormi). A hard rep lasts until the dog has reset to baseline; a second rep inside that window is still the first rep, and drilling removes the relief that makes release rewarding (Louie, Baxter, Madam). Handler energy is limited, so a short, high-energy session outperforms a long flat one (King). 30 Sep update: the memory reason is now said on film rather than inferred. Ending a tug set on the first harder pull is done so that 'next time she comes out she remembers that' (Muna, watch 12:15), and Chunk's trainer tells the owner that after five failures and one success a dog, like a person, remembers the five failures (watch 12:19).
On film
you're having a lot of fun with your dog and they they're happy to comply because the uh criteria for success is super clear
there's no um there's no real relief from the pressure the pressure just continues because you're drilling over and over and over again
Is it better to do 30 minutes of low energy, where you're not really able to do the work, like, quality,
so so we're going to end it there she's sniffing around now and then and then hopefully what happens next time she comes out she remembers that
but if he has five failures and one success it's like people right if you fail something five times and you succeed once you're gonna remember your five failures
Inferred
Rep counts on film are the trainers' own estimates.
Where the trainers differ
Stop on the good rep, or one more?
One view
Stop the instant the milestone rep happens; do not test it again
On film
we're going to pack him up because i want to end on that really really high note
Another view
One more rep after success, as a retention check or because the dog is close
On film
so I'll probably just do one more and that's it because that's plenty of physical activity for him and also plenty of of learning in one session for him
quizás uno más de repetición de sentar y ya, porque quiero ver si ella está reteniendo lo que está aprendiendo o no
How to read it
The rule is stated firmly and applied with give. Not resolved here.
What decides the end: the last rep, or the dog's state?
One view
End on the best rep
On film
you know for the most part she's doing good let's end on a high note duchess sit
Another view
End on the dog having a good time, not on pressure
On film
i never like to end it on like a pressure pressure like pressure type thing i always want it to end on the dog having a really good time
A third view
Never end on a command the dog skipped, even when tired
On film
that is not how i would want to end the session at all it's a bad idea and honestly that's how you erase progress rather rapidly
How to read it
Different criteria for the same moment: rep quality (Bo, Bullet, Kodak), the dog's emotional state at the close (Chunk, Sofia), the dog's own tell (Kodak's ball), or compliance on the last cue (Stormi). They mostly agree in practice; on film they are never ranked.
Common owner mistakes
- Drilling the same exercise over and over, so the pressure never lets up and the release means nothing.
On film
there's no um there's no real relief from the pressure the pressure just continues because you're drilling over and over and over again
Watch at 24:54 ↗ - Asking again straight after a hard rep, before the dog has reset.
On film
If I go right back to it after 20, 30 seconds, or even about 45 seconds to a minute, then instead of him learning from the first rep, he's going to be still in the first rep psychologically. He's still going to be a little bit stressed. So he never reset to neutral. He never reset to baseline. And so then it's like that rep never ended. And so I negate the learning that could have happened from it.
Watch at 23:33 ↗ - Ending a session, or letting it end, on a command the dog got away with.
On film
on a note where she feels like, oh, I don't gotta sit, right?
Watch at 10:22 ↗ - Long, low-energy sessions of many reps instead of a short, lively one.
On film
In that short 10 minute period, if you do two reps of sit, three reps of down, two reps of pump, some outs, a whole bunch of ball, and some rest, You'll get more done in that than if you do 30 minutes and you do like 20 of each.
Watch at 11:11 ↗ - Pushing a stuck dog through rep after failed rep at home, so the session is mostly failures.
On film
there we go and then from what i would do here is he's had like a couple like failed attempts so make it a shorter rep where it's like a positive where it's like uh it went well this time that way you don't build like a negative association
Chunk · Watch at 11:55 ↗
Questions owners ask
How many times should I practise a command in a session?
Often once, if it is a good one. Bo's trainer holds out for one smooth rep and lets him go; Louie's trainer sets one rep as the whole target of a short session. King's senior trainer suggests a ten-minute session of two or three reps per command, lots of play and some rest, over thirty minutes of twenty of each.
On film
We don't want that. I want him to go smoothly there from standing. If I can get one nice rep, then I'll be able to let him go.
In that short 10 minute period, if you do two reps of sit, three reps of down, two reps of pump, some outs, a whole bunch of ball, and some rest, You'll get more done in that than if you do 30 minutes and you do like 20 of each.
He finally did it perfectly. Should I ask again to make sure?
Kodak's trainer did not. He packed Kodak up on the spot to end on that high note. Others sometimes try one more to check retention. The shared rule is to stop while the last thing the dog did is the thing you want.
On film
we're going to pack him up because i want to end on that really really high note
How long should I wait between hard reps?
Longer than feels natural. Louie's trainer may wait four or five minutes or more, and Baxter's trainer ten minutes, because a dog who has not reset is still inside the last rep.
On film
so it might be four or five minutes before i try to get him to do a down again or longer it might be the only down rep i do because i want that one rep to be as effective as possible
do another one now, in the early learning stage, I'm gonna wait, like, I might not do anything else
My dog is tired and skipped the last sit. Do I just stop?
Not on the skip. Stormi's trainer asks for one more sit first, then ends, because ending when the dog has learned she does not have to comply is how progress is lost.
On film
that is not how i would want to end the session at all it's a bad idea and honestly that's how you erase progress rather rapidly
He keeps failing the same rep. Should I keep going until he gets it?
Not until he gets it the hard way. At Chunk's go-home the trainer tells the owner that after a couple of failed attempts the next rep should be made short and easy enough to succeed, and then he is released, so the last thing he remembers is that it went well. His reason: a dog with five failures and one success, like a person, remembers the five failures.
On film
there we go and then from what i would do here is he's had like a couple like failed attempts so make it a shorter rep where it's like a positive where it's like uh it went well this time that way you don't build like a negative association
but if he has five failures and one success it's like people right if you fail something five times and you succeed once you're gonna remember your five failures
Does this apply to play and tug as well as obedience?
On film, yes. On two arrival days a trainer ends a tug set the first time the dog pulls back harder or snatches the toy, so that she remembers it and comes out keener next time, and protection sessions are put away on a good rep or when the returns drop - 'keep her wanting more'.
On film
so so we're going to end it there she's sniffing around now and then and then hopefully what happens next time she comes out she remembers that
So we're going to end it there, and then when we come back out again for the next round, I want a little more, she should just hopefully be a little more competitive right away
come on good girl dulce let's go keep her wanting more
The lesson
The goal
The owner can set a one-rep target, pay it with a meaningful release, space hard reps until the dog resets, and choose the moment to end.
Learn first
The drill
As run with Bullet: announce the target ('just want one good turn'), re-cue each miss calmly, and when the good one comes, stop and celebrate. As run with Louie: after a hard rep, release into sniffing and do nothing for several minutes; accept that it may be the only rep of the session.
Watch out for
- Asking for 'one more' after the perfect rep and getting a worse one.
- Stacking hard reps back to back.
- Stopping on a skipped command because the dog is tired.
- Ending on pressure rather than on a good time.
Check yourself
Your dog does the best down he has ever done. What do you do in the next ten seconds?