The answer
The thing he wants most. The trainers choose the temptation from this dog's own list rather than a generic one: for King the ball and the open truck door he likes to leap through; for Kodak the thrown ball; for Wiley squirrels, then the ball held, then the ball thrown; for Marvin and Ace the ducks and the truck; for Pepper her friend dog Birdie and the water on her usual route; for Beo, a hound, other dogs - barking at him - and the sniffing he loves; for Boog, a retriever, the thrown ball; for Apollo the Sharkie a recall mid-sprint towards the ball, for Teddy a toy chucked while he holds place, for Savage the tug in his handler's back pocket, for Hattie the sand she loves to roll in, and for Rocky whatever he finds interesting on an outing. The logic is stated plainly: the strongest distraction available is usually the dog's own reinforcer, so the honest test is to run the reward past him while he holds the position - if he stays in the down when the ball is thrown, one trainer says, he will definitely listen.
The temptation then becomes the payment. The dog is recalled off the ducks and released back to them; told to wait while the truck door opens and then sent in; held in a down while the ball flies and then allowed to chase it. Pepper's trainer adds the order it has to happen in: while she is still steering the walk towards the water, she is walked past it and every attempt is corrected until she stops trying; only then is the water given, after a calm approach, a down and a release - 'Because then all of a sudden, the water's now your reward.' What the dog wanted and should not simply take - including 'unwanted' drives like chasing birds - is first the distraction and then the reward, which one trainer describes as using the behaviour as a teaching tool rather than reinforcing it.
Two refinements are stated. A rep counts only while the dog still believes he could win: a recall off a squirrel that has already gone up a tree proves nothing. And the handler can manufacture the distraction - squatting down, which normally makes a dog get up; having an animated conversation; running across the room; a staff member playing a 'super amped' visitor at the door, varied each time so the dog learns to manage the impulse rather than one person at one door.
Where and when the test happens matters too. One trainer makes the program deliberately harder than the dog's real life - if he can lift five hundred pounds he can lift a hundred - so an owner's stumble reads as a handling question rather than a failed program. Another proofs a heel in the boring training yard where it is weakest. The single place a dog's recall has failed - running back to the truck - becomes a free daily proofing rep. Other trainers name the truck as a general weak point - dogs 'get kind of stuck on it', and many do not want to recall when heading back towards it - so calling a dog away from it is a ready-made proof (Kali, Beo). And the dog's state is part of the test: authority built while the engine is running, inside a game, is authority that survives arousal. Boog's trainer (Connor) puts it as a scale: a dog only ever worked at seven out of ten energy leaves 'three points left that is like very like uncharted territory', which is where commands start to slip.
Said on film: choose his own reinforcer, the ball-past-the-down test, the release as payment, the believe-he-can-win criterion, manufactured distractions, the five-hundred-pound rule. Inferred: that a generic distraction list under-tests most dogs.
Angier K9 is a family-owned, play-based Board & Train serving Angier, Raleigh and the Triangle, with three full owner lessons.
What to do
List the three things your dog wants most and test his commands against them - throw his ball while he holds a down, open the car door while he waits - then release him to the thing as the reward. Squat, run or get animated yourself when you have no other distraction.
On film
and i tell him down and then i throw the ball if he'll stay in the down when i throw the ball he'll definitely listen
Yeah, so I recall him off the Ducks and then I tell him okay go now you can go look at the Ducks
so we're just going for a little bit of distance and duration here I'm just gonna I'm gonna wait and I'm also gonna squat down because normally squatting down makes them want to get up
What the trainers say
the ball so that's a big thing for him, being able to hold position when the ball is thrown by him is a very very big distraction for him
That's exactly what I want to see. The temptation part. You need temptations.
like just like chucking a ball past where he's laying down so he's in a down or in a sit and i throw the ball because he wants the ball so then he's got to stay on place even with the ball being thrown right
All right, we're going to really test his down. We're going to go for the hard one. We're going to throw a ball while he's in the down. see if he stays.
and i tell him down and then i throw the ball if he'll stay in the down when i throw the ball he'll definitely listen
so we're just going for a little bit of distance and duration here I'm just gonna I'm gonna wait and I'm also gonna squat down because normally squatting down makes them want to get up
So like maybe I'll have a conversation I'll get like really animate and do all this kind of stuff really trying to distract the dog
because the way I think about it is like all right if you can lift 500 pounds you could lift 100 pounds
thing that we try to do during the program is I want to make it way harder than he's ever gonna do with you right
Because he does it every time when I go to get him in the truck. I use that to proof it down because he's always amped to get up in the truck.
but that's why i'm trying to proof it there so that he kind of gets it here year and then he can also that should improve it everywhere else
a dog like Kodak who doesn't normally tolerate pressure that well, he panics, can suddenly learn from pressure if it's part of the game.
But really what I'm doing is I'm establishing authority while the engine's running, right?
up, there you go, see, because you can use unwanted behaviors that they really like to
it's kind of like you haven't positively reinforced the um unwanted behavior instead you've used it as a teaching tool
But I'm just using the Belgian obsession over the biting to build patience.
because you want the dog to not necessarily be like i'm really good if it's specifically this person walking through this door in this room right you want them to learn to manage the the impulsiveness and the high energy
Yeah, so I recall him off the Ducks and then I tell him okay go now you can go look at the Ducks
gotta proof it um and you gotta proof it with something that's like meaningful you know like
You need them to make a mistake.
lots of stuff he wants to look at which is good because it gives you lots of opportunities and it
be careful about here is is he recalling because he thinks he can't get the squirrel anymore or is it because he can get the squirrel he thinks he believes still that he can get the squirrel but now he's listening
Down so I want him to get the point that he can't go even if he wants it really bad.
a really good way to actually that you can do it is that like i do this with labs all the time is you put them in a command and you throw the ball and you don't let them get up
i'm saying it for like the general like camera because you know uh you should try to get them on 10 because if you only ever get them to like a 7 out of 10 in terms of energy then there's going to be three points left that is like very like uncharted territory
Because then all of a sudden, the water's now your reward.
obviously she's going to want to play with birdie more than she's going to want to sit right but she likes doing the obedience enough where like it could be part of like before you go play with birdie you gotta sit right you gotta yeah you gotta do these things and then kind of birdies your reward right
We need these kinds of things to tempt him to bark and howl back at the other dogs that are barking at him, and for him to successfully overcome that impulse.
i want to see him like off sniffing interested in something still being able to recall call him um and then you just do that with like progressively bigger distractions that way before i take a leash off i know instead of i hope
that can be a really easy way to um a really easy opportunity for me to proof the recall is to recall them away from the truck because a lot of times they get kind of stuck on it
now because i was like oh my god that's so good is your reward for them listening has to be greater than their reward for not listening
How it looks, dog by dog
King
The fullest version. The temptation is chosen from King's own wants - the ball, and the open truck door he likes to leap through - and raised a step at a time: ball out of the pocket, ball thrown, ball thrown past him on place. The trainer's line on camera: you need temptations. A dropped Dorito next to him is another.
On film
the ball so that's a big thing for him, being able to hold position when the ball is thrown by him is a very very big distraction for him
That's exactly what I want to see. The temptation part. You need temptations.
that's another big one so at least for him because he likes to go jump as quickly as possible.
I'm gonna taunt them with Doritos. Or not taunt them, but... Touch them. I dropped a Dorito next to him. He better not get out.
Kodak
A dog who panics under cold pressure, taught inside the retrieve game. The honest test named at the owner lesson and run on film: throw the ball while he is in the down. The trainer's reason for doing it in play at all - authority while the engine is running, which living-room obedience never tests - and the result: a verbal-only down built from nothing in about fifteen minutes of chase and catch.
On film
All right, we're going to really test his down. We're going to go for the hard one. We're going to throw a ball while he's in the down. see if he stays.
the other the other good thing about play is that if you get them to listen to commands during games you get authority while the engine's running so to speak
so that's 15 minutes from no knowledge of down at all uh to a full down using uh chase and catch
Zeus
Three versions in one file. The five-hundred-pound rule: make the program far harder than his life will be, so the owner's hundred-pound situation is comfortably inside his range, and a stumble is read as a handling question. The truck: the one place his recall failed, because dogs treat the truck as safety, becomes the standing daily rep - a down before every loading. And authority while the engine is running, built over the tug he wants most.
On film
so if I'm like here look this is lifting 500 pounds then he comes home and you're like okay I have this hundred pound situation you know he's good for it
specifically the only one that I've had him fail what we call in is going back to the truck which is often very difficult because they experience the truck as a place of safety
Because he does it every time when I go to get him in the truck. I use that to proof it down because he's always amped to get up in the truck.
you know, need to be done not just in a calm room where you're just sitting there doing nothing, they need to be done when the dog's ramped up, when the dog's amped, when the dog's distracted, when the dog wants something
Wiley
The validity rule: squirrels, then the ball held, then the ball thrown - and a rep counts only while he still believes he can get it. A recall after the squirrel has gone is not a recall.
On film
be careful about here is is he recalling because he thinks he can't get the squirrel anymore or is it because he can get the squirrel he thinks he believes still that he can get the squirrel but now he's listening
Down so I want him to get the point that he can't go even if he wants it really bad.
Ace (Chihuahua-terrier mix)
Unwanted drives as fuel. On a property with poultry, recall, down and place are proofed against the ducks and chickens; the truck is first the reason a recall stalls and then the release reward. The trainer calls this using the unwanted behaviour as a teaching tool rather than reinforcing it.
On film
up, there you go, see, because you can use unwanted behaviors that they really like to
it's kind of like you haven't positively reinforced the um unwanted behavior instead you've used it as a teaching tool
so the reason that he didn't recall right away is because he thought he was getting in the truck
Marvin (Giant Schnauzer)
At the go-home: recall him off the ducks, then tell him he can go and look at the ducks. He knows the fun is not being stopped.
On film
Yeah, so I recall him off the Ducks and then I tell him okay go now you can go look at the Ducks
Yeah, he gets to go back to it. He knows he will be able to at some point
Thor
Proof with something meaningful, and let him make the mistake so the consequence arrives as a surprise; when he waits, good things happen. A person walking nearby becomes an unplanned recall proof.
On film
gotta proof it um and you gotta proof it with something that's like meaningful you know like
And then when he did stay and he was patient and he waited, super positive stuff happened.
goofy boy but yeah so that was an opportunity for me to prove that recall which was very good
Luna
The handler as the distraction: an animated conversation, running, acting like an unpredictable person - awkward when you are also the handler - and the same exercise handed to the owner. Sessions end on a real distraction she saw and could not act on.
On film
So like maybe I'll have a conversation I'll get like really animate and do all this kind of stuff really trying to distract the dog
Luna, down, right, because like this, you know, people run, they do crazy stuff, of course, I'm the handler, so it makes it really tricky, there we go
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?
Chunk
A staff member plays a visitor coming in super amped; the scenario is restarted and kept sporadic so the dog learns to manage the impulse, not one person at one door.
On film
Yeah, because I noticed he still wants to rush the door super hard, and I don't think that's very good manners to have, I'll be honest.
because you want the dog to not necessarily be like i'm really good if it's specifically this person walking through this door in this room right you want them to learn to manage the the impulsiveness and the high energy
Louie
The weakest context, chosen on purpose: his heel is good with a destination and poor in the aimless training yard, so the yard is where it is proofed.
On film
he does better with the heel when he's out and about and we're actually going somewhere um he doesn't like it very much when we're in the training yard and we're just kind of like walking
but that's why i'm trying to proof it there so that he kind of gets it here year and then he can also that should improve it everywhere else
Madam
A young Belgian's obsession with biting the toy becomes the patience exercise: holding position while the toy moves.
On film
But I'm just using the Belgian obsession over the biting to build patience.
Thumper
A dog who wants everything is easy to reward and quick to lose; every distraction is both an opportunity to proof and a release reward.
On film
lots of stuff he wants to look at which is good because it gives you lots of opportunities and it
love working with those type of dogs because when you release some they just
Pepper
Pepper's own favourites are planned in as the tests, then turned into the payment. Her friend dog Birdie is the distraction that most breaks her focus, so it is saved for the final test, with the trainer's own beagle as a stand-in first; and at home obedience becomes the price of getting to Birdie - 'birdies your reward'. The water on her usual walk gets the same treatment, in a set order: walk past it and correct every attempt until she no longer tries to steer there, then let her approach calmly, down, and release her to it - 'Because then all of a sudden, the water's now your reward.'
On film
obviously she's going to want to play with birdie more than she's going to want to sit right but she likes doing the obedience enough where like it could be part of like before you go play with birdie you gotta sit right you gotta yeah you gotta do these things and then kind of birdies your reward right
And then I'll do some more distraction work with, like, my beagle running around and calling her off and stuff to prep for the birdie thing.
definitely like when she comes home I would definitely make it a point of walking by the water and correcting every time until she walks by without trying and then once she does that then give her the reward of being able to go in the water
Because then all of a sudden, the water's now your reward.
Beo
A hound whose problem is other dogs, so other dogs are the proof: 'my main trick is going to be finding more dogs'. Dogs barking at him are welcomed as the temptation he has to overcome - 'That's what leads to a more durable behavior' - and a heel is asked for 'even though there was a dog there he was interested in'. His other currency, sniffing, is used for the recall: he is called while 'off sniffing interested in something', with bigger distractions added step by step so that before the leash comes off the trainer knows 'instead of i hope'. The truck is used too: dogs often will not recall heading back to it, so he is called away from it.
On film
We need these kinds of things to tempt him to bark and howl back at the other dogs that are barking at him, and for him to successfully overcome that impulse.
my main trick is going to be finding more dogs.
Good thing is he went into the heel when I asked for it, even though there was a dog there he was interested in.
i want to see him like off sniffing interested in something still being able to recall call him um and then you just do that with like progressively bigger distractions that way before i take a leash off i know instead of i hope
A lot of times they don't want to recall when they're going back towards the truck. So I'm going to recall them away from the truck now.
Boog
A retriever, so the ball is the test. At the in-program owner lesson the trainer gives the family the proof he uses 'with labs all the time': put him in a command, throw the ball, and do not let him get up. Earlier in the program he framed the same idea as arousal: a dog only ever worked at seven out of ten energy has three points of 'uncharted territory' where commands start to slip.
On film
a really good way to actually that you can do it is that like i do this with labs all the time is you put them in a command and you throw the ball and you don't let them get up
i'm saying it for like the general like camera because you know uh you should try to get them on 10 because if you only ever get them to like a 7 out of 10 in terms of energy then there's going to be three points left that is like very like uncharted territory
Kali
Kali and her brother Kane end their outings at the truck, and Kali has run back to it before, so the truck is her test. Calling them away from it is 'a really easy opportunity ... to proof the recall' because dogs 'get kind of stuck on it'. On their first joint off-leash outing the recall back from the truck is announced as 'a big test', and the closing down is held while the trainer walks to the truck himself - 'that's gonna be tough' - before he releases them.
On film
that can be a really easy way to um a really easy opportunity for me to proof the recall is to recall them away from the truck because a lot of times they get kind of stuck on it
And here's a big test because I think Callie's going to want to run back to the truck, right?
I'm gonna down both of you down okay down I'm gonna down both of you I'm gonna walk to the truck myself because they're gonna want to get up I'm walking towards the truck that's gonna be tough
Apollo (the Sharkie)
Apollo is a hard tug-and-ball dog, so the ball is the test: the trainer throws it off leash and tries to recall him mid-sprint towards it, first showing the camera how badly he wants it.
On film
all right we're gonna try something here we're gonna try a ball throw off the leash and then
And then we're going to try to recall him mid-sprint towards the ball.
Hattie
In a heeling Short, the sand Hattie loves rolling in is taken out of the picture for now; once ordinary heels are solid, the plan is to bring it back as the reinforcer for heel.
On film
Alright, so we removed the temptation of the sand from earlier because she was just rolling in it, enjoying it.
So, once we start getting the just normal heels down, we can go back and use it as a reinforcer later.
Rocky
At Rocky's in-program lesson the trainer explains why he takes him places: what Rocky finds interesting in the environment is what the recall is proofed against, and after the recall he can be sent back out to it.
On film
first time right good boy good job okay so then i can send him back out because he's interested
yeah and so i use stuff like that in the environment that's why i just take him places
looking at it so then i can recall him if he doesn't come back to me because he's distracted
Savage
Christian proofs Savage against his own tug: out on cue, released to bite again, and then walking on with the toy in the back pocket without trying to take it, which he did at first.
On film
So just teaching in the beginning through the tug that sometimes I'm going to ask him to out,
good let's go and then having him go back and being able to walk and not take the toy
Shadow (German Shepherd puppy)
The German Shepherd puppy Shadow's trainer gives the rule behind choosing the currency: the reward for listening has to be greater than the reward for not listening. A treat loses to sniffing another dog at the park, so with her the reward is often the thing she wants - go run around and sniff - and until she listens, she stays put.
On film
now because i was like oh my god that's so good is your reward for them listening has to be greater
than their reward for not listening right yeah right so they love the treat but if all of a
So when I use a combination of, like, my reward a lot of times is, like, especially with a dog like her, go run around and sniff.
Teddy
On a place duration with Teddy the trainer starts chucking a toy while he is in the command, expecting him to get up - 'That's a learning experience for him' - and then sends him to it and throws again.
On film
control. One of the things that I've started working with him on is being able to actually
chuck a toy while he's in a command. Right now, I think he's going to get up. That's a learning
Why it works
Stated: the dog's own reinforcer is the strongest distraction, so holding against it is the strongest proof (Kodak, King). Releasing to the distraction turns the temptation into payment, so the dog learns that complying does not end the fun (Marvin, Ace). A rep only teaches if the dog still believes the option is live (Wiley); he has to be allowed the mistake so the consequence arrives as a prediction error (Thor). Varying the setup teaches the dog to manage his impulse rather than a picture (Chunk). Overshooting the requirement leaves margin at home (Zeus). Arousal is part of the test: obedience installed in a calm room can be blown off when the dog is amped (Zeus, Kodak). The arousal point is given a scale: work only to seven out of ten and the top three are uncharted (Boog).
On film
and i tell him down and then i throw the ball if he'll stay in the down when i throw the ball he'll definitely listen
He knows that we're not get putting a stop to his fun
Because they need to try something and get a prediction error.
you know, need to be done not just in a calm room where you're just sitting there doing nothing, they need to be done when the dog's ramped up
barking at him, and for him to successfully overcome that impulse. That's what leads to
Because then all of a sudden, the water's now your reward.
Inferred
The claim that food is far less powerful than drives or play is one trainer's estimate (Ace session), not a measurement.
Where the trainers differ
Is releasing to the distraction a reward for the unwanted drive?
One view
No - it is used as a teaching tool, not reinforced, because the dog gets it only after complying (Ace).
On film
it's kind of like you haven't positively reinforced the um unwanted behavior instead you've used it as a teaching tool
definitely like when she comes home I would definitely make it a point of walking by the water and correcting every time until she walks by without trying and then once she does that then give her the reward of being able to go in the water
Another view
Some drives are not released to at all: Wiley is held off the ball 'even if he wants it really bad', and chasing is the act corrected in punish-the-act-not-the-feeling.
On film
Down so I want him to get the point that he can't go even if he wants it really bad.
How to read it
Which drives are released to (ducks, truck, ball) and which never are (livestock, cats in other files) is not stated as a rule. Pepper's water (30 Sep update) adds a sequence rather than a rule: the favourite is withheld and every attempt corrected until the anticipation is gone, and only then released to.
Common owner mistakes
- Testing obedience only in a calm living room.
On film
because it's not the same as like dogs sitting in like living room and they're like nothing's happening they're not doing anything they're bored and then you're like down and they down cool
Kodak · Watch at 1:27:26 ↗ - Counting a recall that happened because the dog had already lost the chase.
On film
be careful about here is is he recalling because he thinks he can't get the squirrel anymore
Wiley · Watch at 8:21 ↗ - Always proofing the same person at the same door.
On film
because you want the dog to not necessarily be like i'm really good if it's specifically this person walking through this door in this room
Chunk · Watch at 13:19 ↗ - Only ever practising when the dog is calm or tired, so his top energy is untested.
On film
i'm saying it for like the general like camera because you know uh you should try to get them on 10 because if you only ever get them to like a 7 out of 10 in terms of energy then there's going to be three points left that is like very like uncharted territory
Boog · Watch at 14:03 ↗ - Letting the dog straight into the thing she loves (the water) as soon as you arrive, so the anticipation keeps building.
On film
definitely like when she comes home I would definitely make it a point of walking by the water and correcting every time until she walks by without trying and then once she does that then give her the reward of being able to go in the water
Pepper · Watch at 7:06 ↗
Questions owners ask
What is the hardest test for a down?
Throw his ball while he is in it. One trainer calls it the hard one; another says if he stays in the down when the ball is thrown, he will definitely listen.
On film
All right, we're going to really test his down. We're going to go for the hard one. We're going to throw a ball while he's in the down. see if he stays.
I don't have distractions at home. What can I use?
Yourself. Squat down, have an animated conversation, run across the room - the trainers manufacture distractions by acting like an unpredictable person.
On film
so we're just going for a little bit of distance and duration here I'm just gonna I'm gonna wait and I'm also gonna squat down because normally squatting down makes them want to get up
So like maybe I'll have a conversation I'll get like really animate and do all this kind of stuff really trying to distract the dog
Should I let him have the distraction afterwards?
Often, yes. Marvin is recalled off the ducks and then sent back to them; Ace waits at the truck and is then sent in. The release is the payment. Pepper's trainer adds the order: first walk past the favourite and correct every attempt to steer there until she stops trying; then a calm approach, a down, and the release to it.
On film
Yeah, so I recall him off the Ducks and then I tell him okay go now you can go look at the Ducks
Because then all of a sudden, the water's now your reward.
Why does the program feel harder than our life?
On purpose. Zeus's trainer makes it way harder than the dog will ever face at home, so the owner's situations are well inside his range.
On film
thing that we try to do during the program is I want to make it way harder than he's ever gonna do with you right
Where should I practise the recall?
Where your dog least wants to come. Several trainers single out the car or truck at the end of an outing: dogs 'get kind of stuck on it' and often will not recall heading back towards it, so calling them away from it is a ready-made proof (Kali, Beo, and Zeus's truck above). For a sniffer, call him while he is busy sniffing, then add bigger distractions step by step.
On film
that can be a really easy way to um a really easy opportunity for me to proof the recall is to recall them away from the truck because a lot of times they get kind of stuck on it
A lot of times they don't want to recall when they're going back towards the truck. So I'm going to recall them away from the truck now.
i want to see him like off sniffing interested in something still being able to recall call him um and then you just do that with like progressively bigger distractions that way before i take a leash off i know instead of i hope
The lesson
The goal
The owner can list the dog's top three temptations and proof a sit, down or recall against each, releasing to it afterwards where safe.
Learn first
- He has to be allowed to get it wrong
- The three Ds, and the variables nobody counts
- Play becomes the reward - and play is a contest
- Switch him on, then ask for off
The drill
As run on film with King and Wiley: raise the temptation a step at a time - ball out of the pocket, ball held, ball thrown short, ball thrown past the dog on place - holding the position through each; release to the ball as the reward. With Zeus and Ace, use the truck: down (or wait) before every loading, then release into the truck.
Watch out for
- Calm-room tests only (Kodak 87:26).
- Invalid reps after the prey is gone (Wiley 08:21).
- One fixed scenario (Chunk 13:19).
Check yourself
Will he hold the position while his favourite thing flies past - and does he get it afterwards?