The answer
Fewer than most people expect. The rule the trainers state on film is to show the dog what he may not do and leave everything else open: on a walk she may sniff, play, look at squirrels - anything except pull; in a store he may sniff but not mark; in the living room she may walk around and make her choices, but one of those choices is not jumping on people or on the couch. The alternative they argue against is using commands as a band-aid - telling the dog sit, down or come every time something goes wrong - which keeps him immobilised instead of teaching him which choice is off the table. In the newest owner lessons the method gets its own name: calm liberty is taught 'mostly through penalties', by 'free shaping with penalties' - the dog may do anything lawful and only the named act is marked (Beo, where the named act is whining and howling on walks) - or, in another trainer's words, it is 'a do not do list' (Reaper).
Which things are forbidden is the family's decision, and the trainers ask for it out loud: do you want her on you while you are sitting, or not? Do you want them to play in the house at all? Before a quirk is trained out, the owner is asked, because it may be the thing they love about the dog - Luna's pawing was kept as a quirk on the owner's word. A rule can also be put on cue instead of banned (jumping up allowed only when invited), or suspended for one named exercise and the suspension said aloud (pulling is allowed in the protection drill, never on the walk). What the dog cannot do is follow a rule nobody stated: one trainer calls these implied rules, and says most owners never tell the dog what the rules are.
Said on film: the short list, the 'everything else is allowed' framing, asking the owner, cueing instead of banning, and naming exceptions. Inferred: that the short list works because it is enforceable every time - a trainer ties the one zero-tolerance rule for a dog who pulled his owner down to exactly that - and that the payoff is trust, which one trainer says is how you end up trusting your dog.
A wider reading of the session record adds nineteen dogs and two refinements. First, the trash can is the trainers' standard illustration (Clark Kent, Lucy, Roman). Teach a game with the can, let the dog sniff it, touch it and put his paws on it, and penalise only digging trash out; punishing every approach makes 'this weird dog'. Jumping up and biting are handled the same way: allowed on invitation or inside the tug game, and wrong only when uninvited (Stormy, Apollo the Sharkie, Wiley). Second, the rule reaches into reactive and predatory cases, and there it separates interest from the act. Ace may look at ducks 'as much as he wants'. Milo is not punished for looking at a passing dog, only for trying to bite. For Piglet, avoiding a cat instead of attacking is 'a lawful choice', and she may look all day. Lola 'doesn't have to like every person she sees', she just may not do something stupid.
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 as a household, out loud, the few things the dog may not do - say them in one sentence - and let him do everything else without being told. Correct only the named act, every time, and give no follow-up command after it. Ask yourself before training out a quirk whether it is something you love.
On film
So do you want her on you or do you want her to not get on you while you're sitting down?
most useful is to show them what not to do and then allow everything else yeah teach them to do the things when you ask them to do them
positive punishment he begs buzz he begs you punish but then you don't then tell him down
What the trainers say
most useful is to show them what not to do and then allow everything else yeah teach them to do the things when you ask them to do them
every other lawful action that they want to do they can just do anything and that's how you end up like trusting your dog
she can do anything she wants except for pull right she can play with you she can sniff she can look at stuff she can go see squirrels she can literally do anything as long as she doesn't
Then they're going to think of you as like, "Oh, like hey, like don't do that. everything else is okay. Um, so you have a lot of lawful options. Walking around, sniffing things, laying down, chewing on their bone.
Work window. So that's what people do most of the time and a lot of dog trainers teach people to do that. They use the work window as a band-aid for everything.
There's no rules in terms of you have not put him in the obedience window. He's not in the work window. You didn't tell him place or sit or down or anything. He's just free to walk around, do his thing. But you decide in your mind, these things are off limits for him to do.
She needs to be able to walk around and make her choices, but one of those choices is not jumping on me or jumping on the couch while I'm up here and getting all involved.
gonna pee on that don't do that good boy you can sniff but you cannot pee I know
so he can do anything he wants as long as he's not acting crazy towards the vacuum
is that when you penalize bad options, well, they can't do them anymore.
So do you want her on you or do you want her to not get on you while you're sitting down?
And then I go home and I get like some nasty text. It's like my dog doesn't listen
but the last thing I want to do is like bring a dog back and you're like i love this thing about my dog and i'm like yep i e-collared it out of her
even if you never want them to jump on you, it's better to put it on queue than to just try to punish it all the time because they're going to get through sometimes, right?
And I'm going to let her pull because it's fine to let her pull in this case.
he's pulling on it again so we have to like define the criteria that's the important thing about training is that you do define your criteria
earlier in there is you need to have like no leeway at all for one thing in particular and that is any
Good, he hangs his head off and sniffs, I'm not gonna get mad at him for that.
because it's very similar to how you teach um like uh it's it's mostly taught through penalties
because you're free shaping with penalties you allow them to do anything that they're allowed
free to do whatever they want they can walk around they can sniff they can look they can do all that other stuff but as soon as they start the whining howling thing i penalize that
hey don't touch these things so it's more of a do not do list that's how you build the window
in front of each other and stuff like that um you know again as long as she's not holding tension the whole time i don't really care about that type of stuff too much
normally like your everyday walk right so as long as it's loose does not matter right you can be in front it's okay
times and like just teach me what not to do and then like let me do anything else because that's
Allow choice points. And when you've effectively penalized unacceptable choices, unlawful choices,
and you just let the dog do whatever it wants end of story now the dog does what it wants
because you don't want to make it where they're not looking at anything ever and
penalize it and then open up a whole world of new options for her. She can take any other option.
How it looks, dog by dog
Dolly
A husky on her second private lesson. Loose-leash walking is taught as the one rule: any tension is pulling, even slight pressure, and everything else on the walk is hers. The trainer uses an illustration he says 'we use' - the garden where every tree is allowed but one - to make the point that a single prohibition is easy to keep. He then sells the rule to the owners as enlarging her life: a dog who does not pull gets taken to the park far more often.
On film
she can do anything she wants except for pull right she can play with you she can sniff she can look at stuff she can go see squirrels she can literally do anything as long as she doesn't
one and so for her it's like oh okay what activity is she allowed to do well she can go sniff
that would also be pulling right so there's not a lot of pressure on it but still pulling right
park if she's pulling you like a sled dog not very often right how often might you take her to the
Roxy
The fullest statement for a household. In the home-context session the goal is a dog who can walk around at calm liberty and settle on her own, with two choices off the table: jumping on people and jumping on the couch. In the owner lesson the trainer argues against the band-aid of constant commands and asks the owners concrete policy questions - do you want them to play in the house at all? - so the two dogs have one context to learn instead of a rule that shifts when the second dog joins in.
On film
She needs to be able to walk around and make her choices, but one of those choices is not jumping on me or jumping on the couch while I'm up here and getting all involved.
Work window. So that's what people do most of the time and a lot of dog trainers teach people to do that. They use the work window as a band-aid for everything.
Then they're going to think of you as like, "Oh, like hey, like don't do that. everything else is okay. Um, so you have a lot of lawful options. Walking around, sniffing things, laying down, chewing on their bone.
now, so another thing to make it easier for them is I'll ask, do you want them to play in the house at all? No.
King
Kelton's first owner lesson ties the rule to the four windows: outside a command, the dog is free, and the owner decides in advance which few things are off limits.
On film
There's no rules in terms of you have not put him in the obedience window. He's not in the work window. You didn't tell him place or sit or down or anything. He's just free to walk around, do his thing. But you decide in your mind, these things are off limits for him to do.
Zuri-chan
Called Zutty on this walk and described by the trainer as a dog his household has had for about two and a half years, she is the worked example of the house principle. Her new habit of scavenging off the ground is the live test: the plan is to forbid that one act rather than band-aid it by keeping her in heel.
On film
most useful is to show them what not to do and then allow everything else yeah teach them to do the things when you ask them to do them
on a heel. Well you don't have to band-aid it with a regal. Just teach her not to do that and
Stormie
At the go-home lesson Connor puts the household rules to the family as questions - jumping on one person but not another, climbing on a seated person, where the kitchen line is - and names the failure mode: an owner who says it does not matter and then texts a week later that the dog does not listen. He also states the limit of customisation.
On film
So do you want her on you or do you want her to not get on you while you're sitting down?
And then I go home and I get like some nasty text. It's like my dog doesn't listen
Well, so you can do that. You just kind of, like, every single time, you kind of get, like, an imaginary line. And so, like, every time she crosses that line, you hit the button.
Luna
The quirk rule. The same paw is worked only when she uses it to escape a command, and then the command is reinforced rather than the paw punished.
On film
usually ask before I do anything with like any of the quirky behaviors that dogs have because some people really don't like them
And there was much debate last time I was over about whether it does this paw thing and we were deciding if it's a quirk or if it's a uh in need of behavioral modification and Luna's owner said that we treat it just like a quirk.
Bo
Jumping up is legalised under a cue ('uppies') and corrected every other time. The stated reasons: a behaviour you only ever punish will get through sometimes, and for a dog who loves contact the permission becomes a reward the handler can use.
On film
one thing that's really nice to do is to put jumping on queue. Punish it every other time, but give them a cue that they know they can jump if they do that particular thing.
even if you never want them to jump on you, it's better to put it on queue than to just try to punish it all the time because they're going to get through sometimes, right?
Dolce
A standing rule is suspended for one exercise and the suspension said out loud: in the boogeyman protection drill, pulling into the leash is part of the behaviour being built.
On film
And I'm going to let her pull because it's fine to let her pull in this case.
Louie
The negative case: a dog cannot keep rules he was never told. The trainer says most people let the dog pick the rules up by inference and then treat that as knowledge.
On film
he's pulling on it again so we have to like define the criteria that's the important thing about training is that you do define your criteria
Angus
On his first trip into a store Angus may sniff anything; marking the merchandise is the one thing corrected, four or five times.
On film
gonna pee on that don't do that good boy you can sniff but you cannot pee I know
Astro
Reported at the drop-off after his refresher: Astro was 'weird' about the vacuum, and the fix was to tell him to knock it off when he acted up toward it and allow everything else. The trainer states it as his general method: penalise the bad option so the dog is left to choose among the rest, which can then be rewarded. At the go-home lesson Kelton applied the same shape to begging: correct the begging and give no follow-up command.
On film
so he can do anything he wants as long as he's not acting crazy towards the vacuum
is that when you penalize bad options, well, they can't do them anymore.
positive punishment he begs buzz he begs you punish but then you don't then tell him down
Max (Goldendoodle)
For an owner Max once pulled over, Kelton makes one behaviour the zero-tolerance rule - leash tension - because that is what got her in trouble; everything else on the walk has leeway.
On film
earlier in there is you need to have like no leeway at all for one thing in particular and that is any
very uh loose leash but a very tight rein
Max
For a minor fault - tangling around people on the walk - the trainer hands the criterion to the family: let the leash teach him through natural consequences, or correct it every time, depending on how picky they want to be.
On film
trying to do anything so it depends on how like picky you want to be
it is like what i do like kind of just natural consequences i let the dog learn like oh if he turns this way and there's people in front and he feels he hits and feels a little tension he should kind of step to the other side
Penny
For the cats, Kelton lays out two routes and their side effects - a reinforced recall that keeps the relationship, or a no-command aversion that may leave her avoiding the cats - and the owners choose.
On film
an aversion where she just doesn't mess with the cats at all you go the rattlesnake aversion route
Bullet
On the cot the criterion is staying on it; sniffing and hanging his head off the edge are not failures and are not corrected.
On film
Good, he hangs his head off and sniffs, I'm not gonna get mad at him for that.
Zeus
For dog-to-dog work the one prohibition is going after the other dog; friendship is optional, neutrality is not.
On film
right but it's not required but neutrality is required that's not optional he's not allowed to go after him right
Beo
Beo's owner reports no problems in the house; his trouble is whining, howling and fixation on walks. Kelton's answer is this concept applied outdoors. Putting a dog in a heel, sit or down does not stop the howling, so no obedience command is given at that time: he may walk around, sniff and look, and only the whining and howling are penalised, followed by 'okay', a pet and walking on. Kelton calls it free shaping with penalties: anything lawful is allowed. He contrasts it with the common sit-and-look-at-me advice, which he says means doing it forever.
On film
because it's very similar to how you teach um like uh it's it's mostly taught through penalties
because you're free shaping with penalties you allow them to do anything that they're allowed
free to do whatever they want they can walk around they can sniff they can look they can do all that other stuff but as soon as they start the whining howling thing i penalize that
Reaper
Explaining calm liberty to Reaper's owners, the trainer compares it to writing instructions for a program: you list the few things not to touch. Walking around, looking at things, lying down wherever he likes are all fine; 'you need certain boundaries on that liberty'. 'So it's more of a do not do list that's how you build the window.' The same passage then raises the criterion live: a level of ramping-up toward a person that would have been accepted earlier is now corrected.
On film
platform do whatever right liberty but you need certain boundaries on that liberty right
hey don't touch these things so it's more of a do not do list that's how you build the window
Pepper
The walk version for a family with two dogs. Handing the leash to the owner, the trainer says an everyday walk needs only a loose leash: she may be in front, look around and sniff. What is corrected is sustained tension (and, in the same lesson, darting about and playing with the other dog on leash). Wanting to be in front of the household dog is 'normal'; as long as she is not holding tension 'the whole time' he does not care. His reason for keeping the list short is the dog's enjoyment: take the joy out of walks and dogs start avoiding them.
On film
normally like your everyday walk right so as long as it's loose does not matter right you can be in front it's okay
in front of each other and stuff like that um you know again as long as she's not holding tension the whole time i don't really care about that type of stuff too much
walks are supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable for everybody right and if you take some of that joy away they start avoiding wanting to do the walk
Ace (Chihuahua-terrier mix)
With ducks in sight, Ace is allowed to look and track as much as he likes. Only 'anything dumb' gets interrupted, and the trainer uses the interruption as recall proofing.
On film
He can look at stuff as much as he wants,
as long as he doesn't do anything dumb.
Apollo (the Sharkie)
Apollo is allowed to bite in the tug game. The no marker is conditioned for biting at hands outside it: 'there's rules you can't just bite at me when we're not tugging'.
On film
teach him hey like don't do that there's rules you can't just bite at me when we're not tugging
Bandit
At a Bandit session the trainer contrasts micromanaging with obedience against the ideal: a dog who knows a few things not to do, while everything else (wandering, greeting, lying anywhere) is 'totally legal', as long as he is calm.
On film
than that everything else totally legal right right that's illegal activity right like that's
can go lay anywhere they want all all is legal right they're free um as long as they're calm
Bernie
At Bernie's lesson the trainer argues from the dog's side. Given the choice between being parked on place at every meal and being punished a few times and then left free, he would 'choose the second one all day': teach what not to do, then let the dog do anything else.
On film
thing i would choose the second one all day if i were a dog but like please yeah punish me a few
times and like just teach me what not to do and then like let me do anything else because that's
Bubba Gum
Bubba Gum likes her place bed, but it is not the answer to jumping on people. The trainer prefers to tell her to stop it and leave her free to walk around.
On film
because it's better to just tell them to stop it
and then they can still walk around
Bun
Bun's walks have one rule, no pulling, and sniffing and looking are free. His owner lessons state the principle in full: when it doesn't matter what he is doing, tell him not to do the one thing and let him be free. Penalise the unlawful choices and he defaults to good ones, which is 'how you end up like trusting your dog'.
On film
and he can sniff he can look at stuff it doesn't really matter as long as he's not pulling that's
something just tell him not to do that thing and then let him be free right because that's how you
Allow choice points. And when you've effectively penalized unacceptable choices, unlawful choices,
Callie
Callie's third session puts it in one line to the camera: she may sniff, smell and pee on everything, but she cannot pull.
On film
free sniff and smell and pee on everything but she cannot pull right so she's free to just go and
you're free to do everything you just cannot pull as you can see i did three tune-ups which
Clark Kent
Clark Kent's trainer uses the trash can to illustrate it. Instead of correcting every approach to the can, make the can fun and allow everything (sniff, touch, paws up), and penalise only digging trash out.
On film
okay right you can go sniff it you can touch it you can approach it you can put
your paws on it you just can't dig in it and take trash right so you punish that you use an
Fiona
Fiona's calm-liberty block is run this way: she roams, and only what she shouldn't do is corrected. You told the dog not to get up here, so you do nothing else, 'and you just let the dog do whatever it wants'.
On film
section of this where I'm just going to let her kind of roam around and do what she wants
you do nothing because you don't have to do anything you told the dog not to get up here
and you just let the dog do whatever it wants end of story now the dog does what it wants
Jack
Everything else, the trainer tells Jack, 'is on the table'.
On film
anything else. Everything else is on the table, bud. No biting the leash though. You can bite
Lola
For Lola the rule covers people too. She doesn't have to like every person she sees and may walk away. She just may not do something stupid or dramatic, such as bolting and knocking furniture down.
On film
person she sees yeah she just needs to not do something stupid yes that's
literally it she can make any kind of choice she wants as long as it's not
Lucy
Lucy's lesson gives the trash-can version and carries it over to protection work. Touching, walking by and rubbing against the can are fine. Only knocking it over and getting trash out is punished, so 'not right now' has to be built in as its own clear line.
On film
trash can's fine walking by it rubbing up against it doing whatever that's all good just don't knock
Milo
On Milo's walk the line is drawn between interest and the act. Looking at a passing dog is not punished, because you don't want a dog that is never allowed to be interested. Trying to bite one is. The trainer tries to be 'as permissive as I can' with excitement, provided it is expressed appropriately.
On film
because you don't want to make it where they're not looking at anything ever and
want them to bite another dog right right or try to bite another dog that's
that an appropriate way or not and basically I try to be as permissive as I
Peque (PK)
While PK sits with her handlers in public and people pass, the trainer does not want her corrected for looking or walking towards them, because 'you want them to be interested in things'. The easy cue is used instead.
On film
people did and you don't want to correct the dog for looking or for walking over towards it you
Piglet
For Piglet and the household cats the principle is spelled out. Penalise the problem and 'open up a whole world of new options for her'. Choosing to avoid instead of attack is 'a lawful choice', and she may look at a cat all day.
On film
penalize it and then open up a whole world of new options for her. She can take any other option.
So if she chooses to avoid instead of attack, that's a perfectly acceptable choice. It's a lawful choice
Roman
On a walk with Roman and Egg the dogs are sent to look ('go look you can look'), and the trainer explains why. Make it clear that everything else is fine and only 'this one little sliver' is off limits. Punishing the approach makes 'this weird dog' instead.
On film
go look you can look and that's the other thing like i try to make sure that it's clear in their
minds like everything else is fine you can do lots of stuff right you just can't do this one
Stormy
For the guardian puppy Stormy, jumping up is put on a cue ('hug') and rewarded with contact. It becomes wrong only when it is uninvited.
On film
jump on you yeah um i've also used in the past i'll say hug huggies hug hug and they'll jump up
right and i'll dance with them um and give them some pets then if they jump when you didn't ask
Thor
With five-month-old Thor the method is named on camera as free shaping with punishment. He chooses freely, and only what you don't want, such as jumping on the couch or on you, is marked.
On film
Good boy. And so then you just free shape with punishment if they do something like try to jump
Wiley
Wiley's sessions show both routes. Charging dogs is punished outright, so that it is never an option. For jumping on the bed, the preferred route 'nowadays' is to put it on cue, which leaves 'just that one thing' forbidden and lets the dog get really close to it.
On film
nowadays is um is actually just to put it on cue so um you know because if you put it on
Well, honestly, it's just that one thing.
don't want him charging dogs so i'm punishing to make that not an option in these kinds of settings
Why it works
The trainers give three reasons on film. First, a single prohibition is easy to keep: the garden illustration in Dolly's lesson makes the point that one forbidden tree among many allowed ones is not a hard rule to follow (paraphrased). Second, penalising the one bad option leaves the dog free to choose among the rest, and those choices can then be rewarded (Astro's drop-off). Third, a behaviour that is only ever punished will leak through sometimes, so clarifying when it is allowed is more effective than blanket suppression (Bo). Against the alternative - using commands as a band-aid - the Roxy lesson argues that constant sit/down/come immobilises the dog rather than teaching him which choice is off the table. The Louie session adds the negative case: rules that were never defined cannot be followed. Coverage pass, 1 Oct 2026: Bun's lessons state the mechanism as a choice rule. Once the unlawful choices have been penalised, 'they default to taking good choices' (watch 48:25). Piglet's trainer gives it as space opened: penalise the problem and 'open up a whole world of new options for her' (watch 18:05). Inferred, not said: the trash-can game and the jump-on-cue both work by shrinking the forbidden zone to a sliver that can be marked every time.
On film
one and so for her it's like oh okay what activity is she allowed to do well she can go sniff
is that when you penalize bad options, well, they can't do them anymore.
even if you never want them to jump on you, it's better to put it on queue than to just try to punish it all the time because they're going to get through sometimes, right?
Work window. So that's what people do most of the time and a lot of dog trainers teach people to do that. They use the work window as a band-aid for everything.
he's pulling on it again so we have to like define the criteria that's the important thing about training is that you do define your criteria
walks are supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable for everybody right and if you take some of that joy away they start avoiding wanting to do the walk
because you're free shaping with penalties you allow them to do anything that they're allowed
hey don't touch these things so it's more of a do not do list that's how you build the window
Inferred
That a short list is what makes consistency possible - the rule the owner can enforce every single time is the one that sticks (Stormie's imaginary kitchen line, Max the goldendoodle's zero-tolerance leash). That the owner-picks-the-rules practice is also commercial: it prevents the 'my dog doesn't listen' complaint by making the criteria the family's own. Neither is stated as a general theory on film.
Where the trainers differ
Blanket prohibition or permission on cue
One view
Forbid the act outright and allow everything else (Dolly's pulling, Angus's marking, Zuri-chan's scavenging).
On film
she can do anything she wants except for pull right she can play with you she can sniff she can look at stuff she can go see squirrels she can literally do anything as long as she doesn't
Another view
For a behaviour the dog loves, put it on cue and punish it only when uninvited, because pure punishment leaks (Bo's jumping).
On film
even if you never want them to jump on you, it's better to put it on queue than to just try to punish it all the time because they're going to get through sometimes, right?
How to read it
Not a disagreement between trainers so much as two tools for one problem; the record does not say which behaviours get which treatment beyond Bo's case.
Who sets the criterion for a minor fault
One view
The family chooses how picky to be (Max's tangling, Penny's cats, Stormie's seated contact).
On film
trying to do anything so it depends on how like picky you want to be
Another view
Some criteria are set by the trainer as absolute for this owner's safety (Max the goldendoodle: no leeway at all on leash tension).
On film
earlier in there is you need to have like no leeway at all for one thing in particular and that is any
Common owner mistakes
- Using commands as a band-aid for every problem - telling the dog sit, down or come whenever he does something wrong - instead of telling him nothing unless he does the one forbidden thing.
On film
Work window. So that's what people do most of the time and a lot of dog trainers teach people to do that. They use the work window as a band-aid for everything.
Roxy · Watch at 33:25 ↗ - Saying a behaviour does not matter and then being unhappy with it later; the rule has to be decided up front.
On film
And then I go home and I get like some nasty text. It's like my dog doesn't listen
Stormie · Watch at 30:04 ↗ - Never stating the rules and expecting the dog to have inferred them.
On film
he's pulling on it again so we have to like define the criteria that's the important thing about training is that you do define your criteria
Louie · Watch at 4:27 ↗ - Punishing a dog for getting up when no command was given; from the dog's side he did nothing wrong.
On film
And then they get up and somebody punishes it. And in their mind, they're like, what did I do? I didn't do anything. You didn't tell me to do anything.
Luna · Watch at 35:33 ↗ - Letting toy play happen for one dog and then stopping it when the second dog joins, so the rule changes with circumstances.
On film
Because it's going to be frustrating for them if you like let them play with a toy by themselves, but then as soon as the other one joins in, then it's like
Roxy · Watch at 30:45 ↗ - Putting the dog in a sit or heel every time he starts whining or howling at something on a walk. Kelton's point with Beo: a command does not stop the howling, and it means doing it forever; leave him free and mark only the whining.
On film
free to do whatever they want they can walk around they can sniff they can look they can do all that other stuff but as soon as they start the whining howling thing i penalize that
Watch at 41:32 ↗
Questions owners ask
Should every unusual behaviour be trained out?
No. The trainer asks the owner before touching a quirky behaviour, because some families say that is what makes their dog their dog.
On film
but the last thing I want to do is like bring a dog back and you're like i love this thing about my dog and i'm like yep i e-collared it out of her
And there was much debate last time I was over about whether it does this paw thing and we were deciding if it's a quirk or if it's a uh in need of behavioral modification and Luna's owner said that we treat it just like a quirk.
Isn't it simpler to just put the dog on place or in a sit whenever he misbehaves?
The trainers call that a band-aid. A command immobilises the dog but does not tell him which choice was wrong; the alternative is to tell him nothing unless he does the forbidden thing, and then only 'stop doing that'.
On film
Work window. So that's what people do most of the time and a lot of dog trainers teach people to do that. They use the work window as a band-aid for everything.
on a heel. Well you don't have to band-aid it with a regal. Just teach her not to do that and
What if I only want him to jump up sometimes?
Put it on cue. Correct it every other time and give a word that invites it; the trainer says this works better even if you never plan to use the cue, because a behaviour you only punish will get through sometimes.
On film
one thing that's really nice to do is to put jumping on queue. Punish it every other time, but give them a cue that they know they can jump if they do that particular thing.
Does moving around on the cot break the rule?
Only if the rule is about moving. Bullet's trainer lets him sniff and hang his head off the edge; the criterion is staying on the cot.
On film
Good, he hangs his head off and sniffs, I'm not gonna get mad at him for that.
The trainer let my dog pull in one exercise. Doesn't that undo the walk training?
The exception is named for that exercise only. In Dolce's protection drill the trainer says out loud that pulling is fine in this case; the walking rule is unchanged.
On film
And I'm going to let her pull because it's fine to let her pull in this case.
Does my dog have to heel on every walk?
Not on an everyday walk, by Pepper's trainer's account. The leash has to stay loose; she may be in front, sniff and look around, and only sustained tension (and darting or playing on leash) is corrected. He keeps it that way on purpose: walks are meant to be enjoyable, and dogs whose walks lose the joy start avoiding them.
On film
normally like your everyday walk right so as long as it's loose does not matter right you can be in front it's okay
in front of each other and stuff like that um you know again as long as she's not holding tension the whole time i don't really care about that type of stuff too much
walks are supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable for everybody right and if you take some of that joy away they start avoiding wanting to do the walk
Should I correct my dog for staring at other dogs or cats?
Not for looking. The trainers separate interest from the act. Milo's trainer won't punish looking at a passing dog, because 'you don't want to make it where they're not looking at anything ever', but he does punish trying to bite. Piglet may look at the cats all day, and choosing to avoid a cat instead of attacking is 'a lawful choice'. Ace may watch ducks 'as long as he doesn't do anything dumb'. Kelton's settled position is to address the act, reading the difference between looking and fixating from the dog's body language.
On film
because you don't want to make it where they're not looking at anything ever and
So if she chooses to avoid instead of attack, that's a perfectly acceptable choice. It's a lawful choice
as long as he doesn't do anything dumb.
The lesson
The goal
The owner can state, in one sentence, the few things the dog may not do, and leaves him free otherwise.
Learn first
The drill
As run on film: the family is asked each rule as a direct question (on you while sitting, or not; play in the house, or not; where the kitchen line is) and the answer becomes the rule. The dog is then left loose in the room or on the walk with no command, and only the named act is interrupted - Stormie's kitchen line is enforced every single time she crosses it; Angus is corrected only for marking, never for sniffing.
Watch out for
- Following a correction with a command, which turns a boundary into obedience work (Kelton, Astro go-home, 03:17).
- Changing the rule when circumstances change - toy play allowed alone, stopped when the second dog joins (Roxy, 30:45).
- Leaving the rules implied (Louie, 04:27).
Check yourself
Can everyone in the house say the dog's forbidden list in one sentence - and does it leave most of his day free?