The answer
On film, the trainers give four reasons, and none of them is marketing.
First, the videos teach the owner. A go-home lesson is, in the trainers' words, 'a terrible learning environment' ('you're so excited to see your dog'), so the lessons are recorded to be watched again, and the sessions are narrated so the family learns how training works from footage of their own dog. Kelton tells King's owner: 'you'll learn a lot about how dogs work and how dog training works just from watching the videos with your dog'. Owners are told to watch a lesson back five times (Apollo), to watch other dogs' cases as well as their own (Lola, Bandit), and that 'people who are most successful are the ones that watch as many videos as they can'. Roxy's go-home names why: the number one roadblock to long-term success: 'It's always how well do they remember what to do with the dogs'. The September 2026 lessons give the same reason in the same words: 'that's also why we record because imagine if you had to like just memorize all of this' (Mazi), 'it's a lot that's why like we record it' (Chunk), and Stormi's owner is told her partner can 'go back and watch everything you're doing'.
Second, the footage is the evidence. Kelton rejects reviews as a way to judge a trainer: 'where the videos of you training a dog that's what I want to see'. Nightly place holds are filmed so owners can be 'confident based on the video evidence that their dogs are trained on a regular basis'. A result is defined by what was filmed, such as Bo's nails clipped on camera 'so that we can show that his nails can be clipped'. Josi's trainer sets a weekly checkpoint that only counts if it is recorded. At Beo's first owner lesson (September 2026) Kelton puts it in his own words: 'that's why I record everything', because a trainer who said the dog hadn't barked at anyone, with no video to show, would sound like 'you're trying to make stuff sound good'. The rule cuts the other way as well: when Nikki growled off camera, the handler says 'I didn't get it on video' and films the next session to see 'if she growls at me again so that we can correct it'.
Third, the footage goes both ways. Owners send videos of problems ('take a video of it'), Bo's owner filmed her homework and sent it in, and a YouTube comment from an owner changed what the trainer brought to the next session. By September 2026 families come to their lessons with questions taken from the uploads: Whiskey's family names the e-collar as 'my biggest question from the videos', and Pepper's owner recognises a moment from one ('i think that's the video i saw'). Trainers talk to the owners through the camera ('talking to you the owner', Beo; 'stormy's owners probably watching this video'), and for Spanish-speaking families the reason is given in Spanish: at Chaparro's evaluation a staff member interpreting tells the family 'nosotros grabamos todas las escenas para que ustedes vean cómo es que lo hacemos' (we film all the scenes so that you can see how we do it).
Fourth, the camera is held to rules that cost the business something. The trainers film the correction, not the finished dog, and go to places the dog has never worked. They won't make the picture prettier than the dog: loosening Dolce's leash would leave the problem in place, though 'I can make that look a lot prettier'. They won't re-run a failed command to prove it on camera ('I won't press on that command again to prove to you that it's perfect'), and they publish sessions that show the dog struggling. On a September 2026 walk with Dolce the handler says it outright: 'I could make it look beautiful', by pulling every success into a highlight reel, 'but I'm gonna post this unedited fully transparent because that's what's real'. They are also candid about what the footage can't show: the settling and trust-building weeks produce little to film ('it don't look like training but it is'), and most of the work is 'not the highlight clips that you see on instagram'. Kelton (Reaper's trainer) names one more gap: 'we record every training session almost', but the first weeks of getting the dog used to the staff happened during daily kennel care, and 'i don't have a good way to record that'.
Our inference, not said on film: the program is built so that the recording carries the teaching that one handover can't, and the rules about what not to film are what make that record trustworthy.
A wider reading of every session note tagged with this idea found it at sixteen more dogs, and it adds a fifth use: the owner's own camera. Kelton, at Peque's handover, calls a tripod and a phone 'the most useful dog training tool by a country mile', because recording yourself shows whether you are doing what you think you are doing; Rocky's trainer puts the tripod in his top five; Milo's caught a habit of his own on film and asks the owner to send in tripod footage for coaching. Two more reasons are stated outright. Kali's trainer lists documenting the work, educating the owner, educating the public, and monitoring the trainers' own mistakes. Oscar's trainer started filming far more so the handover would not mean asking the dog to prove every command dozens of times. At Marvin's handover Kelton gives the reunion reason in one line: 'That's why we take videos throughout the program.'
Angier K9 is a family-owned, play-based Board & Train serving Angier, Raleigh and the Triangle, with three full owner lessons.
What to do
Watch the videos: your own dog's, then other dogs' ('watch as many of my videos as you can. Not just Bandit's videos, but watch other dogs' videos', watch 35:18). When something goes wrong at home, film it and send it rather than describing it (watch 20:21; watch 48:07), and send it early (watch 34:01).
What the trainers say
because I want to be as transparent and document as much of his training as possible and then commentate like tell you what I'm doing while I'm doing it so that you can watch those videos and know this is how he worked with the dog.
hopefully by the end of it just from the videos with your dog only, you'll learn a lot about how dogs work and how dog training works just from watching the videos with your dog.
best thing is like all right what's the evidence like we'll show it show this dog and I can't count the number of trainers that like dog great reviews and it'll be like woohoo but it's like where the dog training where the videos of you training a dog that's what I want to see
the number one um roadblock for like long-term success for most of our clients uh is not like the quality of the dog training or um or like the health or anything else. It's always how well do they remember what to do with the dogs. That's always the the breaking point.
However, this is probably like the single worst learning environment for you that I could possibly imagine because you're so excited to see your dog
when it's a topic that's unfamiliar to you so i started doing that for all of mine i record them so that this conversation we're having doesn't just get lost into oblivion
so i found that people who are most successful are the ones that watch as many videos as they can
reasons that I do this kind of thing is because I want to enjoy time with the dogs but I also I want people to be confident based on the video evidence that their dogs are trained on a regular basis
so like what i want is for us to put out more just straight up transparent no editing live dog training footage i want us to put out more of that than anybody else on the planet
It's good because you get to see what it looks like, right? And this is why I may start having these videos where I take them in an area that's really not like another area we've been in. That way you can see me correct them in real time in terms of they know the commands, but they get to see how it looks on me.
And I can make that look a lot prettier if I just like put the leash out but I want to get her where she doesn't care about feeling the leash.
I won't press on that command again to prove to you that it's perfect, but he is doing well to sit. I mean I think that that's in a bunch of other videos from a couple weeks ago so.
Because it don't look like training but it is
it's not the highlight clips that you see on instagram it's not all exciting like that every time sometimes it's this but it's important it's important if you don't do it your results will
This is a weekly video checkpoint, so you can't just say, oh, yeah, I did that. It needs to be recorded for it to count, and then I'll review it at the end of every week.
that's why I record everything because can you imagine if I was like hey like yeah no he hasn't barked at any other dogs he hasn't been reactive at all and uh but you didn't have any videos
So then like any question that you have that's covered anywhere in the corpus You're gonna have like an actual video example of me explaining what I'm doing.
I could pull out every time she was successful and put it all on a highlight reel but I'm gonna post this unedited fully transparent because that's what's real
but that's also why we record because imagine if you had to like just memorize all of this probably wouldn't be like a blast
it's a lot that's why like we record it
i think we're the most well-documented people that you could possibly find because we record every training session almost right but like i don't have a good way to record that
Y ya después de ahí, nosotros grabamos todas las escenas para que ustedes vean cómo es que lo hacemos.
Anyway, this is a video to see if she growls at me again so that we can correct it.
learning um because that's another thing is like the okay i'll say this the clients that we've had that have been the most successful after the dog goes home watch all the videos
So the reason we do these videos is one, so we can document our work, but a second really important purpose of it is that we want to educate the owner.
all five hours uh to catch up I'm sure you probably learned a decent bit about how the command works hopefully because I try to call out what I'm doing and why.
That's why we take videos throughout the program.
sometimes do that but then like um it's a i had a habit of doing it um and i caught myself that's why i like taking videos
do a go-home lesson this is why I started taking way more videos it's like I just want to have proof over there that they he knows the things
But the most useful dog training tool by a country mile is a tripod and a phone.
How it looks, dog by dog
Bo
Bo's case is the fullest example: dozens of uploads about one dog, a client who watched them, and a client who sent her own back. The camera does three jobs. It defines when something is resolved: after the crate work, the remaining proof is to clip his nails and film it, then a vet visit. It lets the go-home be a question-and-answer session rather than a demonstration, because the videos already are the demonstration, and the owner is told that watching them all through amounts to an education. And it runs both ways: at the follow-up she is told to practise, film it and send it, which she had already done. The counterweight is in Bo's file too. When a known sit fails on camera during public-access work, the handler won't run it again to prove it: the earlier videos are the record, and the failure stays in the edit.
On film
do is clip his nails for him and record that so that we can show that his nails can be clipped
I have a tendency to ramble during videos, which is hopefully useful for you,
just um what you did was really good sending me those couple of videos.
I won't press on that command again to prove to you that it's perfect, but he is doing well to sit.
King
The owner is taught during the program, in two long lessons, so the go-home can be calm and about doing it. Kelton says the sessions are narrated so the owner can learn from footage of his own dog. A junior trainer tells staff the same thing: the session will be posted 'so you can refer back to it', so the channel is also the staff's reference library. The owner is told to message early if he sees something in a video he wants worked on.
On film
because I want to be as transparent and document as much of his training as possible and then commentate like tell you what I'm doing while I'm doing it so that you can watch those videos and know this is how he worked with the dog.
And this video, it'll get posted on YouTube, so you can refer back to it.
yeah the slower the slower we the the later we know about it the harder it is to help you with it so let us know right away if there's anything that pops up
Lola
At the first in-program lesson Kelton says reviews are no way to judge a trainer and offers the footage instead. He prescribes another dog's case, Finn's, as the way to understand Lola. At the handover the owners say they did their homework on the business through its videos and kept learning from other dogs' footage, and the trainer answers that the most successful clients watch a lot of videos that aren't their own dog's.
On film
best thing is like all right what's the evidence like we'll show it show this dog and I can't count the number of trainers that like dog great reviews
if you want to learn a lot about lola if other than watching lola's videos watch finn's videos
most of other dogs like not we don't even just watch their videos the most successful clients we have watched lots of random videos of ours
Bandit
Bandit's walks are made as teaching videos, with asides to the editors. On two separate walks the trainer tells the owner, and anyone watching, to watch other dogs' cases as well: nervous dogs, reactive dogs, easy dogs. At the first owner lesson Kelton says the owners who watch the most do best, and this owner had already watched and commented before that lesson. At the go-home lesson (28 Sep 2026) the trainer hands over more than Bandit's own uploads: the case notes are described as analysed and cross-referenced footage, so that any question the owner has will come with 'an actual video example'. Part 2 closes the same way: 'Definitely watch through the videos'.
On film
so i found that people who are most successful are the ones that watch as many videos as they can
incredibly difficult. Neither does maintaining their training. Watch as many of my videos as you can. Not just Bandit's videos, but watch other dogs' videos
comes home the more of the videos not just your dog's videos but everybody else's dogs right the more you watch and the more you learn the easier a time you'll have
So then like any question that you have that's covered anywhere in the corpus You're gonna have like an actual video example of me explaining what I'm doing.
Definitely watch through the videos if you have any thoughts.
Deuce
On Deuce's last day the trainer takes him to a downtown he has never worked in and says why he films there: so viewers see him correcting in real time, not a finished product. On another day he explains why he repeats himself: the audience is new every time.
On film
It's good because you get to see what it looks like, right? And this is why I may start having these videos where I take them in an area that's really not like another area we've been in.
i've talked about this before i repeat myself all the time in these videos but you know it's new people every time watching them
Dolce
During a down in the park the trainer refuses the handling change that would make the footage look clean. Letting the leash out would make it 'a lot prettier', but the goal is a dog that doesn't mind feeling the leash, and a slack leash would also be one more thing the owner has to learn. On a September 2026 walk the handler applies the same rule to the edit rather than the leash: the session could be cut into a highlight reel of every success, but it is posted unedited, because that is what is real and even well-trained dogs make mistakes.
On film
And I can make that look a lot prettier if I just like put the leash out but I want to get her where she doesn't care about feeling the leash. Like that little bit of leash tension from the from the retractable because that's just an extra step that I have to try to showing owner to do and there's no reason she can't stay without it
And I'm not going to pull highlight clips from this. Sorry. I could. I could make it look beautiful.
I could pull out every time she was successful and put it all on a highlight reel but I'm gonna post this unedited fully transparent because that's what's real
Zeus
A dog who tried to bite on arrival can't be leashed, so his first weeks produce almost no training footage. The trainer films a case update anyway, during kennel chores, so the owners won't read silence as neglect. At the second owner lesson he says the early footage 'don't look like training but it is'.
On film
and so frankly not that much reporting ends up happening although I'm trying to start recording some of that process so that people know what's happening
working up to being able to do things with him but I just wanted you to have an update on what exactly we're working with so that you don't think that we're just kind of like not doing anything with your dog
Because it don't look like training but it is
Bullet
An 87-minute upload of a trainer mostly petting a dog, published as it was. In the middle the trainer says what it is: most of the work isn't the highlight clips on social media, and skipping it shows up in the results.
On film
it's not the highlight clips that you see on instagram it's not all exciting like that every time sometimes it's this but it's important it's important if you don't do it your results will
Roxy
Roxy's first day is filmed as the 'before' half of a before-and-after: a short walk with verbal commands only, to see what she recognises. At the go-home the trainer says the business moved to recorded in-program lessons because owners forgetting what to do is the main reason results fade. The film records the plan for a no-help baseline; the note also records markers during it, so it isn't a completely help-free test.
On film
Well, we're here at the park with Roxy, and we're here just to test how much she does and does not know. So this is her first day with official training, so she's got no formal dog training education, and we're going to demonstrate her status quo. That way, weeks from now, we can use this as a before and after video.
the number one um roadblock for like long-term success for most of our clients uh is not like the quality of the dog training or um or like the health or anything else. It's always how well do they remember what to do with the dogs. That's always the the breaking point.
Clark Kent
Kelton tells a store worker the videos aren't polished training videos, they're 'for mom and dad'. When the in-person handover had to be cut short, Clark Kent's primary trainer, Evan, recorded the go-home lesson as a talk to camera, with the videos standing as the evidence that the dog knows his commands.
On film
yeah it's just it's very transparent i don't i don't try to record like a nice training video i don't care no but i know that that's for mom and dad
because we taught Clark Kent all the things that he knows, and he does know them. We have video evidence. You've seen them online, right?
the worst time for us to teach you how to handle your dog is when the dog is going home after a month of being away
Josi
During Josi's place work the trainer describes a weekly video checkpoint he is writing for board-and-train dogs: a concrete standard for each week that only counts if it is recorded, reviewed at the end of every week. It also decides which videos have to be taken. The record read so far doesn't show Josi's own checkpoints being filmed.
On film
This is a weekly video checkpoint, so you can't just say, oh, yeah, I did that. It needs to be recorded for it to count, and then I'll review it at the end of every week.
to keep us on track so that we know so that everybody knows exactly what's being trained
Apollo (the Sharkie)
At the go-home, the recorded lesson is the owner's manual: if a problem comes up, film it and send it, then call, and watch this lesson back five times.
On film
hey like I'm dealing with this thing at work and he's doing this what do I do take a video of it and then I'll give you a way to send it to me and then just give me a call
yeah and I'll try to help you out with it so the other best thing that you can do is just watch this video back five times and try to maintain all of it
Beo
With no owner on camera, the published videos are the family's window, and the family answers through them. A YouTube comment from the owner, saying the dog loves fetching sticks, sends the trainer to the next session with sticks. Later the trainer speaks straight to 'the owner watching this'. In September 2026 the owner is on camera too. At the first owner lesson Kelton gives the evidence reason in full: if he said Beo hadn't barked at a dog and had no video, the owner would think he was trying to make things sound good. In the sessions around it the trainer still talks to the family through the lens: he hopes an explanation of the release and the recall 'gets clipped out', and after a calm down in public he says 'talking to you the owner'.
On film
a message on YouTube is a comment actually on YouTube from Bale's owner and he was letting me know like he was watching my first video with Bale
If you're the owner watching this.
that's why I record everything because can you imagine if I was like hey like yeah no he hasn't barked at any other dogs he hasn't been reactive at all and uh but you didn't have any videos
sure right yeah he hasn't barked anybody okay yeah it sounds like you're trying to make stuff sound good but like that's what the videos are for
so hopefully that gets clipped out because that's an important concept to understand the difference between those two different options
hopefully that's what you wanted man talking to you the owner
Bernie
Everything is recorded so the family can see what happens with the dog while he's in the program. The nightly place holds are filmed as evidence that the dogs are trained regularly, and at the handover the videos stand in for in-program lessons that didn't happen, with 'six or seven more hours of footage' still to be uploaded.
On film
that we work with and so now we're just trying to record all of it and show you
reasons that I do this kind of thing is because I want to enjoy time with the dogs but I also I want people to be confident based on the video evidence that their dogs are trained on a regular basis
you watch i there's like probably six or seven more hours of footage that's going to be uploaded
Drago
The handover is recorded on a 360 camera so 'this conversation we're having doesn't just get lost into oblivion'. The family gets two playlists and a separate instructional video. The trainer tells them they'll see Drago looking scared in some of the videos, and on another day he warns that the footage may make it look like he was yanking the dog around when he barely used any pressure. So the struggles are published, with context attached.
On film
things one um this is a terrible learning environment for you and for you for you to retain anything that i tell you
when it's a topic that's unfamiliar to you so i started doing that for all of mine i record them so that this conversation we're having doesn't just get lost into oblivion
and um and sometimes with a couple of our other trainers he was a little too suppressed he was like and you're going to see it in some of the videos
And just so you know, it probably kind of looked like I was yanking him around a lot there. And I barely put any pressure at all.
Fiona
Fiona's second program is filmed as a series 'specifically for' her owner, ahead of an in-program lesson. The go-home is recorded because the owner, like the dog, learns worse when excited, and more sessions are posted in the days after.
On film
specifically for you, Fiona's owner,
because you're like fiona so i figure i record it and that way um if you forget something you
Josephine
The trainer opens the go-home by telling the owner she won't retain it all, because a reunion is 'the single worst learning environment', and that the lesson is being recorded. The explanations on outings are addressed to the viewing public and 'specifically your owner'.
On film
However, this is probably like the single worst learning environment for you that I could possibly imagine because you're so excited to see your dog
the masses josephine and specifically your owner
Phoebe (the Rottweiler)
In downtown Angier the trainer states the policy outright: as fully transparent as possible, unedited live footage, as many sessions recorded as possible, so people can see what the business does and decide for themselves, and so returning clients can look up how anything was trained.
On film
just straight up live dog training footage of all kinds right i want all of our sessions as many of them as possible recorded right i just want people to see what we do and decide for themselves
what I want is for you to be able to go back into our library and just find an abundance of footage
Chaparro
At the two-part evaluation filmed 18 Sep 2026 (much of it in Spanish), a staff member interpreting explains the program to the family: the trainers watch and correct in the moment, they film all the scenes so the family can see how it is done, and then the family is shown how to keep the training up at home. Here the camera is introduced as part of the program before the dog is even enrolled.
On film
Y ya después de ahí, nosotros grabamos todas las escenas para que ustedes vean cómo es que lo hacemos.
Y después de eso, nosotros le vamos a decir cómo es que ustedes van a mantener el entrenamiento en casa.
Chunk
Not a map member before this update. In the in-program owner lesson (22 Sep 2026) the trainer stops mid-drill, after warning that a doubled command could confuse Chunk, and tells the owners it is a lot to take in, which is why it is recorded. A week later, narrating to camera, he sends viewers back to the videos from one and two weeks earlier to see that Chunk's down was tight then and is going through an avoidance phase now, and says how he will explain it to the owners at drop-off.
On film
it's a lot that's why like we record it
if you go back and look at the videos like
Mazi
Mazi's owner has been learning from the program uploads, and at both in-program lessons (22 and 29 Sep 2026) the trainer ties the recordings to the handover: the more the owner takes in from the videos, the easier the first week at home, and the lesson is recorded because nobody could memorise all of it.
On film
because the more you take in from the videos and the new sessions, the easier it'll be when he comes home.
but that's also why we record because imagine if you had to like just memorize all of this probably wouldn't be like a blast
Nikki
Nikki's evaluation is planned around what can be filmed. On 21 Sep 2026 the handler lists a cat video as a required step and promises to record and report back on how she does with other dogs and cats. On 28 Sep, after Nikki growled at the handler at her kennel when no camera was running, the handler says it was not caught on video and runs the next session as 'a video to see if she growls at me again', so the behaviour can be seen and corrected.
On film
And we also have to do a video with her and cats.
so we'll make sure to record and give y'all an update on that okay bye
and obviously, I didn't get it on video, because I wasn't on recording or anything
Anyway, this is a video to see if she growls at me again so that we can correct it.
Pepper
Not a map member before this update. At the second in-program owner lesson (20 Sep 2026) the owner has watched Pepper's uploads and recognises the incident the trainer describes from one of them, a dog's high-pitched bark across the street that Pepper ignored. The footage is the shared reference the two of them talk from.
On film
she was just like whatever yeah i think that's the video i saw
Reaper
In the full owner session (19 Sep 2026) the trainer tells the owners that the avoidance they see now was built in sessions 'on film', calls the team 'the most well-documented people that you could possibly find', and names what is missing: the first getting-used-to-us work happened in daily kennel care, which he has no good way to record. On a later walk he gives commands 'only for the sake of this video' and asks viewers to watch it back to see the moment Reaper chose.
On film
you can see it it's on film um the uh original parts of us getting used to him are not um but that's because it was all during daily kennel care
i think we're the most well-documented people that you could possibly find because we record every training session almost right but like i don't have a good way to record that
i encourage you to watch the video back like watch what he was doing he saw that dog and i didn't try to manage him
Sofia
Sofia's family speak Spanish, so the camera talk is in Spanish. At the second in-program lesson (25 Sep 2026) Kelton tells them to look out for the videos coming soon and the tests still to be run ('Ya buscan estos videos que van a ver muy pronto', look for these videos you'll see very soon), and says he will try to bring his wife next time so that the family understands everything.
On film
Ya buscan estos videos que van a ver muy pronto y también las pruebas que van a hacer
Stormi
Not a map member before this update. Stormi's trainer narrates to her owners as viewers: the day after their lesson he reports, to 'stormy's owners probably watching this video', that a little drilling is already fixing her implied stay. At the go-home (27 Sep 2026) the owner says Stormi spends more time with her boyfriend, and the trainer says the household must use the same language, with the videos letting him go back and watch everything she is doing.
On film
stormy's owners probably watching this video and we actually had a session
as long as you guys are speaking the same language and like obviously with the video so he can like go back and watch everything you're doing
Whiskey
Not a map member before this update. Whiskey's family came to their first in-program lesson (19 Sep 2026) with questions taken from the uploads, and named the e-collar as the biggest one. The trainer answers on the same terms: he will record the barrier work over the next few days 'so you guys can see', and shows them his newest video on his phone to answer a question about her down.
On film
the e-collar thing was my biggest question from the videos
over this next like few days i'm gonna do more of that stuff i'll record some some of that stuff so you guys can see kind of what i'm doing with that too
can't find the exact spot but in this newest video
Akira
At an owner lesson the trainer tells Akira's family that the clients who do best after the dog goes home are the ones who watch all the videos, and some watch other dogs' videos too, picking ones that seem like their own dog.
On film
learning um because that's another thing is like the okay i'll say this the clients that we've had that have been the most successful after the dog goes home watch all the videos like all like all
Callie
From Callie's first day the handler plans the footage as a record: a before and after to show how she progresses. In another Short the handler stops to own a mistake on camera: 'good girl' was said where the marker 'yes' belonged.
On film
We'll do a before and after and see how she progresses during her training.
Callie, so I made a mistake there instead of me saying good girl. I should have just gave her that yes
Jack
On a quiet woods walk the trainer tells viewers why the page posts videos where not much is going on: they show a dog as he really is between the moments that look like training.
On film
woods with Jack we having a good time but it's one of the reasons that you'll see very often on our page that we will post videos where not much is going on
Kali
On an evening walk with Kali the trainer gives the reasons in order: to document the work, to educate the owner (he addresses Kali's owner directly), to educate the public, and to help the trainers internally by catching their own mistakes. In another session he says every session is recorded on a 360 camera so the owners can always see everything done with her.
On film
So the reason we do these videos is one, so we can document our work, but a second really important purpose of it is that we want to educate the owner.
thing is that it helps us internally so it's something that we can do to one be able to monitor
about them you know yeah so i record every training session that way they can always
Kodak
At Kodak and Rocko's go-home lesson the trainer takes for granted that the owner has watched the session footage - 'all five hours' - and expects that to have taught how the commands work, because he calls out what he is doing and why as he goes.
On film
all five hours uh to catch up I'm sure you probably learned a decent bit about how the command works hopefully because I try to call out what I'm doing and why. Yes. Um and like what
Levi
When Levi's heel is not at its best during the lesson, the trainer points the owner to the footage ('you'll see it more in the videos'), and the owner says they have already seen them.
On film
just doing this you'll see it more in the videos i wish that it was better honestly i don't know why
really was like a nice heel yeah i've seen the videos yeah it's always well i think too because
Marvin (Giant Schnauzer)
At Marvin's handover Kelton tells the family the reunion is probably the worst possible learning environment, for them as much as the dog, which is why videos are taken throughout the program.
On film
The second thing that I tell people is that this is probably the worst possible learning environment for you.
That's why we take videos throughout the program.
Max (Goldendoodle)
Later in it he says it is a good thing they are recording, because otherwise the owner would wake up the next morning unsure what to do; once it is uploaded it can be watched back.
On film
you all that let me do you mind if i just i know i like to record the whole go home lesson if you
i want to cover um it's a good thing we're recording this because yeah you'd be like
yeah i think you'll do great yeah but at least now you once this gets uploaded you'll be able
Milo
The trainer says filming caught a habit of his own - repeating 'heel' - and turns it into homework: put a phone on a cheap tripod wherever you practise, let it run, and send him the footage so he can coach from it.
On film
sometimes do that but then like um it's a i had a habit of doing it um and i caught myself that's why i like taking videos and i also recommend that um do something like this uh if do you have a
however much you work with them and then send it to me okay right because then i can be like all
Oscar
At Oscar's go-home lesson the trainer gives a practical reason he began filming far more: without footage as proof the dog knows the commands, he would have to ask the dog to show each one dozens of times at the handover, until the dog was worn out.
On film
do a go-home lesson this is why I started taking way more videos it's like I just want to have proof over there that they he knows the things because otherwise i asked them to do it like 50
Peque (PK)
At a follow-up lesson with Peque's adopters Kelton ranks the tools: the e-collar, prong and flexi are all high on his list, but the most useful by far is a tripod and a phone, because recording yourself shows whether you are doing what you think you are doing - verbal first, or something else first.
On film
But the most useful dog training tool by a country mile
is a tripod and a phone.
if you record yourself, you can see if you're actually doing what you think you're doing.
Phoebe
At Phoebe's handover Kelton points out the camera on his chest: lessons are now recorded so people can go back and watch them.
On film
So, we've started recording them now, just so people can go back and watch them.
Rocky
At Rocky's go-home lesson the trainer puts a tripod in his top five training tools of all time: seeing himself showed him he was not doing what he thought, and having someone else review the footage helps too.
On film
like i have one in the top five training tools of all time yeah like the tripod has improved my training immensely because I can see what I'm doing and then I'm like that's not what I thought I was doing you know and then if you have somebody else they
Shadow (German Shepherd puppy)
The trainer tells Shadow's owners they need not write everything down: it is easy to forget, so everything is recorded, partly as protection for both sides and partly so anything discussed can be watched again once posted.
On film
don't know you know but like it's easy to forget stuff so that's why we record everything like
that i that we talk about we can you can go back and watch it um it will get should get posted
Sputnik
Opening Sputnik's go-home lesson, the trainer says the owners will be thinking about their dogs and may miss much of what he says, which is why it is recorded: he will upload it and they can watch it back ten times.
On film
that's why i play this because then it's like all right i'll upload it for you and you can watch it back 10 times so if you're like what did that guy say you can be like i said this and then we're
Wiley
Asked by a stranger at the lake, the trainer says he records so people can find out about the company, but the more crucial reason is that Wiley's owners want to see him, and recording keeps him as transparent as possible.
On film
But yeah, I record it so that people can either find out about us or the other reason is and honestly
This is more crucial is for like you know Wiley's owners want to see him
So that way I'm like as transparent as possible, so like I show everything
Why it works
So the teaching is moved into a recording the owner can go back to at a calmer time (watch 02:03; watch 14:14), narrated live so the reason goes with the action (watch 41:19). Footage also answers the owner's question 'is my dog actually being trained?' better than a claim or a review can (watch 05:14; watch 20:22; watch 19:32); Kelton states this directly at Beo's first owner lesson: a report of good behaviour with no video behind it would sound like 'you're trying to make stuff sound good' (watch 06:16). Inferred, not stated: the rules against flattering the footage (watch 14:56; watch 02:53; watch 11:42) are what keep the record worth trusting, and they protect the dog as well, since a repetition done for the camera is one the dog pays for. Stated limit: the record understates the settling and relationship work, which doesn't look like training (watch 02:14; watch 14:34; watch 16:53), and so does the record of daily kennel care, which Kelton (Reaper's trainer) says he has no good way to film (watch 45:27).
Where the trainers differ
Is the footage the evidence, or only part of it?
One view
Judge the training by the footage; recorded sessions stand as the proof that the dog is trained.
On film
best thing is like all right what's the evidence like we'll show it show this dog
because we taught Clark Kent all the things that he knows, and he does know them. We have video evidence.
sure right yeah he hasn't barked anybody okay yeah it sounds like you're trying to make stuff sound good but like that's what the videos are for
Another view
Much of the work is unphotogenic or unfilmed, and footage can look worse than what happened.
On film
Because it don't look like training but it is
And just so you know, it probably kind of looked like I was yanking him around a lot there. And I barely put any pressure at all.
you can see it it's on film um the uh original parts of us getting used to him are not um but that's because it was all during daily kennel care
How to read it
Not a disagreement between trainers. The same people make both points, and they sit side by side in the record. Recorded because a page built on the footage has to carry both.
Common owner mistakes
- Relying on memory of the handover day instead of watching the recording again.
On film
the number one um roadblock for like long-term success for most of our clients uh is not like the quality of the dog training
Watch at 5:49 ↗ - Taking a quiet stretch of no training footage to mean nothing is being done.
On film
working up to being able to do things with him but I just wanted you to have an update on what exactly we're working with so that you don't think that we're just kind of like not doing anything with your dog
Watch at 7:56 ↗ - Waiting to report a problem seen in the videos or at home.
On film
yeah the slower the slower we the the later we know about it the harder it is to help you with it so let us know right away if there's anything that pops up
Watch at 34:01 ↗
Questions owners ask
Why are the training sessions posted publicly?
The trainers give two reasons. The recordings are the family's course, since the handover is too emotional to learn from, and they are the evidence: Kelton tells owners to judge a trainer by videos of dogs being trained, not by reviews. One trainer says he wants to put out 'more of that than anybody else on the planet'.
On film
best thing is like all right what's the evidence like we'll show it show this dog
so like what i want is for us to put out more just straight up transparent no editing live dog training footage
that's why I record everything because can you imagine if I was like hey like yeah no he hasn't barked at any other dogs he hasn't been reactive at all and uh but you didn't have any videos
I could pull out every time she was successful and put it all on a highlight reel but I'm gonna post this unedited fully transparent because that's what's real
Should I watch other dogs' videos, or only my own dog's?
Both. Owners are told again and again to watch other dogs' cases: nervous dogs, reactive dogs, easy dogs. Lola's owners were pointed to Finn's case in particular.
On film
incredibly difficult. Neither does maintaining their training. Watch as many of my videos as you can. Not just Bandit's videos, but watch other dogs' videos
if you want to learn a lot about lola if other than watching lola's videos watch finn's videos
Why does the video show my dog making mistakes?
On purpose. The trainers film corrections as they happen, in places the dog has never worked, and they won't re-run a failed command or loosen a leash just to make the footage look better.
On film
It's good because you get to see what it looks like, right? And this is why I may start having these videos where I take them in an area that's really not like another area we've been in.
I won't press on that command again to prove to you that it's perfect, but he is doing well to sit.
There have been hardly any videos of my dog this week. Is anything happening?
In a behaviour case the first phase often can't be filmed as training: the dog has to be handleable before he can be leashed. The trainer records updates so owners don't read silence as neglect, and asks for patience.
On film
And that might take a little while, right? So please be patient with us in these kinds of circumstances.
What should I do if a problem comes up after my dog comes home?
Film it and send it, then call, and rewatch the go-home lesson.
On film
hey like I'm dealing with this thing at work and he's doing this what do I do take a video of it
So then like any question that you have that's covered anywhere in the corpus You're gonna have like an actual video example of me explaining what I'm doing.
The lesson
The goal
Use the recorded program as the owner's course, and send footage back as the way to ask for help.
Learn first
The drill
As assigned on film: watch the go-home lesson back five times (watch 20:31); watch other dogs' cases as well as your own (watch 35:18); practise, film yourself and send the videos in as homework (watch 48:07).
Watch out for
- Trusting memory of the handover (watch 05:49).
- Reading quiet weeks as neglect (watch 07:56).
- Reporting problems late (watch 34:01).
Check yourself
Something new is happening at home that you can't explain. What do you send the trainer?