The answer
Four protection dogs show the decoy (or helper) as someone with a job, not a target. With Dolce, a Rottweiler whose bite and chase had been suppressed as a puppy, the decoy is coached one variable at a time: stay back, pop your head up but don't come closer, get louder - and the handler is told not to call or cue her, so that her reaction is to the threat and not to a voice. Her trainer also believes she can tell a performed threat from a real one, so the decoy is told to use something he is actually mad about; in September 2026 the trainer still expects more barking from her because 'she will bark if she feels genuine threats', and corrects the decoy on where her bite landed. With Savage, a Belgian Malinois, Christian coaches the helper's arm - bend it, kick the elbow out - to move where the dog grips, and runs a scripted intruder who will not leave. With Bane, the decoy writes the scene at the family's front door: a pleasant visitor first, then 'I'm a threat', a sleeve and a mock charge that stops at the door frame.
With Bandit (September 2026), the handler and the decoy plan each run together. The first run reads 'where his baseline is at today' and ends with the decoy retreating, so that the dog 'repelled the invader'; the next adds pressure and then backs off quickly, agreed beforehand, so that the pressure does not 'scare and decrease confidence'. Distance and display are again set separately: reappear further away, then 'say words', 'act like you're gonna attack us for real'. When the defence came only in 'splashes', who the decoy is became the variable: a decoy who had spent less time with Bandit was brought in, and at the go-home lesson the trainer proposed any future attempt with a decoy the dog does not know and the owner handling. These are the trainers' working hypotheses; the film does not show them settled. The trainer's own account at the handover is that stopping Bandit's reactivity early 'stunted' the defence work.
The same logic shows up outside protection work. In Astro's behaviour modification the trainer wears the suit himself as the approaching person and names his own error: drawing the hand away when a dog looks like it may attempt violence 'is not the point in this exercise'; the next approach, hand left where it was, 'had a better effect'. At a private lesson for Rocky the Rottweiler, Jayden is dressed with gloves, a hat and glasses 'on purpose', as things that would normally trigger a dog, so the trainer can read what Rocky does with a stranger. In both, the helper's behaviour or look is set deliberately, because it decides what the dog learns or what the trainer gets to see.
The handler's voice is where the dogs differ, and it is not one rule. In Dolce's boogeyman sessions the handler stays quiet so the trainers can see what the dog does on her own. In Bane's and Savage's finished-protection work the owner is meant to cue: 'watch', then the bite word, then 'out' - and Bane's hardest bite is praised precisely because it came when his owner told him. The September 2026 sessions do not fit that split: in Bandit's baseline runs and in Dolce's own bark-building rounds - building work - the handler cues 'watch' or 'watch him' throughout. No trainer states the rule on film, so it is left open.
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What to do
If your dog is in protection work, your part is the cues you are given - watch, the bite word, out - on the trainer's signal, and a strong out afterwards (watch 09:05; watch 09:15). When the trainer is testing the dog's own reaction, he may ask you to say nothing (watch 01:27).
What the trainers say
watch back up back up she smells you okay reset it start from further away don't say come here
All right come out don't say watch who's that watch watch don't come close stay back far
She has a, I was discussing with Kristen, she has a way of knowing.
girl good girl pop your head up but don't come pop your head up don't say
watch get louder yeah watch watch watch watch watch be loud be loud don't throw
anything too loud yeah be loud use something you're actually mad at me for
and kick out with your elbow. So when you're kicking out with your elbow, he'll prop, he'll target more around the corner, because, um, so you want him to target a little more to the right.
gonna hit my sleeve a couple times, get him interested. When I hit my sleeve, I want you
you're gonna go yeah he's friendly and then i'm gonna go i'm a threat now and i'm gonna like kind
i'll say i'm a threat i'll come forward you say watch watch and then you say attack
And then, you know, I'll stand like here, and I'll do like a mock charge, getting like
so he successfully repelled the invader there and you saw his hackles went up. So that already should be a pretty good confidence increase.
Alright so we're going to give him another opportunity to repel them and we're going to see how much pressure the decoy decides to put this time
I talked to the decoy a little bit and we kind of both agreed that Like what we really need to do with it is just add a little bit more pressure, but then make sure we back off quick
Try going back out behind the truck and then appear a little bit further away.
Act like you're gonna attack us for real, dude.
because he has shown splashes of really good defense and so we're going to try again this time with a different decoy who spent less time with him because the other decoy has spent a lot of time with him and maybe that was part of what was going on
um but i think that would have to be after like some time pass and i think it'd have to be with you yeah so it'd have to be like more of like a private session thing where we basically do that same thing except for the decoy is somebody who doesn't know and the handler is you yeah
Like, we, you know, I put a stop to reactivity early, and I think that part is part of what happened. It stunted it a little bit.
She almost overshot there buddy. A little bit. That was your shoulder not your forearm
the suit and then i'd like to see a little bit more expression more barking because she will bark if she feels genuine threats
Dulce out here, we're just trying to get her to bark. That's all we want.
We'll see first gonna see if we get some barking watch watch watch watch watch
going to potentially attempt violence you draw your hand away which is not the point in this exercise, so that was a mistake. But that time I didn't and it had a better effect.
like and he's got the gloves on it looks a little different right he's got a hat on and glasses right so things that normally would trigger a dog all right which is on purpose
How it looks, dog by dog
Dolce
Boogeyman sessions to reopen a suppressed Rottweiler's drive. The decoy is kept far back and brought on in single steps - head up, louder, but no closer - and reset further away when she smells him. The handler is told not to say 'come here' or 'watch'. The trainer thinks she can tell a fake threat, so the decoy is asked to be genuinely angry. The track also has 'watch' said many times between the instructions not to say it; who says what is not separable. In September 2026 (21 and 26 Sep) the work moves on: short bark-building rounds where 'If we can get her to bark, we'll be happy', with the handler cueing 'watch' from the start; then bites on 'get him', with the trainer telling the decoy that one bite came in on his shoulder, not his forearm. On a walk the same week the trainer plans a full bite suit next and still expects more barking from her because she barks when a threat is genuine.
On film
make some noise don't say watch don't say watch watch make some make some bigger movements
She's pretty good at knowing if it's real or not.
Stay far back. Don't come forward too fast. Watch her. Watch her.
If we can get her to bark, we'll be happy. Come on Dulce, good girl.
We'll see first gonna see if we get some barking watch watch watch watch watch
She almost overshot there buddy. A little bit. That was your shoulder not your forearm
like to work her on an actual suit see how she does on the suit see if she engages and see if she bites
Savage
A Belgian Malinois in protection with Christian. The helper's presentation is coached to steer the grip; in an owner lesson Christian plays the decoy and scripts the owner's cues (watch on the sleeve hit, the bite word on 'threat'); in a short clip a helper plays an intruder who answers 'I don't care' to 'back up'.
On film
and kick out with your elbow. So when you're kicking out with your elbow, he'll
good. Um, and then as soon as I say threat, I want you to say F A S S.
Hey, back up, man. My dog will bite you. I don't care.
Bane
A very large family guard dog trained at home. The decoy scripts the door: knock, a friendly chat, then 'I'm a threat', sleeve on, a mock charge that does not enter the house. The owner cues watch and attack, then a strong out; neutral reps follow so the dog learns an on-and-off switch. A later decoy maps which visitor moves trigger him - stepping over the threshold is the biggest. His hardest bite is praised because it came on her word.
On film
But we're trying to put controls on it.
start out pleasant, and then when I say I'm a threat, I'll say it in a more aggressive
And then this time, that's the hardest he's ever been, for sure,
Bandit
The handler plans the decoy's part out loud: the first run reads the day's baseline and the decoy retreats, so that the dog 'repelled the invader' with his hackles up, which should build confidence; the second lets the decoy decide how much pressure to add; the next is agreed with the decoy as more pressure, then a quick back-off. In an evening run with a distraction present, distance and display are adjusted separately - reappear further away, then talk, then 'act like you're gonna attack us for real' and yell. The handler cues 'watch' or 'watch him' throughout. On 26 Sep the defence was still coming in 'splashes', and the handler tried a decoy who had spent less time with him, on the hypothesis that the usual decoy's familiarity was blunting it. At the handover the trainer and owner agree the protection work had not gone well; the trainer proposes any future attempt with a decoy Bandit does not know and the owner handling, and says that stopping the reactivity early 'stunted it a little bit'.
On film
so he successfully repelled the invader there and you saw his hackles went up. So that already should be a pretty good confidence increase.
Like what we really need to do with it is just add a little bit more pressure, but then make sure we back off quick And not like pressure and then kind of like scare and decrease confidence
Say words, say words, say words.
because he has shown splashes of really good defense and so we're going to try again this time with a different decoy who spent less time with him because the other decoy has spent a lot of time with him and maybe that was part of what was going on
um but i think that would have to be after like some time pass and i think it'd have to be with you yeah so it'd have to be like more of like a private session thing where we basically do that same thing except for the decoy is somebody who doesn't know and the handler is you yeah
Like, we, you know, I put a stop to reactivity early, and I think that part is part of what happened. It stunted it a little bit.
Astro
Not protection work: the trainer wears the bite suit himself to play the approaching person in Astro's behaviour modification. He names his own mistake on camera - when a dog looks like it may attempt violence, the natural thing is to draw your hand away, which is not the point of the exercise - and the next approach, hand not withdrawn, has a better effect. What the person in the suit does decides what the dog learns about approaching people.
On film
this time you may have noticed I made a mistake it's a natural thing where when a dog you know kind of like any creature it looks like they're going to potentially attempt violence you draw your hand away
going to potentially attempt violence you draw your hand away which is not the point in this exercise, so that was a mistake. But that time I didn't and it had a better effect.
Rocky (the Rottweiler)
At a private lesson for Rocky the Rottweiler, Jayden is the helper and his appearance is set on purpose: new to the dog, gloves, a hat and glasses - things that would normally trigger a dog - so the trainer can see whether Rocky is becoming more nervous or defensive rather than possessive. Rocky sniffs and gets a little excited; he does not fixate on Jayden.
On film
he would be fixating more on jayden yeah because jayden's new and never been around you know and
like and he's got the gloves on it looks a little different right he's got a hat on and glasses right so things that normally would trigger a dog all right which is on purpose
Why it works
Stated: the handler not cueing Dolce is so her reaction is to the decoy (implied by the repeated 'don't say watch'); the helper's elbow moves Savage's target (watch 05:03); Bane's scenario puts 'controls' on a threat response rather than suppressing it (watch 08:19). Stated with Bandit: the decoy's pressure is added and then taken off quickly, because pressure that stays can 'scare and decrease confidence' (watch 00:09); a dog that drives the decoy off should gain confidence from it (watch 01:07); defence is reached by getting the dog 'ramped', and a dog that treats it as a game is not reaching it (watch 23:01). Believed, not tested: Dolce can tell whether a threat is real (watch 00:12; watch 15:38). Inferred: the decoy changes one thing at a time - distance or display - so the trainers can see which one the dog is answering.
Where the trainers differ
Does the handler speak during decoy work?
One view
No - in Dolce's boogeyman work the handler is told not to call or cue her.
On film
All right come out don't say watch who's that watch watch don't come close stay back far
Another view
Yes - in Bane's and Savage's household protection the owner cues watch, then the bite, and the bite on the owner's word is the goal. In September 2026 Bandit's and Dolce's handlers also cue 'watch' throughout baseline and bark-building runs.
On film
i'll say i'm a threat i'll come forward you say watch watch and then you say attack
And then this time, that's the hardest he's ever been, for sure,
Bandit, watch, watch him.
We'll see first gonna see if we get some barking watch watch watch watch watch
How to read it
Different stages and purposes (testing and building a dog's own response against a finished, controlled product). Not resolved on film. Update 30 Sep 2026: the September building sessions with Bandit and Dolce are cued, so stage alone no longer explains the difference. Dolce's 26 Sep track also has 'Don't say watch' immediately before five 'watch' cues (watch 04:02), with voices not separable.
Questions owners ask
Why is the decoy told not to come closer?
So the dog is not crowded while the display is raised. Dolce's decoy is told to get louder and pop his head up but not to come any closer; when she smells him the rep is reset further away. Bandit's decoy is likewise sent back behind a truck to reappear further away before being asked to talk and act for real.
On film
watch watch watch don't come any closer watch don't come close get louder watch
Try going back out behind the truck and then appear a little bit further away.
What do I say when the decoy comes?
In Bane's and Savage's lessons: watch when the threat appears, the bite cue on the trainer's signal, then a clear out. With a dog still being built, the trainer may ask you to stay silent - though in Bandit's and Dolce's September runs the handler cued 'watch' throughout, so follow what your trainer asks for that session.
On film
But yeah, in this case, what I want you to do is give him a little stronger out.
Bandit, watch, watch him.
Why does the decoy back off so quickly?
So the encounter ends in the dog's favour. Before one of Bandit's runs the handler says he and the decoy agreed to add more pressure but back off quickly, rather than pressure that scares the dog and costs confidence; after the first run he reads the decoy's retreat as the dog having 'repelled the invader', which should build confidence.
On film
I talked to the decoy a little bit and we kind of both agreed that Like what we really need to do with it is just add a little bit more pressure, but then make sure we back off quick
so he successfully repelled the invader there and you saw his hackles went up. So that already should be a pretty good confidence increase.
Does it matter who the decoy is?
Possibly. When Bandit's defence came only in 'splashes', his handler swapped in a decoy who had spent less time with him, because the usual decoy's familiarity 'maybe ... was part of what was going on'. At the go-home lesson the trainer suggested that any future attempt use a decoy Bandit does not know, with the owner handling. This is the trainers' working hypothesis; the film does not show whether it worked.
On film
because he has shown splashes of really good defense and so we're going to try again this time with a different decoy who spent less time with him because the other decoy has spent a lot of time with him and maybe that was part of what was going on
um but i think that would have to be after like some time pass and i think it'd have to be with you yeah so it'd have to be like more of like a private session thing where we basically do that same thing except for the decoy is somebody who doesn't know and the handler is you yeah
The lesson
The goal
Understand the decoy as a controlled variable: one dial at a time, and a clear rule on whether the handler cues.
Learn first
The drill
Bane's door scenario as run: a pleasant visitor, then 'I'm a threat', sleeve, approach; owner cues watch then attack; then a strong out and a neutral rep (watch 08:28).
Watch out for
- Raising distance and display together
- The handler cueing when the trainers are trying to see the dog's own response
- Leaving the decoy's pressure on after the dog has answered, instead of backing off quickly (watch 00:09)
Check yourself
When would a trainer ask the handler to stay silent during decoy work, and when to cue?