The answer
He will test you, and the trainers say so at nearly every handover on film. Luna's trainer: 'when Luna comes home for the first week, she's gonna try to test you … regardless of breed, that's just how dogs are in general.' Madam's: 'They're trying to see if you're going to be as strict as we are.' Mazi's: 'it's just natural every single dog does it'. The dog is not testing a rule he knows. He is finding out whether the rule exists in this house at all, and Deuce's handler warns he will teach you to give in: 'he'll learn very quickly how to make you get in'.
The instruction that follows is to front-load strictness. 'Be as strict on the dog as you want them to be regularly.' People who go easy that week get training that 'looks kind of like loose', because it wasn't reinforced. For those days every marker you say gets backed up, even if later you can let a self-correction go (Luna); Chunk's trainer calls it 'powering up the word', because a word the dog finds wishy-washy weakens your authority over him. Stormi's go-home adds the other half: back everything, but if a long stay keeps failing, shorten it so the dog gets a win - she still plays by the rules. Deuce's handover: keep the e-collar on and 'for the first week, don't give him a command unless the e-collar is on'. Max's is the same: the collar is a seat belt, worn all day in the first couple of weeks. Dory's trainer uses place: in that week show her 'you don't have an option'. The pictures the trainers give families are homely: grandkids back from the grandparents' house (Stormie, Madam, the March Zeus, Cosmo), a parent who has to back a rule 'because it's a principle' (Luna), jet lag (Callie).
The trainers also predict what the family will see. The handover lesson itself is the worst performance they will watch, because it asks for some two hundred commands in a changed context (Zeus). The testing tends to happen in front of the person, not the trainer: 'he's doing a lot more things in front of you … he's trying to see what he can get away with' (the March Zeus). Some dogs arrive quiet and sleepy, because kennels are noisy, and start testing after two or three days (Callie, Major). Follow-ups exist 'because we know that they're not themselves for the first' days (Major).
The week is named as where results are lost, not where they are made. Inferred, not said in these words: the variable in that week is the family's nerve, not the dog's training. Levi's follow-up comes closest to the failure case: at home he isn't listening, his e-collar is far too loose to feel, and the trainer reads it as a dog who learned that nothing followed the marker - recoverable because it was caught early, 'a lot worse' if the family had waited weeks to call (watch 01:05, 09:40-10:05). The recovery itself is not filmed.
The prediction and the instruction repeat in the same words across more handovers - 'acting up a fool' for about a week (Shadow the GSD puppy, watch 01:56), 'kind of crazy for like a week' (Titan, watch 07:24), the grandkids again (Shadow the Husky). Two refinements are new. Titan's trainer ties the week to the word: a dog who gets the collar after the marker only half the time 'won't [put] as much stock in the word', so for the first week or two it follows every time (watch 17:14). And Louie's trainer names a practical way the week goes wrong: sending the dog straight to a random daycare for a week (watch 13:40). Lunna's trainer adds a voice on the acclimation side of the conflict - let the dog settle in first; don't expect a robot (watch 20:27).
Angier K9 is a family-owned, play-based Board & Train serving Angier, Raleigh and the Triangle, with three full owner lessons.
What to do
For the first week, be as strict as you want life to be for good. Say a command only when you can back it, and back every marker you say. Keep the collar on. Use place when visitors come, and don't have a crowd over on day one. Expect him to test you specifically, and to look worse at the handover than in the videos. If things slide, tell the trainer when the testing starts. 'That's why I say you gotta be really strict for the first week' (Luna, watch 01:23).
What the trainers say
can mess up the training really bad. Um, when Luna comes home for the first week, she's gonna try to test you. I know that's shocking that a husky shepherd mix is going to test you when she comes home. But regardless of breed, that's just how dogs are in general. So, it's important to stay strict and know what you're doing.
bit just in their new environment so dogs are in general though that's why I say you gotta be really strict for the first week they come back or else it can be kind of rusty looking
I tell people be as strict on the dog as you want them to be regularly so sometimes people will go easy on the dog for the first week then the training looks kind of like loose
before you hit the collar you can just decide not to hit it later on but for that first week if you say it you got to back it up right
yeah every dog that goes home has kind of like I was I was telling like a week period though where they have to realize all the rules that apply with me apply here
because the dogs do take a week to settle and if you don't know how to like snap everything into place after that week it's great but that first week they're settling
it's like the grandkids right they come home back to the parents and then they like they're like what can i get away with and if the parents aren't strict on everything all of a sudden the rules go downhill
what's he doing? You just gotta, you have to force it. Like, never, the big one is don't just be like, eh, I'm gonna just give in.
So the reason I say that is for the first week, don't give him a command unless the e-collar is on.
So the big thing, too, which I always stress is when the dogs go home, sometimes that behavior,
of think when dogs go home sometimes it's like it's like the grandparents house you don't know we're like the kids go to grandparents house
Yeah, I think because that happens a lot of times on my lessons, especially the go-home lesson, because we end up asking him to do, like, how many commands we give him.
his house now he's like ow so in that if that happens to you if you test those those boundaries if you let him get away with that he doesn't down what does he learn he learns that down is optional
good reasons for that uh that's one of the reasons why we tell people 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
They're trying to see if you're going to be as strict as we are.
with the dogs tend to take a lot of adjustment time and their training seems very loose and you got to stay really strict with it or else it'll stay loose
Kind of like when you're jet lagged or when you're coming from a long trip, you know, you're taking it easy to get back into the routine.
have to correct it right away and if you don't she'll keep testing you a little by little um
home cool yeah so it's the same thing right they come home and you're like this isn't allowed and like they act a fool for like maybe a couple days and then everything sits back into place
to see that's why we do follow-ups because we know that they're not themselves for the first
to do it now yeah right and if you if you repeat that a few times then he goes oh she's gonna make me do it so i might as well just stop fighting right um because they always take the least path of least resistance
for the first week that they're back they'll they test a lot it's just natural every single dog does it if you're really fortunate sometimes it doesn't happen but almost every dog does
occasionally you can just say the marker and not follow it up but i say for the first week the dogs come home it needs to just because like you're kind of powering up the word and if the dog thinks like it's a wishy-washy word like sometimes she does it sometimes she doesn't then it can make the authority you have over the dog a lot less effective
because the commands like look good but like i said for that first week you have to reinforce everything
a week and it's like kennel and everything to being back with you so you have to be very strict
How it looks, dog by dog
Luna
The fullest statement, given twice. At the first in-program lesson the prediction is flat, and breed is dismissed in the same breath. At the house lesson it becomes a rule. Be as strict as you want her to be for life. For seven days back every marker, even though later a self-correction can be let go. It comes with a parent's analogy: you back a rule because it is a principle. At the go-home lesson: every dog needs about a week to learn that 'all the rules that apply with me apply here'.
On film
can mess up the training really bad. Um, when Luna comes home for the first week, she's gonna try to test you.
that first week if you say it you got to back it up right um i think you're almost like a parent
yeah every dog that goes home has kind of like I was I was telling like a week period though
Stormie
Where the week gets its name and its picture. A soft, very physical puppy whose issue is a willingness to decline. The grandkids analogy carries it. At the go-home lesson and after, the instruction is the same: stay strict so the over-excitement 'doesn't become unmanageable'.
On film
because the dogs do take a week to settle and if you don't know how to like snap everything into place
so that's like what when I tell people like when the dogs come home for that week that's that's the
you guys staying strict with her so the over excitement doesn't become unmanageable and she
Deuce
The week from the dog's side. The danger is not the trash or the chair but his discovering that he can, and teaching the handler how to give in. The instruction is preventive: don't give in 'like 80% of the time'. Keep the collar on, and give no command in the first week unless it is on, because without it you cannot follow through.
On film
And don't do it like 80% of the time, right? When you first come home, there's gonna be these little times where you're like,
because he'll learn very quickly how to make you get in
Another thing too is I would recommend having the e-collar on pretty much during the day.
Zeus
The handover dip, warned about in advance. At the second in-program lesson Zeus refuses a down for the owner at the end of the day. The trainer names it live: he is testing boundaries, and letting it go would teach him 'down is optional'. He wanted it to happen while he was there. At go-home he pre-empts the family's disappointment: the lesson asks for 'probably 200' commands in a place that isn't his.
On film
done right but now here all of a sudden end of the day we did stuff today he's like I've already asked him to do a few things he's with you now he's back at
Yeah, I think because that happens a lot of times on my lessons, especially the go-home lesson
Zeus (March 2026)
Testing in front of the person. At the March Zeus's go-home the trainer warns that dogs who looked great 'are going crazy again' at home. He uses the grandparents' house: ice cream and no chores, then home, where mum says no. On the spot he points out that the dog is doing 'a lot more things in front of you'.
On film
You do have to be very strict with all the commands when they go home.
of think when dogs go home sometimes it's like it's like the grandparents
which is funny he's trying to see what he can get away with
Clark Kent
A fortnight, and a different emphasis. Evan records the go-home lesson as a monologue, because go-home is 'the worst time' to teach a family to handle a dog who has been away a month. He tells them to give Clark Kent 'a week or two to acclimate' and learn that obedience applies to them and their house. A dog trained outside can seem to forget everything indoors, because he learned context.
On film
you know give clark kent like a week or two to acclimate to being back home
the house it's like it forgets everything it learned and it's because the dog learned context clues
Dory
Place as the tool of the week. Dory is not keen on people. Don't have a crowd over the day she comes home. Stay strict for the week, and use place to show her she has no option, so that adding visitors later goes better. The trainer also warns that she will test the owner more than him.
On film
so like working with place is really important because if in that week you basically show like when i say place you don't have an option you go here and you lay here till i let you get up
dogs go home and they do like tests like that you basically just don't give an option right
Madam
The grandparents' house again, at a handover before a twelve-hour drive home: be really strict, because 'They're trying to see if you're going to be as strict as we are.'
On film
go to grandparents house eat all these crazy things and they kind of have to be
They're trying to see if you're going to be as strict as we are.
Stormi
Taught at the midpoint, not at handover. Halfway through the program the trainer tells the owner that training looks loose after homecoming and stays loose unless she is strict. For the first week she should be deliberate about why she says each thing. The owner says she had already been learning from the published videos. At the go-home lesson itself (27 Sep) the trainer says it again: the commands look good, but for that first week everything has to be reinforced, and some dogs come home needing the new rules of the house taught again.
On film
with the dogs tend to take a lot of adjustment time and their training seems very loose
then within that week they settle in really well but if you're too loose then the training's never
because the commands like look good but like i said for that first week you have to reinforce everything
if she breaks it like five times do a shorter one and i say that because you want to give her like a win so it's like but still she still has to play by the rules
sometimes when they come home they do it really well sometimes when they come home you have to teach them the new rules of the house that they thought
Callie
Two or three days, then the tests. Callie arrives overexcited, and the trainer compares it to jet lag. Then she will test boundaries a little at a time, and each small test must be corrected at once or the old habit returns. On the second day, calm, she is predicted to switch 'in like two or three days', and the family are asked to text the trainer when she does.
On film
Kind of like when you're jet lagged or when you're coming from a long trip
until until she just pulls you really hard um one day and then it becomes a habit again
two or three days but that that's gonna switch that's gonna switch in like two or three days
Cosmo
Rust, and a couple of days. Connor returns Cosmo and Simba 'more wild than i usually have dogs when they come home'. They act up for a couple of days, then 'everything sits back into place hopefully', if the line is held. Because the handover is weak, off-leash freedom is withheld and free follow-ups replace the full demonstration.
On film
now they're both definitely more wild than i usually have dogs when they come home
like they act a fool for like maybe a couple days and then everything sits back into place hopefully
Major
Two quiet days on the couch, then the relapse. The owner reports that Major slid back within days of coming home, and suspects he had been medicated in the program, which the trainer firmly denies. The trainer's reading: dogs sleep at home after a noisy kennel, then test when the commands and corrections at home differ from the program's. Follow-ups are built for exactly this.
On film
Right. And so when they go back home, if the commands and the and the corrections aren't in the same way that that we taught them.
on the couch he sleeps all day yeah and that's normal i'm telling you in the kennel in the
you but when you when they test you you have to be firm in your corrections so that they don't do it
Max
The mechanism: least resistance. Christian tells the family that Max remembers that nothing happened at home before when he didn't sit. If the owner enforces it every time, 'oh she's gonna make me do it so i might as well just stop fighting'. The first couple of weeks matter most, with the collar worn 'every day all day' as a seat belt.
On film
it you didn't make me do it before right 100 right so like with you with you guys it's he
so will he need to wear it for the first couple weeks pretty much every day all day i tell people like no matter what it's just a seat belt
Chunk
Chunk (new in this update). At an in-program owner lesson, while teaching the down with the e-collar, the trainer gives the marker rule for the first week home: later you can sometimes say the marker and not follow it up, but in the first week it has to be backed every time, because you are 'powering up the word'. A word the dog finds wishy-washy - sometimes enforced, sometimes not - makes the owner's authority less effective.
On film
occasionally you can just say the marker and not follow it up but i say for the first week the dogs come home it needs to just because like you're kind of powering up the word and if the dog thinks like it's a wishy-washy word like sometimes she does it sometimes she doesn't then it can make the authority you have over the dog a lot less effective
Mazi
Mazi (new in this update). At the second in-program owner lesson, talking about the e-collar, the trainer warns that dogs test a lot in the first week back: it is natural, almost every dog does it, and only if you are really fortunate does it not happen.
On film
for the first week that they're back they'll they test a lot it's just natural every single dog does it if you're really fortunate sometimes it doesn't happen but almost every dog does
Levi
A map member whose arc names this concept but who was missing from the page (restored in this pass). Connor tells Levi's family before go-home that every dog takes about a week to settle in: he goes from kennel and frequent training to home, so they must be very strict in that first week, follow every ignored command with the e-collar, and keep it strict so that 'nothing's really changed'. The follow-up shows the other side: at home Levi is not listening, his e-collar is found to be far too loose to feel, and the trainer reads it as Levi having learned that nothing followed the marker - fixable because it was caught early, and worse if they had waited weeks to call.
On film
goes home about a week the dog settles in in a week and starts to calm down we'll risk like uh
yeah settles in its new area right because he'll be he goes from training with me multiple times
a week and it's like kennel and everything to being back with you so you have to be very strict
already said um in like past sessions it takes the dogs about a week to settle in so kind of
what to expect when levi comes home is you're probably gonna throw some commands at him he's
probably gonna try to test you a little bit so it's really important that we that you do what
Way too loose.
Yeah, probably what happened is he probably noticed that when you said, like, eh, that
all, like, nothing happened, and now he probably thinks he can get away with, like, what he
So, the good thing is everything is fresh in his mind.
If you had waited out for like three weeks, a month, that's a lot worse.
Shadow (German Shepherd puppy)
Connor gives Shadow's family the prediction three ways: dogs 'act up a fool' for about a week when they come home, so be really strict with the commands; she will test the implied sit - 'she will, she will' - and the answer is the marker, the collar and putting her back where she was; and her let's go will be looser with them at first but, if they are tight with it, as strong as with him within about a week.
On film
Um, so the first thing I'm going to say is when, like, I kind of touched on it a minute ago, when the dogs come home for about a week, they're like acting up a fool, you know what I'm saying?
up when she comes home which I'm going to tell you she will she will she's going to test you
bad and you know the first couple times you you do it like she's gonna be looser
with you guys than me but as long as you tight with it within like I said about a
week it should be just as strong as it is with me but you see like her downs
Titan
Titan's trainer stresses it at every lesson: dogs come home 'kind of crazy for like a week' while they readjust, so the chain must be exact - command, marker, then the collar, never the collar on its own. Later in the program a strong tone might sometimes do, but for the first week or two every marker is followed up, because a dog who gets the collar after the word only half the time puts less stock in the word.
On film
the dogs come home they're like kind of crazy for like a week they're like readjusting um you have
to really make sure that the chain of like how the e-collar is used is exactly like in order so
with the if it's like a strong like a strong tone but i would say for the first week or two
it always needs to because it's more of a thing if he's trying to see how it works with you guys
so if he knows like maybe half the time there's an e-collar after the word he won't there won't
be as much stock in the word whereas like if for that week or two every single time you say it the
Shadow (Siberian Husky)
At go-home the trainer stresses being 'very very strict' with every command when Shadow comes home, with the grandkids illustration: back with mom and dad, he'll be asking what he can get away with now.
On film
yeah actually one thing i really wanted to stress too is when he comes home
he's gonna be a little like so you know like make sure that you're very very strict
i think i already used this illustration but it's like when the the grandkids come home to
their parents and they're like what can i get away with and that's kind of what
Bernie
Bernie is excited to be home, and the trainer names a 'cool down period' while he works out which rules apply and how the family will treat things. Because this handover came without the usual in-program lessons, he asks to schedule a follow-up lesson quickly, expecting in almost every case that something will come up that the family wants help with.
On film
He's very excited to be home. So that's the other thing. There's going to be a little bit of like a
cool down period for him where he's going to be figuring out like, okay, I'm back.
like, what rules apply, how are they gonna treat things.
Like, because I anticipate that in, like, almost every case,
Louie
A logistics warning for the first days: when the trainer sees problems after go-home, it is usually because the dog went straight to a random daycare for a week and came back confused. A family member who already cares for him and reinforces the same training is fine.
On film
When I see problems, it's usually, like, they go home,
and they go to a random daycare for, like, a week or something.
because it was, like, oh, only a few days, the dogs were, like, confused, right?
Lunna
The acclimation side, from Lunna's trainer: some people are told to let the dog settle in first, and not to expect her to be a robot - she is still learning.
On film
don't look at the dog and like there are some people that like i'll tell them like hey you
know let the dog settle in first and like i actually had this conversation with my
she's gonna have exactly and she's still learning i have process my first client that i ever had
Why it works
Stated: rules are situational. A dog learns that rules apply with the trainer and in training places, and has to find out whether they apply at home with this person (Luna watch 30:36; Callie watch 25:34; Clark Kent watch 22:36). Each uncorrected test teaches that the rule does not exist here: 'he learns that down is optional' (Zeus watch 77:42). The same is said of the marker itself: a marker that is sometimes backed and sometimes not becomes a wishy-washy word, and the owner's authority weakens with it (Chunk watch 15:25). Dogs take the path of least resistance, so enforcing every time makes compliance the easier route and the testing stops (Max watch 05:43). Some dogs are quiet for two or three days because kennels are noisy, and the testing starts after (Callie watch 18:55; Major watch 25:42). The handover itself is a poor sample, because the dog is overexcited and over-asked (Zeus watch 74:04; Callie watch 00:43; Clark Kent 19:31). Inferred, not stated: the week is a test of the handler's follow-through, which is why the instructions (collar always on, no command without it, back every marker) are all ways of making follow-through possible.
Where the trainers differ
Strict from day one, or let him acclimate first?
One view
Be as strict as you want life to be from the first day; back every marker; no command without the collar.
On film
I tell people be as strict on the dog as you want them to be regularly
So the reason I say that is for the first week, don't give him a command unless the e-collar is on.
because the commands like look good but like i said for that first week you have to reinforce everything
occasionally you can just say the marker and not follow it up but i say for the first week the dogs come home it needs to just because like you're kind of powering up the word and if the dog thinks like it's a wishy-washy word like sometimes she does it sometimes she doesn't then it can make the authority you have over the dog a lot less effective
Another view
Give him days, or a week or two, to readjust before expecting the obedience seen in training.
On film
you know give clark kent like a week or two to acclimate to being back home
Kind of like when you're jet lagged or when you're coming from a long trip, you know, you're taking it easy to get back into the routine.
know let the dog settle in first and like i actually had this conversation with my
How to read it
Not resolved. Callie's trainer holds both: allow the readjustment, and still correct each small test at once (06:05). The difference may be between expecting performance and letting tests go.
How long is the window?
One view
About a week.
On film
because the dogs do take a week to settle
the best idea i would say like like i was saying with the last session it takes about a week for
Another view
Two or three days, then testing (Callie, Major, Cosmo); or a week or two, or the first couple of weeks (Clark Kent, Max).
On film
to see that's why we do follow-ups because we know that they're not themselves for the first
so will he need to wear it for the first couple weeks pretty much every day all day
Common owner mistakes
- Going easy in the first week.
On film
I tell people be as strict on the dog as you want them to be regularly so sometimes people will go easy on the dog for the first week
Luna · Watch at 1:31 ↗ because the commands like look good but like i said for that first week you have to reinforce everything
Watch at 10:50 ↗ - Giving in to the small tests.
On film
what's he doing? You just gotta, you have to force it.
Deuce · Watch at 23:35 ↗ have to correct it right away and if you don't she'll keep testing you a little by little um
Callie · Watch at 6:05 ↗ - Using different commands and corrections at home from the program's.
On film
Right. And so when they go back home, if the commands and the and the corrections aren't in the same way that that we taught them.
Major · Watch at 2:45 ↗ - A houseful of visitors on day one.
On film
you know no i have a whole day i know right like i know that uh that that's probably not
Dory · Watch at 19:10 ↗
Questions owners ask
My dog was perfect in the videos and is wild at home. Did the training fail?
Not by the trainers' account. They predict it at handover: 'they look so great when I saw them, and now they're home and they're going crazy again.' The dog is finding out whether the rules apply at home. Be strict and consistent, and it should settle.
On film
all of a sudden you'll be like, they look so great when I saw them, and now they're home and they're going crazy again.
home cool yeah so it's the same thing right they come home and you're like this isn't allowed
for the first week that they're back they'll they test a lot it's just natural every single dog does it if you're really fortunate sometimes it doesn't happen but almost every dog does
Why does he behave for the trainer and not for me?
Because he is testing whether you do what the trainer does. Max's trainer: he remembers nothing happened before, so enforce it a few times and he will decide it isn't worth fighting. 'They always take the least path of least resistance.'
On film
to do it now yeah right and if you if you repeat that a few times then he goes oh she's gonna make me do it
Should I go easy while he settles in?
The trainers mostly say no: be as strict as you want life to be, and back every word. Some allow a few days of readjustment before expecting full obedience (Callie, Clark Kent), but even then each small test is corrected at once. Stormi's trainer adds a practical limit: if a long stay fails again and again, do a shorter one so the dog gets a win, without dropping the rule.
On film
I tell people be as strict on the dog as you want them to be regularly
have to correct it right away and if you don't she'll keep testing you a little by little um
if she breaks it like five times do a shorter one and i say that because you want to give her like a win so it's like but still she still has to play by the rules
Does he need to wear the collar all the time at first?
On film, yes. Deuce's handler says to keep it on through the day and give no command without it that first week. Christian calls it a seat belt for the first couple of weeks, 'every day all day'.
On film
So the reason I say that is for the first week, don't give him a command unless the e-collar is on.
so will he need to wear it for the first couple weeks pretty much every day all day
When should I call the trainer?
When the testing starts.
On film
two or three days but that that's gonna switch that's gonna switch in like two or three days
to see that's why we do follow-ups because we know that they're not themselves for the first
The lesson
The goal
Get the family through the first week at home without teaching the dog that the rules stayed at the facility.
Learn first
- Maintenance is use, not practice
- The dog is a different dog for his owner - and authority transfers
- Command, marker, collar - in that order
See it done
- Zeus: A refused down at the end of the day, followed through, with the trainer explaining why. Watch at 1:17:24 ↗
- Dory: Place as the tool of the week. Watch at 19:17 ↗
- Major: A follow-up that watches the owner and dog without the trainer visible. Watch at 1:46 ↗
The drill
As handed over to Luna, Deuce, Dory and Max. Collar on all day. Give a command only when you can follow through. For seven days, every marker ('eh', 'nope') is backed, every time. Use place when the door goes, and keep day one quiet. Expect a small test within the first days (a little pull, a slow sit, a jump) and answer the first one. Note what happens and text the trainer if it slides.
Watch out for
- Letting the first small test go.
- Commands without a way to follow through.
- A loose or switched-off collar.
- Different words or corrections from the program's.
- Waiting weeks to ask for help.
Check yourself
In the first week home, did you ever say a command or a marker you did not back up?