Concepts
The ideas behind the sessions
143 ideas the trainers work from, each answered from what was said and shown on film. Grouped by family, the same way the method builds.
Pressure and release
How pressure is applied, relieved, attributed and limited - the engine under every other family.
Pressure, release, rewardWhy does my dog only listen when I'm pulling the leash?Command, marker, collar - in that orderWhat do I do when my dog ignores a command?Contingent, avoidable, and the right sizeWhat makes a correction fair?Two events, not one - and what the handler does in betweenWhat do I do right after correcting my dog?Teach the move, then the wordShould I pull my dog into position?A life that gets smaller, and the bargainIs it kinder to leave my dog uncorrected?Close the other door: the escape hatchWhy does my dog do something else instead of obeying?Stop before you shut him downMy dog shuts down during training - what do I do?Clarity is the kindnessWhat is the kindest thing I can do for my dog?The lifetime pressure budgetIs one hard correction kinder than lots of small ones?Eating the correction, and avoidance as a tacticWhat if my dog doesn't seem to care about corrections?The correction that did not workWhat if correcting my dog doesn't work?Thinking is what makes it betterWhy would pressure ever calm a nervous dog down?If it works, it stays: the strategy has to stop payingWhy does my dog keep growling, whining or pulling to get his way?Control what the dog blamesCould my dog blame the wrong thing for a correction?Bracing and the oppositional reflexWhy does my dog lean against the leash instead of following it?A correction has length as well as forceDoes a correction have to be stronger to count?The four behavioural leversHow do dogs actually learn?
The e-collar
The tool itself: level, fit, contact, when it is worn and what the dog thinks it is.
The level is not a numberWhat level should an e-collar be set to?Fit before level: check the tool before you judge the dogWhy isn't my e-collar working?Collar awareness: the collar is a paperweightWill my dog only listen when the e-collar is on?The gear list, and the reasons for each pieceWhat equipment do I actually need?The handler wears the collarDoes an e-collar hurt?Escape before avoidance: the collar backs a word the dog already knowsWhen should I start using the e-collar on a command?The stakes set the severityHow strong should a correction be for different problems?
Markers, words and criteria
The vocabulary - correction markers, the duration marker, the release - and what counts as a finished command.
Hidden helpDoes my dog actually know the command?Keep the marker chargedWhy has 'no' stopped working on my dog?Meaningful releaseHow does my dog know when he can stop?There is no stay, only the releaseDo I need to teach my dog to stay?The marker vocabulary: eh, good, okay - and two correctionsWhat are the words I actually have to remember?Swapped commands: keep sit and down distinctWhy does my dog lie down when I ask for a sit?False reps: the dog reads the chain, not the wordDoes my dog only obey when he knows what's coming?Don't poison the commandCan a word go bad for my dog?Don't accept the almostShould I accept a half-done command?Give him time to answerShould I repeat the command if my dog doesn't move?Put the unwanted behaviour on cueShould I stop my dog jumping up, or teach it on command?Name, then cue, in a voice that stands outHow should I say a command so my dog actually hears it?One household vocabularyDoes everyone in the house have to use the same words?Pick your battlesDo I have to correct every little thing my dog does wrong?
Play, reward and food
What the dog is paid with, how play is built and why this program refuses treats.
The dog tells you the rewardWhat toy should I use to train my dog?Play becomes the reward - and play is a contestHow do I train my dog without treats?Release to freedomWhat if my dog doesn't care about toys or food?Food facilitates calm, it cannot create itWhy doesn't this trainer use treats?Start with freedomShould I let my dog sniff before training?Play is a capacity you can growMy dog doesn't play - can that be fixed?You have to be able to reward him at allMy dog won't take treats or toys when he's nervousMight beats willShould I reward my dog every time?
Nerves and fear
Fearful, frozen and flight-risk dogs: what they need first and what progress looks like.
Sticking close is not attachmentMy dog follows me everywhere - is that a good sign?Go and look at the scary thingHow do I build my dog's confidence?Genetic versus environmental nervesWill my nervous dog ever be normal?Look like a dog, not a deerWhat does progress look like for a fearful dog?The three stress reducersHow do I calm a stressed dog?Freeze, flee or fightWhy does my dog freeze, and why won't he listen when he's scared?Space to retreat, obligation to returnShould I let my nervous dog back away?Handling is trainingHow do I get my dog to accept handling, grooming and the vet?Positions versus movementWhy does my nervous dog heel fine but fight the down?Opening upWhy is my nervous dog misbehaving more as she gets braver?Attach fun to the scary placeMy dog is scared of the car (or won't go in his crate). How do I get him to like it?
Reading the dog and the handler
Diagnosis before technique - state, intent, breed, and the handler's own contribution.
Help it or press it - read whichIs my dog confused or is he refusing?Breed is a checklist, not a verdictDoes my dog's breed decide how he'll train?Reading the dogHow can I tell what my dog is feeling?The handler is the first suspectWhose fault is it when a command fails?The handler is a variable: nerves, tension, voice and energyHow much of my dog's behaviour is coming from me?Social pressureWhy does my dog react to how I stand?Attitude is the leading indicatorHow do I know the training isn't hurting my dog?Nobody is at fault; it isn't personalIs my dog being spiteful?
Aggression and neutrality
Reactive and biting dogs: where it comes from, what the goal is, and how safety is decided.
Another dog as helper, tester or drawCan another dog help - or test - my dog?Internal emotional change, not repressionHow do I stop my dog reacting - for real, not just on the surface?Prediction errorHow does a correction actually change my dog's mind?Management, not trainingShould I train this or just manage it?Fixation is the failure modeMy dog locks on and stops hearing meNeutrality is the goal, friendship is optionalDoes my dog have to like other dogs?Aggression read as insecurityWhy did my dog become aggressive?The armor is the measureHow do you safely work with a dog that bites?Integration is a gated procedureHow do I introduce two dogs that don't get on?Punish the act, not the feeling: he may lookShould I correct my dog for looking at another dog, growling or raising his hackles?Restraint manufactures the reactionDoes holding my dog back on a tight leash make him more reactive?Cue the trigger, correct the commandWhat do I do when my dog lunges at other dogs?Greetings are the handler's callDoes my dog have to say hello to people?Stop the first dominoShould I correct the small stuff before a dog fight starts?Warning versus attackIs my dog aggressive, or just telling another dog off?The owner as a guarded resourceWhy does my dog guard me from other dogs and people?
Place, settle and calm
Duration commands, the settle, and being loose in a house without being told what to do.
The settle criterionHow long should my dog hold a place command?The four windows, and calm libertyWhat do I do when my dog is loose in the house and misbehaves?A raised texture, and never a punishmentWhat is place, and what should it mean to my dog?Down in motionCan I drop my dog while he's moving away from me?The outlet comes firstDoes my dog need more exercise?Calm at every thresholdHow do I stop my dog bolting through doors?'Easy': the conditioned relaxerCan I teach my dog a word that calms him down?Proof place against what really happens at homeHow do I get my dog to stay on place when the doorbell rings?
Heel, the walk and the radius
How the dog travels with a person, and the distance it learns to keep.
Heel entry versus heel in motionWhy does my dog's heel fall apart when we walk?The radiusHow do I stop my dog running off on walks?The leash is a propHow do you get a dog to listen without a leash?Don't heel grindShould my dog heel for the whole walk?Heel is a box, not a stareWhere exactly should my dog be when heeling?Middle: the security heelWhat is the 'middle' position and why teach it?Step aside and downWhat should my dog do when a bike, a jogger or another dog comes past?
Recall and off-leash
Come versus let's go, proofing the return, and how freedom is granted.
Freedom is given in measured stepsHow do I train my dog to be off leash?'Let's go' is not 'Come' - and the recall has an endingWhat is the difference between come and let's go?Honest limits, and reliability is not permissionWhen is it safe to let my dog off the leash?The flight-risk protocol, and the one command that mattersHow do I stop my dog bolting or escaping?Never punish the returnMy dog ignored me and then came back - can I tell him off?A border taught to the groundCan I teach my dog to stay on our property without a fence?
The session: dose, venue and proofing
How long, how many reps, where, and how a command is tested rather than rehearsed.
Pick the place for what it contains - life is the training groundWhere and when should I train my dog?He has to be allowed to get it wrongShould I stop my dog before he misbehaves?Generalisation is the whole jobWhy does the training stop working when my dog gets home?The dose of a sessionHow long should a training session be?Heat is a stop signCan it be too hot to train?The three Ds, and the variables nobody countsWhy does my dog obey in one spot and not another?Assess before you askWhat happens in a first dog training session?Control is not obedienceHow do I teach my dog to make better choices?Show what not to do, allow everything elseHow many rules should my dog have?Proof it against his own currencyWhat should I use to distract my dog when I test him?Drilling is what represses a dogCan I practise a command too much?Quit on the good repHow many repetitions should I ask for?Reliability is what you have not testedHow do I know if my dog is actually reliable?Say the criterion out loud before the repHow do I know what I'm actually asking for?Switch him on, then ask for offWhy does my dog stop listening when he gets excited?Raise the criterion in stepsHow fast should I raise the bar for my dog?One layer at a time: the order is part of the methodWhat order should I teach my dog things in?
The owner handover
Getting the trained dog to work for the family it goes home to, and keeping it.
The dog is a different dog for his owner - and authority transfersWill my dog listen to me the way he listens to the trainer?The standard is set by the jobHow perfect does my dog have to be?Build the handler's timing while it is easyWhy do I need training if the trainer does the work?Maintenance is use, not practiceWill the training last?The settling weekWhat happens in the first week after my dog comes home?Dates for obedience, no dates for driveHow long will it take to train my dog?The program is reinforcement, not teachingWhat does a board-and-train actually deliver?Say it bluntly or it will not landWhy is my trainer so blunt about the risks?The reunion is the worst learning environmentWhy does my dog fall apart when I pick him up from training?Lifting a thousand poundsWhy train my dog off leash if I'll never let him off?Baby introduction by scentHow do I introduce my dog to our new baby?A bathroom routine: the boring spotHow do I get my dog to go to the bathroom quickly instead of wandering around the yard?
The program itself
How the business runs a case: staff, filming, grading, scope and honesty.
Evaluate, cooperate, socialise, fulfil - then authorityWhat happens before any training starts?The board, the scenes and the grades - and every trainer works every dogHow does a training facility actually run a case?The camera is part of the methodWhy is all of this filmed?The pair is the unit of trainingHow do you train two dogs in one house?The method the case can affordIs there one right way to train a dog?Placement as the interventionIs my dog in the wrong home?Start before the habit is rehearsedWhat age should I start training my dog?
Protection work
The bite-work curriculum, recorded mostly in one dog's file.