Two dogs who will have to share a home meet on a trail for the first time, each with his own handler. The first instruction is that they do not touch. The trainer proposes they simply walk near each other for a while, as a group, and tells the owners why the real attempt will happen with the trainers rather than at home: here, if it goes wrong, they can mitigate it. Weeks later, at go-home, he tells the same owners that the problem has flipped. The dog they worried about is fine; the dog they worried for is now the one to watch.
Not nose to nose yet. No nose to nose. Not there yet.
so maybe what we can do is like walk off that way and just like take like a maybe like 10-15 minute walk like into the thing and back and just have them walk near each other
okay go after Rocco like that's not okay um because what I'm seeing now is it's kind of flipped yeah where now Kodak feels uncomfortable and Rocco gets excited
The chapter in one paragraph
When two dogs share a house, the household is what gets trained. The pair is proofed and judged together, in the house and in public, while each dog keeps his own name, his own release and his own rules; friction between them is handled on both sides, and the trainers expect it to change shape as one dog improves. Dogs who do not get on are introduced by a gated procedure: parallel walks without contact, named standards each dog must reach, and a meeting staged with the trainers present, where the other dog's answer is part of the result. Inside the house, owners stop the small first moves (the stare, the block, the standing-over) every time, and leave anything smaller alone. A steady helper dog, chosen for size and temperament and one who listens to the staff, is used on purpose: to lift a shut-down dog, to give a frightened one something normal to copy, to test a reactive one, or to be the distraction a dog must ignore. A dog who warns off a pushy dog is behaving like a dog, and the trainers learn his preferences rather than erase them. And sometimes the fix is not more training but the right home: the trainers ask whether the dog can learn and, separately, whether he can live safely where he is, and when the second answer is no, the work is the match.
Principles
When two dogs share a house, the household is trained and judged as a pair: progress is reported about the two together, and they are proofed together in public and at home because they have to function together.
Said as a rule on filmOn film
so they have pretty much learned everything they need to learn so far and the behavior together in the house is much much calmer significantly better
but it's important to like proof this kind of stuff out in public and then also in um in the house because they need to be able to function together
While she's on place, I'm going to be teaching Ramsey, which the retrievers are all recall.
Concepts: The pair is the unit of training
Exceptions
- In a private-lesson household the dogs are walked one at a time while the owner learns (Baxter); whether to handle two at once or one at a time is open (see conflicts).
The pair is still two animals. Each dog's name goes in front of each command and in front of the release, because a bare "okay" lifts both; rules and support are set dog by dog; and some house rules exist only because there are two dogs.
Said as a rule on filmOn film
ramsey okay see i keep forgetting that i trained that okay to be a ramsey okay not just okay which is good
I'm going to give him a release, because they'll probably both get up.
Because it's going to be frustrating for them if you like let them play with a toy by themselves, but then as soon as the other one joins in, then it's like
i will use the place tot as a way to help them to discriminate between who is being called and who's not right by using their name
Concepts: The pair is the unit of training
Exceptions
- Poseidon and Hades were handed over with both release words said to work for both dogs (two-dogs-one-household).
Friction between housemates is handled on both sides, and it can flip: once the problem dog is fixed, the remaining friction may come from the other dog, and the house rule moves to him. A relationship between the dogs can itself be the lesson.
Said as a rule on filmOn film
okay go after Rocco like that's not okay um because what I'm seeing now is it's kind of flipped yeah where now Kodak feels uncomfortable and Rocco gets excited
Cosmo does have this tendency to, like, he likes Simba to, like, stay put. And so he'll, like, start to, like, mouth him and stuff.
The reason I say we're going to work on that is because if you do it the wrong way, you can start a dogfight.
Concepts: The pair is the unit of training
Exceptions
- In Sputnik's house the nervous dog, Bear, is also told to knock off invading Sputnik's space, so Sputnik sees the owners handling it (stop-the-first-domino trainer notes).
Dogs who do not get on are introduced by a gated procedure: walked near each other without contact first; each brought up to named standards (a reliable recall, a heel good enough to walk past dogs); the meeting staged with the trainers present rather than at home; and the tests stepped up, from a still dog to a moving one, while the other dog keeps the option not to engage.
Said as a rule on filmOn film
Not nose to nose yet. No nose to nose. Not there yet.
I want that to happen with us not at home yes you have to do it you have to try it because if it happens at home could be a big disaster if it happens here we can mitigate the disaster
and then i'd like to get his heel a little bit better so that if i take him off leash at a place like this, like where there's a trail, that I will be able to call him to my side and walk for at least 30 or 40 seconds
He's made so much progress all the way across the board He saw dogs. He didn't react.
i'm going to try walking kodak on a leash i still want to let make sure that he has the option not to engage
Concepts: Integration is a gated procedure
Exceptions
- The gates are one trainer's plan for one pair; no house checklist is stated.
- Kelton names the outcome he fears most as the ambiguous one, because it is hard to know whether to punish it (watch 20:04).
- Passive adjacency, such as neighbouring kennels, may ramp dogs up; he says he is not sure (watch 13:53).
The other dog is part of the result. How bad a meeting gets depends partly on what the other dog does, and a dog's history with a housemate travels with him; training one dog does not control another.
Said as a rule on filmOn film
Yeah, and so then it kind of depends on what the other dog does at that point. I think if another dog reacted to that by like coming after him, it would be a fight, to be honest.
I can do all the training in the world but if a dog comes over and bites her starts attacking her
And the two dogs that she's injured are the, like, most meek and submissive.
Concepts: Integration is a gated procedure
Exceptions
- Dutchess's injuries to household dogs are the owners' account, told second-hand on film.
Stop the first domino. In a house with dogs who clash, the stare, the block and the standing-over lead to the scuffle, so owners stop those small first moves every time; anything smaller is left alone, and the dogs are not kept from interacting. Separate first, correct after.
Said as a rule on filmOn film
right it's like a domino chain so you want to stop the first domino essentially
minute before preventing right prevent it as soon as you see it him doing the thing that could lead
happening. It's more of a space issue, right? So that's about the smallest thing. If it's
smaller than that, just leave it alone. Anything that and up, you immediately do. So maybe
Concepts: Stop the first domino
Exceptions
- Kelton reverses his own order on film after a mistimed collar tap landed while the dogs were face to face: leash first, collar afterwards (stop-the-first-domino).
- Whether the precursors fell off as predicted is not on film in either house.
A steady helper dog is used on purpose, and chosen for the job: big enough not to be hurt, thick-skinned, a dog who does not escalate and who listens to the staff, so the only variable is the dog in training. On film she has four jobs: opener for a shut-down dog, model for a frightened one, tester for a dog who goes at other dogs, and the distraction a dog must ignore. The dog not being worked is given a position too.
Said as a rule on filmOn film
yeah so that's that's why we use zutichan as a helper because she's very big right he's not
because she doesn't escalate things right good good job boone she's not going to be the one to
another dog up u, I will use Zuri to open them up.
This is important with really nervous dogs like Ozzy because he sees another dog about his size playing and he'll just kind of slowly poke at the nervousness
So we're out here mainly to see how Zeus does with our dog Zooty-Chan. She's our doggy tester
I'm going to leave Zutchan in the down here. That way it's a little bit more fair. I don't want to leave her walking around right now.
Concepts: Another dog as helper, tester or draw
Exceptions
- Owners are told not to stage such tests themselves, especially a small dog with a big one (watch 08:38); a small dog is the wrong tester (watch 09:00).
- Forced proximity appears once, reluctantly, with Ozzy (watch 14:04).
A dog who warns off a pushy dog is behaving normally: an escalating objection that stops when the other dog backs off is different in kind from an attack. The trainers test until they know a dog's preferences precisely and arrange life and placement around them, rather than trying to train them out.
Said as a rule on filmOn film
like dude like yeah back up but that's a normal response and very different from you being like
get off me and then zutty like knocked it off dogs do that all the time um so it's like normal
doesn't care she's just a little dog selective but I did kind of narrow it
people are like that and some people aren't but so it's the same thing with dogs so just because
Concepts: Warning versus attack
Exceptions
- No checklist for telling the two apart in the moment is on film; the trainers weigh escalation (warnings first) and proportion (stopping once the other dog backs off).
Sometimes the intervention is the right home. The trainers ask two questions, whether the dog can learn and whether he can live safely in this circumstance, and a dog can pass the first and fail the second. When the home is the problem, the work is matching the dog's drive to a place that needs it, and then teaching him that place.
Said as a rule on filmOn film
can you do training with the dogs right and the dog learns things does everything but then is it
the secondary thing is like all right can the dog live in this circumstance can they live in
you have a place that can work for a dog like this you have a situation that can
Yeah, I mean, so they a lot of times already know a lot of it.
Porque este es un perro que tiene trabajo.
Concepts: Placement as the intervention
On placement day nothing is trained. The new owner walks the dog around the edges of the land, naming where he can and cannot go, and the dog is then shown his work.
Shown, not saidOn film
Exacto. You just show him the boundaries. And you walk him around them and you show him this is where everything is.
Yeah, he's telling him where he can and cannot go. That's good. He's like, all of this is yours.
Luis, ven a ver tu trabajo, tu trabajo.
Probably a little bit, but not that much. He'll figure out that he lives here and he'll like it.
Concepts: Placement as the intervention
Exceptions
- The handler advises the boundary walk; that nothing else is trained that day is what the footage shows, not a rule anyone states.
What owners are told
With two dogs, put each dog's name in front of every command and in front of the release, hold two leashes loosely in one hand, and decide the house rules that exist because there are two dogs (watch 29:48; watch 46:54). When there is friction, deal with both dogs. Do not stage a meeting between dogs who do not get on yourself: walk them near each other without greeting and let the trainers decide when contact happens, with them present (watch 12:08). Know your dog's first domino (the stare, the block, standing over) and stop it every time; leave anything smaller alone, and separate before any correction (watch 85:04). Do not test your dog with a friend's dog, especially a small dog with a big one (watch 08:38). If your dog objects to a dog that keeps pushing, notice whether she warned first and stopped once it backed off. And ask two questions, not one: can he learn, and can he live safely here as things are (watch 08:27).
On film
like what I would actually do is just instead of trying to keep a like a really tight hold on these, since they both do respond off leash
is in range um so normally i would not do this um and i recommend that you do not with a small dog
What trainers know
Report the pair as a pair and proof both at once; use one dog on place as the distraction while the other is worked; put names on releases. Work friction from both sides and expect it to flip. For integration: two handlers, parallel walking without contact, gates named before contact (recall, off-leash heel past dogs for thirty or forty seconds, the excitable dog's correction history, the other dog's progress), the go decision on breadth, contact staged with trainers present, tests stepped up by movement while the avoided dog keeps the option not to engage. Prefer a clear outcome to an ambiguous one. Treat the other dog's response and history as variables and say so to families. Choose the helper for size, skin, temperament and obedience to staff; give the dog not being worked a position. Test a selective dog's preferences until they are precise and brief adopters on warning versus attack. Separate trainability from placeability, and on placement day teach the dog his new place.
On film
the hardest one is when it's like well like i don't know like it wasn't that bad but it wasn't not good either it's very ambiguous and so it's like do you punish it or not
i did think about maybe maybe putting them in like even though there's like a three or four foot gap putting them in adjacent kennel so they see each other but i'm not sure if that is actually helpful or if it could be potentially harmful because it could ramp them up towards each other
that's not the right dog i would use my personal dog for that that's my tester
In the dogs
Roxy
Roxy and her brother Ramsey are the fullest two-dog record. Kelton reports them as a pair (calmer together in the house), uses the place cot to show who is being called, drops indoor toy play, and hands the owners two leashes held loosely in one hand. Connor, at the park with Ramsey, catches himself releasing him with a bare "okay".
Kodak
Kodak and Rocko are the gated integration: no nose to nose on the first shared walk, the gates counted off, the go decision on breadth, then harder tests with Kodak moving. At go-home Kelton says the problem has flipped: Kodak is now the uncomfortable one. Kodak went home (Kelton's endings list); the integration's later result is not in the files read.
Sputnik
In a three-dog house Sputnik controls a nervous dog's space and bowls. Kelton gives the owners one penalty, applied liberally and without anger, to stop the first domino, and tells them to stop the nervous dog invading Sputnik's space too.
Murphy
Back home with two other dogs and a baby, Murphy is watched standing over a housemate and guarding space. Kelton tells the family not to keep the dogs from interacting, to catch the habit at its smallest onset, and to leave anything smaller alone.
Simba
At the Simba and Cosmo go-home the relationship is the lesson: Cosmo mouths Simba to keep him in place, and the trainer says it must be addressed carefully, because done the wrong way it can start a dogfight.
Lola
Lola and Archie: Archie's confidence is described as good for her on an outing, and Kelton reads the excitement that comes out when they walk together. The split-cot drill (settle both, call one off) is named as tomorrow's challenge and not filmed.
Zuri-chan
Kelton also tells the story of her being warned off, and finally told off, by one of Christian's dogs: dogs do that all the time.
Bullet
Before any training, a shut-down dog is put with Zuri, who takes the lead; he loosens up with nobody asking him for anything. When Bullet is worked, Zuri is left in a down so it is fair.
Ozzy
A very frightened dog given helpers of the opposite kind to Zuri: a small playful dog about his size, and an old calm one.
Anna
Her sister Daisy is the draw that makes a recall possible: Anna only leaves her handler to reach Daisy. The two are also said to feed off each other's nerves at home.
Dutchess
The owners report she stops at once with a dog who gives her a clear signal and not with dogs who act like victims; the two dogs she injured were the most meek. Her trainer tells them training her does not control what another dog does.
Hattie
Kelton tested her with many dogs and children until her preferences were known (large dogs who mount her; people and kids fine), called it relatively normal, and briefed her adopters on warning versus attack so they could choose a home where it rarely matters. She was adopted (Kelton's endings list).
Louie
A herding dog with a bite history, placed at a smallholding whose goats kept straying. Nothing is trained on the day; the new owner walks the land naming its edges, and the dog is shown his work. The household sums it up: this is a dog that has a job.
Samson
At go-home the trainer puts the two questions to the owner (can he learn, can he live safely here) and judges this yard a place that can work for a dog like him.
Where the trainers differ
On film
this situation is one um one thing you should not do is just try to keep them from interacting with each other sure right because letting them interact and work things out is a good thing
On film
of times, um, there are problems within like the house, like living stuff that don't have great training solutions, but there are good management solutions.
so you can have two dogs in the house together and you can utilize the place command to make things a lot simpler for them
On film
like what I would actually do is just instead of trying to keep a like a really tight hold on these, since they both do respond off leash
On film
you have plenty of opportunities to practice
On film
get off me and then zutty like knocked it off dogs do that all the time um so it's like normal
On film
because unfortunately not every dog is a good match for every dog when they meet each other
best friends maybe who knows doesn't need to happen yeah peaceful coexistence required yeah required they need to be able to be around each other peacefully and not do that kind of stuff because that that's when you get something that escalates
As a course unit
The owner or staff member can run a two-dog household so each dog answers only its own name, can plan a gated introduction, can name and stop the first domino without suppressing normal interaction, knows how a helper dog is chosen and why an owner should not improvise one, can tell a warning from an attack, and can separate whether a dog can learn from whether he can live safely where he is.
Lessons, in order
- The pair is the unit of training
- Stop the first domino
- Integration is a gated procedure
- Another dog as helper, tester or draw
- Warning versus attack
- Placement as the intervention
Drills
- Name-and-release drill: both dogs on place; release one by name; the other stays (two-dogs-one-household lesson).
- Two leashes in one hand, held loosely, voice first; neither dog pulls (watch 46:54).
- First-domino log: for one week, write down what each dog does first before any scuffle, and the smallest thing you will act on (stop-the-first-domino).
- Parallel walk: two handlers, dogs walking near each other with no greeting, for ten or fifteen minutes (watch 12:27).
- Placement boundary walk: walk the new dog around the edges of the property, naming where he can and cannot go (watch 17:47).
Assessment
- When you release one dog by name, does the other stay?
- What is Kelton's floor, the smallest thing he would correct, in Murphy's house?
- Why does the first contact between two dogs who do not get on happen with the trainers and not at home?
- What two things did Echo do before she bit Zuri, and why does Kelton call it normal?
- What are the two questions the trainers ask before deciding a dog can go home?