Should You Use An E-Collar With A Reactive Dog? | LIVE Q&A

Hello everyone, how are you all doing? Hope you're good. Sorry, I'm a minute late because once again YouTube wouldn't let me in. Um, I hope everyone has had a lovely day now that it's not hotter than the surface of the sun outside and we can all start heading out of our homes again. It's nice. Let me, let me know where you guys are. Let me know who you are. It's nice to know that I'm actually talking to real people. So just drop your names in the chat. Let me know where you're at. Let me know your name. Let me know your dog's name. I'll be here for an hour this evening like always, and obviously I'll do my best to make sure your questions get answered. So if you have a question about your dog, tonight's topic is all about e-collars. So if you guys have questions on e-collars, then drop them in the chat. But you know, I'm here, it's free, so you might as well ask me anything. If you've got other questions about stuff to do with your dog, then drop them in the chat and I'll do my very best to answer them and get through as many of them as I possibly can. Um, those of you that are here early, well done, because now you're gonna definitely get your questions answered. Um, for you guys who maybe are here for the first time and have absolutely no idea who I am or what I do, I am Kelly. I'm the owner of South Coast Canine Academy. Um, so we are a franchise of Yorkshire Canine Academy, and we do the same thing in that we specialize in working with reactive dogs So hopefully if you're here and you've got a reactive dog, I'll be able to point you in the right direction tonight. You get some nice free advice. Don't get many things for free anymore, so this is a nice place to come and get some freebies. However big your question is, however big your problem is, drop it in the chat and like I said, I'll do my very best to get through everybody. And similarly, if you're just here for a watch-along and to have a chat, then drop your name in the chat box. Let me know where you are in the world. We sometimes— I think it's really fun that people are all over the world just watching this. It seems mad to me. So let me know who you are. Let me know who I'm actually talking to. Hi, I'm Carlos from Miami. Fun! My dog's name is Dobby. Great place to live. Great dog's name. What breed is Dobby, let me know. Hi Carlos, uh, hi there Leanne. Is that how I say that? Leanne, please don't be offended if I got absolutely butchered that, and but also feel free to tell me that I did get it wrong. Sick, that's so fun. My dog is Miko. Again, if I got that name wrong, please let me know that I butchered it. He's a rescue and reactive and crazy AF. E-collar has been helping a lot. Amazing! What have you been using your e-collar for? Have you been using it for recall? Are you using it as part of punishment? Let me know. Um, so like I said, we specialize in reactive dogs, so We are also balanced trainers, meaning that we do use tools in training, mostly in terms of— if you guys are familiar with e-collars, if you've ever used one before, if you've ever known anyone that's used one before, um, then you'll know that you can use an e-collar to teach your dog literally anything, because once the dog understands pressure and release that stimulation from the e-collar is just another form of pressure. But predominantly, if you come here to work with us, we'll be using an e-collar to help teach your dog a rock-solid recall. Getting dogs off lead as quickly and safely as we possibly can is one of our top goals for dogs that come and work with us because Getting dogs off leads and having that bit of freedom where they're able to use their nose, get into the environment, move their bodies in the way that they were intended to move their bodies is such an important outlet for dogs, to just let dogs be out there and be in the world. Um, so getting that recall as quickly as we can is really, really important and also a massive piece of the puzzle when it comes to solving reactivity. Ah, whereabouts in Southeast England? Wait, am I east? Yeah, I'm from Bournemouth, but now I live in Hastings, so I'm always like, what's east, what's west? Also, my geography is shit, so Rescue German Shepherd mix called Winston. Ah, that's a nice name. Trying to listen in at work. Well, I hope you've got headphones in because I'm sure I always think that my voice is particularly irritating, so I hope your colleagues don't also have to listen to me unless they want to know about e-collars and dog training, in which case I hope they are tuned in. Um, Miko is a mix of about 18 breeds, looks like a dingo or a village dog. Cool. Oh, you're in Eastbourne, just down the road from us. That's nice. Um, are you, are you struggling with your rescue German Shepherd, Andy, or do you have questions about your training with your German Shepherd? Let me know. Here to help. Get some free advice. Free things are nice. Um, my e-collar beeps vibration and shock. Beep for positive vibration as mild pressure and low-level shock for punishment or negative pressure overall. Off-leash work mainly. That's a lot of things. So when we train with e-collars, we're not just using— I think that the biggest issue that people have with e-collars is they think they're just this hugely negative um, aversive tool to a dog, and that these are cheap pieces of equipment that you can just buy anywhere off of like Amazon or Temu. The equipment in which we use is highly nuanced pieces of equipment that are upwards of £300 apiece. So not just your crappy old-school pieces of equipment that you could get off of like Amazon and just Slap on your dog and hope for the best. Having said that, also it's really important to remember that when we're talking about the use of any tools, that there is no tool out there that is just going to be your magic wand fix that you just slap onto your dog and whoosh, the problem is completely gone. You still have to teach the dog something. So that's really important to remember. I think a lot of people get caught up in this misconception that you just bang an e-collar on a dog, zap them into next year, and that's it, the problem's gone. And that therein also lies the problem where people think that it's going to make the problem worse. But that is— or if that is how you are using an e-collar, that is not the right way to use it. You need to make sure that you're working with a responsible trainer who can help properly teach your dog what that sensation means when they feel that, and that they also have an idea of pressure and release before you're just using that piece of equipment. Hi everyone! Please, I'm so sorry if I say your name wrong, please do correct me if I do. From Taiwan. My dog is Nunu. Oh, that's such a good name! 2-year-old Samoyed. Met a couple of Samoyeds, very cute dogs. Uh, Marilyn from Washington Coast. Ellie is a 3-year-old Border Collie mix. She needs to tell off other dogs if they make eye contact or bark. I use the e-collar successfully for car chasing. Cool. Are you still struggling with Ellie telling off other dogs if they make eye contact or bark? Let me know if you're still working through that. Does using an e-collar create less conflict between you and the dog than using a prong collar? That's really dependent on the dog that you're working with, and also why it's really important to make sure that when you're using any tools, you're working with an experienced trainer, um, who is able to read the dog in front of them and see which route would be best to go down for your specific dog. It depends really there what it is that you're wanting to use the e-collar for. I presume that in this context you're wanting to use it for punishment. So yes, it can create less conflict between you and the dog, um, but it depends like how you're using it, what you wanted to use it for. So Let me know a bit more context on that one if you can. Hi, Roxy from Tasmania, Australia. Oh, hello! So many— this is so cool, so many people all over the world. Um, my dog is an almost 10-month-old show line German Shepherd. Bear has been extremely reactive for 5 months. Listening in, financially out at the moment. Well, I hope you pick up some useful tips here, Roxy. We've also got loads of other videos on, um, YouTube. There's loads of lives like these ones where people have asked lots of questions, so they might be really handy for you to have a listen into. We also have a free Behaviour Bible, so you might find some really helpful things in there. I think the link will either be in this chat or it will be below this video. Usually there's a link to sign up for the Behaviour Bible. It's completely free and You might find it really, really helpful if that's something you've been struggling with for a long time. Right, I'm going to remember who this was and scroll up. Ah, Andy from Eastbourne. Had him for 18 months, but he's terrified of people and noises. He can't be off leads anywhere busy. Have you any advice on how to overcome his fear? We play as much as we can to encourage confidence. He also won't take treats outside. Any advice? So 2, um, separate issues you're having there. When you say he's terrified of people and noises, what does that look like to you? Is it, is it carrying away and hiding behind you, kind of shrinking into themselves, or is it more forward behavior? Are they barking, lunging? Um, play. Obviously, if you've ever watched any of these lives that I've done before, I'm always harking on about play. But yeah, play is amazing as a way to help a dog build confidence. But also, things like an e-collar could be really, really helpful for you because Although it's— so it is just he will run or hide, he's never shown any aggression. Okay, cool. So in terms of building confidence for a fearful dog like that, an e-collar can be amazing because one, it helps them learn how to work through pressure. It's a small amount of pressure that they can work through, yield to pressure, come back to you, get reinforcement if you're using it to teach recall. Um, It— if you use it to teach recall, then it gives you the ability to get your dog off lead so they can have a bit more confidence to get out into the world, to see a bit more, to explore a bit more, encourage curiosity, to get involved in the environment, use their nose, go over to things and see that they can be curious about things and that the world isn't gonna end because of it. Um, play again is amazing for that, helps build confidence and help— you can really help the dog to overcome like small, small things in play and come out on the other side of it, and for them to realize, oh, I didn't die, I can do hard things. Similarly, Using pressure as a means to help them work through things. Like, it sounds really stupid, but like a dog like that who won't walk through a puddle, for example, you know for a fact nothing bad will happen to you if you walk through this puddle. So instead of just going, oh, it's okay, come on, I know you don't want to do it, and letting them walk around it. having them be used to a bit of pressure, knowing how to yield to the pressure, and getting them to work through and walk through that puddle. It seems like something so small and insignificant, but just like behaviors you don't like, those little things will stack up over time and help your dog to realize, oh, I've done hard things before, or things that I found hard And actually, I just worked through them and I was fine and I didn't die. So maybe I was wrong about the thing that I was scared about. And 2, I am strong and I am confident and I can do things that I find difficult. So helping him to work through that stuff is going to be really important for you. But definitely, um, finding an experienced trainer who can help you Properly use an e-collar to teach that dog recall, I think will be really transformative for your dog. Hi, how's you today? How's the chat? Good, thank you, Sade. I'm good, how are you today? Um, I'll lurk a while while I cook. Thanks for the freebies and for allowing me to be a bad dad. Keep up the good work. Oh, thank you, that's really nice. Hope you're cooking something nice for dinner. What are you having? He will look around. I'm struggling with Ellie and other dogs. Do I need to have the e-collar on at all times when I'm out with her? Will she eventually be able to be weaned from the device? Sorry, Ellie. I'm just gonna Marilyn. I'm just gonna scroll back up to remind myself. What have you got? Not to change her. So lunging and barking at dogs. Okay, so you're using your e-collar, I take it, then with Ellie for punishment around other dogs. Um, I think the really important thing to remember about this is if you're using your e-collar for a punishment Fine, but your e-collar is not the punishment itself. It is simply the interrupter in the moment. It's not going to be the thing that stops your dog from doing the thing again. I think you're gonna want to make sure that you have correctly charged a marker. So you— when we are working with dogs, 2 things are very important. It's having a marker that tells your dog, yes, that was correct, I like that, do that more. And having a marker that tells your dog, that thing you just did was incorrect, don't do that again. Having a properly conditioned punishment marker is going to really help you out because you'll be able to capture for Ellie the exact moment that she got it wrong, whether that be the lunge, the bark. I wouldn't ever think about raising hackles being a punishable offense. Like, that's a sign— can be a sign to you that maybe she is about to react and do something that is a crime, but raising hackles is not a crime. Um, so having a punishment marker for sure. You could utilize your e-collar in punishment, but it would just be the interrupter. To get your dog back to you so you're able to have that conversation with them and say, hey, like, what you did was— Bear was just wrong, didn't like it, don't do that again. But it is something that you're going to want to work on outside of just putting Ellie in front of other dogs and then just using your e-collar to stop stuff because The thing about punishment is that it's only punishment if it stops the likelihood, intensity, or frequency of behavior. If you're using your e-collar in the moment and it stops Ellie in that moment barking at the dog, but given that same exact picture again Ellie would still then go and bark at that dog, then you have not utilized punishment because you haven't done any of those 3 things that I just said. She doesn't see it as punishment. You're simply interrupting her in the moment, but it's not making that thing less likely to happen again in the future. Um, so also in terms of like having an e-collar on If you're— especially if you're using your e-collar for recall, yes, you would need to have it on forever. But the idea is that you're not using it every single walk. So like, my dogs both wear e-collars. We go out on a walk, I'm not using my e-collar every single walk I go on. It's just there as my seat belt because My dogs know that recall, and I have trained that using an e-collar and made their recall cue very, very strong. But dogs are living, breathing creatures. At some point in their lives, even though I've got their recall to an amazing place, 99.9% of time I call my dogs back, they're spinning on a dime and coming back to me. At some point in their lives, something will be more reinforcing to them to keep going towards than coming back to me. So via means of negative reinforcement, utilizing my e-collar, I have a way to say, "Hey, no! I called you back. You have to come back to me now." And that's what your e-collar is there for—for those exact moments when your dog's like. Nah, actually I'm still gonna go chase that rabbit across that road. I'm still gonna go chase that dog across that field. I'm still gonna go chase that deer into the woods. Those are all things that, um, could get my dog in trouble. Um, and so I have my e-collar on for those times just in case those things happen. So just the seat belt. Um, if you're utilizing it correctly, then you shouldn't be using it all the time. But yes, your dog would always have it on. Thanks for the advice. You're welcome, Andy. Hope you found it helpful. Oh, also, full apologies if no one's been here before and you feel like I'm really waffling. Just tell me to stop. Um, we found massive improvements with recall and off-lead reactivity since using the e-collar, but when she does go over threshold, her aggression levels seem to have increased. That suggests to me, are you using your e-collar then for punishment? Or like, what's the context around that situation? That suggests to me that there's a bit of the timing of the use of the pressure there is sending her over, and she doesn't have a correct understanding of what that pressure means. Um, give me a bit more context on that, Olivia. Let me know what's happening there. Uh, do you offer e-collar training separately to your full training? At the moment, Andy, no, we don't. We specialize in reactivity, so we only offer full packages covering reactivity. Um, we did used to sell an An e-collar course, but I don't think we do any more even at Leeds. But send me an email. I'm going to put my email address in here. Send an email to that email address, Andy, and we can chat a little bit more after this. YouTube, um, and see what it is that you need and have a bit, bit more of an in-depth chat about your dog, um, and see if we can help you for sure. Just, um, ping me over an email to there and I'll get back to you. Thank you for your thoughtful answer, really appreciate your insights. You're welcome, glad you found them insightful, um, and sorry if I waffled. I love a tangent. If anyone's been here before, you'll know I love a tangent. Are there any type of breed or dogs you'd say an e-collar would be bad for? No, I think an e-collar is the best piece of equipment that we have available to us in the dog training space, um, because of the freedom that it can give to your dog and that freedom of just Allowing a dog to be a dog is just so important. Like, dogs weren't meant to live at the end of a 1.5-meter lead or the end of a 10-meter long line or a flexi lead. Like, yes, they can be away from you, but it, it somewhat limits the amount that they're able to like freely move their body and truly just engage with the environment when they were out. Um, and an e-collar gives a dog that freedom because when you've trained it correctly and when the dog properly understands that pressure, it means that, you know, no matter what the distraction, you know, no matter what the environment, if you need to call your dog back, you can. And therefore you're able to get your dog out into the world and give them that freedom and that outlet. It's just so important. Um, so no, I don't think there are any breeds or dogs that I would say an e-collar is bad for. That is, some dogs might take longer than others for sure, but every dog is capable of learning pressure and release. Um, and an e-collar is just a form of pressure, so every dog is capable of understanding and learning that pressure. Just great, love them. But just don't buy rubbish ones off of Temu or Amazon. I think that's where a lot of people get this term buzz collar from, or shock collar. Like, back in the day, probably, like, the technology that we have available to us today is above and beyond technology that we would have had even 5, 10 years ago. Um, the— when you use an e-collar, the, the levels, there is so much difference there, and there is so much nuance in the levels that you are able to apply with the certain dog. So every dog, if you've ever used one before— people always say it feels like a TENS machine, but I've never used a TENS machine. I think the feeling feels more like the sensation of like pins and needles. But if you've ever used one before, a decent one, you'll know that— so the levels go from like 1 to 100, or on some I think 1 to 120. Um, or if you've got a fancy pants Martin Systems, then they go from 1 to 16. Um, sorry guys, just one second. No, no, sorry, I'm just on YouTube. Sorry. Sorry guys, unexpected guest visitor. Yeah, so the levels go from 1 to 100, and when you're working with a dog, you're looking to find the level initially at which that specific dog feels the sensation. So I feel like I just ran a marathon, but I literally just ran about 2 meters over towards the door. Someone needs to get back into the old cardio around here. Uh, if you've ever used one before, every single person will feel the sensation at a different level, and it's the same for dogs. So that's why making sure that you're using a high-quality, decent piece of equipment is really important. Mini Educator is really good. Martin Systems, obviously top dollar, but really, really good pieces of equipment. Um, Uh, I'm using an EZ-900 and use the stim for recall, which works pretty good. I use vibrate as a no, and he's been good with it for months, but he's starting to tune out of the vibrate because it doesn't have levels. Yeah, so we never use the vibrate function on, um, on an e-collar specifically for that reason, because there is no Nuance to the level. It is just the level it is. And if you've ever pressed it, it's quite, um, the vibrator is quite a lot, and it's instantly aversive to most dogs because it just comes out of nowhere. Um, and you can't play around with it. It just is the level it is. And instantly it might be aversive in the beginning, but then quite quickly the dog desensitizes to that sensation and they just don't care about it anymore. So we never use the vibrate function. It's kind of— I mean, in my opinion, kind of pointless. Like, it's not, um, not a function that I would ever use exactly for that reason. If you're using your e-collar in conjunction with punishment before, like I was saying to Marilyn, you'll want to make sure— I think it was Marilyn I was saying this to. I'm so sorry, I'm really, really bad with remembering names. If you tell me your dog's name, I'd remember all your dog's names. Um, if you're using your e-collar for punishment, you want to make sure that your no actually means something to the dog, because the goal with punishment, or the goal with any training for a dog, is for your dog to eventually be able to respond just to your verbal cue, right? You don't always Because you don't always want to have to be able to rely on pressure. I want my dog to rely on all of my verbal cues. If you're overlaying any form of pressure or visual, uh, visual cue, if either of those 2 things happen before your verbal cue You will always need one of those two things to make your verbal cue mean anything. So you always want to make sure that you're saying your word first and then giving that word meaning. So make sure that you—I would say—sack off using that vibrate. It's obviously not doing anything anymore anyway, and make sure that you're conditioning a really strong punishment marker. If you've used no already, I would say. say that cue is probably poison now. I would pick a fresh word. Hi, I have a 7-month-old Cane Corso and I want to introduce the e-collar. What's the best way to train him with it and where would I start on the levels? Best thing you can possibly do is to find a responsible trainer who can help you do that. Don't go out there alone and try and raw dog it and figure it out for yourself because it's very easy to get wrong if you don't know what you're doing. Also, when you're working with a trainer there that's experienced, initially you're just looking for a sign that the dog can feel the pressure, and then you're looking to attach that to something, um, that the dog already knows. So Usually for us, that's recall in the beginning. Those small tells, like it can be a dip of the head, their ear might twitch, their eye might twitch, they might flick their head slightly. You're looking for those really, really small behaviors that tell you that the dog can feel it. And if you haven't got the experience, or you're working with someone that just says they can and actually has no idea, they won't see those signs. So make sure that you've done your research. Um, let me know where you are and maybe I'll be able to point you in the direction of someone who does know. But when you're looking to work with any trainer, just make sure that you do your research and make sure that it's not just a bunch of bumf on a website of someone with sick pictures and gorgeous videos saying they can do all of this stuff. Read their reviews. Make sure that they have written reviews from real people who have worked with them and that they can get the results that you are looking to get with your dog. Oh, Bakersfield, California. Okay, so my Geography is shit, but we just opened a California K9 Academy today— today, yesterday. Um, NorCal K9 Academy. So have a lookout for them, great bunch of people, and they definitely know what they're doing. So I would say get in contact with them. Um, If you go on any of our socials, you'll easily be able to find them through there. But they're NorCal Canine Academy. Do do do do. Thanks for the in-depth answer. You're welcome. Free in it. Nice free stuff. Love free things. We've been working with a behaviorist who showed us to correct her with the e-collar before reacting to a dog. Sometimes she ignores the stimulus and runs to the dog barking, which seems aggressive. Okay, so correct her with the e-collar before she reacts. So you're not correcting a reaction, you're sending her into behavior. All you've done there is pair that sensation means it's go time. You can't use punishment or correction Before the dog has actually committed a crime. So things like looking at another dog, even hard staring at another dog, not a crime. I can hard stare across at someone across a bar, no one's gonna arrest me for it. It's creepy as fuck, but it's not a crime. If I got up from my seat and I went across the bar and punched that person in the face, That's a crime and I would get arrested for it, but looking at the person is not a crime. Like I said earlier, I can't remember who it was to, but hackles going up, not a crime, just a visual stimulus of arousal. Like stiffening of the body, staring, ears pricking up, tail going stiff, um, even like creeping. Not lunging is a crime, but creeping forwards It's not a crime. You shouldn't be thinking about punishing those things. You can use them as a sign to tell you, okay, my— that's my dog's tell. I know they're going to do the thing in a minute because doing that always leads to that. But you want to have a punishment cue that you're able to capture the exact moment your dog actually got it wrong. So the exact moment that your dog Actually barked, actually lunged, actually snapped. Those things are all crimes and stuff your dog cannot do. But anything that happens before that is not a crime, and punishing that is very dangerous territory. Um, and it sounds like all you've done there is to pair that sensation Then leads to her— it sends her into behaviour because it sends her up. She doesn't understand that, um, it is just willfully saying she, but just making sure that it is she, not he. Um, all that's doing is sending her into behaviour. So again, you need to make sure that you're conditioning a punishment marker there. And then if you want to use your e-collar pressure, fine. I would be very careful about doing that. Maybe for that specific dog, I wouldn't use e-collar pressure if you've used it before and it's had that effect, because the dog has already learned something else from feeling that pressure. So you would have to recondition your e-collar or use a different form of pressure. Maybe that would be a slip, maybe that would be a prong. But absolutely not using an e-collar before any reaction has actually happened. That's not the fault of the e-collar, that's just the timing of it being used. Another thing that is really common and a common misconception is people will often say, oh well, I've heard using an e-collar will make the behavior worse, or it will send my dog further into a reaction. And that isn't about the tool itself. Remember that the tool itself is not the, the thing. It's not the fix. It's not anything. It's how— it's what you've taught the dog that means. And so the timing of it is super important. So when you're using any kind of tool, even if you're just using a slip collar, you need to make sure that you're working with a trainer who can help you to get your timing correct. Because feeling any form of pressure needs to come at the correct time. Because like what's happened there with your e-collar, if you're using it before something has happened and then feeling that leads to this, which is me going forwards into a reaction, then that's what you've taught your dog that sensation means. That's what you've taught the dog feeling pressure on a slip means, or feeling pressure on a prong means. You need to make sure that your timing is correct there. So, um, please don't go out and just try and wing it on your own. You'll find a lot of conflicting advice on YouTube Instagram. Don't even know if I can mention other platforms on here. Other platforms are available. Uh, don't— everyone's got a lot of ideas about what— there's— look, if you look for anything on the internet for long enough, you'll find the answer that you're looking for. Um, if you're— and you need to make sure that you're working with a responsible trainer. Make sure that they've got the reviews to back up what they're saying they can do. Don't just book onto a call with someone and say, yeah, they sound great and they sound like they can help me. A lot of people can sound like a lot of things. Make sure that they've got the reviews to back up what they're actually saying. Have they been able to prove that they have helped someone like you with a dog like yours with a problem like you have? If not, probably not the best fit for you. I would carry on the search. Um, if you are really struggling with reactivity, obviously, hashtag shameless plug, um, we specialize in reactivity. We've worked with hundreds of dogs, and likelihood is we have already worked with a dog that is like yours. We have already probably helped a dog that is like yours get to a place where they are off lead enjoying their lives, back to just being dogs again. So, um, if you are really struggling and you are looking for a trainer to help you, there should be a link in this chat somewhere or underneath this video, um, for you to book on a call, have a chat with one of us. Even if you don't end up working with us, it's a half an hour chat and it's a free call, so you might walk away with some helpful advice. Hopefully you're walking away with some free helpful advice just from this tonight. But I would highly recommend just hopping on a call. It's half an hour and it's free, and we all love free stuff. I said The word no. Wait three seconds to apply pressure on the vibrate or on the prong. I'm gonna have to go back. Do do do do. Let's say sign two. Yeah, I would. I would recondition a fresh word, and I would bin off using the vibrate function there and find a healthy nag that you could use. if you want to continue to use your e-collar. Uh, I live in— oh no, I've already done that. Of course. Thanks, Helena, my number one cheerleader. Helena worked with us. Her dog Ozzy was mega reactive to people and dogs and had been told by a vet and a trainer To have Ozzy euthanized, which is mental to me. Um, and now we get lots of lovely videos of Helena with Ozzy running free on the beach, living his best life, going on holiday to Canva Sands, going around the Old Town, even visited the place where I got married, which was really cute. Um, and just out there being a dog again, and that's what it's all about, right? Like I think a lot of people get caught up in a lot of management with dogs. Like, you don't send too many. We love the updates, they're nothing but joy. I will never be sad at you sending updates of Ozzy or anyone that's ever worked with us. Like, we're so lucky to end up working with so many, like, lovely people and building such a nice relationship with everyone that we get such like gorgeous videos and photos and stories back from people of what they're doing with their dogs. And it's— I think it's really special that, um, people want to do that and they want to keep us updated and stay pals. Come and visit us, send us the texts, send us the updates. We love them. But yeah, I think back to my original tangent A lot of people get really caught up in this cycle of management where they're just constantly putting a dog into behavior or giving them instruction to avoid anything happening that they don't want to happen. But therein lies another problem where your dog isn't able to ever make a choice. You don't really know, given the option of just being at liberty and doing whatever they want to do. What will they choose? You might get lulled into a false sense of security where the dog won't do the reaction if you put them into a heel, or if you put them in the middle, or if you put them in a down, or if you put them in a sit. But if you're not with them at that second to put them into behavior, what will they choose? Will they still choose the reactivity? Will they still choose to go forward to the dog or the person? You've never— the real missing piece there is not just putting more obedience on the dog and putting more management of the dog and just getting the dog off lead. And don't get me wrong, it's a really important and really big piece to get the dog off lead and having a rock-solid recall, but you don't want to only do that because then it's still a form of management because you're constantly ping-ponging that dog backwards and forwards because you can't trust them at liberty. To be near to another dog off lead. So you call them back, you put them on the lead, and then you have to walk past the dog. And if the park's too busy, then you can't go in there because you'd just be recalling them every 2 seconds. What you really need is a strong communication system with the dog where you're able to give feedback, to clearly tell the dog in a way they understand, hey, that thing you just did was correct, I love that, do that more. hey, that thing you just did was incorrect, don't like it, don't do that again. And then that is a dog that has the whole picture. And therein lies, like, um, I think it was Andy's dog you were saying he's super nervous, never shown any aggression, but like cowers away. Because maybe they do— maybe you do have that missing piece there with him, Andy, where He's— you're— you pay a lot and we focus a lot. A lot of what we do with dogs is positive reinforcement, where we're paying into things that we really, really like to increase the likelihood, intensity, frequency of that specific behavior. But if you only ever do that, that's only half the picture. If you're not able to tell the dog, hey, those Handful of things— chasing cars, putting teeth on people and dogs, barking at people or dogs, chasing children— those 4 or 5 things are off the table, can't do those. The dog never really learns the whole picture, and once they have that piece, then they're able to just go out there and make choice because they're like, well, I know I can't do that stuff. Pick something else. There are a million other things my dog is free to do and go and do, and giving them that agency to make choice builds confidence and breeds curiosity because they're like, all right, well, I know I'm not allowed to do that. How about I go over here and sniff this? And la la la la, especially for a Real, real nervous dog. That missing piece of being able to tell them, hey, you can't gob off at other dogs, you can't bark, even though it's coming from a place of fear. Once that behavior is off the table, then we have this window for real learning to happen where the dog can see they didn't need to do it. Because, all right, I'm not allowed to bark, I'm not allowed to lunge anymore. I didn't do it. And hey, would you look at that? That person didn't come over here and try and murder me, and I'm still alive. Maybe I was wrong about the thing. Maybe it's not so bad. And then we can start paying into that stuff and building confidence and building that dog back up again. But without that, you'll never get there. Another tangent for you guys. I hope everyone's getting some golden nuggets from this tonight because I am on one. He was naughty today though, he dug a hole on the golf course, but the people are nasty anyway so I didn't care. LOL. I mean, sorry for anyone here, but golf sucks, so I'm not mad about it. And I don't think digging holes is naughty, I think it's cheeky and cute, and I think it's just dog things. I love it when my dogs go out and dig holes. If you go to any of the woods around Waterhurst or Hastings, I think probably about 75% of all the holes are dug by my dogs. So let them have it. Do you think a reactive 6-year-old Lurcher Greyhound Silky Cross can be trained with an e-collar if required to run off lead? He's very reactive on lead or off lead dogs. Yeah, of course. I think that's another huge myth, that old dogs can't learn new things, or old dogs can never get better, and the behavior is so deeply ingrained. Don't get me wrong, you might take a little while longer to get there than someone who's got a 10-month-old dog who's been being reactive for 2 months versus your lurcher who's 6 years old and been practicing it for the last 5 and a half years. There's a lot of history of rehearsal there, but for sure you can get there with that dog. Um, also giving them, one, their freedom with the e-collar to get off lead and run and use their body is going to be a massive part of it. It's hard to say without ever having seen the dog, like where that reactivity comes from. But making sure that a dog like that has a proper outlet is going to be so, so important and will go a long way to putting the puzzle together of getting through that reactivity and fixing that reactivity. Um, but then the other final piece of that puzzle is having that communication system with the dog. So If that is, um, let me know where you are, Peter. If you're in the UK, I'm not sure if you were here for like the beginning of this, uh, live, but that type of dog is a dog that we work with every week, um, day in, day out. So get in touch with one of our team. We'll have a link probably underneath this video or Potentially in this chat somewhere to book onto a call. Do you know what? Maybe I will be able to get the link from my own computer and put it in the chat for you guys to be able to book onto a call. How about that? Do do do do. Try this one. That one should get you a link to book onto a call. Like, it's 30 minutes, it's a chat with the trainer. We'll be able to talk a bit more in depth about exactly what's been going on with your dog. Central Southern UK. Ah, kind of close to us then. Under it all, he's quite scared dog, soft and lovely at home. He loves to run speed of a greyhound and stamina of a Saluki. Sounds like a sick dog. Um, yeah, amazing. Okay, well, if you want to use the link above and, uh, have a chat with us, we'll, we'll talk a bit more about like exactly what's going on there and kind of your goals of where you want to be with your dog. Um, the more information you can give us about exactly what's been going on there and exactly where you want to be, um, with him will just help us to help you. So if you are a good fit for one of our programs, we'll be able to let you know on the call, and hopefully we'll be able to get you booked in ASAP so you can spend the next 6 years with your dog Doing lots of lovely things and having him off lead and helping to build him back up into that confident dog that he can be out there exploring the world, living your life with you. I think that's, um, when we get dogs, like, we don't just get them because we want to leave them at home and have to walk at 6 AM and 10 PM and not be able to have our friends over, or be that person that's like, oh, everyone's taking their dog down the pub for Sunday roast, but I can't take mine because he's going to boot off everything. You got that dog because you wanted to take them with you, and they're your pal, and you want to make as many memories with them as you possibly can because their lives aren't long enough, unfortunately. So making sure that you have all those bits there so that they can Live their lives and go with you and do the stuff and have the memories and make the cute Instagram reels and take the pictures and be in the family photos. It's all important, and it's where we got our dogs. So that was a bit of a deep emotion moment there, wasn't it? But I do think it's really important. It'd be great to be able to take him out with us. You're welcome. I love taking my dogs with me. I just, I think there's like no greater joy in life than just being able to go somewhere and have your dog be there and enjoy it with you. Um, one of my favorite things we ever did before we got Chance was taking Rue over to France with us. Just like so special to be on holiday and have your dog there. And if anyone here is like me, absolutely loves dogs, um, not just being that weirdo that's like constantly looking for random holiday dogs to pet and say hi to, because I have my own dog there and it was really nice. So I wish that for everybody, everyone that we work with. I want you to live the life that you want to live with your dog in the way that you want to live with your dog and not be beholden to certain times of day or certain places, um, and like making their world that much smaller. Like, there's so many things that they could experience and so many things that they could do with you, and you don't want to keep it super small and just be limited in the things that you can do with them. Pothos is doing so much better on his walks. Ah, that's nice, Spiegel. Oh no, battery power saver. It's all going on tonight, isn't it? Oh, 30%. I got 5 days. We're back, we're back charging. You won't lose me early. Everything's going tonight. Um, I do a short training sit-stay a few minutes before each walk to get his attention. Seems to be working. Sounds good, but also if anyone's listened to me Waffle on for long enough, you will know that obedience is not the way to solve your reactivity. Giving your dog the full picture and having clear communication with them is what is going to get you there. So I'm really happy for you that works for you for now, but all you're doing there is strengthening your sit-stay. And I get the idea of it, that it's like bringing down your dog's arousal. But without— you probably wouldn't need all that stuff if you were able to make sure that your dog had— It won't keep working. All right, well, more savage way of saying what I was saying, but yeah, what Helena said. Um, without like the, the proper outlets to get off lead, the play to fulfill those genetic drives That stuff will have a short shelf life. Yes, your sit-stay will be very good, but that arousal is still going to be there. Um, without draining the tank for your dog and making sure that they have those outlets for the things that they need, it unfortunately probably won't work forever, is what I'm gonna say. Sorry to, um, Piss on your bonfire. Got an uncontrollable row called Hazel and she misses her Auntie Kelly. Ah, so Hazel, this is another fun story. Hazel actually came to one of our first ever boot camps at South Coast and she is now a stooge dog here at South Coast. She was a very reactive Rottweiler, and she came here with her lovely mum and dad, Kaylee and Harrison, and they enjoyed their week here so much that now they work here. So if you ever come and, uh, get to work with us down here at South Coast— and I hope some of you on this call will, hopefully Peter, maybe we'll get to work with you soon, um, and your sighthound— that would be really, really nice. Um, you'll get to meet Hazel, and you'll probably see Hazel because she comes out to help other dogs that are reactive not be reactive anymore. She's out there being a stooge and helping them on their reactivity journey. And, um, Kayleigh does all our social media for us now, and Harrison is training to be a trainer, which is super exciting. Um, so yeah, if you're ever down at South Coast, you'll get to meet all of them. And I think that's such a beautiful story that, that's— they started right at the beginning and now, now they're stuck with us forever. Also, Hazel and my dog Chance absolutely love each other. And my other dog Rue, who Hazel absolutely hated when she came here on the Monday, she was like hanging off the end of her lead trying to get to her. Oh, that's so cute. Now they go on lots of lovely walks together, and every lunchtime they play in the paddock together. Um, and Hazel has a very nice lovely life now. So another lovely story. Um, well, I've got a minute and a half left of this live, and as you all know, I'm always very conscious that at the end of this live stream YouTube will just happily cut me off, and it did cut me off once when I was in the middle of a story. So if you guys have any more questions for me and you want to get them answered, you've got approximately 60 seconds. So get the old fingers typing in that chat and I will do my best to answer them. Bringing your dogs down ASAP will change your life. Hazel is now a good girl, I confirm. Love you girls, bye. Ah. Love you, Harrison. Miss you. Harrison's actually, uh, if you got— if anyone is up in Leeds at YCA this week, Harrison is up there, so you'll be working with him. And you might actually get to meet Hazel because she's up in Leeds this week too. I've also totally neglected any questions that got asked on Instagram. If you guys ever come to these and you want to make sure that your questions get answered first, then put them on Instagram and I promise I will start actually answering them first. Uh, okay, quickly, would boot camp be suitable for a nervous dog that is only reactive sometimes? Yeah, absolutely. Um, when you say nervous if you're here on this call, I'm assuming you mean nervous reactive in that they are forward with it, that they are barking, lunging, snapping, that kind of thing. Like I was saying earlier for people that were here on the call, um, making sure that we are working to fulfill that dog's needs and breed a bit of confidence in a nervous dog like that where they are able to be out in the environment and explore the world and get into it And get that bit of curiosity going is really important for a nervous dog and dogs that react through being nervous, anxious, fearful. Being able to take that behavior off the table so we have that real, um, opportunity for— that was wild. Also, why is my hair hanging down like that? Oh, someone could have told me that I look like an absolute state before we got to the end of an hour on this YouTube Live. Um, because it's on the internet forever, so now this is just here forever. Brilliant. Uh, yeah, you get that real window for like learning where the dog can see that actually they were going to be fine, they didn't need to do it, and then we're able to build that dog back again and show them that, hey, that thing that you were reacting to, not so scary, maybe actually a really good thing. So yes, absolutely suitable for a nervous dog. And even if they don't react all the time, fine. I'm sure at some point within the 30 hours that you spend with us across the week, your dog will have some sort of reaction, and we'll be able to help you navigate that and also teach you that communication system so that you— when you go home. I've got a month-old Corso whom I'm currently working e-collar work into. Nice. I— whoops, I hit send, but I wanted to ask about— ask about— this is where I pray that I don't just get cut off on YouTube. If I do get cut off, you'll have to come back and ask your question next week, but I really hope that you're able to Type really quickly before this stream ends. I'll try my best to wait for you, but I didn't hang up on you. If this ends, it wasn't me, it was YouTube. If you're still typing, let me know when you say you're currently working with an e-collar what it is that you're using your e-collar for. I think I'm gonna have to go in a minute also. Uh, when I apply stimulation to the dog, do I mark with good as he returns to me? Do I just wait until he's in a position, then the release word? So I take it from that that you're using your e-collar to teach your dog recall. So what is your good marker? Is your good marker Your mark that tells your dog you got it right, come to me, get paid, or is that your reward and position? Generally, you have two types of markers. One is your terminal marker. You'll hear people refer to that often. It's the marker. I tried to be fast as I could, but yes, recall my good is continue behavior, and yes is come to me. I would probably use yes there and not good. So recall your dog, use your— depends what stage you're at with training your e-collar. I don't know exactly how you're doing it, um, but as your dog returns to you, I would mark yes, pay, and then release. So whatever you use as your release cue, break free, whatever. I wouldn't use good. I would tell the dog that behavior is complete and then wait for my cue to release you. Hope that makes sense. Um, okay guys, I am gonna get out of here. If you have any other questions— Gotcha. So marking and releasing is good. Yeah, perfect, perfect way. Tells your dog that thing you just did was correct. get paid for it, and then wait for me to tell you you can either— either I'm going to ask you something else or you're free to go and do you again. Okay, cool. Thanks so much for joining on tonight, guys. It was really fun, really nice chat with— to chat with everybody. Hopefully I'll get to chat with some of you some more if you're going to book onto a call or potentially work with us in the future. That would be really, really nice. What a nice full circle moment. And enjoy the rest of your week, and thanks for listening to me waffle. Bye guys!