Will My Reactive Dog Always Be This Way? | LIVE Q&A

Nice, professional. Hello everyone, how are you guys? I hope you've had a nice day. Let me know, as, as per, as per the usual, let me know where you guys are. Let me know where you're listening or watching from. Talk to me about my new setup if you want because I've been painting and decorating this weekend. I'm not being funny, but If dog training don't work out for me, I could be a painter and decorator. I'm pretty chuffed with the old setup here. Um, talk to me. Let me know where you are. Let me know who you are. Let me know your dog's name. Let me know what you had for your lunch. There's gonna be a lot of rambling today. I can feel it coming on. Um, For anyone that's here that has not been here before, I'll start off how I normally start off by introducing myself. So I am Kelly, I am the owner of South Coast Canine Academy. We are obviously down in the South Coast, but not actually on the coast, we're in Wadhurst, so kind of near Tunbridge Wells. Um, we specialize in training reactive dogs just the same as up at YCA. So if that's something that you're struggling with, then we're going to talk a lot about reactivity today. So maybe it's something that you will find interest in. Hopefully you'll take something away from it today. This is your time to, um, ask questions. Talk to me. I'm here for an hour and it's free, innit? And you don't get many free things these days, so you might as well take advantage of it. And it's nice for me, to be honest, to sit down and chat to people for an hour after a busy old day. So hop into the chat box and tell me who you are and tell me where you are. And if you have a question about your dog, your dog training, Maybe you have trained with us and you're here watching back because you like the sound of my ramblings. Maybe you are struggling with your dog and you want some help with that. I'm here to help. I'm here to do that. So hop into the chat box and ask away. I will try and answer as many questions as I possibly can in the hour that we are here together. Thank you. Harrison's just bringing my hydration over to me. It's good around here, service. I will start off if no one has anything at all to say to me today. Then I'll start off by answering some questions that came through today on our Instagram. So if you're new here, if this is the first time you've watched it but you do follow us on Instagram and you have questions about your dog and you want first dibs on getting them answered, it normally gets pretty busy in the old chat box, and I do try and make my way— work my way through them, but we don't always get to everyone. So if you want first dibs on getting your questions answered, then my recommendation To you is to follow us on Instagram because on a Tuesday today, never make the start. Thank you, Amir. Ah, hello! Thanks for coming back. Nice to see you. What's your name? Sorry, other than your profile name. I'm not very good with tech, but it sounds like you've been here before. So thanks for joining in. Right. Let me find Instagram. As I was saying before I lost complete train of thought, if you are new here and you haven't watched before, I do go off on a lot of tangents. So just stick with me. We'll get there in the end. Yeah. On Instagram on a Tuesday morning, we always put a call out to people to ask their questions. And if you get in there, then I'll try and hop on and I usually try and answer those first. So I'll start with some questions that we received through there this morning. There was a cute picture of, uh, me and my dogs were both by the desk this morning, and Rue's always a bit camouflaged. You can't really see her. The question was prize for the person who can spot Rue, and Helena has commented, Rue's in her basket. Also, why isn't Ozzy on your social media? Because we're saving Ozzy for a rainy day. We've got plenty of content of him, and I can't wait to get out there into the world. So, um, he'll be coming. He will have his moment to shine, trust me. Helena and Ozzy came to one of our boot camps before. Ozzy was an extremely reactive collie who had been told by, I think, multiple people that he should be put down. Yeah. which is absolutely wild. Um, and had been through a few trainers, never really made any progress, and then came to us. And he had a wonderful week here. He did really, really well, and Helene did amazing. And they walked away with a dog that they could take everywhere with them. And Ozzy swims in the sea every day, and he's at the beach, and he's been on holiday with them, and he's been making people friends, which is fun because he was people spicy and dog spicy. Um, so I will get Aussie on our social media. I'm sorry, but well done, you did find Roo. She was in her basket. It was a bit like Where's Wally because she's super disguised. Um, okay, Is there another way to work on a leave it cue other than starting off in a play situation? Yes, you can. You can work on your leave it cue, or the way that we teach a leave it cue Just means not never, but not right now, or not never, but not that one. So we use it for things like, obviously our goal is to get dogs back to a more social side when it comes to interacting with other dogs and other people, but you don't want to push the dog too far that end of the spectrum to the point where they constantly expect to say hi to other dogs and other people. And sometimes it's just not appropriate for them to go over and approach another dog or a person. So we We try and teach our leave it cue to mean, I'm not saying never, I'm just saying not right now. You can also use it for things like chasing stuff. So like, I let my dogs chase squirrels, I let my dogs chase rabbits, but if that squirrel or that rabbit was at the edge of a field which was by a road, then I would say leave it because not never again, just not that one because it's not safe. Um, see, tangents. You asked a question and I went on a completely different tangent. But yes, there is another way that you can teach it. So obviously we teach it the way that Ellen actually came to one of our boot camps. She's been here with Remy, um, lovely, lovely Doberman. We taught you the start of a leave it cue with other dogs when we taught socialization or resocialization. So you could use it for anything really, anything that is a distraction for the dog that you, you can't— the dog will be able to go get it in the future, just not right now. So you would want to set it up obviously with your lead on so the dog can't actually find success at getting the thing. Um, And then take them over to whatever it is. Maybe they can interact with it for a second or so, and then you would say, leave it, move the dog away. At that point, I wouldn't also worry about paying the dog because all you really want them to learn is leave it. When I say that cue, you move away from whatever the thing was. that you were near. So you could do it with affection from people. Um, let the dog go in, pet for a few seconds, and then say, all right, leave it, and move the dog away. That just means we're done doing that thing now. Come away, come back to me. So yeah, you could use it for anything that's distracting that you want to allow your dog to interact with in the future, but just sort of teach them that thing is done now, come back towards me, or we're not going towards that thing, come over here. Um, any ideas for a dog that whines constantly on walks and looks for triggers? Tried letting dog out on a long line, then recalling to create contrast, but still comes back and whines. Yeah, play. You can easily teach that with play. Play is like the don of everything. I love it, love teaching it, love everything that it can add to your dog's life and to your relationship. Um, you want to teach a really strong end of play cue. So my dog's end of play cue is enough. You have a word that begins your game, you have a Okay, so your dog won't play on walks. You need to start in an easy space. If you have— do you already have a beginning and end cue? And most importantly, does your dog know what that end cue means? Because you can't just end your game by saying enough and then be like, yep, dog knows it. You need to test that out. So walk the dog around past the toy. Do they go to re-interact with it? Then no, they haven't. If you've only said it a couple of times, your dog probably doesn't understand what that means. You need to make sure the dog knows what that cue means before you can start farming it out into other areas of life. Um, yes, and so insecure it hasn't worked. What do you mean they're so insecure? Like the dog is insecure around other dogs and that's why you think Your end of play cue doesn't work, or the dog is insecure about playing outside. If your dog won't play on walks, then you want to slowly increase the difficulty in which it is to play. As long as your dog has the drive there to play, then you can start. Working in different areas with increasing level of like difficulty, of like environmental difficulty there for the dog. Dog in general is insecure anywhere. Well then, continue building up your play because you can build confidence through play. So adding in more distractions and the dog committing more to the game, not buying into the distraction. But if your game isn't very good and your dog will easily give up, then the drive for it isn't there yet, and that's something you're going to really, really need to work on. Then you can start using that to build confidence. And usually if it's whining, it's more like excitement that the dog wants to go and investigate the other dog. So work on your play. Work on a solid end of play cue. Work on adding distractions in your play to help build your dog up in terms of confidence. And as your dog starts getting better and better and better at it, you can increase environmental difficulty. So take it out to new places. Have your clear start cue, have your clear end cue. Once you say your start cue, so I say ready, When I say that and my dog's like, oh my God, the thing, we're gonna do the thing, can't wait, that's when you know you've got a good start cue because it elicits the right response from the dog. The dog's like, oh my God, the thing's gonna happen, we're gonna play, can't wait. Um, that's when you can probably start taking it to more difficult areas because the dog is excited and invested in what's going to happen next. Let me know if that makes sense. Or no sense whatsoever. I'll try and explain it another way. Do do do do. We've done two board and trains. Why is my dog still aggressive? Okay, the thing about board and trains is, and don't get me wrong, I'm not going to shit all over. other people's way of training. Sometimes a board and train is right for the right dog. The reason that we don't do them anymore and we've adopted a boot camp style where you are here with your dog is because what quite often happens is— no offense, but we're dog trainers, so if we take on your dog, it's because we know that we can fix them. But we've got better timing than you. We've got the, the skills and the, um, I'm just gonna say ability. You know what I mean? Basically, we know we can do it, but you're not a dog trainer, and that's where you struggle. And that's the main problem with a board and train, is that your dog goes away to a professional trainer and they can train the dog because they're a dog trainer. They can get the right response from the dog. They can teach them things. But number one, they go home, they have a high history of reinforcement from the behavior that you don't like. They've got a lot of payout from doing it before, so they're gonna go home and try and rehearse it because the, the scales are stacked in favor of your dog winning at the things you don't like them doing. The other thing that's going to happen is that you don't have the muscle memory. You haven't had the practice and rehearsal of actually handling and communicating with your dog in that situation. So that's quite often why the dog comes home and they're changed for a bit, and then old behavior starts to creep back in because you start to maybe let things slip a little bit that you shouldn't here and there. You don't have all the correct skills. You haven't had the experience of handling your dog in that situation. So little wins start to stack up, timings ever so slightly off, and then old habits start to creep back in. And that's often where a board and train, when they go home, falls apart because you're not there with your dog. So that is probably the reason why you've done board and trains and they haven't worked out how you'd hoped, or you saw results. The trainer can do it. They were fine at the training center. Maybe they were also fine for a little bit when they came home, but you're the missing piece of the puzzle, and that's your dog and you live with it. So you need to know what to do, where and when, and how to actually communicate with your dog. And that's the missing piece of the puzzle. That's why we don't do board and trains anymore and why we've adopted this style of training over that, because you're here the entire time with your dog. Very, very rare that you will ever see one of our trainers pick up the lead of a dog, um, because that robs you of the opportunity to give your dog the feedback that they need and help them to progress in training, get them to where you want to be in your relationship with your dog. Just give very long answers, don't I? If anyone wants to, feel free to tell me to shut up. Uh, my dog loves to play in the back garden until he has his e-collar on and then gets really standoffish. I'm working on this at the moment and making slow progress. Have you seen this before? Yes. Uh, what do you use your e-collar for would be my question to you. And you are in the right ballpark of what you're doing there, getting your dog to wear it to do things that they actually enjoy, but depends what you've used your e-collar 4. I would also not start playing with the dog, then take a break, put his e-collar on, and then go back to the play. I would start my game with the e-collar on. If, um, they become standoffish with it, perhaps you'll put it on for like 15-20 minutes before you start play. Take them out in the garden, let them marinate into it. Use your, um, start cue for your play. Play, play, play. Maybe you'll cut your game a little bit short because you won't get quite as much buy-in, and work from there. Um, but again, that really depends what it is that you've been using your e-collar for. So let me know and I will expand further. Um, your dog that won't play outside, understand the concept, just been trying that for a few months and still doesn't play well. Thanks for your time. What, trying to get them to buy into the game, you mean? Perhaps the bit where you've been going wrong with your play, um, Mary, is that you wait until your dog's finished playing to end your game. I would end your game like a good date, always leave them wanting more. So when your dog's super invested in the game And they slip off the toy or they let go for whatever reason and they were really into it, then I'll say, okay, enough. And they're like, oh, what? Like, I was enjoying that. And then their lasting memory of that game is, oh, I really enjoyed doing that thing. Maybe next time if I commit harder, if I don't get distracted, if I grip stronger, I could make it last longer because that was actually really fun. And for different dogs, that time of that game will vary dog to dog. So you know your dog, you know how long they'll typically be really into the game for. Some dogs might be 5-10 minutes, some dogs might be 30 seconds to a minute. Depends on the dog. So work on like ending your game when the dog's super into it so you can build that hype around your game, and then you can start transferring it outside the house. But if you only play inside the house ever, that is going to set you up to fail. Once you can get your dog really, really into it, then you want to not play inside the house at all and only offer them the opportunity to do it in a slightly different environment. Um, I hardly use the e-collar. If I do, it's to reinforce recall or heel. I'm starting the game with the e-collar on and leaving the e-collar on while he chills in the house to try and get him used to it. All right, nice. What's your dog's drive for play like? Is he usually— Usually really, really good. Um, then I would— and do you have a really, really strong beginning of play cue? Good with no collar on. All right, and you have a start— you have a strong start cue for your game? That gets your dog like super razzed and they're like, oh my God, the thing's gonna happen, can't wait to do it. Um, yes, I use ready and play and agility training. Nice. Has your dog ever had the collar on when you've been doing agility together, or you've only been trying it at home with play? And how are they when they're like out and about? Also, how long ago did you start using your e-collar? For recall. Some dogs, when they have it, when they first have their collar on, once you've gone through recall, they're like, oh, whatever, this again, you're just gonna call me back and I'm not gonna go and explore. Because you recall them a lot when you're doing obviously recall training, so then the dog gets a bit sticky. Don't use it in agility. E-collar from November last year, YCA boot camping leads. Nice. Um, if they're really into agility and that's another thing that your dog really enjoys, then I would pop it on when you're doing agility as well, just to get them used to like having it on but doing something that they actually enjoy. Um, if they're super foodie still, then maybe you could practice a little bit of your Newton's Cradle. You would have done that at the beginning of your boot camp. Something fun and engaging that your dog actually enjoys doing. Do it whilst you have your e-collar on so they can start realizing, oh, sometimes it's just nothing, it's just, it's just on. Because at this point, right, like if you did your, um, if you did your boot camp last November, then your e-collar is really just your seat belt at this point. Um, you shouldn't be having to use it all the time. I'll try at this week's session. Been doing the cradle as moving him back to kibble from fresh at the moment. All right, cool. Um, well, hopefully then, Tim, I'll see you next week at a live and you can tell me how you got on at agility. That would be really nice. But also, like, you know that— I'm sure you do already know, like, you have lifetime access to The trainers, whoever you worked with when you were up in Leeds. So if you've got questions, like, set up your camera in your garden if you can, or wherever it is that you're going to play with your dog. Videotape your session. Videotape? '90s. Um, record your session and then just WhatsApp it over to one of the trainers. They'll be more than happy to take a look at it for you and like point you in the right direction of maybe like little bits where You could improve or change. We're here to help you, so send it on over and someone will be more than happy to take a look at it for you. Here we go. I missed one here. I use my e-collar just for the noise function followed by a high-value treat. He likes the e-collar, and now he will disengage from a reaction. And this was a dog that acted deranged on a 7 on a scale out of 10. Um, all right, nice. I mean, if that's working for you. I think the thing that you're doing there though is using your e-collar as an interrupter when they're having a reaction, which is fine in the moment, but doing that won't stop your dog from ever doing that in the future. It just snaps them out of it in the moment. It's just an interruption, a form of pressure that you're using, um, to help your dog to disengage from something and focus back on you. We also don't use the tone function on e-collars just because there's no nuance there. It just is the level that it is, or it is the sound that it is. Um, so yeah, something definitely to think about there. If you're struggling with your dog being reactive now, they're, they're better, but the problem is still there, still underlying, then what you have done isn't by definition punishment because it hasn't stopped the dog from doing the thing again. Given the same opportunity, they would still do it again. Just now you have a way to snap them out of it in the moment. Um, so if it is something that you're still struggling with and you want to get to the next level where you can have your dog off the lead and be able to just walk past things that they used to react to, then, uh, might be an idea for you guys to reach out to one of us and just have a chat about kind of where you're at, what you've done before. Um, and what your goals are for training. If we can help you, then we absolutely will. So there's a link at the bottom of this chat. You can book a call there, chat with one of us. Again, it's a free half an hour to chat to someone about your dog. And even if you don't decide to work with us, hopefully you'll walk away with something useful. So that would be my recommendation to you. Mindhunter. It feels so weird. I feel like I always, um, I think it's a big ick that my husband plays Xbox and they all have, uh, their little names on it. And now I just remind myself of him when he talks to people online and I'm like, oh, Grace, just use people's real names. Use— let me know what your actual name is, Mindhunter. That would be nice. Uh, do you always need a start and end of play? Asking as my dog will sometimes ask for play and I just play with her. So therein kind of lies your problem. If you're trying to build motivation to play, you want to make the time that you get to play super, super valuable. So I would put toys away And then only get them out when you have decided that you are going to play together, because that scarcity will build value in the toy. But that's kind of like a kid that's got a room full of toys and there's constantly new ones arriving. They'll play with something for 3 seconds and then they'll get bored of it because those things have no real value because they've got a million of them and they can go and play with them whenever they want. It'll be the same with your dog. So if you— Yeah. Can really focus on keeping those toys away. And maybe your dog has like a time of day where they like to play. And you know, let's say in my example, it's around 5 o'clock, they start getting a bit antsy and that's the time they'd normally nag you to play. Then I would see that as a sign. Maybe after a few minutes I'd be like, hmm, wonderful idea. Ready? And then they're like, yeah, I'm super into it, I'm gonna play the game. And then have an end cue, so it's over when I say it's over. I'm gonna give you a window of opportunity in which we can play, but it's when I decide it is. And then you can really start to build your dog up so that they are like, well, I'm only gonna get to do it when you offer it, so my motivation to do the thing is high. Because it's not just available to me all the time, it's only when mum says we can play. And that's how you'll get a dog that plays all the time and not just sometimes. So that's why your start and end of play cues are super important. Really won't play well. Have you ever had a dog not play well and then transfer on walks? Uh, oh, sorry, I thought you meant— I didn't realize it was still Mary. Um, yeah, so my dog Rue, the little black Romanian rescue, when I first had her, she did not know how to play at all, and I had to work really, really hard to build up her play because I really wanted to use it for like confidence building with her. And just to, as a way to, you know, help loosen her up and build our relationship together. So we started inside the house. There is absolutely no way she would have played outside. She wouldn't have even played in my back garden. It had to be like in the front room for like 30 seconds to a minute, and then I would have to end the game. Then when she was really into it, I did that same thing that I was just describing to Pegs. I'm gonna assume your name's Peggy. I like that name. I think it's a cool name. Whereby I know every night around sort of 6 o'clock she gets a little bit ants in her pants and she wants to do something. I would anticipate that, ignore her for a bit, and then be like, great idea, Rue, ready? And then she's like, oh my God, I'm so hyped. Yes, we're doing the thing. Can't wait. And I built her up to be able to play for a couple of minutes. Then I started adding in my own little distractions, um, inside the house, built it up to the back garden so then she could hear people. We've got like a field right behind our house, so she could hear kids playing and stuff. Normally that would freak her out and she would run back inside, but she was invested in the game, so it just became background noise. And now I can probably get her— don't get me wrong, like She's still not like— play is never going to be her highest motivator. She enjoys doing it, but she's not a dog that you're going to be like, oh yeah, I could take them out and play with them for like 45 minutes and they wouldn't stop. They'd be invested in the game. I can get her to play outside now probably for about 2 or 3 minutes, um, and she will play, but that's where we're at. And that's kind of her ceiling-ish of probably where she'll get to. I could probably get her to maybe like 5 minutes if I really, really, really kept working on it. Um, but yeah, 100%. I've had dogs that— I had my own dog that didn't play at all that now will play outside on walks. So you can do it, just has to be something that you put a bit of focus onto. And also make sure that you're— when you're playing with your dog, don't try and pigeonhole your dog into a game that you think they should play. So like people get super hung up on this idea that like play has to be tug on me, like you see in all the videos of all the dog trainers' dogs and they're playing tug and they're pushing the dog around, this and that. Like especially for a dog like Roo, she doesn't like that conflict of being on me. If the toy was like right up close to me, she doesn't want to risk annoying me in a game or risk our relationship if we fall out. Over this toy. So she would just spit it out and be like, nah, okay, fine, whatever, like, I don't even care, you just have it, I'm not bothered. So focus on who your dog is and find the game that you enjoy together. She prefers to play less of a competitive game, more of a cooperative game where she's further away from me. So I'll use a flirt pole or, um, one of those tug-a-nuffs that's got the fluff on the end of it, so she's got a nice bit of distance away from me. And she's like chasing the toy, and maybe we have a little tug with it, but she's far away from me and I'm egging her on to get it. And I'm like, go on, get it, kill it, Dad. Good girl. Nice. And it's more of a, like, a cooperative thing that we're doing together. Like, I'm egging her on to do the thing, to do the good job, and then she gets to chase it versus a competitive game where she has to be really close up to me and she's fighting me personally for the toy. That's not what she enjoys. So make sure that you're finding a that you and your dog actually enjoy together. That is what your dog wants to do, not just what you think they should do. I don't use it in agility. Oh yeah, I already read that one. Cool, I'll try it this week's session. I already read that one. Um, you're welcome, Tim. Yeah, let me know how it goes. Uh, my Staffie is reactive and has been going after my other dog, particularly when food is involved or when He is in a spot he views as his. What can I do to reduce or eliminate his reactivity? What you're describing sounds like resource guarding, especially because food and space is involved. That is something that my high recommendation to you, and please take notice of it, John, is to make sure that you involve a professional ASAP because that resource guarding his dogs can resource guard food, toys, people, and space. That what you're describing has already reached out into 2 separate areas of life, and things like that do get worse. And you obviously— where the aggression is directed at your other dog, you don't want that to get worse. So for now, management is going to be your best friend. If you If your dog is crated, utilize that. Feed your dog separately in their own crates. Once food is finished, they can come out again. The dog that is guarding, I would keep them on a lead so you have distance from them. Again, when he's settling, make sure it's in his spot in the crate. Use your lead to take him out of his crate. Never reach your hand to pull him in. And make sure that you're keeping your other dog away from that space so he doesn't have a chance to rehearse the reactivity. And make sure that you're looking for someone to help you with that behavior as soon as possible. Um, in terms of their reactivity, like, let me know, is that farming out into any other areas of your life? Like, what's your staff like outside the house with other dogs? with space, people, what goes on there. John, let me know. But yeah, definitely get professional help with that, and get professional help of someone that has proof that they have worked with a dog that has displayed that type of behavior before, not just the fact that they say that they can do it, because resource guarding can get dangerous very quickly. So make sure you get professional help. Sorry, I'm waffling again. I'm having an issue with people. I asked them not to give my dog too much attention as I'm trying to become the most exciting thing in the dog's life, but they really don't listen. So I tend to put her in her crate now when people come over. Um, What is your issue with your dog that you've got to the point where you're trying to become the most exciting thing in your dog's life? I agree with you in one sense that, yeah, you want your dog to find value in being with you, and you want to work to build your relationship so that it is valuable to your dog. And yes, that they enjoy spending time with you and stuff like that. But you also need to have a way to give your dog feedback about when they're getting it right and when they're getting it wrong, because you're never ever going to be able to control everybody else. It's a pointless endeavor. I wouldn't worry about that. Make sure that you are able to control your dog, that you're able to communicate with your dog and give them feedback about when they're getting it right. and feedback about when they're getting it wrong so they're able to live at liberty in the world, and you're not worrying about controlling everybody else in order for your dog not to mess up. Let them make the mistakes and help them learn from them. Let me know exactly what's going on there with your dog though, please. Um, After following your play tug protocol, my dog no longer loses himself. But even if another dog is acting up around him, when we see another dog on walks, on or off lead, he gets distracted. Even no longer loses himself, but even if another dog is acting up around him, he gets distracted. Do you mean he gets distracted in play? Oh, he won't break the heel but is no longer focused on me. I will have to give a verbal cue to get his attention back. I would say your issue there is that you're relying too much on obedience in order to get your dog through situations. At liberty, your dog isn't able to make correct choice, so Again, sort of the same thing that I was saying to this, um, person before about their dog being distracted not being the most exciting thing in that dog's life. Um, you can use your heel to get through stuff, but it's, it's a plaster on a problem if your dog can't make choice to just disengage from things or to know that sometimes things are just none of their business. Um, that is a case of making sure that you're building a communication system with your dog. But it sounds like you've put a lot of effort into some things. There's just a few pieces of the puzzle that are still missing there for you. So to you, I would say, got a course for that, Carolina. Um, if That's like the final piece where you are. Like, we, when we're training through reactivity, we don't focus on any obedience stuff because obedience is fine if you can get it to be good, but your dog is doing a job. They're not making choice. So what if one day you don't see the dog approaching or you don't see the, the horse coming towards you, or you don't see the person? Running up behind you. At liberty, what choice will your dog make without instruction from you? You want to have a dog that's able to make good choices on their own without micromanagement from you, and that's really what we focus on. Um, it's like the whole underpinning of our program when we're training reactive dogs is to get them to a point where you have that trust with them because you've had a way to say to them, that was correct, I like that, do that more. That was incorrect, don't do that again, in a way that they can actually understand and learn from. So you're able to just let them go be a dog because you know they know what's off the table. Um, love to chat to you. Book a call. It'd be nice to chat a bit more about exactly what's going on. It's hard to like get a proper picture when you're just like reading a few paragraphs on a chat like this, but you're obviously someone who's committed to your dog and wants the best for them, and it would be nice to talk to you about what your goals are and where you want to be with your dog. So book a call and we'll talk about it. Can't believe how many dog owners don't know how to play with their dog while in the park. Well, to you I say that lots of people, you don't know what you don't know. At one point you probably didn't know, and then you researched it and you found out how. And lots of lovely people come to things like this where they don't exactly know, so they ask the questions and then they find out the answers. So. No judgment here, judgment-free zone. I didn't know at one point, and then I had to learn, and then I became a dog trainer. So we all started somewhere, eh? Um, good information, thank you. You're welcome. Uh, my Safi is generally good with people once he knows them, but barks a lot when he meets someone new. Sounds like you've got lots of things going on there, John. I would like to keep both dogs outside long term. I've had them totally separated Staffy outside and the other inside for weeks, but I don't like this. Yeah, I think you, John, will need someone to come to your house to talk to you about like what's currently working and what's not. But definitely you need to work with a professional on that because that resource guarding, you don't want to extend out or get worse, or— and obviously you don't want to live your life how you're living it right now. Um, give us a call and chat to us about it. Maybe we'll be able to give some more helpful advice on, on a half an hour phone call, um, and see if there's anything that we could possibly do to help you to get to the point where you want to be, where you have both dogs living inside your house and you're not worrying about constantly keeping them separated because something might happen. Um, there's a link at the bottom of here, John. You can book on a call, chat with one of our team, like let us know exactly what's going on there and we'll try and help you as best we can. Uh, I have a question. I tried an e-collar on myself, Mini Educator. My experience is that it actually hurts when it's above level 20 on my neck. What are your experiences on it? So you'll hear a lot of stuff on the internet from trainers or anyone saying, I train my dog to do whatever I train them to do with an e-collar, and I only used a level 5. That means literally nothing. That is just the level at which that dog felt that sensation, or the level at which it worked for that particular dog. The reason why we use high-quality pieces of equipment, like many educators, is because there is a lot of nuance in the sensation of that stimulation. They go from level 1 to level 100. So your level where you found it aversive was a level 20, but we've had people come here and try an e-collar And they didn't say that they wanted to stop until they got to like level 67. Some people have said they wanted to stop at a level 9, and that is what you should be paying attention to— the level at which it works for the dog, not the level at which you think you found it aversive, because that is you and your dog is Completely different, and each dog will be completely different. So we're always saying to people when they come here, like, don't be going around being like, oh, what level does your dog use? Oh, my dog uses a level 8. Oh, my dog's on a level 25, they must be a really bad dog. It's not the case at all. It is just the level at which that works for your specific dog. It's not about the number itself. Um, also bear in mind, when you put it on your neck, the skin on your neck is a lot thinner than the skin on your dog's neck. So the closest way you could probably feel it to how your dog would feel it is to put it on your hand there. But again, you aren't your dog, so it will feel You will feel it at a different level, basically. Um, I would like to keep both. Oh, I've read that. Thank you. He's made the choice to disengage most of the time. Nice. I want a dog that just doesn't care about another dog. When I rescued him a year ago, he didn't even look and other dogs, but after being attacked 3 times off lead by dogs, he became reactive. That's a really like rubbish situation. Um, I'm sorry that happened, but sucks. But don't let that define your dog. Don't let them— don't let that experience or the fact that they're a rescue define who they are or who they're capable of being. Dogs are capable of becoming confident and strong and independent Um, don't let one bad experience define who they're going to be for the rest of their life because they're capable of more. You just need to show them that they can. Um, also, I see a lot of different techniques in conditioning it and I don't really know which is best. How do you condition the e-collar? Since you do the 5-day boot camp, I'm guessing you do it in 5 days. Yes, we actually do it in less than 5 days. Mostly we do it in 2 or 3 days. Um, don't go out there and read random things that you see on the internet. If you're thinking of using a piece of equipment with your dog, you need to make sure that you're working with a professional that can help you to teach your dog what that sensation actually means. Teach them properly pressure and release. Teach them how to respond to the pressure. And how to turn it off. Um, don't go out there and wing it. Likelihood is you will get it wrong without professional guidance. So reach out to a trainer. If it's something that you really want to do with your dog, then reach out to us. We'll more than happily talk you through it. I am not going to go through exactly how we condition an e-collar Because people will take my advice and mess it up and get it wrong. And at the end of the day, that's the dog who suffers. So the reason that you don't see a lot of good advice on how to do things like that on the internet is because the good trainers won't just give you the advice knowing that you'll go out and wing it and probably mess it up a little bit somewhere along the way. You need to make sure that you've got the foundational work in there beforehand in order to be able to use that piece of equipment. When you're using equipment on a dog, the equipment itself is not just the slap it on and then that's the fix of whatever you were trying to do. It's the equipment that got you to exactly where you wanted to be. You still have to teach the dog Something. The equipment just acts like a catalyst to boost your training to where you want it to be. You still have to put the effort in to teach your dog things. Um, so that was a very long-winded way of saying that. Uh, I learned how to make a dog reactive and then went to Kelly and unlearned it. Look, Helena, you don't know what you don't know, and if you did know, then you wouldn't have come here, would you? You're not a dog trainer. I'm sure there are— like, I don't know how to fix a car because I'm not a mechanic. If I wanted to learn how to do it myself, I'd have to go to someone who specializes in that. So don't feel— um, Helena, you went to 67 on an e-collar, did you? Nice. I think I've got to 17. So again, everyone feels it differently. Um, yeah, you don't know what you don't know, so no judgment here. Um, thank you for this weekly chat. Blessings from the USA. Ah, well, also, Carolina, if you did want to work with us, are there any up-and-coming boot camps in the US? As a matter of fact, there are. If you're— whereabouts in the US are you? Because we have a center in North California now, in Sacramento, and you could have the privilege of working with Sam and her lovely team, and I'm sure she'll be able to get you to where you want to be with your dog. So yeah, there is in Sacramento. How do I stop my dog reacting to people going past the house? We get a lot of parcels, so he thinks everyone that drives up the road is a delivery man. We don't even have a doorbell and she'll still know. Okay, so a couple of things there. And if you want that behavior to go away, management is going to be your best friend until you are able to communicate with your dog properly. Sorry, I keep tapping on things and now it's asking me to do stuff. I don't think I've ended it, so technology. Um, management will be your friend there in the beginning until you have that communication system. So you want to stop the rehearsal of that behavior so that your dog can't get any more wins in. So if you use a crate, I would use your crate. I would close the door to the living room if that's where she sits and looks out of the window or sits and watches people going past the house. This kind of behaviour is the sort of dog that we work with every single week. So again, I would say to you, perhaps you would like to come and work with us and we could help you sort that problem, get it done in 5 days, and then you won't have that issue anymore. Um, but yeah, use management for the time being and then make sure that you are able to give your dog feedback. Is there— I think there's a fly on the camera. That's fun. Um, make sure that you're able to give your dog feedback and tell them, hey, that behavior is off the table anymore. We're not doing that. But make sure that your dog is still getting fulfillment. So I'm sure you do. You're probably a responsible dog owner because no one who isn't would sit and watch me chat for an hour otherwise. Um, but making sure that you're— that your dog isn't just having that as their favorite hobby. Once you've taken a behavior like that off of the table, you need to make sure that you plug that void in their life with fulfillment in the form of play so that they're able to drive— drain the tank. Because otherwise, your dog is probably getting some kind of payout from rehearsing that behavior, sitting at the window gobbing off at delivery people and shouting at people walking past your house. If you take that off the table, fine. But when you do that, be mindful that if you don't give that energy somewhere to go, you're gonna end up playing behavioral whack-a-mole. while, that behavior will end up somewhere else that you don't want it to go. So making sure that, yes, you can take that off the table, but also that you're getting your dog out the house, off the lead every single day, out there being a dog, and you're playing with them properly so that they have those avenues and they're less looking for that kind of stuff. Often dogs like that we get here— we had a dog here last week Um, favorite hobby ever, staring out the window waiting for the next thing to gob off at. Could have been a leaf, could have been a person, could have been a delivery guy. Whatever it was, uh, Juno loved doing it. Since Juno has gone home and had other areas of his life fulfilled via the means of play, getting off lead every day, going out for lots of lovely long walks because now his owner can trust him off the lead. to be a responsible member of society again, he hasn't even looked out the window because he doesn't need to plug that or drain the tank that way. He doesn't need that to be his hobby because he's got new, better hobbies now. So often when you run through a course like one of ours, you'll find that behavior may go away, subside, or go away completely on its own. Again, long-winded question. Have you got a new camera? No, we've got a baby cam, but Kaylee set it up properly for me and I decorated. I painted. That's what I was doing this weekend. How thrilling. Um, looks nice though, doesn't it? Look, I've got Chancey up there and— oh no, Chance is up there. Hazel. And this is well weird. It's like driving a boat. You go the opposite way. And Rosie, cute, cute, cute, cute. We need to get Tria and Mud, but Sam didn't send me the photos. So stay tuned next week. Tria and Mud will also be there. Those are Sam's dogs. Funny enough, Hazel was on one of our Hazel was on one of our. Was on our first ever boot camp actually at South Coast, and she did so well and her owners loved it so much they actually never left. And now they work here, and Hazel's a stooge dog, and she used to be mad reactive to other dogs. And Jacob will actually know that because he was here that week that she was here, and she's been out all afternoon today stooging for other dogs. So things can happen. Here's the back of the pack. pack, 5-year-old back-of-the-pack Rottweiler who had been kept in a crate 90% of the time before the owner turned him over to me. He was the 3rd Rottweiler I rescued within a year. Oh, you're a good person. Any upcoming boot camps in the US? Oh yeah, I said go to Sam's. New York, but I'm willing to travel. Then go to Sacramento. Sam can absolutely help you. Um, I think if you use that link here You'll be able to book a call. It might end up coming through to one of our UK team, but they'll definitely be able to put you in touch with Sam and just make sure that you're a right fit for one of the programs. But yeah, a dog like that, obviously we don't want to disregard the background that they've come from, and it can be really helpful to know why it is, why they are the way that they are, but that doesn't have to be how they live forever. They can get more confident and they can, um, they are capable of living a more free, less anxious, scared life. They can see that the world is not such a bad place. We just have to help them to get there. Caitlin went higher, she got to the 80s. Did she? Go on, Caitlin. I want a job there too. All right. I'll think of a job role for you, Helena. We'd bloody love to have you back here. Then Ozzy could be a stooge dog as well. Basically, turns out maybe South Coast will just be the place where no one— you come and you never leave. It is nice here. My dog is really not interested in playing. She'll chase the ball 3 times, then get bored, would rather sniff. Is that fine, or should I make her play with me? So the ball chucking thing, Laura, isn't ever— it's not really a game. Like, yes, you are there with your dog, but it's not 2-player. You're, you're just the ball on the ball, the, the person on the end of the chuck-it stick, or the person that's just flinging the ball backwards and forwards. Um, it's not productive. There's no like beginning, middle, and end to it. And obviously it hasn't happened with your dog because they just get bored of it eventually. But then one of two things can happen there. The dog just becomes like a junkie because they get that hit from getting the ball and they grab it and they bring it back, and then they're like, just throw it again. And they turn into this crackhead and they're just chasing the next high of getting that ball. It's not productive in any way. It's not 2-player or relationship building because your dog doesn't really care whether you're there or not. Like, you could just put that ball in a machine and it would do the same thing. Um, but your dog, you throw it 3 times, the dog gets bored, then I would say, one, it's not a game I would recommend anyway, but 2, that's not what your dog likes doing. So you need to explore what it is, what kind of game your dog dog actually likes to play. Um, make sure that when you play with them, you keep them on a lead. So when I give my dog a window of opportunity to play with me, I'll say my cue, ready, and then I have my dog on a lead. My dog's— my dog's options at that point, once I've opened my window, are play with me or do nothing. You're not looking over there, you're not sniffing the floor, you're not going to walk away from me. I'll keep you engaged and I'll keep you moving, but doing something together, and that's all that you're doing right now. So your lead will be really, really helpful. And yeah, I would recommend that you get a game going, especially with a dog like that. I think once you can find the thing that you and your dog actually really like doing together, you'll really enjoy it. Um, and like, play is just fun. Like, it should just be nice time that you get to spend together with your dog. It doesn't have to be this thing where You look like a dog trainer where you've got the ball under your arm and then you tell them to do a bunch of obedience and then you drop it and you have this tug game with them and then they out and this and that and the other. Like, I play with my dogs, I fall over them all the time, I trip over myself. Like, the flies in here are really annoying, aren't they? Um, it should— it can be silly and loose and It's your dog's chance to express drive and for you to just like have a good time with them. So especially for dogs that aren't super into play at the moment, don't worry about all that other fancy stuff. Put a beginning cue on it, put an end cue on it, and have fun together in the middle. Have fun figuring it out together. Um, and come back next week and let me know how you get on. All right. Well, we are at an hour. And as always, I worry that YouTube will cut me off because that happened to me one time and that was single event learning. And now I won't forget it. So I try and get it done within the hour before I get into the middle of a good story and get cut off. I will say go in once and go in twice if anyone has any other questions that They want to ask me. Put them in the chat right now. Go in three times. Oh, GSD is very smart, but the commands get cut short after I reward. How can I increase the duration? Very smart. Oh, you mean like your dog breaks position after you reward? So you need to make sure that you have 2 kinds of markers. You have a terminal marker which tells your dog that was correct, you got it right, come back to me, get paid, and a duration marker. So your terminal marker, typically something like yes or a clicker, whatever you want to use. Your duration marker, typically something like good, that tells your dog you're getting it correct Stay doing what you're doing and I will pay you where you are, like room service. And then have a clear end cue. So you're either going to use your terminal marker, which tells them you're finished doing that, you've got it correct, come to me, get paid. You'll have a release cue like break or something like that, um, or you're putting dog into another behavior. Again, I really love doing obedient stuff. But that's the general gist of it, and then you just build up duration over time. Can I ask, my girlfriend walks the dog on a harness and lets her pull. With me, she has a collar martingale and can't pull. When we're all together, she pulls, so the walk together isn't pleasant. When you walk together, does she walk on the martingale or does she walk on the harness? Your harness is something that your dog has has learned to feel pressure and keep pulling into it. Not something I would ever use anyway to teach a dog how to walk on a lead. It's very hard to teach pressure and release on a harness. Better. Still not my ideal. I would either use a slip or a prong, um, because it's very easy to teach a dog their pressure and release. Um, when you're together, does the dog pull into the Martingale, or is it on a, um, harness? And are you walking the dog, or is your girlfriend walking the dog? Um, I would say that it's either become contextual to your girlfriend being there But also you've not been consistent. If you're walking on the martingale and then when your girlfriend there, she then lets the dog pull, you're being very wishy-washy about what the rules are with that piece of equipment. Once you use a piece of equipment on with your dog, it is not the equipment that does the job. So it's not your martingale collar that got you to where you wanted to be, where the dog won't walk. It's the fact that you have been consistent with with your rules about what pressure means when they feel it on that specific piece of equipment. It means you've gone too far, come back towards me to relieve the pressure, not pull into it harder and keep going where you're going. Um, so just bear in mind that whatever you're using is not going to be the magic fix. It just needs to be that you are consistent. With what pressure on that piece of equipment means to the dog, and you both need to get on the same page. Thanks very much for your time again, always great explanations. Thanks, I'm glad that you don't care about my rambling. And look, we're at 1 minute 6 and I haven't got cut off. Maybe I'll never get cut off. Um, are there any YCA boot camps in Canada? Not at the moment, but keep your eyes peeled because popping up all over the show these days, so you never know. If you are wanting to work with us though and you are in Canada, we do also have a TWI, Training with Instinct, program which is completely online based. It's a really, really good option for people that can't make it to us in person. It takes longer than the 5 days because obviously you're not here with an experienced trainer, but it's a really great option and people get really good results with it. We wouldn't sell it if we didn't believe in it. It's a really, really great option for people that can't make it in person. You still get access to trainers. You'll still get complete access to our online platform where there's detailed video guides on exactly what to do in the exact right order. And like I said, you still have access to trainers to ask questions, get feedback on your training videos. Takes longer than 5 days. So use the link, book on a call, and we'll get you to where you need to be, hopefully. I am actually going to go now because I have been here an hour and 7 minutes, and I want to go eat my dinner, to be perfectly honest with you. If you guys had any questions that didn't get answered, then hop back on next week because I'll be here next week rambling. And apparently no one's bothered that I ramble and drag on for ages. So to everybody that's still here, I will say have a lovely rest of your week. And if you are struggling with your dog, use that link in the chat, reach out, have a talk to one of us. And if we can help you, then we absolutely will. And bye then. Have a nice rest of your week. See ya. Fuck.