Consultation Files: I Have A Reactive Power breed Puppy, And I’m Getting Another

00:00 — The episode examines power-breed puppies, breed tendencies, early reactivity, and whether owners must use…

Speaker 1: Consultation files for you guys. Today we're talking about power breed puppies. We're talking about breed tendencies, and is reactivity normal for a puppy? And am I gonna have to do all of this eco stuff because it looks like a lot. All that, and more today. Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of Off Leash and Unfiltered. I am Kati peppy, owner of Diamond Canine Dog Training in Biddeford, Maine. We specialize in eco training, both for off leash obedience and behavior modification, helping people stop all those pesky, unwanted behaviors like barking, jumping up, counter surfing, and more serious things like leash reactivity, different forms of aggression, resource guarding, and also separation issues.

Speaker 1: So we really, really love doing the in-depth state of mind, mind work that's involved with dogs that are nervous, fearful, or anxious. Um, so that's who we are and what we do. We also offer puppy training, and this podcast is our way of just sharing everything that we see with you guys, everything we talk about with our customers, everything we're doing with the dogs, everything we're learning from the dogs, love, love, love, having this platform to put all that information out there for those that are looking for it.

Speaker 1: Because it's so hard to find the truth on the internet. It's loaded with garbage, it's loaded with lies, it's loaded with ignorance and all kinds of stuff. And sure, every now and then you'll find a nugget. Uh, certain areas it's, you know, pretty easy to find helpful information, uh, particularly trying to teach simple behaviors like teaching your dog how to sit or how to lay down. Uh, but when it comes to making those things reliable, especially around distractions, when it comes to dealing with problem, behavior, state of mind issues, you know, serious, uh, anxiety, separation issues, aggression, reactivity, it is impossible to find the truth out there.

Speaker 1: So we love, love, love sharing everything we're doing with you guys. Um, so thanks for joining us today. And without further ado, let's dig in.

Speaker 1: So I had a phone consultation this morning, um, with a gentleman who is in a boat where he's going to have two young puppies at the same time, not litter mate. Um, but nonetheless, that's a lot. And they're our breed dogs, uh, or will be, right? They're Dobermans. And I just thought this was an interesting, um, an interesting one to share because it's really common, I think, for folks to sort of see our videos, which is the case with this gentleman who by the way, he seems great. Um, and it sounds like he is very familiar with the breed.

Speaker 1: Um, he's had them, um, for years and, um, love that he's thinking about training at this early stage in his dog's life. So he is being very proactive, uh, and he had a ton of great questions, but I I, I see all the time, like his specific things that he was kind of confused about, um, or not sure about.

Speaker 1: I think it's really, really common. I think there's a lot of other folks that are in that same boat. And so it's kind of inspired me, um, to share this particular, uh, chat with you guys. So the first thing that comes to mind, you know, when a request comes in and I see number one that there's two puppies, I go, oh boy, <laugh> two puppies. Well, that can be a lot. Um, and then the second thing is I see that they're dobermans. I go, well, that can really be a lot. So people get kind of bent outta shape about quote unquote breed profiling.

04:00 — Breed profiling identifies predictable tendencies, explaining why specific breeds were developed for particular work.

Speaker 1: Um, but that's literally the point in having breeds <laugh>, okay? That that is the whole reason that we have individual breeds is so that we can profile them, right? We have an idea what their tendencies will be because we have bred these individual dogs toward a specific goal and they, they have tendencies toward particular behaviors.

Speaker 1: Um, and there are both good and bad, like wanted and unwanted, right? So a lot of breeds have tendencies toward not just the things that we bred them for, but along with that has become attached to things that maybe are not as attractive or maybe they're just not as attractive nowadays as they would've been back then when we first started developing the breed. So an example of this is, um, goldens have a tendency to be more stimulated, anxious, rigid defensive. Um, oftentimes they're very sweet, lovable dogs. Oftentimes they're very social, but they still have that tendency, not all of them again, right?

Speaker 1: These are tend, so they're not all encompassing. It's not gonna be every dog. Um, you can have a golden retriever that's completely the opposite of that. But our experience historically has certainly been that, um, a good number of dogs in this breed tend to be a little more tense, a little more defensive, um, a little more rigid, right?

Speaker 1: They tend to be the type that get very stiff and wiggly. You know, they kind of slide down onto their backs. Maybe they submissive pee, all that stuff. Um, and also are slightly more likely to bite <laugh> because they do get defensive sometimes. Um, so that's an example of, you know, a trait that maybe isn't super attractive, um, that we see a lot in a certain breed, but it can happen in any breed. Um, and you can have a breed without that a hundred percent. Um, I mean, you can have a dog in the golden retriever breed without that a hundred percent.

Speaker 1: So, uh, obviously the most common example of this is pit bulls. Uh, people get, again, really bent out of shape all up in arms when people talk about how pit bulls were bred to kill other dogs. But that is just a fact.

Speaker 1: That's not something to fight over. It's not something to hate your neighbor over. It is what it is. What it is. It is true. And nobody can change that <laugh> now are all pit bulls dog killers, no. And I don't wanna make this episode about pit bulls, but I just wanted to have a little, uh, prelude here about breed tendencies. As I talk about, Hey, my next concern when I see a request like this come in, is that not only do we have two puppies, but we have two power breed puppies. And what we often see is that people will have a dog or dogs.

07:00 — An easy previous dog does not guarantee the next dog will be equally manageable.

Speaker 1: And those dogs are really easy and really great. Um, they're calm, they're soft, they listen, and they just kind of expect their next dog to be this way, right? And maybe they know on some level that it might not be, but it's kind of like, oh, hope for the best it probably will be. And then they get it, and it's not <laugh>.

Speaker 1: So just because you had one dog that was really easy doesn't mean if you get another dog that looks the same or has the same breed, um, that, that they're gonna be the same. They might be completely the opposite. And so that's the second thing I'm thinking about is, you know, whenever someone, I mean, this is true for any dog, but especially when someone comes to me with a dog that we know is gonna grow up to be strong and powerful, it's a large breed. Uh, and we know the breed tendencies tend to be that of like guarding and being very protective, being territorial.

Speaker 1: Like my mind, I'm all over that. Like, we need to pay extra attention to making sure your dog is in a good state of mind, that they understand your relationship dynamic. Who's the leader? Who's the follower, who's calling the shots that they know?

Speaker 1: You'll enforce boundaries that your dog will take you seriously and come back when you call them. Like all of these things are just so, so important. And again, they're important for everybody, but like there's so much added gravity, um, when we know what kind of dog we we have, right? Potentially a big, strong, powerful dog who may have guarding, uh, tendencies, right? So extra, extra important for this guy. So we get on the phone and this is the mindset that I'm in as we start our conversation. And, um, so he's filling me in a little bit about his being and his puppy sounds wonderful from everything that he said and you know, is calm.

Speaker 1: And that's amazing. Like we love that quality, um, because, you know, a lot of puppies are not calm <laugh>. Um, but she is already exhibiting some of those protective behaviors and she's only four months old, and that's pretty young to already be exhibiting those behaviors.

Speaker 1: So we certainly expect to start seeing that stuff, uh, with a lot of dogs, especially a guardian breed, you know, but not until they start to move into adolescence. And so if you're seeing the stuff at three and four months, that's a little bit more eyeopening. It's a little bit more, I don't wanna say red flag, although it can be. Um, but it's definitely like, okay, I'm gonna be all over that. We're gonna pay attention to that. We're gonna start working on this now, <laugh>, because I'm not gonna, because like I said, usually these are things that pop up at your dog, enters into the maturation process, right?

10:00 — A twelve-week-old Corgi with serious resource guarding illustrates how genetic behavior can appear extremely…

Speaker 1: At adolescence, and, and we start seeing things we hadn't seen before. Um, you know, and it, it's like I, I met a Corgi one time that was 12 weeks old and was a very serious resource garter and my own dog that I've talked about before that got me into dog training was like that.

Speaker 1: Um, and that is a huge red flag for me when I see dogs that young that are displaying real aggressive behaviors toward, especially toward humans. Um, dogs do, but especially toward humans. It goes, okay, we've got something here. We need to actually orient ourselves toward focusing on this, um, and making sure that we're cultivating safe, reliable behavior as dog. Because this is clearly a genetically, uh, in it's a genetic instinctual just coded in their DNA behavior. This isn't something they learned. It isn't something that kind of developed over time. This is like, you come near my food, I put holes in you.

Speaker 1: Um, you walk by my owner, I try to attack you, right? So, and I don't know what the degree of intensity is with this dog's behavior 'cause I haven't seen it. Uh, it might might be nothing. Um, but my guess is it's probably more than nothing. Um, again, just given the breed and, and everything that I, um, already was thinking about in terms of this particular situation.

Speaker 1: So anyway, we're on the phone and we're, we're talking about this. He's filling me in on his puppy, um, and then the other puppy, which he's about to get. And I start to unpack a little bit about our training programs and, and what the options are. And when I start talking about the programs, I think a lot of people don't necessarily realize how involved it is. Uh, it's not as simple as we're just gonna teach your dog a few commands. That's not our training program at all. And I think it's really common to have that idea in your mind that like, your dog's gonna go, they're gonna learn some stuff and then they're just gonna come back and they're gonna know this stuff.

Speaker 1: And that's not really what we do at all. And the reason that's not what we do at all is because that won't work. So I wanna be really, really clear that everybody's free to do whatever they want with their own dog, right? So we take dogs and we, our goal is to train them to a very high level of reliability. And people can take that and run with it and do whatever they want with it after the program or not, right? And some of them don't. Um, a lot of them don't. And some people let it fall apart completely.

Speaker 1: But I think that's fairly rare.

Speaker 1: There's no right or wrong, right? As long as you're keeping your dog safe and you're keeping other people safe, there's no right or wrong level of training. You're not a bad dog owner if you decide not to do an advanced eco program. I think you're silly <laugh>, but you're not a bad dog owner. It is your right to take your dog to whatever level of training you want, whatever work for you and your family and your lifestyle, right? However, if you don't do a program like that and you're outside in the real world without offense taking your dog off leash, allowing them to approach other people, then that's no good.

14:00 — A puppy program establishes foundations, while dependable off-leash behavior requires a separate e-collar phase.

Speaker 1: That is wrong. That is bad, that isn't safe. It's not safe for your dog, it's not safe for others.

Speaker 1: So <laugh>, all that being said, see, I can get off on these tangents guys. Um, I gotta, I need someone to keep me on the rails. I have to start doing these podcasts with joy so that she can keep me focused. <laugh>, oh, but, so I'm unpacking the programs and you know, we have the puppy program, which is a fantastic foundational program, but it's an on leash program. He, he wants to be able to trust his dogs off leash. He wants to have more control and safety and all those wonderful things. And I love the way he thinks, um, all for that.

Speaker 1: You're not gonna get that with a puppy program. It's a great start. I encourage people to do it. But you're definitely gonna want add an eco program still if you want that off leash piece. So that is the other program we were discussing. And so I'm talking about the tools that are involved, um, in that, which of course is the eco and various other accessories that we use. Uh, and also the prong caller and the prong caller would be included in a puppy program as well. So we introduce almost every dog to a prong caller, even if they're a puppy.

Speaker 1: And so he was very unfamiliar with most of the tools, and that's okay. I love educating people on these tools. So we were talking about it. Um, but I found, you know, as we're talking about this stuff, uh, and he had watched some of my videos too, which is great, a lot of times when people, um, have contacted me for a consultation, they've already seen a lot of our videos and I love that it's very helpful because they have a better idea of who we are and, and what we do and what the training would look like with their dog.

Speaker 1: But I was kind, I was actually honestly kind of impressed, um, at the fact that he recognized that this was pretty involved. And I think he felt a little bit potentially overwhelmed or nervous about it because it just looked like a lot or sounds like a lot.

Speaker 1: Um, and it is, he's right. Like for some people, for some people these programs would be tough, right? Because not everybody, it's not that it's rocket science or anything, but not everybody has, first of all, not everybody has the willingness to do it, but not everybody has the ability to do it either. So we've had customers with Alzheimer's who struggled, um, or just customers that were older and kind of had a hard time, uh, remembering. But I think mostly when that happens, to be honest, people are just nervous. And so they're overthinking it. They're worried about doing something wrong.

Speaker 1: And so it becomes much more difficult. It's much easier if you just relax. But I was at least very rarely does anyone recognize that in advance. It's not until they're in the training that they're like, oh my God, this is pretty involved. He actually recognized to see that beforehand before we even talked about it and said, you know, it looked pretty involved with stuff you're doing with the e-collar and how you're like going up and down on your levels and, you know, but that leads to the question, am I gonna have to do all that?

17:00 — Owners must learn the same e-collar patterns and accountability used by the trainer.

Speaker 1: Well, yeah, <laugh>, yeah, that's, that's the training. So that's kind of the piece I wanted to talk about today because I think a lot of people, like I said, they think they'll send their dog off to learn some things and then the dog will just go back and they'll know the things and they'll do the things. And that does not work. That will not work. So if you have a super, super soft, super, super easy dog, maybe you can send them away to be trained and they'll just come back and do it. They'll just come back home, they'll do all the stuff, they'll know it, they'll do it, and everything will be great.

Speaker 1: That's extremely rare. First of all, it would probably have to be a fairly lengthy Borden train, right? So a lot of ours for dogs without serious behavioral issues are only two weeks.

Speaker 1: And two weeks is not that long, um, to get your dog into a pattern of doing this stuff reliably. Um, but most of the time dogs are gonna go home and they're going to need to see, oh, there's the same rules, there's the same boundaries, there's the same accountability. And if they don't see that, then they know, they know they don't have to do it and they just won't do it. And that's normal, right? And nothing wrong with the dog. There's just no reason to do a thing I don't feel like doing. Um, and so that's why we get so many dogs in here that have already been eco trained guys.

Speaker 1: Like they already know all this stuff. They know it inside and out. They just don't do it for their owners. And the reason they don't is because when their dog did the training program, nobody trained the owners, nobody trained the people, nobody showed them how to properly use the equipment.

Speaker 1: No one showed them how to deal with challenging situations. No one gave them the information. And so the dog will go home and they just won't do the stuff that they were doing for the trainer. And so when he asked me that question, which by the way, the very reasonable question, and I can see why people would go, well, geez, I don't know if I really wanna do all that. Um, when they ask, you know, am I gonna have to do all that stuff? Yeah, <laugh>, but we help you, right? That's, that's the idea. The training program isn't just for your dog.

Speaker 1: We train you too and we give you support afterwards. Uh, but you, you really, you can't just expect that your dog's just gonna come home. Like there's some kind of magic button you're paying for, right? And I think kind of people are thinking like, well, isn't that what I'm paying you for is to train the dog?

Speaker 1: It's like, yeah. And, and I am, trust me, we are, we're teaching your dog all kinds of new skills. We're taking them out to work in public. We're teaching them how to respond to the accountability. We're teaching them that there is accountability. We're getting them used to doing this stuff naturally. You know, hopefully by default, by the time they start going home, they're doing some of this stuff, um, on their own, right? If we have to ask them to do something, they're doing things the first time we ask, not always, it's not perfect, but we're getting there again.

20:00 — A two-week board-and-train jump-starts behavior, but owners must complete the transfer and cementing process.

Speaker 1: Two weeks is not that long. Um, but there's no such thing, there's no, there's no fairy dust where you can just send your dog here and we teach them stuff and then we just ship 'em home and everything's great. Things will be better, almost certainly, especially for a little while, right?

Speaker 1: But that's not our goal. Our goal isn't just for things to be a little better. You're not paying us to make things a little bit better when we take your dog. We teach your dog exactly what we want them to do, how to do it, how to do it around distractions, how to do it in different environments. And what it means when you feel this e-collar. What I want you to do in all these various contexts, when you feel this e-collar and then we need the last thing we need to teach your dog is that you're gonna do the same thing.

Speaker 1: And that they should, all the stuff they've been giving us, all the stuff they've learned with us, all the stuff we've been doing, they should do the same exact thing with you. And that's what go home day is, right? So it sounds and looks really involved. And again, it's pretty involved. There's a lot to it. I'm glad there's a lot to it.

Speaker 1: I wouldn't want a job that's like working at the shoe factory. You know, every dog is different. Some of them are harder than others. Every lesson, every time I take the dog outta their kennel, it looks different. Every owner I work with is different and it's a skillset and there's problem solving involved and there's nuance involved, right? And the more you advance into the training program, the more divergent there is from any cookie cutter, um, training, right? It becomes more and more individual to the dog as you move through the program. How do they respond to this?

Speaker 1: How do they respond to that? How do we get 'em to do this?

Speaker 1: It is involved, right? But I think too, when people think about having to use the prong caller having to use the e-collar, there's this mindset that it just feels like too much and like unnecessary, I guess. I'm not sure what the right word is, uh, but it just seems like, you know, people just want their dogs to listen, I guess ultimately, right? Of course they do. It's what we all want. And that is by the way, our goal, right? But the way you get that is not by abandoning every method of accountability, every accountability resource that exists that will not get you a dog that listens.

Speaker 1: So the reason we use the tools that we use is because they are extremely versatile tools that give the owner handler maximum control and maximum communication, right? So all of the tools we use will not do anything on their own. They require input from a handler and all of the tools we use, we can whisper with them and we can yell with them and everything in between. So the prong caller is for leash communication, which I realize I need to improve on my ability to explain that to people because he was very curious about that.

24:00 — The prong collar provides quiet leash communication, allowing directional guidance without constant verbal commands.

Speaker 1: Didn't know what the prong caller was. Um, so certainly hasn't used one.

Speaker 1: Uh, so I'm trying to explain to him what it looks like and what we do with it. And I wasn't <laugh>, I was not very good at it if I am to be <laugh>, to be honest. So that's an area I need to improve on, uh, because they were great questions and I'm not confident that he walked away understanding it. Fortunately, I do have some videos that I directed him to. But the prong caller gives you leash communication. Without that on, you just don't have leash communication. Now can you do it without a prong caller?

Speaker 1: Yes, but not as effectively, not as efficiently, not as well. And with some dogs, no, you can't do it at all. Prong collar is the best tool hands down to affect your dog's behavior with nothing but your leaf, right? So in other words, you don't have to say anything. You don't have to push any buttons. You all you have to is know how to move your hand, wrist, or arm to communicate to your dog what you want and you'll get it. That might be gentle pressure asking your dog to settle and sit. It might be pressure that says we're not going over there to sniff the fire hydrant or walking this way.

Speaker 1: It might be a leash pop that says, nevermind that chipmunk. Right? It might be various things. You have to know how to use it. But once you know how to use it, it is incredible. The silent communication that you develop with your dog through your leash,

Speaker 1: It gives you engagement, is what it does. Dogs become so incredibly tuned out from their handler on flat leashes. I mean flat collars, harnesses. They're at the end of it, they forget you're even back there. They're learning to pull when they feel pressure, they're paying attention to everything in the environment except you. And you are helpless to control them. And you'll be yelling things at them which not only are they not listening to, but they're learning to ignore. So you are becoming background noise and unimportant in every way. If you have a prong collar on your leash, you now have a way to prevent that entirely.

Speaker 1: You are now a relevant entity who controls the walk and who talks to their dog regularly on the walk with their leash, not their mouth, right? So you're not back there, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Speaker 1: And not getting anything. You control where your dog walks, what direction you're going in, what they pay attention to and what they don't. You can settle them. If they get over excited, you can correct them. If they do something unwanted like barking or trying to chase a squirrel, it is very difficult to do those things without a prong collar on, especially if you don't have the skillset. So a gentle leader is another great tool. A lot of people use that. I don't have a problem with that. It's not what we use, frankly. It's not where my skillset is.

Speaker 1: And I do feel there are things I can do with a prong collar that I couldn't do with a gentle leader. So it is far and away my preference to use a prong collar. I think it is the most versatile and convenient tool again, to have leash communication. Which when I say that to people during this phone call, he was like, what a what now? So he did understand, you know, if he had a large doberman freaking out at the end of his leash that this was gonna give him more control. Yes, absolutely, that's correct.

28:00 — The prong collar gives a large reactive dog physical engagement that a flat collar…

Speaker 1: But what's hard to explain is why it's important with a four month old puppy.

Speaker 1: Because yeah, I can put a flat leash, flat collar on that puppy with a leash and I can hang on to them. But what am I developing? What am I nurturing? What am I cultivating again? What I would be cultivating most likely is a very tuned out dog who only cared about the environment, didn't find me relevant, and learned to ignore all of my verbal cues that prong caller gives you the physical peace that you need to get your dog's attention. 'cause you're not gonna do that on a flat collar, especially when there are interesting things out in the world.

Speaker 1: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. So now you can actually tie, and you don't even have to be verbal, but most people are. So if you give a verbal, you now have a physical piece you can tie into that to actually get the thing you want. It teaches your dog if you know how to use it. Teaches your dog how to contain themselves and prioritize their handler. And it is huge. And it's huge guys, from day one. This isn't something that takes weeks and months to develop. This can be immediate if you know how to handle it.

Speaker 1: e-collar actually takes a little more skill because there's no real directional information with an eco, right? So when we're using a prong collar on a leash, we can actually move in a directional way that tells the dog where to go. That's not the case with an eco. So you have to pattern that and teach them that it's a little more involved. Um, but that's all done for you in a board and train, right? But nonetheless, when the dog goes home, yes you need to use the equipment, of course you do. What good would it be for me to use these tools here and then send the dogs home without them, right?

Speaker 1: But it comes from a place of not fully understanding what a dog is and how they operate. Dogs. Here's the thing, <laugh>, I say this a lot and I like this line. Dogs do what comes naturally. And you can't expect that to just shut off after two weeks of training. It's like just because we t take your dog and we teach them some things and we're practicing in public and they're doing great, that doesn't mean all these behaviors that come naturally are just gonna go out the window and your dog's gonna forget them, right? When your dog sees a person, they're gonna wanna jump, they're gonna have that impulse if they're a jumper, right?

Speaker 1: When you call your dog, they're still gonna have the impulse to not come back because they're busy sniffing the dandelions or they see a dog across the way or you know, whatever the case may be, right? And if you go through a good training program, especially if it's a lengthy training program, your dog might just come back l at he split right away at first. But that's probably gonna change at some point. And what are you gonna do? Nothing <laugh>, right? If you don't have the tools and you dunno how to use them. So that's why they're so important because it's really

32:00 — Training tools provide practical ways to establish boundaries, consequences, and accountability.

Speaker 2: You

Speaker 1: Doing any job without tools would be foolish, right? There are always tools that are right for the job. Tools make our lives better, they make things faster, they make us more effective, they make us more efficient. That's what our tools and training are for. We don't just abandon them when we send the dog home. Hell no.

Speaker 1: You absolutely wanna start trying to change your perspective about the tools. If you feel a little overwhelmed by it or like it's unnecessary or it's unattractive, like you just don't wanna have to do it. It's like, well how bad do you want a well-trained dog? Because in my opinion, a well-trained dog is not just a dog that knows the behaviors. It's a dog that will do them. It's a dog that will do them even when there are distractions. That's a well-trained dog. And that will only happen if you have the tools to draw real boundaries and have real accountability and actually issue consequences and things of that nature.

Speaker 1: If you don't have a way to do that, why would, why would you have a well-trained dog? That is not what you'll end up with. And again, some dogs are super soft and easy and they don't want any trouble and they don't even like it If you raise your voice and they always come back the first time you call them. And that's great, that's wonderful. But that's a small percentage of dogs. Very, very small. And I would argue that even if that's your dog, you're playing with fire. Because at some point something's gonna come along and your dog's gonna second guess that decision, right?

Speaker 1: They're going to say, oh, that's different, right? Something else is gonna take priority over you even though it never has before. Because that's just how behavior works. And what are you gonna do? Again, nothing. 'cause there's nothing you can do because you don't have the tools, right? So the way that you use them, again, it's like, if you're happy, we're happy.

Speaker 1: You know, if it's not important to you that your dog listens to everything the first time you say it, you can have that. But most people I think would like that, right? But they're not necessarily a fan of having to do the work that takes to get that. Now we had a dog that just went home from a board and train a couple weeks ago, must have been about three weeks ago now, maybe four. And, uh, very spacey distractible dog. And I found out at the follow-up appointment that his owner is healing him, is able to heal him without a leash.

35:00 — Milo demonstrates successful transfer by performing an off-leash heel with his owner.

Speaker 1: He can off leash, heel. That's amazing. That's amazing. And then we have some people that go home and they don't even make their dogs stay on place. And it's an easy dog <laugh>, right? And they'll tell me they can't get 'em to stay on place, maybe even, um, which of course they can, right?

Speaker 1: But you gotta do the work. You, you have to draw the boundary. 'cause we can't do that for you, right? First of all, we can only accomplish so much in two weeks. The cementing is still happening. Two weeks is not that long. You gotta go home and continue the process of cementing and drawing those boundaries. But the fact is, even if we had your dog for a year and they were perfect for us, there's nothing we can do to make your dog listen to you except to teach you how to make that happen. And that's what we specialize in.

Speaker 1: And that's why the tools are so important. I guess, I guess that's my point, right? Is these are the tools are our way of not only training the dog, but of being able transition all of this over to you, right? Because you're gonna have the same tools and you can now draw accountability and boundaries the same way we did because you have the tools and we teach you how to use them. So now you can take this masterpiece we've created for you and you can go home and actually use it.

Speaker 1: 'cause we teach you how it's almost like computer software, right? So I've used that analogy in the past. It's like we're installing software in your dog, but you still have to know how to use it. You have to know how to operate that program. If you don't, it won't run <laugh>. I can assure you of that. Um, but so he had a lot of great questions about the tools and I was honestly pretty impressed that he recognized the depth of it and I think was a little intimidated and unsure about it. Uh, I think that's better honestly than signing up for it and then getting overwhelmed by it.

Speaker 1: Uh, but we teach you how to do it. It's not rocket science. You really can't mess it up, right? But if you're feeling not great about the fact that you're gonna have to use tools, that's a mindset issue. That's a mindset. So if you find yourself in that boat where you're like, you know, you just want that easy button, right? You just want your dog to listen. The tools are how you get there, right? It's not that we don't want you to get there, but you can't get there overnight. You have to have a path from point A to point B.

38:00 — The trainer compares installed dog-training skills to software that owners must learn to operate.

Speaker 1: And those tools are your path there.

Speaker 1: And then of course that all ties into, well, do they have to wear the eco forever? God, do we hate that question, <laugh>? No, I'm sorry. We love that question. Um, it's obviously a question that's on everybody's mind when they sign up for a program. Everybody, I mean, who wouldn't wonder that? It's actually a great question. But the reason all dog trainers hate that fucking question <laugh> is because, uh, there's no answer. There's no answer. The fact is, there needs to be accountability forever for the rest of your dog's life. There needs to be accountability.

Speaker 1: And if at any point there isn't, they will know that and it will affect their behavior.

Speaker 1: So take from that, what you will. Now that being said, all dogs are different. All people are different. All environments, households, families, everything's different. So it looks different for every single client that comes through here. But ultimately for most dogs, if you get really skilled at using the e-collar and you use it the way we show you to and tell you to, you will no longer need it. Meaning you will not rely on it to get the behavior you want from your dog. It'll mostly just be there as a safety net. And to me, what else could you ask for, right?

Speaker 1: So you're telling me that I can get a dog that does everything I ask him to do. That usually does it. The first time I ask that will do it even around distractions. Even if I take him out to the coffee shop, even if we're out at the beach, he'll come back when called. He'll lay down when I tell him to, he'll stay on his place caught when guests are coming in, he won't jump on people. He won't counter surf, he won't get into the trash because Kati's taught me and Joyce has taught me how to stop all those things.

Speaker 1: And I've used the eco the way they told me to, and I've used it consistently and I've used it meaningfully and his behavior has changed. And now he just does this stuff on his own. And I don't have to push buttons, but I still have it and it's still on him. So if he makes a bad choice one day, I have recourse. I have a way to affect his behavior. What more could you ask for? That's a wonderful life.

Speaker 1: That's a great relationship. That's a safe dog that you can give freedom to. And inclusion. You can take 'em anywhere, you can trust them, you can keep other people safe. You can, you know what I mean? It's best case scenario. The rush to when can I take it off is just foolish. Nobody asks when they can take their dog's flat collar off. Oh no, no, no. It's got his name on there, my phone number's on there. Okay, well what about the caller that actually gets your dog to come back when called and keeps him from getting run over by a GMC pickup?

41:00 — Removing the e-collar simply because training improved can eliminate an important safety net.

Speaker 1: What about the collar? That helps tell your dog to just relax when he gets nervous. When you're out at the outdoor cafe and some big tall, burly guy walks by and your dog's afraid of men and you can just give your dog a little tap and help him settle. What about that collar? Why do we wanna get rid of that call? Or why do we wanna get rid of the one that helps us? It's just foolish. The tools are amazing. So if you don't understand them, then ask questions just like this guy did. Ask the questions, look at the videos, watch the videos just like he is.

Speaker 1: Um, but if you find yourself feeling like, I don't know if I wanna do that, I don't know if it's, I can assure you this is the path to where you want to go.

Speaker 1: Yes, the eco can be a little involved, but our goal with it for you at least isn't for you to necessarily have to be doing that all the time. But you do have to learn it and you do have to use it while you're cementing everything that you want. You're never gonna hear me say that there's no other way. But this far and away is the easiest, most practical, efficient, effective way and has given our clients so much success. And our favorite piece, or at least mine, is teaching the humans how to do it. I love that transfer over to the humans.

Speaker 1: I love showing them what their dog is capable of. And I love empowering people to get this stuff from their dog that they never could before. And I love, love, love when they go home and run with it. It was Milo, by the way, whose owner, um, has just been so amazing.

Speaker 1: Both of them. Um, it's his owner, um, and his owner's mom that were there for the follow up. And they've really, really dug into this. And just milo off leash healing makes my day, makes my day. 'cause our, our first video of us healing him out in public is on social media. And it was messy. It was messy. He was so distractible. He was all over the place. He was all out of position. He was nervous of the shopping carts. He was just over aroused, overstimulated, whining, couldn't pay attention. And it hasn't even been that long.

Speaker 1: And he's awfully healing and I'm sure it's not perfect, but they have definitely taken what we've shown them and built on it. And these are the things you can do if you embrace the process. And that's what we want everybody to do. So we're hoping that this episode will give you a new perspective on the tools and more optimism about them.

Speaker 1: If you feel a little intimidated by it and aren't sure, um, if it's the route you wanna go, it really, really has just brought so much fulfillment to our customers with their dogs. Um, yeah. And again, tools don't do the work the people have to. But man, am I grateful to have these modern day tools. Um, they're amazing. They're amazing. We can give you the skills to, uh, to get where you want to go with your dog using these tools. They will be your best friend. You will love it <laugh>. So that's it for today guys.

45:00 — The episode closes by emphasizing that tools support training, but people must do the…

Speaker 1: Thank you for joining me. Please, please, please send me your interests, inquiries, comments, suggestions, um, Kati at Diamond Canine dot com. That's Kati at diamond, C-A-N-I-N-E com. I would love, love, love to hear from you, always looking for new topics to talk about and, uh, happy to answer your questions. Alright guys, that's it for today. Again, thanks for joining me and I look forward to next time.