How To Get The Worst Version Of Your Dog

00:00 — Kati Peppe introduces Diamond K9 Dog Training’s focus on e-collar training, off-leash obedience, and…

Welcome to Off Leash and Unfiltered. Trigger warning. I'm Kati Peppe, delivering the truth in dog training.

Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of Off Leash and Unfiltered. I'm Kati Peppe, owner of Diamond K9 Dog Training here in Biddeford, Maine. We specialize in e-collar training, so for off-leash obedience and behavior modification, so helping people change their dog's behavior, stop unwanted behaviors, all that lovely stuff. Lots of state of mind work with dogs that have, uh, behavioral stuff going on. And we also do puppy training too. So that's who we are, that's what we do. And this podcast is my way of just reaching more people and getting the information out there that I know is so hard to find.

Um, and I say this all the time, so I don't wanna go on a big long rant here, but I got into dog training because I had a bad dog. Uh, we, we struggled with some serious behavioral stuff, and it was just so freaking hard to find the truth and the answers and the stuff that was gonna help us make things better.

Um, and it shouldn't be that hard <laugh>. And so I'm trying my hardest to do my part to just make that information available. And the stuff we talk about here is the stuff I'm talking about with our clients day in and day out. This is the stuff that I see coming up over and over again. And so, uh, if that's what they need, I'm sure that's what most people need. So we're here to talk about that and make that information available to you today. Uh, <laugh> I wanna talk about, um, and this isn't the fun stuff either.

A lot of this is like, this is the stuff, you know, people don't necessarily wanna hear, right? But usually that's the stuff that's the most helpful to us. It's like, yeah, we all love compliments and hearing that we're doing everything right or that we need to go do something like really fun and easy to make things better.

Like, that'd be great. Uh, but unfortunately, most of the time the stuff that's really gonna benefit us the most, um, is the hard stuff, <laugh>. And so, and so, you know, that's often what we're talking about. Um, but I think it helps to hear from, from somebody in the business who sees it day in and day out, who does it day in and day out, um, that there is a light on the other end of the tunnel, and that it's so, so worth it to do this work. Um, and so keep that in mind, <laugh> as we go through this episode today, uh, where we talk about how to create the worst possible version of your dog.

Uh, and I could have phrased that the other way around and been like, how to get the best version your dog. Um, but this just makes it a little more interesting, <laugh>, because most of us are doing this, right? Mo—this is what most of us are doing. Uh, so we're gonna talk about those things today. Um, and let me just talk about that concept real briefly here.

Make no mistake about it, every single dog is different, right? So I've said this before, but it's like you can take a single family, a single household with multiple dogs, and all of those dogs are wildly different. Sometimes you have in the same household, one really super sweet, soft dog that can be trusted around anybody that always listens. And you might have another dog in that same house, um, that's biting people, attacking people, out of its mind, barking all the time, maybe even biting its own family. So right there you have evidence that it's not, it's not all in the owner, right?

04:00 — Kati argues that genetics influence behavior, challenging the claim that only owners determine how…

So people tend to, to say there's no bad dogs, there's only bad owners, which is complete bullshit. Uh, there's more to it than that. There's way more to it than that. So there's this little thing, this little teeny tiny thing called genetics <laugh>, okay?

And they matter. So you are not born a blank slate, believe it or not, right? You have pre-programmed DNA, you have tendencies and proclivities all wrapped up in your genetic material, and so does your dog. And there's no getting out of that. Your dog is who your dog is, who your dog is, and you're never gonna change it. Um, and that's why it's so important to give that a little thought before you get a dog, because yes, you, you can change their behavior, you can make things better, but there's a ceiling for everything. Not all dogs are capable of everything, okay?

So I would have a really difficult time teaching my dog to climb a tree. He would never be able to do that. Now, there might be dogs out there that can, I don't know. But because my dog is not equipped with what he needs genetically to climb a tree, it just isn't going to happen. Does that make sense? So it's like teaching and learning is not the whole equation. It, your dog might not be equipped with the things necessary. So I'm talking about a physical task here when I say climb a tree, but you have to look at behavior the same exact way.

Not all dogs are equipped with the things they need neurologically to execute certain behaviors or refrain from certain behaviors. Now, within the realm of reason, just talking about behaviors that we know dogs can do physically, um, it's pretty rare to not be able to modify a behavior, but it does happen.

It's super, super rare, but it does happen. Um, it's really unlikely that you have one of those dogs. That's the good news. If you're, if you're struggling with something, it's really, really unlikely that you have a dog that just can't change, uh, can't improve. At the very least, more likely we're just doing something wrong, right? But it's not our fault necessarily that the dog is doing something we don't like or won't do something we want them to do. Uh, that's probably just who the dog is. So you gotta work with your dog on who they are.

You gotta meet 'em where they are. And you have to understand that there's always limit with everything. It depends on the dog. And another analogy that I often use when it comes to that is, uh, paint colors, which might sound a little weird, but it's like if you take one dog that's light pink and you take one that's, you know, red, they like a dark red. Okay? Now, let's say that white is your training, and you take a tablespoon of white and you put it into each dog, they're not gonna look the same. They got the same training, right?

They got the same amount of white paint, but they started different, and they're gonna end different because they're different <laugh>, okay? So it's not all in the training.

You have to take into account your dog's genetics. So all that being said, let's move on to what people are, are doing that's undermining their own efforts and creating the worst possible version of their dog.

08:00 — Unrestricted roaming gives new dogs opportunities to soil carpets, chew furniture, and practice unwanted…

Alright? Number one, <laugh>. I bet you're all gonna be shocked by this one. Too much freedom. So it starts when we first bring our dog home, dog, puppy, whatever, and the first thing we do, turn 'em loose, right? And so they're just free roaming. They're all over the house. And what happens? What happens if you give a dog freedom, especially a new dog or a really young dog? They're peeing on the floor, they're pooping on the carpets, they're eating the furniture, you know, or the socks, they're, they're chewing things. They're chewing your shoes. So how is this conducive to creating the best version of your dog?

It's not, right? So right off the bat, we're making a huge mistake. We're letting our dog roam around. We're not, when we're not tending to them, we're not engaged with them. We're not even necessarily really watching them. 'Cause of course, we have other things to do.

You do have a life. Um, but so then the dog gets the opportunity to just start rehearsing all these things. And they start, boom, laying that pattern, um, creating those neural pathways in the brain. And the more they do it, the more they do it, right? So every time your dog rehearses something, it wears that neural pathway in the brain a little bit deeper, a little bit stronger, um, and it starts to become a habit and something they seek out, and it becomes frequent and intense, and they just do it more and more. Um, and then it becomes harder and harder and harder for you to fix it.

So when your dog is new, when your dog is young, you need to use a, some level of control. Otherwise, you're just laying the groundwork for creating habits you hate. Uh, no good, right? And so then what else happens when the dog's free? Company comes over.

Someone comes through the door. Maybe it's a mailman. Maybe it's a service person. Maybe it's a friend or family member, but your dog's not in a crate. They're not on a leash. And what do they do? <laugh>. They run over, they're all over excited. So the, so they're, so they're rehearsing being totally bananas. They're out of their mind excited, right? They're jumping on people, they're mouthing. Um, maybe they're even submissive peeing. And so they're peeing on the floor or on your guest's shoes, which is even better. So again, we're rehears, we're start, we are responsible for creating the habits we want to create.

So it's like, if you can't do it in that moment, for whatever reason, just put the dog away. At least contain them on a leash. But, you know, put them away, put them in a crate. If you can't do it right then, otherwise, all you're doing, every little thing your dog does, it goes right into the file and it lays the groundwork to create habits.

So no leash, no crate, dogs jumping, you know, whining. Maybe they're mouthing, maybe they're submissive peeing. Maybe they're terrified of people too. You know, every dog is different. And so that's no good either. So now they're rehearsing. Someone comes over, I get scared. I kind of run away. I start barking. And most people react to that the wrong way. And they try to force the dog to interact, to show them that the person is good and they're a friend. And this usually backfires and kind of exacerbates things. And so now the dog's like, oh, I should be scared.

11:00 — Forced approaches and touching can make fearful dogs more scared, barky, growly, and reactive.

'Cause when they come in, they're going to bother. They're gonna lock onto me, they're gonna fixate on me, they're gonna approach me. They're gonna come put pressure on me. They're gonna try to touch me. Um, so it just makes your dog worse, more scared, more barky, more growly, more likely to be reactive, more likely to be aggressive in the future.

Um, make things even worse, right? So that's no good either. So too much freedom, total lack of control when your dog is new or young. Um, and then you lay the groundwork for 'em to rehearse all this crap, guys. All this crap. All right? And if we have time, I'll talk briefly at the end about how to do something a little different. Um, so you can avoid creating all this bad stuff. But I mean, ultimately, the big takeaway here, nevermind like all the stuff you should do, like, just look at what you shouldn't do, right?

So using a kennel, using a leash can like prevent 90% of this stuff. <laugh>, okay? It's your friend, guys. Control is your friend. When your, when your dog is, is young or new, um, or anytime that you're struggling with anything, really. Um, so what's the next biggest mistake people make?

Is too much softness. So I'm sure you've heard me say that before too. Um, but man, this one is huge, huge, huge. And this isn't just when your dog is like new or young, like the freedom thing. Like once your dog is a little bit older, if they're well adjusted, right? You can give them freedom. But too much softness, that can really be a problem. And it can start to, it can start to become a problem really, anytime. Um, I suppose any of this stuff can really, but too much softness is, uh, oh, man. It's a big one.

It's a big one. And what do I mean by too much softness? Okay, so many things. How much time do you have <laugh>? I'll try to keep it brief, but the things that come to mind and that I see and that I hear all the time are constant affection. Well, you could put freedom in this category too, but we just talked about that. So too much freedom, too much softness. Just too much affection. Constant touching, stroking, rubbing, petting, right? Talking to the dog, looking at the dog. Just, I'm not saying you can't do those things, but they're, they're all the time.

If we see the dog, we talk to the dog, we touch the dog. If we see the dog, we talk to the dog, we touch the dog. It's just constant. The dog comes up to us, get in, gets in our space, is needy, presses on our legs, does any of that anxious stuff, we immediately reward it by talking to the dog and touching the dog, talking to the dog, and touching the dog. Um, and it just kind of creates this dynamic. And again, all dogs are different. So this does different things to different dogs. Some dogs, it doesn't freaking matter, but a lot of dogs, it does.

Okay? Some dogs, it doesn't matter. Some dogs, none of this stuff matters, which is great all the time. Okay, great. This pod, this episode, maybe it's not for you <laugh>, but most dogs are gonna land somewhere in the middle of that spectrum, and they're not gonna be at the end where you can give them total freedom and total softness, and everything's wonderful.

That's pretty rare. Okay? Uh, so too much affection, too much attention, talking to them, touching them. Um, so what does that do? I mean, it can do a lot of things depending on what the dog's genetics are, right? So if you have a dog that's really nervous, it can make them way more nervous. It seems counterintuitive to us from a human perspective. But we end up nurturing that fear, that jumpiness, that flightiness, that neediness, that anxiety. We nurture it, we touch it, we talk to it, um, and the dog leans into that, right? And it gets stronger.

15:00 — Pushy tendencies may become apparent during adolescence even when owners did not notice them…

Um, or if you have a dog that's kind of pushy and kind of bratty, and maybe you don't even know that yet because maybe you haven't seen it, but it's in there, right? Meaning when they're a puppy, you don't really see it. But as they start to get older, you start to see it. Um, because we all have behaviors and, and other things in our DNA that we don't see until we hit adolescence, and we start going through that maturation process, and then it's triggered. And suddenly these things become obvious, right? So if you have a dog that's got a tendency to be a little pushier, a little more demanding, a little more like dominant, quote unquote, um, I hate to use that word because it's, it's overused and it also means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

But the personality profile here that I'm referring to is a dog that's trying to be in charge and push people around and, and get what they want and will be kind of nasty. Um, or at least demanding and kind of spoiled, right? Um, and so if you're constantly touching and talking to that dog, you create a sort of a power dynamic then, right? Where they're like, ho ho, ho. You're my servant and I'm royalty, and this is my castle and these are my things. And that can lead to some pretty nasty stuff. Not always, but it certainly can.

If it's in there, you're gonna start to see it,

Right? Whereas maybe if you had set some boundaries and refrained from touching and talking to the dog constantly, and didn't reward always getting into your space, or jumping on you or, or demand barking at you, maybe if you didn't always reward that, maybe if they came into your space and you kind of bumped them away, maybe if you set some boundaries and re, you know, requested some respect from your dog sometimes, um, and said, hey, not right now. I want some space. Maybe your dog wouldn't view you as such a doormat <laugh>, right? And again, some dogs doesn't matter, but a lot of dogs does.

Okay?

So too much touching, too much talking, too much attention, affection. The other way that we give too much softness is things like, the dog doesn't wanna move forward on the leash. Like they kind of dig their heels in, right? And so, what do we do? We just stop. We just stop. And maybe we try to encourage them verbally. Oh, let's go. Come on, come on, Fluffy. It's okay. It's okay. Right? And I'm not saying we shouldn't be patient. I'm not saying that we shouldn't be encouraging, right? But what happens is the dog stops, we stop, and then we compound that with more softness and soothing and baby talking and reassurance.

And what happens is the dog just wins, right? He doesn't wanna move forward for whatever reason, then we just don't. And then we turn into this soft little entity again, soothing and nurturing all the wrong stuff. And it doesn't really matter if the dog's not moving forward because they're afraid, right? So us stopping and going along with that business, and then on top of that, adding softness and reassurance, we really run the risk of exacerbating fear, if that's what it is, right? So maybe your dog doesn't wanna walk by a car or a bike or, or something that they're just not sure of, right?

19:00 — Kati introduces pressure and release for leash resistance but leaves the handling mechanics for…

And so they dig in their heels, and then you kind of stop with them. And then you start with the baby talk.

Well, now you're really setting yourself up for some failure, right? Or maybe your dog is just stubborn. Maybe they're just stubborn, and they're like, no, I don't wanna go that way. There's stuff going on back there. I wanna go that way, right? And so you just kind of stop and, and fight with them. Um, instead of just, hey, we're going this way, let's go. And there's a thing we use called pressure and release. And I'm not gonna get into, um, on this episode. Maybe I'll do an episode later about—it's a fantastic tool. But learning how to use pressure and release to wire the dog's brain to move with you where you say you're moving is huge.

Is huge.

Okay? Maybe we'll get into the mechanics of how to handle that exact situation in another episode, but that's just something I see a lot, is that passive leash handling where the dog decides they're going here, they're going there, they're sniffing this, they're sniffing that, and you wanna go this way, and they're going that way. Um, and then the dog, for whatever reason, digs in their heels or goes the opposite direction. And the owner, for whatever reason, the handler just seems to concede complete control of what's happening in that moment to the dog. So now you're setting up which end of the leash makes decisions.

<laugh>, okay? Because only one end can make decisions, and it's either gonna be you or it's gonna be them <laugh>. So that's a, and we have our dog on leashes a lot, right? Most of us do. And so you gotta, you gotta keep in mind, like if you're the type of person, you know, if you don't have a fenced yard and you're relying on walks and you're putting your dog on a leash for five, six times a day, and they're doing this every time you go out for a walk, man, what kind of a relationship are you building?

What kind of behaviors are you nurturing by accident, right? This isn't owner blaming. It's hopefully, you know, the light's coming on for some people that are like, oh my God, you know, that happens to us. And that's exactly what I do. And it's like, I'm not gonna give you all the answers on what to do, but if you know what not to do, at least now you're aware of it, right? So your dog's making the choices at their end of the leash, and you're over here trying to be encouraging, but maybe inadvertently kind of nurturing, uh, not only crappy behavior, but a crappy mindset, even if that's just fear, right?

22:00 — Kati warns that looking at, talking to, or touching a whining dog can reward…

We don't wanna nurture our dogs' fear and make them more fearful. We wanna teach them how to get over it. So, good stuff for, uh, another, another episode.

Uh, another example of too much softness is, I mean, number one, not using a kennel, right? But sometimes people try to and their dog just doesn't like it. And so then they're, you know, tending to the dog every time they whine, they're talking to the dog every time they whine, which is a huge mistake. Don't do that. Don't even make eye contact with your dog, guys. That is a reward. You make eye contact. You are acknowledging them, you know, that gets a dopamine hit for them or whatever. I'm not gonna get, try to get all sciencey here, but they like it.

Uh, and it's, it's only gonna nurture whatever's going on in that moment. So looking at them, talking to them, touching them again, those things nurture behaviors most of the time. You know, assuming your dog likes it. Um, so when they're whining, you don't wanna do that.

Uh, you wanna provide a, a negative consequence, by the way, not a positive one, <laugh> if your dog's whining, but people will, will tend to their dog and talk to them 'cause they don't know what else to do. You know? Or, you know, just trying to make the kennel as nice as possible. So the dog whines, and we go over and we put in another blanket. The dog whines. We go over, we put in some different toys. No, no, no, your dog just doesn't wanna be inconvenienced. And it really doesn't matter what you do to that kennel.

They're probably not gonna wanna be in there because they just don't wanna be in there. And so you're gonna have to find a way to teach them to accept. And that really is the key to happiness in life, by the way, because we're not gonna get everything we want. We're going to be inconvenienced and bad things are gonna happen to us too. And if you don't learn to accept, then you're fucking miserable. Okay? There are some things that are out of your control, and if you choose to focus on those things, then you will be miserable.

And so the key to getting your dog to accept that they're in the kennel for a little while isn't giving them all sorts of nice things or attention, or soothing or reassurance. The key to getting them to accept that is providing a negative consequence for the fussing, right? Disagree with that behavior. So it's your job to find a consequence that works, right? And if you've been listening to me for a while, you probably know the, the correct process for linking a consequence to a behavior. And that is by saying no when the dog begins the behavior.

So in this case, probably whining, you say no. And then you follow up after you say no with a negative consequence, right? And you look for the thing that works, that gets your dog to just settle and go, all right, I guess I'm just in here for a little while, right? And that's so building coping skills, but people don't tend to do that very well. And a, a lot of us, we just cave and we just let the dog out, right? Which is like the worst thing you can do. Um,

25:00 — Kati advises delaying bed access for new, young, or behaviorally struggling dogs rather than…

And sleeping in the bed is a big one, right? So, and I'm not anti-D dog in the bed, not at all. But if you have a new dog or a young dog, that is not the time to have them in the bed. Or if you have a dog with behavioral issues, right? So sleeping in your bed, guys, that's intimate, that's like king's quarters. Like your whole bedroom is king's quarters, nevermind in the bed, right? That is reserved for like the best stuff, like the best behaved dog. They can have time in the bed if you want.

Uh, but a lot of us have our dogs sleeping in our bed when they shouldn't be because they're struggling with behavioral issues. Um, regardless of what it is, you know, whether it's a, a pushy dog, an aggressive dog, like obviously they certainly shouldn't be there, but even dogs that are just really nervous, really fearful, like those dogs really shouldn't be there either, right?

Dogs have separation anxiety, <laugh>, they really shouldn't be there, right? So the early stages of relationship development with your dog and shaping their behavior to be the best possible version of themselves, you don't want to undermine that by creating unhealthy attachments or lack of coping skills. So, you know, you bring your dog to bed with you every night, and then every time you leave the house, you bring the dog with you, they go everywhere with you. You do everything together, okay? That might be great for you, but you're not doing right by your dog necessarily.

So a lot of dogs, this is gonna start to create some unhealthy attachments. You know, they get so used to always having you there, especially always touching them, always talking to them, always petting them, always answering their every beck and call. And then when you have to leave them alone, for some reason, it's like the end of the fricking world, right?

Of course it is, because you're always there, you're always together, and you're always tending to them, and you're always giving them attention and affection. And then when you're gone, it's like the whole fucking sky falls, okay? So if you really love your dog, it's like build some coping skills and some confidence and some self-assurance, right? Teach your dog that it's okay to be alone and let them earn bedroom rights, right? So I don't care if your dog sleeps in your bedroom, but give them some time to become stable, well-adjusted dogs, and if they're giving you good stuff and they're on good behavior, and you wanna have your dog in your bedroom or in your bed, go ahead, right?

But that's how you potentially pull out that worst stuff that's in your dog, again, is like always having them with you, letting them have access to the bedroom, putting them in your bed with you, taking 'em everywhere you go all the time, right?

If you've got a dog with any kind of proclivity toward anxious behavior, separation issues, pushiness, fearfulness, any of that stuff, those behaviors are gonna be exacerbated potentially by doing this with them. Um, and then another huge one, of course, is just no contrast the information that we're giving the dog, right? So imagine watching a black and white TV that was just all white <laugh>, right? So, so it wouldn't be black and white, right? It'd just be white. Well, that's what a lot of us are doing with our dogs, and this one's wildly common, right? So it's like we're told that we're just supposed to reward, reward, reward, reward.

29:00 — Kati criticizes rewarding desired behavior while ignoring unwanted behavior, arguing dogs need contrasting feedback.

Just reward what you want and ignore what you don't. So we give the dog half of the information, and we can only increase behaviors, right? Or at the very least, like, maybe it doesn't affect the behavior at all, but you're not going to decrease behaviors by rewarding things, all right?

All right? But that's what we're reading, that's what we're hearing, that's what we're being told. And so that's what people are going home and they're doing. So they're giving their dogs all this freedom. They have no control. They're letting the dog pattern habits they don't like, they're using too much softness, giving the dog constant attention, constant affection. They've got the dog in their bed, they're not using the crate, um, the dog's going everywhere with them, and everything's reward and praise and reward and praise. So can you see how this all culminates in like just creating potentially a monster?

And it doesn't always, it doesn't always, don't get me wrong. Again, there's that genetic piece that matters. It matters a lot, but most dogs are gonna have some kind of potential in them for some kind of behavioral issue, right? And so if you're doing all this stuff, you are gonna see it and you're gonna see it at its worst, right?

So maybe you just have a dog that's that. The worst thing in its DNA is just that it has a proclivity to be like overexcited and like kind of jumpy or mouthy or, or that sort of thing, right? Just licks your face to death. But maybe you have a dog, um, that has a strong proclivity to protect space, to be territorial, to, um, be in charge, to protect food, to do all this stuff, right? And then you've got a real mess on your hand. Maybe you have a dog that just has a strong tendency in its genetics toward anxiety and like pacing and whining and being just generally neurotic and obsessive, chasing, you know, lights and shadows or barking at every little noise or, right?

You're gonna see those things and you might see them regardless, even if you do all this stuff, right? If you don't know how to address it, right?

You could still see it like genetics or genetics are still there. They still can happen. But if you're surrounding your dog with all this softness and all this love, and all this affection and all this, and all this attachment, and all this reward, and you never provide any of the other stuff, then any traits that are in there, guys, that tend toward anxiety, aggression, you know, separation issue here, all that reactivity, you're gonna see the worst of it. You're gonna nurture the hell out of it, right? So it's like, why leave that trap door open?

32:00 — A large, powerful adolescent dog illustrates Kati’s case for proactive structure before potential behavioral…

That's what I, that's what I try to communicate to people. So I started someone the other day with a very large power breed dog, and he is a great dog, good boy, but it doesn't change who he is. He's still a very large, powerful power breed dog, um, who could easily overpower his handlers.

And he is not mature yet. So we don't know even what's gonna happen as he completes adolescence. So why leave trap doors open? Why, why not say, you know what, we're gonna provide structure. We're gonna control space. We're gonna tell him where to be and what to be doing, and we're gonna control what he can and can't do, and pattern what we want, and we're gonna disagree with what we don't want. We're gonna provide corrections for that stuff, and we're gonna wait to put him in our, in our bed, in our bedroom. We're gonna use our crate.

We're not gonna take him everywhere we go. We're gonna take him places, bring him tons of exposure, but he is also gonna have alone time. We're gonna provide corrections for bad behavior if he barks at someone.

All these things like close the trap doors so that you cannot fall into them, right? And then you get to know your dog for the best version of themselves and who they can be, and then start awarding a little more freedom, a little more affection, because that stuff's fine. That stuff's fine. But the thing is, people, they front-load it so heavy, they're putting the cart before the horse, really. So we're just doing things backwards and we're just overwhelming our dogs with freedom and softness and rewards. None of the other stuff, none of the structure, none of the control, none of the corrections, none of the alone time, none of the coping skills.

How, how is that good for your dog? That is not good for your dog. That is, that does not make you a nice person. It just doesn't.

And then you get what you get. So maybe it pans out fine, but maybe it doesn't. And so like, why risk creating and nurturing all that stuff and then trying to fix it later? Just build the most solid, confident, capable, comfortable, reliable, polite, calm dog you can, most stable dog you can. And then go enjoy life with them. That's the way to do it, guys. So if you wanna get the worst version of your dog, to sum things up, just give them total freedom. Let 'em roam around when company comes over. Don't put a leash on 'em.

35:00 — Kati closes by warning against unrestricted freedom, constant affection, releasing fussing dogs, and withholding…

Don't put 'em in their kennel. Let 'em practice overexcitement. Give them tons of softness, constant talking and constant touching, lots of affection. If they don't like the kennel, do everything you can to make it better. Maybe take 'em out when they're fussing. Let 'em sleep with you every night.

Put 'em in your bedroom. Let 'em in your bed. Bring 'em everywhere you go. Never leave them home. Don't give 'em any alone time. And, uh, reward everything they do, right? And if they do something you really don't like, just ignore it. Just ignore it. So there's no contrast, right? So they don't see what's right, what's wrong, what gets rewarded, what gets punished, um, and you'll get the worst version of your dog <laugh>. But hopefully none of you go home and do that. So, uh, do the opposite of that, guys. Go home and, um, work on developing the best version of your dog.

Thanks for joining me today, and I look forward to the next one.