Everything was going fine until THIS happened. Reality Dog Training

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What you’re about to see is probably the Single biggest mistake i have made With moira so far the single most Controversial part of this entire series This is certainly not my proudest moment As a dog trainer Girl this is moira and i’m zach george Moira the german shepherd dog is looking For a home and i’ve only got Two weeks to teach her how to behave so That someone will be willing to adopt Her okay we have a situation And as you can see it’s not going to be Easy she jumps Excessively lunges at almost any Distraction Moira loves to bark and she definitely Pulls on leash and uses her teeth to Interact with the world a little Too inappropriately i am feeling a Little bit overwhelmed If that was a dog she would be like i’m Not paying attention to you i’m paying Attention To that i will train this dog Look at this loose leash right now shake Yes Much better yes look at me is she Getting trained This is reality dog training [Music] Moira has been really reactive to birds In fact you might recall that before she Came to me she had

Actually killed a couple of chickens but I feel like we have made a lot of Progress lately so i’m hoping to take Her out to a park that has a whole bunch Of different birds But understanding why dogs like moira Like to chase other animals is really Critical too that’s why i’ve been making Sure that moira has an outlet for her Desire to run after things chase them And Yes even bite them something that’s Really been working for us is making Sure that moira has lots of new and Exciting things to run after and chase This really seems to keep her interest And satisfied both super chewer and Barkbox are monthly subscription boxes And they’ll make living with your dog Much more pleasant for Both of you moira is definitely a super Chewer dog and the theme of this box is Best of super chewer You can see how heavy-duty some of these Toys are if you get a super chewer box Just cancel your gym membership you just Lift these Oh i remember this one and so you can Put treats and things in there And the robot classic i know moira loves The robot toys In this box you get two chews super Chewers for dogs who require more heavy Duty toys

And bark boxes for dogs that are a Little easier on their toys but They’re still pretty tough don’t get me Wrong this is best of bark box Look at this there’s nachos i challenge You to find any more original dog toys On the planet than bark toys Both boxes include really top-notch High-quality treats every month too i’m Gonna definitely give this to my own dog Their attention to detail is incredible All of you can get a free barkbox super Chewer box or both when you sign up for A monthly subscription using my special Links superchewer.com Dog training or barkbox.com dog training I’ll have a link below in the Description We’re here at a park in new orleans it Must be migration season because we got More than we bargained for today All right well we wanted to come and Train around birds today because she has An issue with impulse Control uh i think we’ve come to the Right Place do we know new orleans or what When moira arrives at a new place she is Pretty anxious and she pulls a lot on Her leash and i’m generally pretty Tolerant of this with a dog who’s pretty Neuter training like moira is But it is a sign that she’s a little Worked up here so i’ll be keeping an eye

On that but you know You would expect a high energy dog to be Wound up and pulling right now at this Point in their training So we’re surrounded we’re like on an Island of birds right now We’ve got them over here i don’t know That she’s detected all these birds over Here So i think this is going to be my sweet Spot that i want to work at because It’s the farthest away from the birds And right now she can see these birds Being pretty good so I’m pretty encouraged the real trick is Going to be Okay can i get her to pay attention to Me while we’re out here so that’s what We’ll find out Soon enough but you’re going to take a Minute to acclimate young lady and i Really feel like moira and i are hitting Our stride right now i feel like we’re Getting through to one another we’re Starting to understand how each other Works a little bit better And so i’m optimistic that we can have a Successful training session today But i’m not giving our tests anything Like this yet So this will be interesting i mean you Can just look at the ground it’s covered In feathers and Bird poop so since we’ve only been out

Here for a few minutes i Really want to make sure that moira can Sniff around And check it out before i just start Asking her to do things But i don’t want you to eat bird poop Here come on let’s go this way come on Good pretty good she was cooperative Right there i didn’t even offer her a Treat or anything So that’s nice good I think she heard what i said you mean i Can get a treat of course you can So that’s good right there i’m not i Didn’t ask for it she offered her Attention when your dog Offers their attention like that let Them know that you appreciate it So i have not seen a significant Outburst today not one so far from her And one of my goals for the remainder of This training time Is to make sure that i’m training in a Variety of different places so that’s Why we’re here she also Is very intrigued by dogs as we’ve seen But again i put myself in a position to Be farther away from the dogs you see This Moira’s not the only dog interested in Ducks Here yes I’ll take it i mean they’re pretty far Away but that’s what i want

Okay come whoa all right i just led her To some ducks i guess I feel like she’s adjusted now so why Don’t we get into training And see how she does can she come can She stay can she listen to her basics Will she do her tricks In a place like this that remains to be Seen let me see i’m trying to read her Right now i feel like if i were to say Moira come That she wouldn’t be too motivated i’m Going to ask her to do something easier Than coming to me while she’s distracted By the ground i’m gonna ask for a Look at me Cute yes look at me Yes very good just easy stuff right you Know Maybe you would ask your dog to sit She’s doing really good with stan Stay yes stay Yes give me a sit good Just kind of going with the flow here This is really good she’s demonstrating That she’s willing to pay attention Let’s see how her recall is doing when I’ve got her dead focused on me let’s See Uh-oh that bird has definitely given our Drone A look moira here sit Stay yes Here okay come good sit

Stay yes good girl nice work i’d like to See how her lie down is doing as well Hand signal no treat in this hand Yes i’ll take it let me see if i can get That looking a little bit sharper I’m really encouraged because we’re in This highly distracting place we even Have dogs over here That are walking by here and of course We have that drone flying around it’s an Added distraction and she’s doing really Well with that Well we did have a drone flying around The drone just crashed over here let’s See what’s happening Whoa wow these are damaged here i don’t Know where that one went Okay let’s go replace these propellers And get that drone back up so you can Have a full appreciation of this Challenging environment This goes to show literally anything can Happen i mean a drone can Fall out of the sky during one of your Training sessions and the better your Communication is with your dog and the More experience that you’ve purposefully Given them the more likely it is that Those types of events Won’t throw them off she was pretty Distracted by it all but she’s doing Quite well with the drone i’m glad we Introduced it well I see there’s some birds over here i

Want to practice getting our attention On me Around those birds right there if They’ll stay put i don’t know we’ll find Out i don’t want to get right on top of Them so right here i’m struggling to get Her attention i mean she’s really Intrigued by this new patch of grass Over here now throughout this lesson You’re going to see tension on the leash Sometimes now because this is sometimes Confusing i want to make it very clear Here that i’m using her leash and Harness just to keep control of her and I’m not using it as a tool to deliver Corrections So i’ve got a couple of choices i could Sit here let her take it in for a little Bit but i think i’ve given her enough Time today so i’m going to opt to Try to get her attention on me back here Where it’s a little bit easier Moira here good yes Good Here yes Good i’m gonna up my rate of Reinforcement here because i’m losing Her very easily Yes i’m using real small treats so i can Rapidly reward her when she’s compliant In this borderline state come this way Good good girl i love her enthusiastic Jog there Moira now you can see that moira is very

Distracted here and i’m resisting the Urge to pull her towards me Come yes just trying to read her yeah Good girl See how she got in the heel position There that was pretty nice those ducks Are still there they’re quite patient I’m gonna try to park her right about Here as we get closer The fact that she’s ignoring them is Well she was ignoring them oh No all right there’s our first lunge i Want to Not have that happen again stay good Girl yes Good girl yeah you got it you know what Yes means so look at our working Distance from the ducks here pretty good She’s getting a little excited here sit Yes Very good and here i’m gonna let her Look at the birds And then here yes look at me Good you’re so smart moira seems to be Doing pretty well at this distance so Far so i’m thinking we can probably get A little bit closer This looks like a good spot here Noticing the ducks again Fine with that so here i’m really Practicing allowing moira To look at the ducks and then i’m Practicing calling her away from the Ducks

It’s also a really great way to proof Her training in general here so Combining an exercise like leave it with A treat along with a real world Distraction Like ducks is a fantastic way to Strengthen her Impulse control look at me So we’re combining distractions Artificial distractions with real world Distractions And so really key here is to get her to Voluntarily walk away from that kind of Distraction which i’m going to try to do Here Stay here okay this way Good that’s what you want to see look Loose leash over here Walking away didn’t have to pull her Away this is huge for moira you can see That she’s Really tempted by all of those birds Around her but the fact that she’s able To bring her focus back to me is a Giant leap in the right direction Especially when you consider she’s been The type of dog who has At times been unmanageable around birds Any attention i voluntarily get from her Happy to reward that right now And so we’re trying to counter condition Her to understand that when she sees a Bird If she pays attention to us life is

Going to be better than just lunging and Being frustrated by pulling out the bird Of course this is something that needs To go on for a long time this is how it Looks in the beginning If things are going well if your dog Looks like they’re thinking about it There’s a good chance they might so be Patient after you give a request like That Yes i love the voluntary sit We have some other ducks that have moved In here’s our wild card Stay even here she was doing sit stay And come really well Until she started to veer off at which Time i didn’t hesitate to put a treat Right at her nose in order to get her Attention on me And there’s nothing wrong with that Going back to square one that is in dog Training we have to be prepared To take a step back whenever needed and You might notice i also shortened my Leash Just to make sure i could keep her from Going after the ducks Should she react but i’m still trying to Avoid having any tension at all On the leash so that moira can make this Decision on her own While moira is in the zone here i’m Gonna rapid fire some stay in drills While we have these ducks at an

Ideal distance and right now moira is so Zoned in that we can work at a rapid Pace When you start getting instances of that It’s a pretty good sign that you’re on The right track and with a dog like Moira can really help keep their Attention and Optimism up in training if you move at a Faster pace like this Now look just because she listened to me There you can see her attention now is Drifting back Onto these ducks over here and over here Oh and there’s a dog well Welcome to the real world lyra here come On Here yes there was the slightest amount Of tension there but she was super Responsive to it Sit yes stay And this is great too she needs a lot of Practice with dogs Yes did you see that natural look at the Dog and then she looked at me Fly down Do you remember lie down no you just Needed a reminder that’s all Good girl and look at that she had Trouble with lie down even though that’s Something she knows Almost flawlessly at home don’t get Frustrated with your dog when they seem To not do things that they should know

When you’re in a different environment That’s normal just means you need to Give them some more time and practice in Environments like that more often Here you remember shake Yeah oh you are such a rock star young Lady Look at these birds we got more than we Bargained for today Okay moira here all right see how she’s Completely tuning me out that’s always Our cue Too much let’s go back and make it Easier again yep a little Little questionable let me let her Evaluate from a distance here moira come Stay oh my gosh Moira here come on Sit no okay Wow look at that Sit okay there’s my sit i’ll take it Good job girl Nice work right there i mean i tried to Get that extra set i probably should Have been content Just to reward her instantly when she Came to me i mean that Is a heck of a bird distraction notice No reaction no lunging Distracted yes trying to kill the birds No check come yes Notice no force there at all we’re Getting her to think from the inside out That’s always

The preferred way to go so i mean this Is kind of the pattern that we’re going To be running through Over the next many days with her until Hopefully she’s able to completely Tune them out when i ask for her but This is really nice Good girl moira i’m really pleased with Her progress On listening to me around distractions Such as birds and even dogs in the Distance What are you doing why are you doing That All right i should probably teach her It’s not okay to just start digging and Biting the ground She’s pulling up an entire route okay Moira okay come on let’s go Good curl yes i think right now she’s Happy to take the food but she’d rather Be playing right now that’s what i’m Reading into all of this behavior so i Need to make sure i’m giving her an Outlet and what a great opportunity to Practice A critical skill like fetch and a brand New place for her I just gave her a bark box toy she has Nuts over these slowly reeling her in i Don’t want to Kill her buzz right now by just reeling Her in abruptly Good girl let’s see how all of her steps

Of fetch are looking Interesting toy check that’s good let go Let go okay better than it was sit Stay okay yes go Good girl chasing it returning it in a Straight line let’s see Come on yes good Eagerly let’s go and awaits the next Throw let’s find out let go Stay eagerly awaits the next throw For sure okay she did not know how to Fetch when she came here just a week ago She’s picked this up at light speed by The way notice how she’s tuning out All the distractions of her environment Looks like she wants to get around to Zoom he’s in right now Happy to let her do that sometimes you Just need to let your dog be happy and Be a dog right In the beginning like this it’s a fine Line between saying i want you to play By the rules Versus i want you to have a good time Too so they need a second to absorb all The rules of fetch Go love that she’s playing fetch out Here getting a dog to play fetch in a New place can be a challenge with her Not so much focus like this in this type Of environment with Known distractions like birds to moira Which are a really high level Distraction to her traditionally

The fact that moira is paying attention To me and paying attention to this Toy and she’s focused and she’s into it And she’s making no attempt To chase birds or dogs in the distance Is extremely encouraging here If your dog is that focused on a toy Understand that that is all you need in Many cases To teach them virtually anything sit Stay Okay go get it okay nice Really good stay there huh so i like to Throw in basic requests like sit and Stay Here and there during batch but not Constantly it’s a really good way to Build value with the fetch toy because She clearly loves it come We continue to practice come when called When she’s returning the toy which is a Great way to burn in their brain what That means Good girl here’s a good chance to Practice a long distance recall Moira come yes Good girl i was really enthusiastic There because i wanted to get it on the First attempt I didn’t want to start calling her over And over again so that’s why i really Went the extra mile got on the ground Started acting playful with her since She kind of veers

Left i kind of go right and that Encourages her to come closer to me But i gotta catch that toy Where’s your toy come Yes good girl You notice something she left her toy Behind i called her She came to me i chose to acknowledge That Rather than trying to get her to bring The toy back when your dog comes To you especially in a place like this You’ve got to really let him know that’s The right decision So be flexible in your training and be Prepared to acknowledge those things From your dog Look at the promise she is showing if You have a dog that is This focused on a toy you can teach them Virtually anything as long as you’re Patient You work with them and you’re Understanding with them but when we play Fetch with a dog we’re really appealing To what dogs are At their core they’re a species that we Essentially created to work In partnership with us so they have it In them to really listen and fetch Satisfies both that physical And mental desire that dogs like moira Often have you’ll also find that if you Can get your dog’s energy out on your

Terms your schedule they’re going to be A lot more Compliant in day-to-day life what do you Think she’s going to do when we go home Tonight she’s going to pass out and She’s going to sleep Great if you have a high energy dog it Really is Worth your while to put in the effort to Train them a really solid reliable fetch That is Chasing after a toy in a straight line Bringing it back in a straight line Letting go and eagerly awaiting the next Throw if you have a dog doing that the Sky is the limit Moira is showing incredible promise to Learn how to heal Heels basically where your dog just Stays right next to you when you walk They stop when you stop they go when you Go And it’s a nice way to be able to have Your dog behave in urban situations Or if you’re seeing another dog and you Want them close if you’ve seen my other Videos you may have seen my own dog Inertia do this in a variety of Scenarios but remember heal isn’t the Way to just give your dog a walk it’s Reserved for Special training and special Circumstances okay Come here so we’re going to keep it

Super casual here there we go i’m just Luring her into position i’m gonna start On the right side i think Take one step yes i took a half a step And i’m rewarded Yes giving her small treats Yes not asking her to heal for a half Mile straight away What are you doing that’s not deal You’re all over the place let’s redirect Her back into position here Good just you see that lower motion look How responsive she is Not quite i’ll take it so at first with Heel i like to start just One step at a time and then as they Demonstrated they’re understanding that They’re taking a step And they’re waiting for their treat and They’re looking up then i’ll try and Take two or three steps Now here comes the test what if we can Get her to go really slow Wow good girl Yes careful Easy here at this point you might notice That i’m really holding that treat super Obviously in order to make this Exercise as easy as possible and i don’t Mind that she’s just looking at the Treat here at all Trying to keep her from getting too far Ahead but i don’t want to be too picky Right now i’m just really trying to get

Her to show any kind of restraint while Staying on one side of me and paying Attention to me i don’t care if she’s Looking at a treat or What it’s just trying to get the action Right now so she can understand what i’m Asking for Dogs are not born knowing that humans Want them to walk right here next to Them so it’s a delicate maneuver Yes good here i’m going to try and vary My speed what happens if i go really Fast That seems to get her more interested And look at that she is really really Focused on me right now that’s Everything Yes there are moments where you and your Dog are just so dialed into one another That you can start to take more steps Here let’s go stay yes It’s clear that moira is really soaking A lot of this training up Thank goodness that is just incredible She’s looking so good on heel i love the Way a german shepherd looks when they Heal Okay good job nice work you guys Know that dog reactivity is one of Moira’s most significant issues I really want to set this up because What you’re about to see is probably The single biggest mistake i have made With moira so far and i already know

This is Most likely going to be the single most Controversial part of this entire series Because Of the trainer error you’re gonna see From me and i know that you guys Understand that this series is about Showing What the actual reality of training dogs Is All about coming off the training Session that you just saw I have to tell you i was feeling so Encouraged by her progress I mean moira was actually starting to Listen to me with dogs That she could see in the distance and i Was incredibly proud of this And so with only six days left with her I was hoping To squeeze in one more awesome success With her So there’s this dog park right across The street from where we’re training Hold on it was closed on this particular Day but what i liked about the scene was That there were Smells of dogs that had recently been There and there was also Pretty frequent traffic of dogs walking By on the path Near the dog park so i was hoping to do Some testing with moira so that she Could be in an environment where dogs

Had recently been Plus where dogs currently are albeit at A distance Okay all right all right so oh Boy ra come on over here girl come on She sees a dog across the street i mean So clearly she still has Some issues we need to contend with let Me create some distance over here Dogs coming closer and that distance was A little bit closer than what you saw in The last lesson but again i’m trying to Keep progress moving I mean after all my goal in the very Limited time that i have with her is to Desensitize her to other dogs and to Reliably be able to get her attention on Me In the presence of other dogs so that When she goes to her new home That person will have some basic control Of moira In a situation like this now for this Training session my expectations were Certainly far from perfection but what i Was hoping to get from moira was a Sit a stay a look at me as dogs walked By Several feet away but i uh i seem to Have Underestimated this particular challenge For moira Girl chill relax girl I’m waiting for the dogs to clear out so

We can get back to our car so right now I’m staying over here To say that moira was not ready for this Is clearly An understatement and this was one of Those instances where moira saw the dog And she just completely lost it she was Way over threshold there was no Consoling her at all in that moment And the mistake that i made here is that I put her in a situation That she was not yet ready for and by Doing this this could potentially set Back Not only the progress we’ve made today But the progress we’ve made in recent Days And i know i’ve seen other people even Other trainers make the same exact Mistake after all can be really tempting To just Keep pushing through when you think that Your dog is ready for it That’s enough girl that’s enough here Loira here come when she first reacts Like this i haven’t quite given up i’m Still trying to get her attention on to Me So she’s clearly over threshold right Here i mean i’m trying to create Distance to keep her from feeling even More overwhelmed but Moira just goes bananas i mean she’s Absolutely the worst that i have ever

Seen her in my time with boy No ma’am come here Come on back here let’s go Over here knowing that moira is not Teachable in these moments i’m not going To choose to have a battle with her and Physically correct her here Instead my goal is to simply keep Control of her manager From getting away from me and choose to Work on this another time And so to me here the least aversive Method that’s likely to keep her From further reacting is simply to Manage her and wait for those dogs to Clear out since we don’t really have an Escape route this is certainly not my Proudest moment as a dog trainer but I think it’s so incredibly important for Us all to learn from these moments so That More people don’t make the same mistake This was by far the worst outburst i’ve Seen from her to this point and i’m Determined to make it the last one So in the coming lessons i’m going to Show you what i do differently to Prevent that type of behavior While also making progress and doing so By using The least aversive method that is likely To work Be sure to get your free super chewer Box or barkbox or even both when you

Sign up for a multi-month subscription At superchewer.com Dog training and barkbox.com dog Training links below Follow us on instagram facebook and tick Tock and get a copy of both of my books To have all of the information you need To teach your dog Anything and we’ll see all of you in Episode 9.