I Don’t Think I Can Let This Dog Go [Reality Dog Training Ep 8]

George is a tough dog to let go of! This is our toughest day of training yet. George is learning how to listen around his most tempting distraction yet! This video is sponsored by Pupford. Get my favorite Pupford training treats HERE: !!!!!

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Previously on reality dog training he Just Immediately recognized there was a ball There look at that are you kidding me Holy cow let’s go that’s insane Come on leave it alone let’s go as i was Walking and the kids were doing their Batting practice i saw this one Young man pick up the ball he looked Right at george And he went like you like the ball he Didn’t know any better but that’s when George just lost it gosh This was a very serious outburst i never Thought i’d find myself in a sumo Wrestling match In public with a pitbull type dog over a Baseball I’m zach george and this is george no Relations George has spent the last four months Living in an animal shelter with minimal Contact with other dogs or people And it’s my job to transform him from a Wild and crazy dog To an incredible pet seems Straightforward right Holy cow not getting that ball George is a dog like i’ve never known Before i don’t know if i can let this Dog go Let go this might be the single Greatest transformation i have ever seen In a dog that i’ve worked with

The hardest thing about foster dog you Fall in love with them This is reality dog training Subscribe and click the bell so you Never miss an episode It’s time to go back to the scene of the Crime if george can’t learn to control Himself it’s going to be a huge problem For his future family So you might remember yesterday we came To this exact spot i’m out here again But I had an incredible outburst out of him He was Uncontrollable so i decided to come out Here while it’s a little less busy and Do some testing to try to Recreate elements of the things that Were really throwing him for a loop he Was thrown off by the tennis court balls Over here he did pretty well on that but It was the Baseball that really got him going he Saw a baseball over here on the other Side of the fence And he was like i’ve got to have that Baseball i’ve never experienced anything Quite like that With a ball being that level of a Distraction to a dog and You know george is no joke on his Strength and his muscles when he decides To activate he is a lot of dog to handle When your dog is really struggling to

Get something the best thing you can do Is to break it down into smaller more Manageable lessons for them So since george was totally overwhelmed When the park was busy we’re going to Lower our expectations and work with him While the park is Basically empty first i like training in A large fenced environment like this Because it helps me get a better idea of How reliable george is on certain Aspects of his training While still keeping the environment Under control because of the fence And the long lead so the first thing i’m Hoping to do is to get him playing out Here so far i’ve got the well-behaved Version Of george more or less i mean pretty Excited by these frisbees I got him on a 30-foot lead today In a fenced area because i want to give Him a little bit of room to run here and Play brisbane come on buddy let go Without let go we’re still battling it Let go Yes come around Let go we had some rain overnight so the Field is extra wet and soppy I consider that because when the ground Is wet it’s more fragrant more Distracting Dogs are more interested in wet grounds Very often than they are

Ground that is dry i can see like he’s Not in sprint mode a lot of that could Have to do with fatigue could be the wet Ground could be that he’s on a long lead Or maybe he’s just not that into the Frisbee right now Because as much as he’ll play with Frisbee the most amazing distraction i Found for him so far Appears to be a round ball of some kind Any kind of round ball Is what my working hypothesis is the Kids are playing fetch in the background Or a baseball game It’s really important that he not lose His mind to try and get to that that’s Something i want to work on Out here but i did want to get them Warmed up with a little bit of frisbee Here Good boy come on also working on that Recall this is a nice impressive recall Before i get to the ball as a Distraction i want to work with him on His basics i was just hoping to get a Little Energy out i’m gonna get him warmed up With a sit stay with distance i want to Make sure that he’s doing well with that I want to use treats out here in public For some of george’s training too Right now i’m using some of my favorite Pupford treats Even though george has demonstrated that

He’s doing really well inside it’s Important to keep giving george great Rewards throughout his training these Pupper treats are freeze dried made with Three healthy ingredients or less And you get over 400 one calorie treats Per bag i love that they’re really small And tasty That’s the key to a good dog treat i’m Gonna have a link where you can check Out all of pupper’s amazing treat and Chew options in the description below I’m gonna introduce a distraction now The frisbees look at me Yes but no i didn’t say okay Good boy stay you might notice i’m using Treats and play here kind of Interchangeably i don’t usually do that But with a dog like george Food doesn’t seem to quell his play Drive so much like it does with many Dogs Look at me stay Here yes Wonderful so that was pretty good i was Able to distract him with two frisbees He held his stay That impulse control is fantastic i Think it’s going to be harder with the Ball though and that’s really what i Wanted to try out here i think he’s way More into a ball And you can see him just light up for This stay

I mean there’s no stay there look at That look at me Here see he’s so focused on that ball Right now which in a way i like and i Want to see this behavior sometimes Stay but i also want to verify i can get Attention on me before i Start using this as a major distraction Slash reward we can use it for both It can be very valuable George look at me No look at that complete focus On the ball but this is the kind of Focus i want to bridge On to me and i want to use the ball To facilitate in that process he’s being Pretty good right now so i’m gonna Actually release him and let him chase The ball Okay just a few feet there good boy Come on all right let go Yes good i’m gonna definitely reward That let go because he does not like Letting go of a ball Stay Look at me come See that let go i thought i was going to Be able to call him off the ball but He’s like nope i gotta go after that Different than the frisbee i was able to Call him off the frisbee George has done a version of this Exercise with other toys in various Lessons

But with this ball in this place the Temptation is just too great for george To overcome his impulse and pay Attention to meat and i think we’d all Agree that if we want george to pay Attention to me or his new family Anywhere it would be in public Look at me stay come Okay two times in a row uh we got Something to work on here So that’s that’s a problem right here For his training you can see how That would be a problem if he was Charging at a ball in an open field like This with a lot of people Stay Leave it alone look at me I’m going to just lure him away this Time because he’s ah no sir Look at me this way come here No sir so right there i mean you saw i Had to pull him back My training failed at that point but i Do want to emphasize when you see me Pulling back like that it’s not to Administer an unpleasant physical Consequence around his neck or anything Like that it’s simply to manage him And keep him from chasing something he’s Not supposed to chase George here yes sit No almost george is really torn between Going for his ball And listening to me this is what

Learning looks like In real time see set’s usually super Reliable with him Stay Leave it Take a step back here okay let him go After the ball Good boy george so rather than calling Him away let me just reward here for a Little bit On him just leaving it alone for a Moment sit Stay Stay George here stay Okay let him go out oh god What a mess where’s the ball buddy dogs Are distracted by different things here We have a guy who’s Doing some lawn maintenance over here And george could not care less about him It seems he’s so focused on the ball Sit stay Look at me here No sir sometimes when you’re restraining A strong dog like this you have to be Very quick this is why we need to keep Our dogs on a lead or leash during Exercises like this We do not want to lose control of our Dogs here i’m using the lead to prevent Access to the ball and nothing more So so far i’m unable to call him off of That ball and on to me

Which is unacceptable one thing i could Do and i might do it in a moment i’m not Quite sure I could use another ball similar to try To call him off of this ball But honestly i don’t want to have to Rely on that it’s a bit of a crutch but It might be necessary In order for me to get some more Traction with them and advance forward So i’m just experimenting Look at me come no I’m working out yes good man that’s Perfect It’s incredibly important that he be Able to hold a stay no matter what the Distraction is especially for a dog like This Stay Good stay Okay good boy so that was pretty good i Mean he was On the edge of his seat so to speak but He did glance at me as if to say is that Okay At which time i wanted to acknowledge That i liked that he was checking in With me George let go now Let go’s looking much better today Jumping however stay You see how he’s like jumping there Towards the ball he’s really reaching Deep to hold that stay

Stay look at me Okay get it there we go so he’s starting To learn Okay if i just stay with it and i listen To this guy for a little bit i’m gonna Get what i want so this is a little bit Of traction Wait Stay Okay good really understanding okay here Which is nice Understanding that release very solidly I love that Sit stay Much better that time Okay Good man come on let’s go Come on let’s go sir yay good boy Let go yes gonna go ahead and reward Again on the Very good let go there come on Let’s go ultimately i want to be able to Have him stay And chuck this ball and know that he’s Going to stay Stay Here okay So let’s see if we can take this to the Next level i’m satisfied that we’re Making a lot of progress On him resisting the toy it’s not Perfect but he’s really reaching deep to Hold that stay around something he Really loves

I want to use multiple distractions Right now so now i have two identical Toys here stay Look at me good Yes okay and so i used that one to Reward this time so i’m just kind of Mixing things up i want him to be able To look at multiple things and process This concept in general Let go sit good let go good man sit Stay look at me Okay here we go good boy So i’m trying to simulate a ball in his Environment that he has to leave alone So Sit i’m gonna in other words i want to Keep them off this ball completely The one that’s going to be on the ground Stay Look at me yes okay He can get that ball come I’m going to continue to tease him a Little bit with this ball just to proof This Stay Yes okay Come ah No you don’t go after that ball good Here good no george come Good sit Stay come sit Nope george come sit Stay okay and That’s what i’m talking about george has

Obviously not forgotten the ball on the Ground he definitely still wants it but He makes the choice to leave it alone And look to me Instead he’s starting to learn that the Shortest path to getting the best things In his life even his favorite ball Is through his trainer a question might Be zach when you’re teaching him not to Go after the ball are you reducing His drive for the ball and i don’t think So my ultimate goal Is to be able to use a ball or frisbee Or some kind of toy as a currency Because that focus as i mentioned before Is what i want to transition to my eyes Right so right here he’s focused on that But i want to be able to get ah don’t You jump for that Here george look at me Fine okay right now it’s real hard to Get him to look at me so i’ll just make It easier Look at me good this way stay with me Good you can really use a toy with a dog Like this to teach them heal which is Real nice but you have to really work With them on Knowing how to appropriately work with The toy come on Here yes okay Good boy so notice i said yes to mark The behavior okay to release him from The heel

Let go now Okay he’s really learning now which is Kind of hilarious Sits good okay come on Let’s go good i want to really make sure That i can have him Follow me here with the ball come on Easy leave it Good see that see how we’re able to Really keep his attention on me come on Oh don’t jump sit okay come on Okay good yes just a short toss of the Ball And now another thing that i’m kind of Working on in the background as i do This type of training is Withholding the ball as he jumps for it Uncontrollably Essentially teaching him how to conduct Himself in the presence of an exciting Toy Is our challenge here but once we do That watch out Yeah look at that turn stay yes Okay real nice turn there it’s still a Little crude little primitive but that’s How it looks before it looks nice Very easy watch yes That back up okay Virtually every time i’m saying yes here I’m trying to follow it up With this ultimate reward for him in This case a ball come on Come on buddy let’s go and

Let go yeah let go’s looking good so far Today all right let’s see if we can get Something that looks like a heel and i’m Gonna keep the ball nice and back No come on start over Here Look at that nice slow heel easy What turning come on You’re you’re doing great Come on one more turn stay yes The next thing i’m really trying to face In here is eyes on me not on the toy so Let me see if we can make some progress There Okay good boy Here george yes i’m gonna reward the Glance at me Because you remember how hyper focused He is on the toy come on buddy you’re Doing great George here yes Good come let go Leave it good boy yes Gonna reward that let go and not leave It right there He’s starting to put it together a Little bit here Here Come on here Look at me here yes all right that was Nice So there i just put the ball out of Sight for just a moment got him on My eyes because i want him to know hey

Pay attention to me you’re gonna get What you want but don’t be focused on That ball be focused on me Look at me easy here Come on good boy this way look at me Come on come on Here Easy wait it’s doing well Stay so as we continue to practice heal I’m really looking for focused eye Contact with me Looking for small moments of progress to Reward and toss that ball to him i mean That is A hundred dollar bill to him okay now That i’m starting to get a little Traction with george on resisting this Ball I’m going to enlist brie to help me Proof this training And take it to the next level thumbs up For brie just Toss it up and catch it one time stay Ah george here sit Stay okay Come here No stay Go ahead look at me george Here yes okay Come George did great on his first try but This time he can’t resist Going over to his other favorite ball You know the one that’s identical to the

One he has in his mouth Right now george come on come on I’ll be over here sit Stay gently place it on the ground Stay yes Okay there we go nice i love that Voluntary stair he gave me so i mean That Is why i rewarded there see how we’re Easing him into it although he’s still i Don’t like how he’s running back here at The ball No don’t want to let him get that ball Here Good come good boy come here That’s all right sit stay You’re doing very good george that’s Very good Okay go ahead um be a little more Animated than before Stay look at me George here Good go ahead keep going Stay stay Look at me see this Okay i really want to make sure when i Say okay and i’ll release him he knows It’s that ball not that ball he’s to go After Because i can see that being an issue if I’m not very clear about that Go ahead and toss it stay Stay better Sit yeah the shake off stay

Okay good boy I’m noticing he’s giving me a lot of Extra shake-offs here too he seems a Little Annoyed that he’s having to think so Much he just wants to play and these are All necessary skills That dogs need to have especially pit Bull type dogs they have to be very Disciplined In today’s society sit stay And you can i mean it’s a real foreign Concept to him having to stay When he wants to go after something There’s no doubt this is slightly Confusing to george but he’s keeping up Pretty good and i expect this to get Better if i keep working with him on it Stay Look at me stay Here no sit Stay here okay Come on stay Good discipline very good But this is essentially how you teach Your dog a surprise stay I hope to be able to work up to suddenly Surprising him with a ball like this and Having him stay On short notice and we’ll see how he Does there how about now Stay no Come no come Yes stay nope

Okay and you can see how i’m using the Word no i’m trying to be sparing about It though i’m probably using it a little More than i would like Right here he understands that the Corrective action is i’m going to make Him stay by restraining him i’m not Going to punish him Per se with like a harsh punishment Method like a choke or a prong collar Because i don’t need to that’s too Aversive i don’t i want to use the least Aversive method That is likely to work so clearly simply Restraining him Is the least aversive method that is Likely to work as you’ve seen me do a Couple of times in this training session And he’s starting to understand And for george restricting his access to This ball is really the least aversive Method That actually works with him stay Yes okay good see how i waited for him To check in there So i mean george man he is a heck of a Dog and he has such a strong will But you know you can break through to Him if you’re just if you speak his Language I mean people interpret this behavior as Being stubborn all i’m seeing is a dog That has a lot of drive and really Wants something and it’s pretty

Determined i mean stubborn kind of Indicates that they’re unwilling to Learn he’s trying to fight his instincts But he’s a dog who likes to chase a ball It’s a hard thing to do Good sit Stay look at me Come no come Good okay go get the ball go on okay See that delayed gratification seems to Be effective once he understands that’s What we’re going for Good boy stay no Come george Come yes stay Okay love that check-in so i feel like We made some progress In today’s lesson he still has a ways to Go and his drive is Really intense and it’s both a blessing And a curse at the same time sometimes Because you have to really learn how to Refine that drive and make it work for You instead of against you So stay tuned [Music] Later that day we were taking a break And george started to bark at one of our Neighbor’s dogs who was walking by When your dog has an outburst at other Dogs do what you can to get their Attention on you And when you get even a tiny glance at First reward them big time

[Music] One of the most critical parts of Training a dog is being willing to snap Into training mode at a moment’s notice When certain situations call for it like When your dog reacts to another dog Outside of the window or when they’re Chewing on one of your sneakers Oh my god what’s he doing you are Not gonna be excited about what’s Happening this is my Shoe leave it good man Leave it alone okay my bad I will put my shoe up i shouldn’t have Put you in that position I shouldn’t have put you in that Position Oh boy shooting uh oh you have a nike Shirt and an adidas shoe I know i’ve been married to you too long To make puns like that that’s True hey george good man Good boy this is why when you’re Training a dog over those first many Months that you really Have to do a good job supervising them That’s why we supervise and control the Environment Which i am failing at he shouldn’t have Even had access to the shoe but you know His leave it is so strong that i was Able to quickly remind him What leave it meant we have some news Yeah go ahead bri why don’t you lead us

The news is we Have finally been able to bring Ourselves to Make george’s first official adoption Post I’m feeling different than i thought i Would about all of this i mean George and i have bonded so much Throughout this training process i’ve Seen zach see a lot of dogs And i rarely see him want to keep a dog In his life the way he Has deeply thought about george he’s Been amazing like I don’t know if i can let this dog go But i understand that we Have to do that i understand the greater Calling is to Be able to bring a dog into our life to Train them and to find them a great home And if i adopted Every amazing dog that i worked with That was homeless I would never be able to keep my eye on The bigger picture and that’s what i’m Just constantly Having to tell myself but he’s such an Amazing boy fostering a dog Is such an emotional thing to go through Yeah it is i mean i can’t help but think About the first time i saw George behind those bars you know in the Shelter All alone every day and don’t get me

Wrong the shelter workers do the best That they can With these dogs so i know they gave them As much time as they possibly could but Knowing that he’s gone from that to Having attention All day long from us and seeing him just Excel At every turn do every single thing we Have asked him to do And to really try very hard it’s it’s Very emotional but i know he won’t be The last dog that i encounter that’s This amazing but He’s definitely a special boy definitely A special boy did you see that Somersault I did yeah oh my gosh and so we have the Privilege of making him available To the right home with anyone in the United states basically Yep yeah which is really cool but i also Am like this is a new world Of finding you guys trying to find the Right the best right home That’s really hard major respect for you Guys in animal rescue We made this post in which i shared a Whole bunch of pictures of george That i’m hoping sum up his personality What do you guys think And i understand that the way he looks And his Breed type can be discouraging to a lot

Of people Well i’m determined we’re going to find Him an amazing home i feel like it’s a Lot of pressure but i also feel like i Can’t wait to see where he ends up All right guys so stay tuned we’ll see Where it goes Our journey still has many twists and Turns ahead Check out the description for a link to Pup bird’s amazing treats if you’re Training your dog right now you should Definitely check out both of my books as Well Follow us on instagram facebook and tick Tock i’ll have all of the links below And we’ll see you guys in episode 9.