Field notes · Dog training in Angier & Raleigh, NC
Does my dog actually know the command?
Often he knows your hand, your body or the leash instead of the word. Until you take all of that away, you cannot tell which one he is answering.
In the trainer's words
You have to make the puzzle harder again for them to get the complete picture that it's not just when you try to guide them.Kelton, Head Trainer, Angier K9 Consultants
Seen with 6 dogs: Bun, Kane, Kodak, Beo, Finn, Reaper
40 recorded moments, each one linked to the exact second it happens in a full training session published unedited. Trainers call this hidden help.
12:41
"Rooted in something" — reading fear, not punishing it
14:41
The obligation moves from leash to collar
22:47
The actual rule list
33:16
What gets used until he gets it on his own
23:22
I was purposely giving him less information
23:47
You might have thought — just help him out
25:01
Verbal fluency requires letting him struggle
38:19
A verbal-only down and we're ending
39:59
He lays down on his own
40:24
Reinforced a lot, but didn't do much else
30:05
Where the heel position actually is
34:21
A down between the stairs
15:52
Heel entry standing still vs while walking
38:44
He forgot about it and went back to sniffing
13:42
That is so impressive
6:02
Verbal-only for the last five to eight sessions before home
12:07
Bun's first day fully off leash
8:00
One down ≠ a learned cue.
Related questions
Recognize your own dog in this?
Most people who call us have already been told their dog is a lost cause, or that they should manage it and hope. We train dogs in Angier, Raleigh and across the Triangle, and we take the serious aggression and reactivity cases that other programs turn down.
How it works: tell us what your dog is actually doing. We tell you honestly whether we can help, including when the answer is no. If we can, you leave with a plan and a start date.
What you get back is a dog whose world gets bigger instead of smaller.
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